FineCity Magazine - March 2016 by Spider Creative Media

Issue 52 March 2016

We meet Amelia Reynolds from the BBC for an in-depth interview

Mother’s Day

Gift ideas from Jarrold, for Mother’s Day and Easter

FINEpeople FINEMotors

Motoring

World Premiere of the New Lexus LC 500H

FINEAdvice FINEarts

PLUS

FINEEvents

East Anglian Game and Country Fair

NORWICH

2016

STYLISH SORRENTO

BY AIR FROM NORWICH AIRPORT

SORRENTO Summer Special

ROME & SORRENTO

8 DAYS, BY AIR

from

949

Departing Sunday 3 July 2016

from

649

 Return flight from Norwich airport to Naples†  2 nights half board at the 4 star Hotel Villa Maria Regina in Rome  5 nights half board at the 4 star Hotel Delle Palme, Sorrento area  Two half-day Rome excursions to the Colosseum, the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel  Two full day Sorrento excursions to Positano, Amalfi & Ravello, and Pompeii & Vesuvius  Airport taxes and return transfer from the airport to your hotel  Services of an English speaking representative

Departing Sunday 3 July 2016

GREAT VALUE!

 Return flight from Norwich airport to Naples†  7 nights at the 3 star Hotel Florida with breakfast  Airport taxes and return transfer from the airport to your hotel  Services of an English speaking representative Optional excursions to Amalfi, Positano & Ravello, & Capri/Anacapri and Pompeii & Vesuvius

INCLUDES £50PP DISCOUNT IF BOOKED BEFORE 31 MARCH 2016

SORRENTO Amalfi & Pompeii 8 DAYS, BY AIR from

Departing Sunday 3 July 2016 Take a dream break among the cliffs, lemon-orchards, olive-groves and turquoise waters of Italy’s favourite bay, with excursions to Amalfi & Ravello, Positano, Pompeii & Vesuvius. Return flight from Norwich airport to Naples† 7 nights stay at a choice of 3 or 4 star Sorrento-area hotels with breakfast and dinner Airport taxes and return transfer from the airport to your hotel Two full-day escorted excursions to Pompeii & Vesuvius, Positano, Amalfi & Ravello Entry to Amalfi Cathedral, Pompeii and Villa Rufolo Gardens in Ravello Optional excursions to Capri and Anacapri

799

INCLUDES £50PP DISCOUNT IF BOOKED BEFORE 31 MARCH 2016

To book please visit TRAVEL NORWICH AIRPORT at the Airport or CASTLE MALL NORWICH or call 01603 428700 Organised by Omega Holidays plc, ABTA V4782. ATOL Protected 6081. Single supplement applies. Subject to availability. †We have included a reasonable budget for your flights. Should the cost of these fall below or rise above this amount we will amend the holiday cost to reflect these changes and therefore the price may increase or decrease accordingly. The final price will be confirmed at the time of booking. The advertised prices are correct as of 22 February 2016. Price excludes £10 per adult Norwich Airport Development Fee payable at the airport.

Mention FineCity Magazine when calling Tel 01603 867521 | Mob 07762039656

The

ome of AlgHy Bint ’s bird ree seed

10AM - 4PM

ff 10% o ed se bird

PHOTOGRAPHIC WORKSHOPS GREAT MOTHERS DAY GIFTS BIRD FEEDERS & ACCESSORIES

04 | March 2016

www.finecity.co.uk

Issue 52 March 2016

We meet Amelia Reynolds from the BBC for an in-depth interview

MOTHER’S DAY

FINEPEOPLE

Gift ideas from Jarrold, for Mother’s Day and

FINEMOTORS

Easter

MOTORING

FINEADVICE

World Premiere of the New Lexus LC 500H

FINEARTS FINEEVENTS

PLUS

East Anglian Game

FINE people

and Country Fair

NOR WIC H

FINE places

Issue 52

Your community magazine FineCity Magazine would like to thank all those who have contributed to this issue. This includes but is not limited to: Pete Goodrum, Stephen Browning, Tony Cooper, Michael Chandler, Sara Greenfield and Tim Barnes-Clay Cover Image courtesy of: BBC Look East

Editor Jonathan Horswell @JonathanHorswel

Administration

FINE arts

FINE Events

Luke Keable

Sales

Collect your free copy of FineCity Magazine from any of our partner locations:

Harry Cawley

Sales

Aaron Gould

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .eps

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .eps

FineCityMag @FineCityMag Tel 01953 456789 Web www.FineCity.co.uk Address Queens House, Queens Square, Attleborough, Norfolk, NR17 2AE.

© FineCity Magazine Disclaimer: No part of this magazine may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, either wholly or in part, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Publisher. Every effort is taken to ensure that the contents of this magazine are accurate, but the Publisher can not assume any responsibility for errors or omissions. Whilst reasonable care is taken when accepting advertisements the Publisher will not accept any resulting unsatisfactory transactions. They will, however, immediately investigate any written complaints. The Publishers reserve the right to amend such submissions and cannot accept responsibility for any loss.

www.finecity.co.uk

2016 March | 05

The Perfect way to guarantee your future income.

Investors and landlords... Your property needs us • Guaranteed monthly rent – with no deductions

• Deposit Replacement Insurance from DAS via Advanced Rent

• No more letting fees or management fees

• Fully referenced Professionals in full time employment

• We pay for all required checks including Gas Safety certificate

• Weekly cleaner and monthly gardener

• We pay for all of the utility bills

• Monthly inspections on the property

• Long term Let

• All tenant issues dealt with at no cost to you

• Rent Guarantee insurance with Home Emergency Cover from DAS via Advanced Rent

• Plus we pay for Internal repairs and maintenance

Sound too good to be true? Call us to find out more.

norwich@rooms.life ︱ www.rooms.life 01603 381882

The Bure Valley Boat Train

njoy a family day out aboard the Boat Train at the Bure Valley Railway. Starting from the historic market town of Aylsham, experience the magic of steam through nine miles of Norfolk countryside to the Broads town of Wroxham. Then take to the water and discover the beautiful Norfolk Broads with a leisurely hour and a half cruise with guided commentary, before returning to Wroxham for the train journey back to Aylsham. Facilities at the Bure Valley Railway include a café, a model, toy and gift shop and a railway workshop at Aylsham with a souvenir shop at Wroxham. The Whistlestop Café seats up to 80 people and

06 | March 2016

can provide everything from a cup of tea to a full meal. There is free parking at both stations. The Boat Train operates on a daily basis from 19 March to the end of October. A discounted family ticket (2 adults + 2 children) is available at a cost of £62.00 and under 5’s travel free. For further information contact: Susan Munday, Bure Valley Railway, Aylsham Station, Norwich Road, Aylsham, Norfolk, NR11 6BW, Tel: 01263 733858 Website: www.bvrw.co.uk Email: marketing@bvrw. co.uk www.finecity.co.uk

Amelia Reynolds Pete Goodrum meets BBC TV presenter Amelia Reynolds.

www.finecity.co.uk

2016 March | 07

FINEPeople

’m waiting in the BBC reception area. It’s in the middle of a refurbishment. In truth, because it’s not finished yet, it’s a bit dull. A bit grey. And then the door opens and Amelia Reynolds comes in. She’s wearing a stunning purple raincoat, which colour coordinates perfectly with her skirt, and a smile that could light a tv studio. And suddenly the room, and the day, seems brighter. We grab coffees and I tell her that I have some information on her, gleaned from the internet. She looks, well, suspicious, and

when I reveal that it includes her answers to one of those ‘My Favourite Things’ questionnaires she actually groans. When, going through it, we find how old, and how inaccurate, it is she laughs. I mean really laughs. It’s going to prove to be the source of some further hilarity, but before that, let’s start at the beginning. Amelia was born in Fressingfield, in Suffolk. Her parents, of whom she plainly thinks the world, still live there. She went to Stradbroke High School and then Thomas Mills High School. She took a

year out before university to go travelling. ‘I have no idea how my poor dear parents handled it’, she says. ‘They waved me off at Heathrow, a teenager with a friend, and that was it! I was gone!’ Her back packing travels were so exhaustive in that year that even she forgets some of it, and she pauses to check and fill in the list with obvious delight at the memories. Here’s a quick inventory - Egypt, India, Nepal, China, HongKong, Hawaii, the USA including a Greyhound Bus trip to the deep south, Canada and, ‘nearly forgot’ (!) Thailand, Malaysia

and Singapore! Three important things emerge about that trip. Firstly the two girls funded themselves. Secondly she’s proud of what it achieved. “It was a huge experience, I learned so much about how people from different cultures lived. It also gave me so much more confidence. Thirdly - all the time she was travelling she was sending reports and pictures back to the East Anglian Daily Times. This was her first taste of journalism. Next though was the university place that was waiting for her at Exeter, where she studied Drama and English. Whilst there she co-hosted a University Radio breakfast show. There was she says, ‘Never a dull moment’.

feature by:

Pete Goodrum Writer, broadcaster @petegoodrum

08 | March 2016

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEPeople These early brushes with journalism and broadcasting stood her in good stead when it came to her first job. As did her travels. She found work with a production company who, amongst other things, made programmes for the BBC World Service. ‘My boss there, who was very much a mentor, recognised my ambition and with huge generosity suggested I spend a day a week working at the fledgling Cambridge Red TV’. She soon got into her stride, hosting a show called ‘The Red Debate’. ‘It was on such a shoestring! I had an earpiece held together with sellotape, and I had to work the production desk and fader switches, like a radio broadcaster, while I was live on tv!’ Next on the cv was a spell in cable tv, working in the old Anglia TV building. ‘It was a great team. I loved it’. By now she was certain that tv was where she wanted to work and where she saw her future. She moved to BBC Look East, initially as a researcher. ‘It was great experience, and I was working with some talented and experienced people, but I never lied about my ambition to be on screen’. She got there. Her first on screen job was as the Essex reporter. It’s at this point that I throw in what I assume will be a timely and relevant piece of information from my internet research. ‘And’, I say, ‘you won the Best Newcomer to Television Journalism Award’. ‘No!’, she says. “I didn’t!’ This is where the laughter starts. Amelia Reynolds has the sort of laugh that lifts you. It’s infectious. It’s laughter to be shared, as if we’ve known each other for years. Thinking back now, and given that we were talking in a public space, we were sharing the sort of laughter that probably made some of the other coffee drinkers wonder what the heck we were talking about.

www.finecity.co.uk

2016 March | 09

FINEPeople What we were talking about was this. “I didn’t win it. I was nominated but it went to - of all people - David Whiteley!’ Why’s that funny? Because Amelia and fellow BBC presenter David are now married. ‘I swear this is true’ she tells me. When we moved house not too long ago, out came his award. He polished it!’ We’ re both laughing, but it ratchets up another notch of hilarity when she adds, with the comic timing of a sitcom star, ‘I had to tell him. Really, David, there’s no need to have it on quite such conspicuous display!’

We quickly cover her rise through anchor duties and presenting Look East, as well as The Politics Show before I decide to take the frankly dangerous risk, given the story so far, of mentioning another fact (‘please let it be correct’ is forming as a thought in my mind, counter balanced with a sly hope that’s it not, because that way will lie more laughter). ‘Is it true that you actually played yourself in a film?’ It’s true. But it’s equally productive in the laughter stakes. ‘I did! It was amazing! Let’s deal with the story. This

was the case of the ‘Suffolk Plane Spotters’ who got themselves into some high profile trouble when the Greek authorities arrested them on spying charges in 2001. In 2002 they were put on trial and Amelia covered it. ‘So, a couple of years later I get a phone call to say that there was to be a film about it - and they wanted me to play myself as the reporter at the trial! As soon as I realised it wasn’t a joke my reaction was ‘Yeah!’’ We’re back to the laughter. There’s no disrespect for the ordeal of the imprisoned spotters, nor the work of the film makers, it’s just that she tells the story with such hilarious wonderment at her involvement in the film. ‘I had a caravan! With my name on it! OK, my name was just sort of stuck on it, and not in a star shape - but me - who’d always wanted to be an actress - in a film - with my own caravan!’ By this time I’m sure people are looking at us. We stabilise a bit. She talks of her and David getting married in 2008. And adds ‘Despite the award!’ which starts the giggles again. ‘We had a lovely wedding in Trowse, where we were living. It was a fantastic day’.

The children arrived. Annabel in 2010. Cleo in 2013. They are she says ‘wholly unimpressed with their parents being ‘on the telly’, and the slightly elder Annabel positively shudders with embarrassment if a public appearance comes up. Amelia assumes a perfect imitation of an embarrassed little girl’s face and says ‘Mum, really? Nooo!’ Amelia’s children are plainly hugely important to her. Her conversation is dotted with references to events being ‘before’ or ‘after’ the children being born. She takes motherhood seriously and when I mention the crazy hours she works (she won’t finish until 11.00pm tonight) she sees the positive in it. ‘Often when I’m working late, my kids are asleep. And, I’m able to be at home with them quite a lot of the time which is a bonus that many working mums don’t have’. It’s obvious that she’s giving thought to something she wants to say on the subject. Ready, she says, ‘I didn’t realise the joy of having a family before it happened. And I do feel blessed to have such a wonderful family, as well as doing a job that I love. It is a balancing act, of course it is. Sometimes you think - I’ve got it right- but there are plenty of other times when you panic that it’s not going to plan. And believe me, there isn’t a working mum colleague of mine, and I have lots, who doesn’t feel the same’. She will often r ever to her colleagues, always praising their professionalism, generosity and team spirit. Work and family fill her and David’s life to such an extent that there’s little time for outside interests. ‘I love skiing but we haven’t been for ages. We do go to the gym. We’re good at keeping fit. In fact she and David both completed the London Marathon in 2009. ‘He beat me! But only by a couple of minutes - and I stopped to fit in an interview. Does all of this make us sound super competitive? We’re not. Honestly!’ I turn the conversation back to her work. It’s demanding. She manages on 5 hours sleep

10 | March 2016

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEPeople between midnight and 5.00am, and the hours are flexible to say the least. Does she take the work home with her? No, she doesn’t. Not because she’s less than committed but because she realises that she specialises in news. ‘It’s what’s happening on the day. Tomorrow the story will have moved on, so you can’t dwell on it once it’s done’. What she does dwell on is the research. This is a step change in our conversation. She’s no less amiable now, but she is more focused. Her physical posture shifts. You know you’re in the presence of a professional. ‘I do a lot of interviews. Ministers, Chief Executives, high profile people. I’m totally conscious that I am in a privileged position. I can, and must, ask the questions that the viewer would want to ask. To do that I have to have the facts. They may or may not all be needed or come up, but I have to have them. I owe it to the viewer. I never wing it.’ Assiduous research, total preparation, are she says part of an attitude she’s had since school. Of course they are. She was born to do this work. Capable of off duty hilarity she is, on screen, a consummate broadcaster,

www.finecity.co.uk

presenter and interviewer. It radiates from her. ‘I suppose’ she says in closing, to really answer your question about why I love my work, it’s because I love doing interviews. I enjoy them’. ‘No pressure here then Pete’,

I think to myself. ‘I’ve just interviewed one of the best interviewers in the media! This could have gone horribly wrong! Amelia has to leave and we shake hands and go out into the street, setting of in opposite directions.

Am I worried about that last thought? Not really. Because if the talented, committed, articulate and funny person that is Amelia Reynolds has enjoyed this interview half as much as I have, she’s just had a brilliant morning!

2016 March | 11

Cathedral view walking up from the river

TO THE TOP OF THE CITY

AND DOWN AGAINâ&#x20AC;Ś.. 12 | March 2016

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEPLACES arrested, tried entirely in German which she did not speak, and shot in 1915. On the night before her death, she made the famous remark that ‘Patriotism is not enough’ as she would willingly have helped soldiers of any country. Her body was brought back after the war and now lies in a peaceful spot in the Cathedral Close. Almost opposite the memorial is a pub named after her. feature by:

Steve Browning Writer @returningperson

ere is another in our popular series of walks around the city. This is a little unusual in that it is far from flat in places and is quite long but rewards the walker with some of the most fascinating original features and views in the city. A good half day is recommended and probably something relaxing afterwards – maybe our previous look at Norwich pubs may help here! THE ROUTE: A walk through Tombland, along King Street, up to Bracondale, down to the Norwich Football Ground and Riverside Quarter, ending up in the Cathedral Close

Tombland was the scene of a riot in 1766 over the high price of corn - shops of bakers and millers were sacked. Two people were hanged in 1767 as a consequence. Although there are hundreds, possibly thousands, of people buried here, the word ‘tombland’ has nothing to do with tombs but derives from the old English word meaning ‘empty space’. Walking up to a busy intersection you will see ahead of you perhaps the grandest Post Office in the Kingdom. It was the Crown Bank originally but the bank went bankrupt. Now it is has been converted into flats. To your right is the Royal Hotel, designed by Edward Boardman, which gives the unsettling impression of rather too much having been crammed into the sky. It is beautiful, with some

lovely mini turrets adorning the top and exquisite brickwork but it does not seem able to breathe. Perhaps the space on which it is built is simply too small. It is now given over to a variety of offices.

A Most Important Street Proceed straight ahead into King Street. This was one of the first areas of Norwich to be inhabited and extremely important it was, too. Rich merchants, the Howards – Catherine was Henry VIII’s fifth wife – and the Dukes of Norfolk all had houses here. John Caius, physician to Edward VI and founder of the college at Cambridge that bears his name, was born here. The main industry was beer making and the most famous firm was Morgan’s: sadly, one of the founders, Walter Morgan, was overcome by the powerful yeast fumes in a vat of beer, fell in and drowned. About five minutes’ walk down King Street, on the left hand side, is Dragon Hall, a magnificent merchant hall belonging to Robert Toppes, four times mayor of the city. It dates from 1420 although the site has been occupied since around the time of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It is well worth

a visit. It is now occupied by the Writers’ Centre, Norwich.

The Oldest House In The City Down the street a few yards is what is reputed to be the oldest occupied house in Norwich – the Music House. This fine pink building, where we know the Jurnet family lived, bears testimony to the wealth of the Jews in Norwich in the 11th and 12th centuries. It is possible that the first ever recorded case of prejudice against the Jewish people flared up at about this time. What happened was as follows. The Jews probably came to the UK with William the Conqueror. By their skill and hard work, and especially by the granting of loans – some say that the cathedral itself would not have been built without this ‘liquidity’ facility – the community of about 200 Jews became very successful. Unfortunately, they also aroused envy. In 1144 the mutilated body of a 12 year old boy was found on Mousehold Heath and the story spread that he had been tortured and murdered by the Jews in a mock crucifixion. Miracles were claimed to be occurring at the place where he was buried. Resentment thereafter bubbled under the

Tombland

We start at Tombland which was the original market place of Norwich and today is a mixture of fine restaurants, solicitors’ offices, buses and cars. Watch you don’t get run over. On your left you will see the Erpingham Gate, built in 1420 by Sir Thomas Erpingham who commanded the victorious archers at the Battle of Agincourt. Look up and you will notice a stone statue of him in prayer, thanking God for having spared his life. Adjacent to the gate is a memorial by Henry Pegram to one of Norwich’s great heroines – Edith Cavell. A nurse in Belgium in 1914, she set up an escape organization for wounded soldiers and managed to help over 200 to safety. She was subsequently www.finecity.co.uk

2016 March | 13

FINEPLACES surface of society. We will never know the whole truth. What we do know is that in 1275 Edward I forbade Jews to loan money with interest and that in 1290 they were thrown out of the country altogether.

A Bridge To Friendship Proceed down the street, past the Novi Sad Bridge, popularly known as the Friendship Bridge, on the left, a white and striking affair, until you come to Southgate Lane on the right-hand side. This is not a lane at all really but a fairly narrow and steep set of steps and pathway leading up to Bracondale. Turn left at the top and enjoy a leisurely descent along a most elegant wide road with some fine houses. Many people prefer this area to the more famous ‘Golden Triangle’ on the other side of the city. It has always been noted for the number and quality of its schools. Bracondale School was one such and had a famous pupil in Bill Edrich who was selected for the Norfolk cricket team as a teenager and subsequently rewrote the record books when playing for England. At the base of the hill, you will meet King Street again on your left. About five minutes’ walk as you proceed, turn right into Carrow Road and across the river. You will see the ruined remains of Boom Towers on the river bank where once heavy metal

Tombland - Sir Thomas Erpingham

14 | March 2016

Friendship Bridge

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEPLACES

Riverside

Boulton and Paul modern sculpture

Carrow Road

Foundry Bridge

www.finecity.co.uk

2016 March | 15

FINEPLACES

Ancient city walls at top of Bracondale

King Street

chains strung between the towers prevented any unwanted ships passing upstream into the city.

Mustard! This is the location of the factory of perhaps Norwich’s most famous export – mustard. The Colman family established a huge business refining the famous yellow paste, later branching out into starch, laundry blue and other products. What is most remarkable, however, is that they set standards of care for the workforce that were unheard of in early 18th century England. There was a male and a female medical team; a school was set up for children of workers and Mrs Jeremiah Coleman herself used to cook the employees a lunch of stew, bread and coffee all for 4 pence (that’s old‘d’). Very popular, too, were the day trips for the whole workforce. Trowse, just a little farther out,

King Street

16 | March 2016

was a model town – it is still there – on the lines of Bourneville, providing clean and sanitary accommodation for all workers. Jeremiah was a just patriarch, and much loved. When he died in 1898, 1200 workers from his factory followed his cortege. The company now belongs to a multi-national corporation but the Colman’s Shop, in the Royal Arcade, is a popular tourist spot and mustard will forever be associated with Norwich.

Footie Straight ahead, you cannot miss Carrow Road, the Canaries’ Football Ground. Every Saturday when playing at home, fans in bright green and yellow strip flood the town from all over Norfolk. Days of glory have been interspersed with the agonies of relegation. In 2004 when they reached previously unheard of

St Peter Mancroft showing railings by Boulton and Paul

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEPLACES Royal Hotel

heights, the staid Town Hall went a little mad and perched a massive yellow inflatable canary on the roof overlooking the Market. This has been up and down a few times since and, right now, in early 2016, we are lingering dangerously close to the relegation zone, but hope springs eternal, doesn’t it? A Director of the club and known as ‘The First Lady of Norwich’ is the legendary cook and writer, Delia Smith. Is there anybody who does not have one of her books? Certainly not around here. She has established a restaurant in the ground itself. She is brave, too. She has been known to stand in the ground with a microphone and demand more support from the fans when things are not going so well. Another famous fan is Stephen Fry, actor, author and TV presenter, who spent much of his youth in the city and attended Norwich City College. Ed Balls, previous Shadow Chancellor, is now the new chairman. Cut back to the river from the Football Ground and take in the view from halfway across the Friendship Bridge. This is new Norwich, looking across the www.finecity.co.uk

Riverside Quarter towards the Anglican Cathedral. There are a selection of one, two and three bedroom luxury flats and duplexes as well as pubs, nightclubs, restaurants and a cinema complex.

Anything In Metal Provided You are also looking at the site of Boulton and Paul, a famous firm that began in Rose Lane and moved to larger premises by the river in the 1920s. Initially doing reasonably well manufacturing just about anything in metal, their big break came when a machine for the mass production of wire netting was perfected. This coincided with a huge order for netting from Australia which was having difficulty controlling rabbits. They claimed to be able to produce just about anything in metal and this included a complete lighthouse in Brazil. Thereafter, the firm diversified into aircraft production and produced more of the famous Sopwith Camel aircraft during the First World War than anyone else. They were tested out on Mousehold Heath. The block of new flats immediately in front of you is named after another

of their aircraft, the ‘Sidestrand’ bomber. Just by the bridge you will also find two unusual and starkly beautiful memorials to Boulton and Paul created in cast iron and copper. The firm has subsequently relocated to Wolverhampton. You can see some of their handiwork right in the centre of town – the beautiful ironwork around St Pater Mancroft has their name embossed on the metal gates.

the Compleat Angler pub where people are drinking and along the river. When you come to Pull’s Ferry, turn left up through the Cathedral Close and take a seat at the top opposite the new herb garden. You will not fail to notice that, to your left, a fine statue of one of Norwich’s most famous adopted sons, His Grace the Duke of Wellington, victor of Waterloo, looking out past his fine aquiline nose and checking that you are behaving yourself.

Back Up To The Cathedral

This walks ends here, very close to where we began.

From the river bank you can walk along the river towards the Cathedral Spire in the distance. Half way along, you will come to ‘The Queen of Iceni’ and other pubs. This is also the setting for a variety of restaurants and a multiplex cinema. The river is also home to many varieties of duck as well as the ubiquitous white swan. You are now almost back at the station. If you have the energy – if not a bus from the station will carry you quickly up to the Castle – cross Foundry Bridge, walk through the outside area of

This walk is one of eleven taken from ‘Norwich’ by Stephen Browning and published by Halsgrove at £14.99 2016 March | 17

FINEPLACES

Bamberg

In between performances at the Bayreuth summer opera festival, Tony Cooper took time out to explore the picturesque German town of Bamberg

’ve heard a lot of good things said about Bamberg - located in Upper Franconia and situated on the Regnitz which flows into the river Main - not least by the fame of its breweries. So while I was staying in the area with Miss X in tow, my erstwhile travelling companion, I thought

18 | March 2016

a day in Bamberg would make a nice excursion from our base in Bayreuth. The journey by train only takes an hour and the Old Town (Altstadt) is within easy walking distance from the railway station. Any visitor to Germany will know that the beer is good wherever

you find yourself - Munich, Berlin, Nuremberg, et al - but in Bamberg they have a brew that’s very special to that town. It’s their pride and joy - smoked beer (rauchbier). On booking our tickets at the railway-station, the counter clerk immediately told us about the

beer: ‘Try the smoked beer - it’s delicious, it’s famous’, he howled. How right he was - and it didn’t take long to find the epicentre to this brew, either. Within an hour of whiling away the time drooling over the lovely Old Town with its abundance of half-timbered rickety-looking houses we found www.finecity.co.uk

FINEPLACES of Dominikanerstraße and the place to find the smoked beer aptly named Schlenkerla rauchbier and brewed by Brauerei HellerTrum. Every room (including the courtyard) in this atmospheric medieval tavern was bustling with life with locals and visitors alike enjoying themselves in a most civilised way eating and drinking their way through the day. The first pint went down a treat. So did the next. And ... the clerk at the railway station was spot on. We raised a glass to him and personally thanked him the next day. In actual fact, Bamberg, I discovered, is home to seven other breweries. Take your pick: Brauerei Fässla, Brauerei Greifenklau, Brauerei Kaiserdom, Keesmann Bräu, Klosterbräu, Mahrs Bräu and Brauerei Spezial, and one brew pub, the Ambräusianum. For a city of about 70,000 inhabitants, it’s an unusually high number. Lucky for them! But you need to build up your strength on a bit of pig or suchlike to explore this town. Although a good walking one, it’s a bit hilly and trekking round it takes its toll as the town extends over seven hills each crowned by a beautiful church. One that Miss X and I greatly enjoyed looking over was St Michaelsberg Abbey, a former Benedictine monastery, founded in 1015, and, perhaps, the original brewery in Bamberg. Remember, the monks were the first to get into the brewing business. I guess, then, that it’s no

ourselves in Dominikanerstraße. It took no time at all to log on to the fact that we were in the right place. All of the restaurants and taverns in and around Dominikanerstraße were jampacked with diners tucking into shoulder of pig while enjoying www.finecity.co.uk

feature by:

Tony Cooper Writer tc@tony-cooper.co.uk

coincidence that Bamberg is nicknamed ‘Franconian Rome’ because of its seven hills echoing the Seven Hills of Rome. I was closer to the Eternal City than I first thought. But further exploration beckoned and I came across the house of the renowned romantic author, composer, poet and painter, Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann, better known by his pen name, ETA Hoffmann (Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann). Born in Königsberg, East Prussia, in January 1776, Hoffman’s life was cut rather short mainly due to a lifestyle that was, perhaps, a bit too wild and wacky for his own good. Alcohol abuse and syphilis eventually caught up with him and he died in Berlin, Brandenburg, Prussia, in 1822, aged 46, but in that short time-span he packed a lot in - artistically and socially.

a pint or two of their favourite brew. It seems that pig and beer go together wherever you are in Germany. So when in Rome! Hang on a minute - I’m miles away from there! However, Miss X and I soon found the Schlenkerla tavern at the heart 2016 March | 19

FINEPLACES He arrived in Bamberg in 1808 to take over the management of the local theatre and his stay in the town lasted five years. It may not have been the happiest period in his life but it laid the foundation for a memorable career. During Hoffman’s handful of years in Bamberg, the town strongly influenced him while he made his mark on the town, too, which can still be felt to the present day. His former house - now a museum - is a great visitor attraction. Hoffman’s stories were very influential during the 19th century and he’s one of the major authors of the Romantic Movement. And in the history of opera he’s the subject and hero of Jacques Offenbach’s famous (but fictional) opera The Tales of Hoffmann and the author of the novelette The Nutcracker and the Mouse King on which the well-loved ballet The Nutcracker is firmly based. The ballet Coppelia is also based on two other stories that he wrote while Schumann’s Kreisleriana, a very dramatic composition in eight movements written in 1838 for solo piano, is based on Hoffmann’s musical character, Johannes Kreisler, who actually appeared in three of his novels. The moody, anti-social composer Kreisler (Hoffmann’s alter ego) is a musical genius whose creativity is stymied by an excessive sensibility. Apart from inspiring Schumann’s Kreisleriana, he was also the inspiration for the first movement of György Kurtág’s Hommage à R.Sch. Hoffman, it seems, was able to turn his hand to anything and when his job as theatre manager didn’t work out, he found work as a music critic for the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, an influential newspaper circulating in Leipzig. His articles on Beethoven were especially well received and highly regarded by the composer himself.

Glyndebourne appointment (and he’s only the seventh music director in Glyndebourne’s illustrious 77-year-old history) that the post offers ‘unrivalled opportunities’. How right he is. The only problem I encountered in Bamberg was that the orchestra wasn’t working on the day I was there. Therefore, I need to go back. I can’t wait to return. Neither can Miss X. Auf wiedersehen!

term ‘Doppelgänger’ the previous decade) and continued to exact a powerful influence over Hoffmann, becoming one of his earliest admirers. It was with this publication that Hoffmann began to use the pseudonym ‘ETA’ Hoffmann, telling people that the ‘A’ stood for Amadeus, in homage to the composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. However, he continued to use Wilhelm in official documents throughout his life and the initials ‘ETW’ appears on his gravestone. Being a great admirer of Hoffman, the discovery of his connections with Bamberg proved a very nice surprise and a reminder of my visit.

But Bamberg’s full of surprises not least by the quality of its symphony orchestra. It’s one of the best in Europe and British conductor, Jonathan Nott, has held the position of chief conductor since 2000 but will be soon giving way to the Czech-born conductor, Jakub Hrůša. He’s no stranger to Norwich as he conducted a terrific performance of Dvořák’s Rusalka for Glyndebourne on Tour at the Theatre Royal in 2012. And Glyndebourne Festival’s current music director, Robin Ticciati, is a former principal guest conductor of the Bamberg Symphony and no stranger to Norwich either. He said of his

Getting there - Tony Cooper and Miss X took Abellio Greater Anglia’s service to London Liverpool Street: fares between Norwich and London start from £9 one way, booked in advance (www.abelliogreateranglia. co.uk).Crossing over to St Pancras they caught the Eurostar to Brussels and then travelled on Deutsche Bahn (DB) inter-city express (ICE) to Nuremberg via Frankfurt. The last leg of the journey to Bayreuth was undertaken by a regional DB service from Nuremberg which ferries wanting Wagnerites to their beloved Valhalla. Eurostar operates up to nine daily services from London St Pancras International to Brussels - journey time: 2 hrs 1 min. Brussels to Frankfurt fares start from £85 (one way); Frankfurt to Nuremburg from £42 (one way); Nuremburg to Bayreuth from £31 (one way). All of the routes can be booked via Voyages-sncf.com or on 0844 848 5 848.

Hoffmann’s breakthrough came in 1809 with the publication of Ritter Gluck, a story about a man who meets (or believes he has met) the composer Christoph Willibald Gluck more than 20 years after the latter’s death. The theme alludes to the work of Jean Paul (who invented the 20 | March 2016

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEPLACES

The Life And Works Of Charles Dickens In 30 Pictures Part 2 (of 3)

Last Time: We looked at 10 pictures representing the rise of Charles Dickens from a waif in a blacking

factory at the age of 12 to a literary superstar by the time he was 31. During this period in his life he wrote The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, Nicholas

Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Shop, Barnaby Rudge and A Christmas Carol. Here are 10 more pictures charting the ‘mid-life’ of this amazing novelist…..

Picture 11 (Top Left) Just a little way up Wellington Street, off the Aldwych, is one of the most important addresses in literary London – you will see the Charles Dickens Café with a plaque on the wall above. These are the offices where Dickens supervised his hugely successful weekly magazines, Household Words (1850-59) and All the Year Round (1859-70). Charles Dickens Jnr continued the latter successfully until 1893. Dickens, world-famous and bursting with energy at the age of 38, decided to launch Household Words as a general magazine to show that, in all things, ‘there is Romance enough, if we will find it

www.finecity.co.uk

feature by:

Steve Browning Writer @returningperson

out’. Priced at only tuppence it came out every Wednesday beginning on 27th March 1850. Immediately, along with fiction and general pieces, it championed social reform and contributed to the reforms in the sewerage system following the ‘Great Stink’, when the business of the House of Commons was suspended. Dickens serialized Hard Times and A Child’s History of England in it, too, and he attracted some eminent writers, such as Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, John Forster and Wilkie Collins to contribute to it. The most eminent female author of the day, George Eliot, declined as she was not too keen on the idea of weekly serialization.

Picture 12 (Bottom Left) This is Covent Garden. Dickens was known to take rooms in the Piazza here sometimes when his houses were not available for whatever reason. Tom and Ruth in Martin Chuzzlewit wander here early in summer mornings. They had both had a terrible time – Tom unjustly sacked by the pernicious hypocrite, Pecksniff, and Ruth humiliated when governess to what we might today call an uneducated and very rude ‘nouveau riche’ family with ideas way above their station. As a harbinger of vastly improved fortune for both of them just around the corner they have these lovely early morning strolls as regular as clockwork ‘snuffing up’ – what fantastic English! – the perfume of the fruits and flowers, pineapples and melons, veal stuffed but 2016 March | 21

FINEPLACES

Dickens tells us of a most bizarre scene he witnessed on one of his famous night walks. He had been walking all night, the sun was about to make an appearance and he sought a hot drink in a café in Covent Garden. In came

a man in a snuff-coloured coat, shoes and a hat – nothing else as he could make out. This man had a very red face shaped like a horse. He ordered a pint of tea, a small loaf, a plate and a knife. Then, out of his hat he produced a very large cold meat pudding. This was placed on the plate and he proceeded to stab it, overhand, with the knife which was wiped on his sleeve. He then tore the pie apart with his hands and ate it all up. Dickens

saw this twice. On the second occasion, the man asked the caféowner if he - the man with the hat - had a particularly red face. The owner replied, yes, indeed, his face was very red that morning. The man then confided that his mother had liked her drink and that he had stared at her hard in her coffin and the redness had transferred to him. Thereafter Dickens could not go into the café again.

indeed. Not that the rulers of the kingdom always minded. Sir Leicester Dedlock, one of the parties to the Jarndyce suit in Bleak House, could find nothing really wrong with an interminable Chancery suit. Indeed, being ‘a slow, expensive, British constitutional kind of thing,’ it

was quite comforting, even if it did involve ‘an occasional delay of justice and a trifling amount of confusion’. It had been designed by his forefathers as an apex of human wisdom and any attacks on it by the lower classes would inevitably encourage revolution. So he was content to let it go on,

being fleeced and deceived by his own solicitor, Tulkinghorn, all the while. Eventually, he lost his wife, too, the beautiful Lady Dedlock, who perished of despair and a broken heart on the grave of her former lover, Nemo, not far from where we are standing now.

yet uncooked, ‘lusty snails and fine young curly leeches.’ David Copperfield buys flowers for Dora in the market here. I am reminded of two elderly sisters who told me whilst researching a book (When Schooldays were Fun, Halsgrove 2010) how they would get up really early on spring mornings in their country village and pick primroses. These would have to be ready for the early-morning train to Covent Garden. They received 1p a bunch

for them. This would have been in the 1920s, but it is a charming story and it is nice to think that, mixing fact and fiction, David might well have bought flowers picked by their grandmothers.

Picture 13 (Above) Head down Kingsway from Holborn Tube and take the first left into Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Dickens was at his best when angry and the interminable processes of the law were one thing that made him very angry 22 | March 2016

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEPLACES Picture 14 (Right)

a local and your face did not ‘fit’. Then, of course, until 1855, cattle were slaughtered here, as young Pip, above, found out. In Oliver Twist, Oliver and Sikes pass through here on the way to rob the Maylie house and we are told that ‘the ground was covered, nearly ankle deep, with filth and mire’. Smithfield is also mentioned in Barnaby Rudge and Nicholas Nickleby.

Sir Christopher Wren’s St Pauls Cathedral, finished in 1711, is the backdrop to many of Dickens’ scenes. It signifies, generally, hope in the face of adversity and could be seen from virtually all over London. Today it must share the skyline with modern structures bearing names like ‘The Gherkin’ and ‘The Shard’. ‘To tell of half the queer old taverns that had a drowsy existence near Todgers’, would fill a goodly book; while a second volume no less capacious might be devoted to an account of the quaint old guests who frequented their dimly lighted parlours. ’

Picture 16 (Over Page T-R)

Picture 15 (Above) Just along the river bank, a little inland, lies the Monument. In Martin Chuzzlewit, which Dickens himself thought his finest work altho’ extremely disappointing sales showed that the general public disagreed, we have an amazing description of the area of London around the Monument. This is where Todgers’ - accommodation for young gentlemen – existed: ‘You couldn’t walk about Todgers’ neighbourhood, as you could in any other neighbourhood. You groped your way for an hour

www.finecity.co.uk

through lanes and bye-ways, and courtyards, and passages; and you never once emerged upon anything that may reasonably be called a street. A kind of resigned distraction came over the stranger as he trod those devious mazes, and, giving himself up for lost, went in and out and round about and quietly turned back again when he came to a dead wall, or was stopped by an iron railing, and felt that the means of escape might possible present themselves in their own good time, but that to anticipate them was hopeless’. You fell over pubs:

A little farther north is Smithfield. This is the location of Mr Jaggers’ office in Great Expectations. Young Pip has to come here and, as Mr Jaggers is not available, he goes for a walk to pass the time. ‘So I came into Smithfield; and the shameful place, being all asmear with filth and fat and blood and foam, seemed to stick to me. So I rubbed it off with all possible speed by turning into a street where I saw the great black dome of St Pauls…’ He carries on and is confronted with a ‘partially drunk’ minister of justice who tries to extort money from him by promising to show him the local gallows and the Debtors’ Door out of which will come, at eight next morning, four convicted felons sentenced ‘to be killed in a row’. Pip is sickened and gives him a shilling to make him go away. This area – City, Barbican, Smithfield, Barts Hospital and down to the Old Bailey – held a special place in Dickens’ heart. Smithfield’s gruesome appeal is easy to fathom. It had always been a place of blood, torture and death. William Wallace was strung behind a horse and dragged here in 1305 to be hanged, drawn and quartered. Much more hanging and torture followed. In Dickens’ day, it was notorious as the scene of muggings, especially if you were not

Picture 17 (Over Page B-R) If you walk through Soho, more or less parallel with Shaftesbury Avenue on the south side and Oxford Street on the north, you hit Dean Street. Turn left and, at the top, is Soho Square, always packed these days with folk eating and drinking as it is one of the very few oases of green in this part of the city. I remember, when I was working around here, that if you could secure a seat at lunchtime you felt as if you had won a small jackpot. Dickens places the home of Dr Manette and his daughter here in A Tale of Two Cities. It is also where Esther and Caddy Jellyby stroll in Bleak House. They are going to Turveydrop’s Dancing School to try, not for the first time, to break the news of Caddy’s engagement to her beloved Prince (that’s his name, not a royal title). Let us walk with them north from the Square, straight up Dean Street until the mighty bustle of Oxford Street cuts across it. Immediately opposite is Newman Street and it is here, in his Dancing School, we meet that incorrigible old rogue and Master of Deportment, Mr Turveydrop. Esther is presented: ‘Charmed! Enchanted!’ said Mr Turveydrop, rising with his high-shouldered bow. ‘Permit me!’ handling chairs. ‘Be seated!’ Kissing the tips of his left fingers. ‘Overjoyed!’ shutting his eyes and rolling. ‘My little retreat is made a paradise!’ Re-composing himself on the sofa, like the second gentleman in Europe.’ There follows one of Dickens’ many masterclasses in comic writing as Mr Turveydrop is eventually prevailed upon to accept the engagement of his son, Prince, and Caddy. 2016 March | 23

FINEPLACES

24 | March 2016

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEPLACES

Picture 18 (Top Left) Yorkshire is famous in Dickens’ work for one campaign primarily, but what a hammer blow it was! This is of course, his tilt at schools such as Wackford Squeers’ Dotheboys Hall, and he is credited with the elimination of such evil establishments. This is a picture of Dotheboys Hall as it is today. In 1823 there had been a famous case, Jones verses Shaw, which had shocked the nation.Young people were being sent to ‘boarding schools’ which advertised ‘no holidays’ which meant that, if you did not want the inconvenience of ever seeing your child, you could pay a fee to have them kept permanently away. And ‘permanently’ often meant just that

www.finecity.co.uk

in a broader sense as they could be subject to such malnutrition and abuse as to likely end their lives in the little churchyard in the village.

Picture 19 (Top Right) For 24 years, Dickens visited Broadstairs with its quiet curved harbour before he transferred his affections to Folkestone, and a house at 3, Albion Villas, because Broadstairs had become too fashionable and noisy. This is a present-day picture of the beach in the height of summer. The house Dickens rented for all these years, and in which he finished Great Expectations, is the one with turrets on the cliffs above the beach.

Picture 20 (Bottom) Canterbury was a favourite and has a starring role in David Copperfield. We first hear of it from the young David, as he flees his sadistic stepfather on the way to find his Aunt Betsey. He had to hide from folk that scared him and his journey was delayed. Nevertheless, he says: ‘But under this difficulty, as under all other difficulties of my journey, I seemed to be sustained and led on by my fanciful picture of my mother in my youth…It was there, among the hops, when I lay down to sleep; it was with me in my waking in the morning; it went before me all day. I have associated it ever since, with the sunny street of Canterbury, dozing as if it were

in the hot light; and with the sight of its old houses and gateways, and the stately grey cathedral, with the rooks sailing round the towers.’

NEXT MONTH: Dickens’ final years and his legacy Stephen Browning’s book ‘The World of Charles Dickens’ is published by Halsgrove at £16.99

2016 March | 25

Swan Lake Northern Ballet returns to Norwich with modern classic Swan Lake

26 | March 2016

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEARTS

Join Northern Ballet this spring for one of ballet’s most famous love stories with the return of David Nixon OBE’s Swan Lake. Performed to Tchaikovsky’s moving score, this production is a modern take on an iconic classic with all the beauty for which Swan Lake is renowned. Northern Ballet will perform Swan Lake at Norwich Theatre Royal from 19 – 23 April 2016. Tickets are on sale now and can be booked online at theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk or by calling the Box Office on 01603 630 000. Haunted by a childhood tragedy resulting in the death of his beloved brother, Anthony looks to the water for answers – in whatever form they take. An

ethereal swan-like creature emerges and Anthony finds an unknown joy and freedom he has not felt since he was a boy, but on returning home, he finds himself conflicted. Torn between his two friends, the mystical swan beckons - what path will Anthony choose?

David Nixon OBE, said: ‘Our Swan Lake offers a different telling to traditional versions of the ballet whilst still remaining true to the spirit of the story and incorporating popular elements that audiences will be familiar with, from Tchaikovsky’s score to the dance of the four cygnets.’

calling the Box Office on 01603 630 000.

Join Northern Ballet for this beautifully tragic tale of love and obsession told through the Company’s unique blend of classical ballet and drama. Tickets are priced from £8 - £37.50 and can be booked online at theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk or by

Northern Ballet will also perform its new children’s ballet Tortoise & the Hare at Norwich Theatre Royal on 22 April 2016 (performances at 12noon and 2pm). For more details and booking information, see northernballet.com/whatson.

Set in New England at the start of the twentieth century, a time of long lazy summers and old world grace, this production, which was first performed in 2004, features costumes capturing the luxury and refined affluence of the era. Set designs by Dave Gillan, lighting by Peter Mumford and Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable score played live by Northern Ballet Sinfonia complete the retelling of this infamous story.

Competition We have 2 tickets for Swan Lake to give away. For your chance to win email your office@finecity.com with Swan Lake in the subject line www.finecity.co.uk

2016 March | 27

FINEARTS

A fine trio: Matthew Dunster’s award-winning production of Hangman starring David Morrissey (centre) with Andy Nyman and Johnny Flynn.

Cinema City Special screenings at Cinema City in March focus on opera, ballet and drama. Tony Cooper reports

Films to look out for: Secret In Their Eyes Hail, Caesar! High Rise

Event cinema: NT Live: Hangmen [12A] Thursday 3rd March (7pm) Following a sell-out run at London’s Royal Court Theatre, Olivier and Academy Award® winner Martin McDonagh (The Pillowman, The Cripple of Inishmaan,

In Bruges) returns to the West End with Matthew Dunster’s award-winning production of his deeply-funny new play, Hangmen, broadcast to Cinema City by National Theatre Live.

reaction to the news, his old assistant Syd (Andy Nyman: Peaky Blinders, Death at a Funeral) and the peculiar Mooney (Johnny Flynn: Clouds of Sils Maria) lurk with very different motives for their visit.

In his small pub in the northern English town of Oldham, Harry (David Morrissey: The Walking Dead, State of Play) is something of a local celebrity. But what’s the second-best hangman in England to do on the day they’ve abolished hanging?

Carol on 35mm Thursday 3rd March (6.15pm)

Among the cub reporters and pub regulars dying to hear Harry’s

In atmospheric 1950s New York, the titular Carol (Blanchett) is marooned in an unhappy marriage to rich businessman Harge Aird (Kyle Chandler, Zero Dark Thirty) when a chance meeting with dreamy shop assistant, Therese A scene from Carol, based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith, starring Rooney Mara as Therese Belivet and Cate Blanchett as Carol Aird.

(Mara, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) sparks a slow-burning romance between the two women. This prompts much soul-searching and subterfuge on their part and a bitter custody battle with Harge over Carol’s only child, Rindy (starring winning newcomer, K K Heim). Paired again with Todd Haynes, the maverick director of I’m Not There, Blanchett gives a devastating performance that should be an Oscar shoo-in, with Mara not far behind. Their on-screen chemistry fully exploits Phyllis Nagy’s emotionally-muscular, pitch-perfect adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s

feature by:

Tony Cooper Writer tc@tony-cooper.co.uk

28 | March 2016

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEARTS landmark novel. Met Opera: Manon Lescaut [12A] Saturday 5th March (5.55pm); Encore showing: Monday 7th March (1.30pm) The Met stage promises to ignite when soprano Kristine Opolais and tenor Jonas Kaufmann join forces in Puccini’s obsessive and compelling love story. Opolais sings the title-role of the country girl who transforms herself into a Parisian temptress while Kaufmann is the dashing student who desperately woos her. The opera was Puccini’s first great success leading George Bernard Shaw to name him the ‘successor to Verdi’. Director Richard Eyre places the action in Occupied France in a film-noir setting. ‘Desperate passion’ is the phrase Puccini himself used to describe the opera that confirmed his position as the pre-eminent Italian opera composer of his day. Fabio Luisi is in the pit driving Puccini’s immortal score to dizzying and emotional heights.

Latvian-born soprano, Kristina Opolais, stars in Puccini’s compelling Lescaut.

Bolshoi Ballet: Spartacus [12A] Sunday 13th March (3pm) The setting of Spartacus is in ancient Rome and the scenario surrounds Spartacus, a Thracian soldier, captured by Crassus with his wife Phrygia. When forced to fight as a gladiator killing one of his friends, he plots an unprecedented uprising. A perfect plot for such a spectacular and heroic ballet as Spartacus created by Yuri Grigorovich for the Bolshoi in 1968 and remains the Russian company’s signature ballet. It’s a tour-de-force of a work giving full expression

love-story, Manon

to the strength for which the Bolshoi’s male dancers are renowned. Principal dancer Mikhail Lobukhin is stunning in the role of the legendary gladiator dancing alongside Svetlana Zakharova as Aegina, who’s a principal dancer with the Bolshoi and an étoile of La Scala Theatre Ballet. Exhibition on screen - from the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia: Renoir - Reviled and Revered [12A] Monday 14th March (6.30pm)

One of the most fiercely-debated artists and yet one of the most influential of the 20th century, Picasso collected more paintings by Renoir than any other artist. Matisse revered him. And Monet, too! He was an artist that was instrumental in creating the Impressionist movement and then totally rejected it and went in a completely new direction - with extraordinary results. The Barnes Collection in Philadelphia has more Renoirs than any other gallery in the world and it is here that the search begins to tell the remarkable story of this remarkable artist. ROH Live: Boris Godunov (2015) [12A] Monday 21st March (7.15pm) Richard Jones and Antonio Pappano renew their creative collaboration with this new production of Mussorgsky’s historical masterpiece, here seen in its compact 1869 first version comprising seven scenes. The originality of the composer’s vision of Pushkin’s play about Tsar Boris Godunov (who reigned supreme over Mother Russia between

Principal Bolshoi dancers: Mikhail Lobukhin (Spartacus) and Svetlana Zakharova (Aegina) in the Bolshoi Ballet’s acclaimed production of Spartacus set to a brilliant score by Khachaturian.

www.finecity.co.uk

2016 March | 29

FINEARTS uncaring politicians and the judiciary, in the course of which shocking revelations emerged about thalidomide’s origins. Jacqui Morris explains: ‘We’re living in a transitional time and the press are really under fire [but] I think this shows the importance of investigative journalism.’ The Railway Children Easter Monday 28th March (3pm)

Exhibition on screen: a classic Renoir from the Barnes Collection

, Philadelphia.

1598 and 1605) was too much for the management of the Imperial Theatres who demanded changes that were incorporated in the second version of the opera in which Boris finally received its première in 1874. Many commentators, nevertheless, prefer the integrity of the original, which makes few concessions to operatic conventions. Keenly awaited will be Bryn Terfel’s assumption of the title-role - one of the most complex characters in opera - while John GrahamHall appears as the crafty Prince Shuisky and John Tomlinson as the vagabond monk, Varlaam. Attacking the Devil [12A] Tuesday 22nd March (6.15pm)

Directors Jacqui and David Morris will preside over a Q&A following the showing. Few documentaries amaze, enrage and sadden simultaneously but Attacking the Devil by siblings Jacqui and David Morris (McCullin) does just that. Initially charting the career of legendary newspaper editor, Harold Evans (who unmasked Kim Philby as a Russian spy) it soon becomes a gripping account of how, under Evans’ tenacious leadership, The Sunday Times fought to secure proper compensation for hundreds of children disabled by their mothers’ use of the drug thalidomide during pregnancy. This involved extended battles with the drug’s manufacturers,

Edith Nesbit’s The Railway Children follows the story of Roberta (Bobbie), Phyllis and Peter, three sheltered siblings who suffer a huge upheaval when their father, who works for the Foreign Office, is taken away from their London home and falsely imprisoned. The children and their mother, now penniless, are forced to move from London to rural Yorkshire near a railway line. The story deals with themes of justice, the importance and integrity of family and the kindness of strangers. York Theatre Royal’s Olivier Awardwinning production of Mike Kenny and Damian Cruden’s imaginative stage adaptation is directed for the screen by International Emmy Award winner, Ross MacGibbon (The Importance of Being Earnest (starring David Suchet), Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake).

Bryn Terfel, star of the Royal Opera’s production of Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov.

The filmed event from the National Railway Museum in Yorkshire features the original locomotive from the much-loved 1970 film.

Box office: 0871 902 5724 Online: https://www. picturehouses.com/cinema/ Cinema_City The Dining Rooms are open daily from 10am to 9pm (Sunday: 8pm) Reservations: 01603 623435 www.norwichdiningrooms

Stop the train! A dramatic scene from Edith Nesbit’s The Railway Children.

30 | March 2016

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEARTS

Crude Apache Theatre Obsession, revenge, and the agony of unrequited love come to Dragon Hall in complex psychological thriller

Norfolk based theatre company present a new production of masterful stage adaptation of Shelley’s Gothic novel Zastrozzi – The Master of Discipline is the latest theatre production from Norfolk’s long established Crude Apache Theatre Company – and one of the most challenging pieces they have staged. Set in 1893 and loosely based on Percy Bysshe Shelly’s Gothic novella Zastrozzi, the play tells the story of the master criminal of Europe, and his lover Matilda who seek violent revenge upon the artist Verezzi for the murder of Zastrozzi’s mother. Only the solid form of Verezzi’s tutor Victor and the innocent beauty of Julia, the object of his affections can halt the fulfillment of Zastrozzi’s bloody quest. Crude Apache’s action packed production of George F Walker’s unflinching play searches out the dark corners of the human psyche and questions the very nature of violence, lust and death. Director Jo Edye was approached by co-director of the Hostry Festival, Peter Barrow, a friend of the Canadian author, to stage the play and eagerly agreed. It is hoped that the writer will visit Norwich to see the show. The cast of six includes Crude Apache regulars Leighton Williams as Zastrozzi), Tom Francis as the even more evil Bernardo and Tom Butterworth (Verezzi), joined by newcomers Peter Barrow (Victor), Jo Hipperson (Matilda) and Marianne Hayes (Julia). ‘It is a different style of play for us’ said Jo ‘especially when you consider our last production was a poignant comedy drama about Norfolk www.finecity.co.uk

legend The Singing Postman!’ He continued ‘The play is highly dramatic and features many extreme sword and fist fights. We have engaged the services of not one but two professional fight directors, both fully qualified with the British Academy of Stage & Screen Combat to ensure that the action is realistic.’ The company are especially pleased to be returning to Dragon Hall which will be an imposing and highly atmospheric backdrop for the play – and will allow the audience an intimate close up view as the drama unfolds. Since their formation Crude Apache have presented over 50 accessible, affordable and entertaining plays in and around Norwich. Their members are drawn together by friendship, passion for theatre and a love for Norwich and the surrounding area. Jo Edye and cast members are available for interview to talk about this exiting new production and the history of the company.

Listings info: Crude Apache presents Zastrozzi – The Master of Discipline New production of Canadian play loosely based on Shelley novella exploring obsession, revenge and extreme violence. Wednesday 9 - Saturday 19 March (not Sun 13, Mon 14), 7.30pm £10 Tickets and info: www.crudeapache.wordpress.com

2016 March | 31

FINEARTS

Opera

Norwich-based arts writer, Tony Cooper, takes a couple of friends to English National Opera at the London Coliseum to experience opera for the first time

O Jonathan and Kelly Thrower all prepared to take their dress

32 | March 2016

circle seats in the London Coliseum.

riginally built by Oswald Stoll as a music hall, the famous London Coliseum has reached what many cricketers desire - an innings of well over a hundred! Now this wonderful Edwardianperiod theatre in St Martin’s Lane (a stone’s-throw away from Trafalgar Square) designed by the celebrated theatre architect, Frank Matcham, is home to English National Opera (formerly Sadler’s Wells Opera) who took up residency in 1968.

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEARTS

Newcomers

Soraya Mafi as Papagena and Peter Coleman-Wright as Papageno (Photo: Robbie Jack)

The Coli, as it’s affectionately known, is one of my favourite theatres in the West End. I’ve attended many ENO’s productions here over the years and my latest, The Magic Flute, was shared with opera newcomers, Jonathan and Kelly Thrower and a relevant newcomer, Eugene Mark Sully. The boys work together as technical engineers for BBC East, based in Norwich, while Canadian-born Kelly is a gourmet cook. ‘When Tony invited us to English National Opera’s production of The Magic Flute at the London www.finecity.co.uk

Coliseum,’ enthused Kelly, ‘Jonathan and I were absolutely thrilled. In fact, we were over the moon! It was a special night, too, as it was our first outing to an opera and also it turned out to be the first night of the opera’s revival. Perfect, I guess, in every way! ‘One problem, though, we didn’t know too much about the opera so we checked out the plot online and watched an older production on video familiarising ourselves with the story to find out what we were in for. We also found that the programme produced by ENO

very informative and helpful too. ‘The opera house welcomes everyone, I was pleased to find, so that people from all walks of life ranging from the blue-jean crowd (that’s us!) to those turning out in evening dress, all enjoy an opportunity to experience opera in the way (or custom) they want to. ‘When we arrived, the first thing we noticed was the theatre’s iconic tower standing proud against the surrounding buildings and at night the word “Coliseum” is outlined in bright white lights

feature by:

Tony Cooper Writer tc@tony-cooper.co.uk

2016 March | 33

FINEARTS

Getting ready for Act I of The Magic Flute (Photo: Eugene Mark Sully)

beaming across London on a revolving globe. That was truly impressive! We were warmly greeted, too, by an affable doorman who pointed us in the right direction but I think he had a hunch that we had never stepped foot into the Coli before. ‘On our approach to the theatre we noticed the face of a man looking curiously down upon us. The doorman stepped in again and explained that the ‘‘face’’ belonged to one of the four muses that adorn the theatre’s façade representing Art, Music, Science and Architecture. ‘We were impressed and equally impressed by the grand and opulent interior of the building. The decorative marble walls and the wonderful series of mosaics added greatly to the overall design. And with the colourful-domed ceiling and the grand staircase leading to the dress circle where our seats were, we felt very comfortable in the theatre’s environment and not intimidated in any way as I thought, unwisely, it might have been the case. ‘Both Jonathan and I found the toilet facilities clean and easily located and every area of the theatre was well signed. The only let-down, I feel, was the lack of communal seating while waiting for the doors to open to the auditorium and the performance to begin. However, that seems a moot-point after taken into consideration everything else. But once you’re in the auditorium, it’s 34 | March 2016

lavishly and theatrically over the top. In some ways it made us feel important. Perhaps we were in our dreams for that brief moment! ‘With four levels of seating cleverly positioned so that everyone has an unobstructed view of the stage, each seat has a generous amount of leg-room and you don’t feel like you are overcrowded even though the theatre has a seating capacity of 2359 - but you wouldn’t think it.

Complicite) a charming, dramatic, modern retelling of Mozart’s classic and well-loved opera. We enjoyed every minute of it and, in particular, the freshness of its portrayal. The singing and acting was entertaining and easy to relate to.

‘Obviously, not knowing much about opera, Jonathan and I cannot comment too much either but from our humble perspective we thought it a good production while the singers were excellent. We were particularly impressed by Lucy Crowe as Pamina,

‘After we breathed in the atmosphere and got settled into our seats our focus dramatically shifted to the stage and the staging for the opera seemed deceptively simple. A single platform attached at the corners with cables while the orchestra pit was raised just below stage level so you could clearly see the conductor and the interaction between the musicians and the performers. ‘The overture set the mood and tone for the whole evening. It was of exceptional quality. As the orchestra eased their way into Act I under the baton of Mark Wigglesworth you noticed on either side of the stage Foleytrained artists working and creating amazing sound effects together with live video effects which proved a clever, creative and intelligent way to draw members of the audience into the overall performance. ‘We found this version of The Magic Flute (directed by Simon McBurney, artistic director of British-based theatre company,

Ambur Braid as the Queen of the Night (photo: Robbie Jack)

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEARTS

James Creswell as Sarastro and Lucy Crowe as Pamina (Photo: Robbie Jack)

www.finecity.co.uk

2016 March | 35

FINEARTS ‘The bird-catcher, Papageno, was acted and sung well by Peter Coleman-Wright, although he was a little bit older than I had pictured in my mind. This might not have been so noticeable if Papagena (Soraya Mafi) had been a little bit older as well. But, heyho! And the three boys sent to help Tamino (sung handsomely by Allan Clayton) were little treasures to behold.

Opera newcomers! Jonathan and Kelly Thrower checking out the programme (Photo: Eugene Mark Sully)

daughter of the Queen of the Night. She sang so beautifully, like a lark if I may say so, while the Queen of the Night’s big number was sung with such skill and technical wizardry by Canadianborn singer, Ambur Braid, who, I noticed, was making her UK début. And what a début! She put in a chilling and dazzling performance and sang as if she was bringing terror to you in your seat while James Creswell’s portrayal of Sarastro was exceptional. His deep-bass voice seemed to vibrate deep in your chest.

36 | March 2016

‘The music, acting, singing and costumes made this opera so enjoyable. It was lively and memorable to say the least. And with all the action and so forth, the songs were still flowing through our minds as we left the theatre. We were so excited by our first opera experience it was difficult to get to sleep. We have, for sure, been bitten by the opera bug. ‘Jonathan and I shall definitely return to see another ENO opera in the not-too-distant future. But, in fact, we did go back the very next day funnily enough as we fortunately landed a pair of tickets to see Jonathan Miller’s production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado which was another spectacular and entertaining show. A different style of opera! A crazy production, I think! ‘One final word: if you’ve never been to an opera before, try it!

I think Jonathan and I waited far too long for our experience. We have missed out on a lot, I feel. Norwich Theatre Royal regularly hosts opera companies such as Glyndebourne and English Touring Opera but if you ever find yourself in London (or want a special treat!) remember English National Opera at the Coli. Give it a go! I don’t think you’ll regret it.’ The Coliseum, by the way, first opened its doors on Christmas Eve 1904 and not only does it stand as a monument to the architectural extravagance of the Edwardian era but also to the will and imagination of Oswald Stoll, who, at the age of 14, took on the management of the family’s small music hall in Liverpool, the Parthenon, on the death of his father. Stoll travelled widely to source the best acts for his smart new theatre and one of his greatest coups was to persuade Sarah Bernhardt to return to London following her first and immenselysuccessful appearance with the Comédie-Française in 1879. Her first appearance was in 1910 and due to overwhelming success she returned on four other occasions. She always appeared on a variety bill and often she was sandwiched between the commonest vaudeville acts of the day. Her last appearance was in 1916 after

the amputation of her leg, which necessitated all of her parts being acted sitting in a chair. It was an emotional and grand exit for this great tragedienne. But when the Marx Brothers came in 1922 making their London début, it was another story. They got the ‘bird’ by a rowdy audience who threw penny coins at them in disgust. And Groucho - who was known then as Julius H Marx - and never one to miss a trick cheekily shouted to the audience: ‘Friends, we’ve come a long way. The trip’s been expensive, would you mind throwing a little bit of silver instead.’ The story ripped through London and audiences picked up. But the Brothers made a big hit on celluloid with their 1935 American-made comedy, A Night at the Opera. As it so happens, it’s one of Jonathan and Kelly’s favourite Brothers’ film too. But after their Night at the Opera in the luxury and comfort of the relaxing and down-to-earth atmosphere of the London Coliseum, I think ENO’s magicallyinspired production of The Magic Flute will register as their favourite opera. Bravo!

Box office: 020 7845 9300 / www.eno.org

www.finecity.co.uk

Win A ÂŁ50 Supermarket Voucher

Every month* in FineCity Competition With the funds in all our wallets and purses running dangerously low, a little extra help can go a long way! We are running a monthly competition across all our magazines where you could be in with a chance to win a ÂŁ50 voucher at a selection of major supermarkets. To enter, simply visit www.FineCity.co.uk and complete the entry form. The winner will be chosen at random on the 30th of each month and will be notified via email. Arrangements will be made for the posting or collection of the vouchers. www.finecity.co.uk

2016 March | 37

Spider Creative Media, publishers of FineCity Magazine, reserve the right to cancel or change the competition at any time without prior notice. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose other than via FineCity Magazine. *Entry is for one months draw only. A separate entry would be required to enter each of the following months draws.

FINEARTS

George von Bergen (Don Giovanni) and Ania Jeruc (Donna Elvira).

English Touring Opera

English Touring Opera returns to Norwich Theatre Royal this month with two major and inspiring works. Tony Cooper reports

livier Awardwinning English Touring Opera returns to Norwich Theatre Royal this month as part of its biggest tour in a decade performing a new season of fully-staged opera. Overall, the company will visit 21 cities giving over 105 performances with over 80 people on tour which includes a strong-based chorus and a 25-piece orchestra.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni receiving two performances on Monday/Tuesday, March 21st/22nd, conducted by Michael Rosewell and Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride receiving just a single performance on Wednesday, March 23rd, conducted by Martin André. All performances start at 7.30pm. Don Giovanni will be sung in English and Iphigénie en Tauride in French aided by English subtitles.

The repertoire comprises

A staple of the standard operatic

38 | March 2016

repertoire, Giovanni - an opera in two acts with a libretto by the Venetian opera librettist, poet and Roman Catholic priest, Lorenzo Da Ponte - is based on the legend of Don Juan, a fictional libertine and seducer. Currently rated tenth on the Operabase list of the mostperformed operas worldwide, Giovanni first saw the light of day in October 1787 performed by the Prague Italian Opera at the Teatro di Praga (now called the Estates

feature by:

Tony Cooper Writer tc@tony-cooper.co.uk

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEARTS George von Bergen will be making his ETO début in the title-role of Don Giovanni while Matthew Stiff plays his long-suffering sidekick, Leporello, with both men, of course, up against a formidable trio of women in opposition to The Don’s mischievous ways not least Donna Elvira, sung by Polish-born soprano, Ania Jeruc, who recently stormed to success receiving rave reviews for her portrayal of Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata for Opera North.

English Touring Opera: Opera that moves

Theatre) where, incidentally, the scenes of Mozart in Prague were shot for the Oscar-winning film Amadeus directed by the Czechborn director, Miloš Forman. A prolific librettist, Da Ponte wrote librettos for 28 operas by 11 composers which also included Mozart’s other big hits, The Marriage of Figaro and Così fan tutte. Da Ponte’s libretto was billed, like many of its time, as ‘dramma giocoso’ (drama with jokes),

a term denoting a mixture of serious and comic action. Mozart, though, entered the work into his catalogue as an ‘opera buffa’ although, nowadays, it’s often classed as a ‘comic opera’. But whatever its classification Giovanni - part-thriller, partcomedy - is a masterful and entertaining work with the scenario focusing upon a womaniser whose conquests come back to haunt him. It’s a dark piece by any stretch of the imagination but, nonetheless,

it cleverly blends comedy, melodrama and supernatural elements to great effect. Giovanni will be directed by Lloyd Wood (who assisted Jonathan Kent on Imelda Staunton’s Gypsy seen at London’s Savoy Theatre last year) while the setting transports itself to the turn-of-thecentury Vienna, a city of bustling with creativity and the home of dangerous tensions which led to the First World War.

Iphigénie, on the other hand, has four acts and pre-dates Giovanni by eight years. Although a tragedy, it’s sometimes described as a romance or melodrama and was written by the ancient Greek playwright, Euripides. A thrilling work, it contains Gluck’s most famous piece of psychological instrumentation: ‘Le calme rentre dans mon cœur’ (Calm returned to my heart). Whatever its context it most certainly is a heart-wrenching piece and a heart-wrenching tale of bravery and sacrifice, too, offering a stark and beautiful account of the meeting of Iphigenia living on the island of

Catherine Carby reaching out rehearsing the role of Iphigenie.

www.finecity.co.uk

2016 March | 39

FINEARTS In rehearsal for Don Giovanni: George von Bergen as The Don and Lucy Hall as Zerlina

Tauris as a priestess of Diana among the barbaric Scythians and her long-lost brother, Orestes, children of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, in the aftermath of the Trojan War. She dreams of the death of her parents and, unwittingly, one day she’ll kill her brother, Orestes. At the temple she prays to Diana, who brought her to Tauris, while the Scythian king, Thoas, is filled with foreboding demanding a human sacrifice. The plot deepens when two Greek youths, washed ashore by a violent storm, are brought forward. Unknown to Iphigenia, the strangers are Orestes and his good friend, Pylades. They’re separated by guards and Orestes falls into a fit. The pursuing Furies accuse him of matricide (the killing of one’s mother) and the ghost of his mother haunts him. Iphigenia, however, is drawn to Orestes, comforts him and persuades him

40 | March 2016

In rehearsal for Iphigénie en Tauride: John-Colyn Gyeantey

as Pylade and Grant Doyle as Orestes

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEARTS to tell her news of her family at home. He relates the bloody events at Mycenae ending with the ‘death’ of Orestes. She plans to release one prisoner to seek help from her sister Electra, hoping thereby to save Orestes, but he refuses to abandon his friend even to the point of death and sends for Pylades. Iphigenia reluctantly prepares to sacrifice Orestes but as she raises the knife they recognise each other. The raging Thoas is set to kill brother and sister but Pylades arrives with Greek forces and slays Thoas. The goddess Diana calms things down by offering her protection and the persecution by the Scythians comes to an end. The cast is led by two superb Australian-born singers: Iphigenia

will be sung by the mezzo-soprano, Catherine Carby, and Orestes by the baritone, Grant Doyle, while John-Colyn Gyeantey sings Pylades and Craig Smith, Thoas.

audiences, I feel, will certainly feel at home with us this season.’

James Conway, ETO’s General Director, states that Gluck is one of the greatest of opera composers and that Iphigénie is his masterpiece. Few, if any, would argue with him. ‘I have wanted to stage Iphigénie for more than 20 years,’ he exclaimed, ‘and now is the time. We have the cast and conductor to do it with real excellence.’

Anna Fleischle, who won the 2015 Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Design for the Royal Court’s production of Martin McDonagh’s deeply-funny play, Hangman, is the creative designer responsible for both operas. She previously worked with ETO on Michael Tippett’s King Priam and Britten’s Paul Bunyan which, jointly, won the 2014 Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.

He further added: ‘I wanted to find libretti which were particularly rich, eloquent and suggestive. I find the music extraordinary in these operas but I feel we have compelling characters and narratives to match. Theatre

ETO’s season also continues the company’s record of work for younger audiences with two outstanding productions touring to schools. Russell Hepplewhite’s award-winning children’s opera Laïka the Spacedog returns

alongside Dust Child, a new opera for children with special educational needs. The work, composed by James Garner, was written by Anna Pool who also directs. The most prolific touring opera company in the UK today, ETO travels annually to around 70 venues, more than any other English opera company, presenting as many as 140 performances a year as well as two major annual tours. Box office: 01603 630000 or book online at www. theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk Tickets: £8 to £36 (discounts for Friends, Corporate Club members, Saver Scheme and Groups) Photos by Bill Knight

ETO General Director, James Conway, in rehearsals.

www.finecity.co.uk

2016 March | 41

FINEARTS

What’s On At Maddermarket Here’s What’s Happening At Maddermarket This Month The Importance of Being Earnest

Theatre Royal Peter has, for over 30 years through his company PW Productions, provided production and management services for plays and musicals in the West End, on tour and internationally. These range from TheWoman in Black and An Inspector Calls to Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens and The Railway Children at Waterloo Station. His vast experience of the idiosyncrasies of the theatre world make an entertaining and fascinating story. There will be the opportunity for questions.

The Importance of Being Earnest Thu 03 Mar - Sat 05 Mar 7.30pm Norwich Senior School Production By Oscar Wilde Nearly 140 years since Wilde himself graduated from Oxford University, this production will examine the legacy Wilde, Waugh, the Aesthetes and the Bullingdon club have left on the Arcadian city. Just as Wilde looked around his rooms and lamented ‘I find it harder and harder every day to live up to my blue china’, Jack Worthing is an undergraduate pretender to the aesthete crown. As the lies he has entrapped himself in spiral out of control he finds himself in too deep with a crowd who are themselves desperately clinging to the legendary lifestyle of an Oxford student, a lifestyle that long ago became a myth.

42 | March 2016

Tickets: £5 (friends of the Maddermarket - £2; best friends – free) Tickets: £9.00 (£4.50 concessions)

Bad Times With Sniffy Queens… Sun 06 March 7.30pm In 2009, on holiday in the Galapagos, Peter Wilson leapt from a blazing boat into shark-infested waters but, as a producer in the West End, this came as nothing new! Alongside his work at the

Scratch Shot – New Writing Evening Thu 10 March 7.30pm New to Norfolk, REDuck ProDUCKions brings you ‘Scratch Shot’, an evening dedicated to the performance of fresh writing – be it for theatre, screen, radio or just for fun. Experienced and new writers are given the opportunity to test-drive

their pieces as talented actors take their text off the page and bring their characters to life. It is an exciting opportunity for writers to see their work in progress and how it would look, sound and be tested on a welcoming audience. Be it a screen play, radio piece or a script for stage. A whole range of writing genres and styles all from the heart of Norfolk. All in the space of one evening. For actors it is a brilliant chance to be the first to bring these characters to life in a ‘rehearsed reading’ style environment. There is plenty of scope to try something new, play a different character and experience a plethora of genres! Submissions for both writing and actors will open soon in readiness for our opening night on 14th January! Scatch Shot will then continue each month on the second Thursday thereafter. It is all in the effort to promote and support new writing in Norwich. And best of all, it happens all in one evening. For actors there is no stressing about learning lines and for writers it’s a quick snapshot

Bad Times With Sniffy Queens…

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEARTS some of the city’s finest jazz talent. Tickets: entry free to participants/£5 to nonparticipants. Tickets on the door.

Emily Francis Trio Emily Francis (Pno) Trevor Boxall (Bass) Liam Waugh (Drums) Tue 15 March Doors 7.30pm, Music 8.30pm 11pm A contemporary take on the classic jazz piano trio format, Emily’s Trio brings influences from progressive rock, jazz-rock, 70’s jazz-funk and soul, and combines a strong melodic and groovebased approach with a traditional improvised sensibility, resulting in a series of fresh and exciting new compositions.

Scratch Shot – New Writing Evening

of what their finished piece could look like. If you are interested in taking part, please email redduckproduck@ gmail.com as soon as possible and stating if you are interested in submitting a piece of work of it you are interested in acting. Tickets: £5.00

1930’S Evening – A ‘De-Lovely’ Evening Full Of ‘Fascinatin’ Rhythmn’ Fri 11 March Back by popular demand following their sell-out show last year! 1930’s Evening – A ‘De-Lovely’ Evening full of ‘Fascinatin Rhythmn’ David Rees and Julie Hewitt invite you to sip a cocktail, sample the canapes, and step back in time to the vivacious and flirtatious Thirties, in a sophisticated soiree of song from the greats of the era. Maddermarket Redwell Bar Tickets: £10.00 (including cocktail and light snacks)

www.finecity.co.uk

Probably The Best Comedy Songs In The World Ever, Maybe Sat 12 March 7.30pm This show does exactly what it says on the tin, possibly – a host of comedy songs covering a number of years by a host of great names… and a few surprises. Songs from the like of: Stan Freeberg, Tom Lehrer, The Pythons, Pete and Dud, Lonnie Donegan, Bernard Cribbins, Richard Digance, Tom Paxton, The Goons, Kenneth Williams, Benny Hill, Noel Coward, George Formby, Flanders and Swan, Chris de Burgh, Alan Sherman, Robb Wilton, Noel Murphy etc etc.

This event takes place in the Theatre’s Emmerson Studio Tickets: £7.00 (£6 concessions)

Norwich Jazz Club Monthly Jam Sessions Mon 14 March 8.00pm 10.30pm Join us in the Redwell Maddermarket Theatre Bar where guest performers are invited to sit in with the house trio. Musicians of all ages and experience are welcome, so come on down and have a blow, or relax and listen to

Tickets: £12.00 (£6.00 under 25’s concessions)

Madder World Music Thu 17 March 7.30pm Explore the world with your ears! An eclectic and diverse mix of funky beats from all over the world by DJ Abraham Eshetu. This event takes place in The Maddermarket Theatre’s Redwell Bar Tickets: £5.00 (on the door)

Pat and Dave will attempt all of this with just the aid of a piano and whatever talent they can muster. They will also perform their own unique versions of Elvis Presley and Righteous Brothers songs as you have never heard them before. You have been warned! If you are looking for a serious dramatic evening then this is not for you. If you want to see grown men having fun at their own expense, and maybe yours, then step right up.

2016 March | 43

FINEARTS The Dresser

By Ronald Harwood

Between them they’ve seen plenty of shenanigans across the years and across the globe, so come ready to be shocked and entertained by good men behaving badly.

Directed by Peter Beck

Tickets: £18.50

Based on the author’s own experiences as dresser to Sir Donald Wolfit, this bracing, heartbreaking drama is an elegy to a by-gone era. Backstage at a theatre in the English provinces during WWII, Sir, the last of the great breed of English actor/ managers, is in a bad way tonight, as his dresser Norman tries valiantly to prepare him to go on stage as King Lear. Unsure of his lines as well as whom and where he is supposed to be, Sir is adamantly determined to roar his last. With Herculean effort on the part of Norman, Sir finally makes it on stage and through the performance no thanks to an air raid courtesy of the Luftwaffe. The Dresser is a funny, beautifully observed portrait of a shabby backstage ego at odds with the glamour and greatness of his presence on stage; and the man who sacrifices his own life to keep him going.

Peter Snow - The Battle Of Waterloo Experience

Fri 18 Mar - Sat 26 Mar 7.30pm (2.30pm Matinees On 19th and 26th March)

The play was nominated for Best Play at the Laurence Olivier Awards in 1980, and was adapted into a multi-award winning film starring Albert Finney and Tom Courtney in 1983. This production is part of The Maddermarket Theatre’s ‘Shakespeare at 400 Mini-Festival’ Tickets: £12/£10/£8 Maggie Bell And Dave Kelly

Peter Snow - The Battle Of Waterloo Experience

Maggie Bell And Dave Kelly Tue 29 March 7.30pm An evening with two stalwarts of the British R&B scene, two great voices, two great reputations. A wonderful evening of acoustic blues, soul and good times, and no doubt a little humour. Maggie Bell - Scotland’s Queen of Soul, founder member of Stone the Crows, later had an incredibly successful solo career on both sides of the Atlantic, now once again back on the music scene after a 20 year layoff. Dave Kelly - London’s slide guitar king, having learned his trade in the bands of Son House, Howlin Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells and founder member of The Blues Band. Tickets: £16.50

Blofeld And Baxter Rogues On The Road

Wed 30 March 7.30pm Blowers and Backers are back with Rogues on the Road - a brand new show crammed full of even more wonderful (and occasionally outrageous) reminiscences and anecdotes from two extensive careers spent broadcasting around the globe. Bastions of the beloved Test Match Special with over 80 years in the commentary box and touring the world with the programme between them, Henry and Peter have some tales to tell. And the fun, the games and outlandish characters, from Ian Fleming to Noel Coward, spread well beyond the confines of any cricket ground or studio. 2015 sees a completely fresh set of outrageous stories, after three years of playing to packed houses across the UK, including two successful seasons at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, earning rave reviews and captivating audiences of all ages. In 2014 Henry also appeared on ITV’s The Chase and BBC’s Room 101 with Frank Skinner. Henry ‘My Dear Old Thing’ Blofeld is one of Britain’s most loved and recognisable broadcasters. An ever-distinguishable voice, even in his septuagenarian years he is indefatigable at the mike, delighting the audiences of TMS and beyond. Legendary producer of TMS, Peter Baxter has been corralling lost passports, misplaced visas, and errant broadcasters for over 34 years.

44 | March 2016

Thu 31 March 7.30pm June 2015 marked the 200th anniversary of the bloody climactic showdown of the Napoleonic Wars - The Battle of Waterloo. More than 150,000 French, British, Dutch and Prussian soldiers fought an epic, bloody and decisive battle that ended the Napoleonic Wars. It cost the lives of tens of thousands of men but led to decades of international peace in Europe. This illustrated talk explains how, on the morning of Sunday 18th June 1815, these two military giants faced each other for the first and only time across the sodden rolling Belgian farmland south of Brussels. Tickets: £15.00

Box Office Our box office is situated in the foyer area, opposite the coffee shop. Box Office opening hours Normal Open Hours Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm. On Show Days Monday to Saturday 10am - 7.30pm Sundays 5pm - 7.30pm Booking Tickets Tickets may be booked in person, by telephone or online. Box Office: 01603 620917 office@maddermarket.org www.maddermarket.co.uk

www.finecity.co.uk

The Eleven 30 Series

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump to Play Snooker Eleven 30 Series

mber Dew Events and Lord Russell Baker of Little Moulton, in association with Snooker Legends, are proud to present two of the world’s biggest snooker stars in one of the biggest grudge matches ever seen in World snooker!

new format of fast Snooker, and will take place at The Cresset in Peterborough on Saturday 3rd September 2016. The ‘new format’ of Snooker entices the audience to forget the silent gentlemanly atmosphere of the snooker halls; this is rock and roll Snooker all the way.

The Ronnie O’Sullivan v Judd Trump encounter is a much anticipated green baize dual for all snooker fanatics to look forward too, and is bound to fuel interest throughout the UK for what is going to be a ‘grudge’ match to remember for years to come.

Starring the World’s most popular player, Ronnie O’Sullivan settling scores with the young pretender Judd Trump.

“The Snooker Eleven 30 series where the winner takes all” is the www.finecity.co.uk

break and you have a player who many regard as the greatest ever to hold a snooker cue. Judd Trump is the future; with his brand of “naughty snooker” he has proven he can stand toe to toe with the Rocket. At their

last match-up; the 2015 Grand Prix Final, it was Judd Trump who triumphed 10-7. With major ranking events wins in China and Australia, as well as the 2012 UK Championship the ‘Ace in the Pack’ is ready and willing to settle this rivalry once and for all.

Ronnie O’Sullivan is the current 2016 Masters Champion, a title he won for the 6th time in January. Add to that his 5 world titles, 5 UK titles, most ever competitive centuries and the fastest ever 147 2016 March | 45

FINEEVENTS challenge matches with a fresh take on the sport that should be good for the crowds. I do think we will be able to capture a different audience to the one that watches snooker now, which I think is important for the sport to grow. I’m happy to play!”

Ronnie O’Sullivan said, “I plan to play faster, more attacking snooker that could revolutionise the sport like T20 cricket. I’d like to see it as a new type of snooker, a bit like 20/20 cricket. I do believe everyone will love it and want more. It’s going to be a revamped format, one that will excite the spectators. The format won’t suit all the players, but the ones who do will love it. If it is successful, I can see TV loving it, and

46 | March 2016

wanting to make it into a series of events just like 20/20 cricket. It’s no good to have just the odd event, it needs be regular for people to engage in it, and stay with it, and support it, which will help make it become established.” Ronnie O’Sullivan added, “Guys like me and Judd have a duty to make snooker entertaining. Judd Trump wants to play me in a few

Lord Russell Baker, Managing Director of Amber Dew Events said “I’m very excited to be working with the Snooker Legends and promoting Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump Snooker Eleven 30 Series in Peterborough. This ‘grudge’ encounter is one of only 5 planned matches of this type in the UK this year, and I am sure the new format will bring renewed excitement into the game of Snooker.” With John Virgo and Michaela Tabb on hand throughout the match providing frame by frame match commentary and match referee, it’s all shaping up to be the Snooker match of the century in East Anglia. It’s WINNER TAKES ALL in a best of 11 frame match and it all ‘breaks off ’ on Saturday 3rd

September @ 7pm at The Cresset in Peterborough. For Tickets call the Box Office: 01733 265705 Or purchase online: https://cresset. ticketsolve.com/ Limited VIP packages are available where you can meet both the players before the match in a private drinks reception.

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEEVENTS

EACH

Two EACH events are back by popular demand! ast Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) is please to announce that, due to popular demand, the Norwich Colour Dash and Ride for Life in Thetford Forest will both be held again in 2016. The EACH Norwich Colour Dash will take place on Sunday 22nd May at Eaton Park in Norwich. Last year’s inaugural event sold out in less than five weeks and was such a success the charity will be increasing the number of places available to 1,000 to cope with demand. Colour dashes are the newest craze to hit the UK and see participants race around a 5km course as they are showered with clouds of coloured powder – creating truly impressive multicoloured results! Online registration is open now with an early bird special price at 25% discount available until Monday 29th February: Adult (16+) £17.50, Child (5 to 16) www.finecity.co.uk

£7.50, Under 5s FREE, Family £45,Team (minimum six people) £16 per person. To book your place visit www. each.org.uk/colour-dashes or contact the Norfolk Fundraising Team on 01953 666767. Also taking place in 2016 is Ride for Life, EACH’s longest standing event now in it’s 23rd year. The event will take place on Sunday 12th June, at Mayday in Thetford Forest. The day features a number of different routes to suit all ages and abilities - with three and six mile walks plus on and off road bike rides from 10 to 50 miles. If you haven’t been in the saddle for a while this is the perfect place to start! New for this year is a Children’s Treasure Trail in the woods - good family fun to get people back to nature. Register your interest in Ride for Life today at: www.each.org.uk/ rideforlife. 2016 March | 47

FINEEVENTS

Big C B

Norfolk’s Cancer charity celebrates 35 years ig C, the charity that has helped ensure thousands of cancer patients receive treatment close to home last night (Thursday January 28) launched its 35th anniversary celebrations and thanked the generous people of Norfolk and Waveney for their many contributions to reaching £25million in that time. Chief Executive Dr Christopher Bushby, speaking at the launch, praised the effort of so many individuals from Norfolk and Suffolk who have fund raised over days, months and years to support better outcomes for those affected by cancer. “Without all the Cuppa parties, marathons, triathlons, ploughing

48 | March 2016

matches, balls and many, many more ingenious fund-raising events Big C would not have been able to contribute so much to the help cancer patients and their families across the region,” he said. “But there is still much more work to do, however, because we have such a strong history hopefully we can achieve more in less time.” He pledged that Big C would continue to develop and expand its support and information centres, continue its world class research - Big C helped fund the Bob Champion Centre where the event was held and where important research into causes and treatments of prostate cancer is taking place. Investment in diagnostic and medical equipment in the region’s hospitals, and

expanding its retail operation are part of the ongoing plans. He also announced the start of a new educational programme to develop career pathways among schools and colleges and universities. Addressing an audience of 200 comprising dignitaries, corporate and private supporters, Big C trustees, representatives of the Norwich Research Park, the media and representatives from regional charities, Dr Bushby thanked David Moar MBE, the co-founder, for his vision in 1980 for bringing cancer treatment closer to home, and life vice president Theresa Cossey for her energetic fundraising and encouraging Big C to open its first shop. The audience was shown a film of Big C’s development during the 35 years, focusing on David’s story, key milestones in fund-raising and purchasing of vital facilities, equipment and research. He also urged the audience to get involved in one of the many events

planned throughout the year from hosting a Cuppa party to joining the Dawn Chorus Walk, Firewalk or the Big C Big (parachute) Jump. Prior to the presentation, an anniversary cake was cut and a cheque for £2,000 presented to Big C on behalf of Jarrolds by marketing manager Carole Slaughter and charity coordinator Suzie Abel. The amount was raised through donations of 5p from sales of carrier bags, in compliance with the Government initiative introduced in October 2015. In recognition of the Big C’s 35th year, Jarrolds pledged to continue donating the monies from the sale of plastic bags throughout all of 2016 to support the charity. For details of how you can be involved and support Big C’s 35th year events visit www.big-c.co.uk

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEEVENTS Pictured is marketing manager Carole Slaughter, together with Jarrold’s charity co-ordinator Suzie Abel presenting the cheque to Dr Chris Bushby, Big C’s chief executive at the launch event to celebrate the year.

Bags make money for Big C

t the start of its 35th anniversary year, Big C has its first £2,000 in the bag and the promise of more to come - all thanks to Jarrold of Norwich.

The regional retailer decided to donate the 5p from all sales of its plastic bags to Norfolk’s Big C Cancer Charity, when the Government introduced now legislation back in October, until the end of the year. But in light of

2016 being big C’s 35th anniversary year, the kind-hearted retailer has pledged that all donations for the entire year will be given to supporting the work of Big C and cancer patients throughout Norfolk and Waveney Valley area.

““Plastic carrier bag usage has of course dropped. Many customers now bring their own bags, others will say no to a plastic bag but some continue to use and pay 5p. We had no idea how the usage would change or how much we would be able to donate when the charge started in October, but are delighted to be handing over this cheque for £2,000,” said Mrs Slaughter. Dr Chris Bushby said:” We are extremely grateful to Jarrolds and its customers for their support and delighted they have chosen to help the region’s cancer patients with the pledge for this year’s 5p donations for plastic bags.”

A family run company bringing an award winning designer, experienced craftsmen and quality materials to your project Garden Design & Build Decking Paving Planting plans and planting

Water features Artificial turf Pergolas and features Lawns Raised beds

Special Offer:

If you choose us to build your garden then the design comes free. Call for a free initial consultation - 01692 535431

www.gardendesignnorfolk.co.uk shadow@gardendesignnorfolk.co.uk

www.finecity.co.uk

2016 March | 49

FINEEVENTS

East Anglian Game & Country Fair April 23rd & 24th 2016

he East Anglian Game & Country Fair will take place on Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th April 2016, at The Norfolk Showground, Norwich. There will be lots of new displays including The Royal Signals White Helmets, a team of 25 serving soldiers from the Royal Corps of Signals. The display is a mixture of unique feats of balance, skill and coordination with high impact speed cross over rides. A fire jump, quad jump and reverse riders all make up a stunning main arena display. The 21 rider pyramid stack is a world famous manoeuvre and real crowd pleaser. Action Sports Tour is a group of 8 guys that have mixed skill, balance, power and aerial styles of Trails Riding, BMX, MTB Dirt Jumping, Free running, Scooter Riding, Flatland BMX and Rollerblading. They give the audience the opportunity to watch crazy tricks that have been seen on the internet, live. Get ready for an awesome time as they introduce

50 | March 2016

you to the thrilling world of Action Sports. There are excellent equestrian displays and workshops at the East Anglian Game & Country Fair. UK Horseboarding Arena Demos “somewhere between scurry racing and wake boarding” describes Arena Boarding. Teams take on the clock around a course of gates, set to challenge the best boarders and horse riders, from long straights into sweeping bends and ninety degree turns. In terms of motorsport it is more like rallying or Formula 1. Teams have to work together to achieve the right racing line to take the bends and complete the course.

always happen, when sportsmen push themselves and their equipment to the limit, sometimes

they find the edge. Crashes are frequent, - with the teams’ motto seeming to be “we will not win by

New board technology has meant that board riders can get more grips in the corners, but as the track gets scrubbed out, you will still see them power sliding round the bends kicking up dust like a rally car. This part of the sport has become so technical that board set-up, and even tyre choice has become critical. The teams push their boards to the limit as they fight it out, trying to shave 100ths of a second off their times. As will

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEEVENTS going slower” an absolute mustsee spectacle. You will not be able to take your eyes off it, as teams achieving already unbelievable speeds, get faster with each race. Norfolk based New Zealander Richard Savory’s first mobile sheep show was at Hyde Park in 1992 in front of an estimated 75,000 people over 4 days for the ASDA festival of food and farming. An entertainment agent also saw the show and from then on the business grew. If you haven’t seen the show yet it is both entertaining and educational looking at sheep breeds and shearing. The sheep are the stars and its finale is the dancing sheep. Mentioned on Chris Evans Radio 2, it had one of the biggest responses they have ever had and Richard was asked back the following day to be Chris’s mystery guest. Jim Greenwood’s Lurcher display is to interest, educate and entertain the public. His demonstrations at some of the game fairs around the country, give them the opportunity to demonstrate that the Lurcher

www.finecity.co.uk

accommodate the changes in the pack, but they demonstrate how they train some skills the dogs need to work in the field.

is much more than just a fast dog. Lurchers need to be able to retrieve like a Gundog, scent like a

Spaniel, mark like a Pointer and of course be fast enough to catch a rabbit. The show content varies to

Richard Maxwell, our Horse behaviourist, was in the Household cavalry with “Monty Roberts” and he will be demonstrating twice daily in the round horse pen, where you will be able to see the special understanding and training techniques that Richard uses to help horses overcome some of their fears. This is a fantastic opportunity to see Richard using traditional and natural techniques on horses that have been brought to the game fair by their owners for Richard to work on and this

2016 March | 51

FINEEVENTS

will be the first time that Richard will have seen the horse he is going to be helping. We have a fantastic line up of more free events to watch in the Main and Countryside Arenas.

52 | March 2016

Ring displays also include 6 times FITASC Sporting World Champion, European Champion and English Open Champion John Bidwell performing his world famous off the hip trick shooting with an automatic and pump

action shotgun shooting from the hip over his shoulders and from between his legs, this is a rare opportunity to see John’s display. West Norfolk Hunt will be taking

the hounds for a parade of the ring, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Flight of the Falcons, Ferret Racing, Fly Fishing, Sheep Dog and Duck Display, Lurcher Displays, Gun Dog demonstrations and much more. The Mid-Norfolk Gundog Club has been providing its members with training and competitions for 30 years. The Countryside Arena demonstrations illustrate the stages of training for spaniels and retrievers as they are prepared to become working gundogs. Trained gundogs have a vital role in any form of responsibly conducted game shooting. In the Main Ring, the roles and work of spaniels and retrievers are demonstrated in the context of the shooting field. Mid Norfolk Gun Dog Club will be running the Gun Dog Scurry competitions and a Team Gundog Working Test - a competition for trained gundogs that simulates the problems the dogs will encounter when working. The competition, introduced to the East Anglian Game and Country Fair 3 years ago, is an ‘Open’ standard competition for teams www.finecity.co.uk

FINEEVENTS

of three experienced dogs and handlers representing clubs and societies from across East Anglia and takes place over both days of the fair. Expect and enjoy first class work and a keen but friendly competition from some of the best gundogs and handlers in the region. Whether you are a practicing falconer, nature enthusiast or not the falconry village is sure to keep you entertained. There will be mini events going on all day in the arena, lure swinging competitions and talks on hunting plus several stands to browse along with expert advice from falconers. The Forestry Village hosts ‘The East of England Cutters & Climbers Competition’ and Pole Climbing Competitions. The forestry arena will be a buzz of activity with chainsaw carvings, felling demonstrations, tree climbing and pole climbing competitions. Tree workers from around the UK will be competing at this rare opportunity to see a working forestry village. If Bear Grylls is your thing then

www.finecity.co.uk

Woodland Ways Bushcraft & Survival will be demonstrating their vast knowledge of bushcraft & survival techniques. There will be opportunities throughout the day to get ‘hands on’ and learn some skills for yourself. They will also be running ‘Pigeon Plucking’ competitions on their stand over the weekend. Find out how quickly you can prepare a pigeon for the table without using a knife. Norwich Vikings Trials Motorcycle Display will have a range of riders from those on modern bikes to those who prefer the classic bike and classes for all abilities. Riders will be taking their bikes around a purpose built obstacle course from old oil drums to large tree trunks. This will all take place within the forestry arena.

The Cookery Theatre is housed in the centre of the busy food hall where you will find a wide variety of exhibitors from Norfolk and across the UK bringing unusual and mouth watering food and drink to the show for our visitors to sample, enjoy and purchase. Fine & Country Educational Zone, a wide variety of some of the best Independent schools from across the region will be on view

in the Fine & Country educational zone. This large marquee gives all the visitors the opportunity to meet some of the staff and pupils from these schools and see some of the teaching and learning environments in a friendly environment. Come & join the Fine & Country team in the marquee. There are over 300 shopping stands with a wide variety of products from fashion and

Our game fair country kitchen has a great new line up with a variety of cookery workshops and demonstrations taking place over the weekend from a selection of local chefs, including Celebrity Chef Chris Coubrough, Rachel Green, Andy Snowling, Justin Kett and Na Hansell plus many more.

2016 March | 53

FINEEVENTS footwear to gun makers, eco products, fishing products and home improvements. Plus craft halls and gift marquees. The main bar will be serving a great selection of local beers and drinks over the weekend. Children of all ages will be able to take part in countryside activities and meet several animals, including alpacas and enjoy donkey rides. Heart Radio will also be at the show with interactive games, free contests and the big Heart games zone. Join in and ‘have a go’ at a range of country activities from clay shooting with John Bidwell’s High Lodge instructors or enter the 40-bird re-entry shooting competition for men, women and juniors. Fly fishing with the Salmon and Trout Association, ferret racing and archery to paintballing and crossbows. Take a helicopter pleasure flight over the showground, try the air rifle range, hold a bird of prey or take a ride in a Landrover on the off road 4x4 course. K9 Aqua Sports© will be holding its ‘K9 Jump Jet©’ Competition, which is the Long Jump for dogs into water, with Heats at 12.00pm (Midday) & 2:30pm on both days (Saturday & Sunday) of the show and the K9 Jump Jet© Finals will be held at 3.30pm on the last day (Sunday) of the show with the top Teams Dogs that have jumped the furthest distance within the 4 Heats Dogs, Fly ball Dogs, Gundogs, Obedience Dogs or even the Families Pet Dog are welcome, as long as they are over 6 months old and healthy. All K9 Jump Jet© Heat Participants will receive a Participant Rosette with Placement Rosettes for Top 6 Teams in each Heat. Enter your dog into the Dog Agility and Jumping competitions and ‘have a go’ arenas. The Pet Dog Show 1pm Sat & Sun or even the popular Terrier & Lurcher Show which takes place on Sunday at 11am. This will be a qualifier for all major championships as well as the East Anglian Championship.

54 | March 2016

Ticket Information: Advance discounted admission tickets are available now online at www.ukgamefair.co.uk or by calling the ticket hotline number 01263 735 828 Adult £13.00, Children (5-16 Yrs) £5.00 and Family (2 Adults & 3 Children) £36, (offer valid until midday 18/04/16 and a small booking fee applies). Under 5’s are Free and Car Parking is Free for all. On the gate prices: Adult £17.00, Children (5-16 Yrs) £6.00, Family (2 Adults & 3 Children) £46, under 5’s are Free and Free Car Parking for all. Become a member of the show. Priced at a very attractive £26 per adult, £11 per child (5-16 yrs)

or £76 for a family (2 adults & 3 children) its great value! Beat the queues with prioritised car parking & admission to the show, plus access into the ringside Members’ enclosure with licensed restaurant run by Hatter Events. Seating is available inside the marquee and bar area or outside overlooking all the main arena displays. Luxury toilets at the member’s enclosure with disabled access and disabled toilets also provided! Membership tickets, gift packages, experience days and lunches are also available to book online at www.ukgamefair. co.uk or call 01263 735828 for more information. Camping Weekend Tickets - Set in glorious parkland, The Norfolk Showground is a fantastic place to visit and camp for the weekend,

conveniently situated just 5 miles from Norwich City centre. Just bring your Caravan, Camper or Tent and enjoy a fun filled short break in Norfolk with your friends and family! The Norfolk Showground provides excellent camping facilities plus you can enjoy two whole days at one of Norfolk’s most talked about family days out. Well behaved pets are most welcome too. Book early and save money on Camping weekend tickets visit www.ukgamefair.co.uk for prices and full details. Keep up to date with all the latest game fair news and offers at www.ukgamefair.co.uk Subscribe to our e-newsletter and join us on our social networking sites, or call 01263 735828 for more information. www.finecity.co.uk

Mother’s Day and Easter Present Ideas

T3 Compact Hairdryer in Pink/Chrome - £125

Links of London Diamond Essentials Heart Bracelet £150

Estee Lauder Revitalizing Supreme Global Anti Age Mask Boost £45 www.finecity.co.uk

Clinique Sweet Pots Sugar Scrub and Lip Balm - £15

Prestat Red Velvet Egg 2016 March | 55

Crime & Punishment For medieval justice life was considered cheap and the point of human suffering was even cheaper. Mutilation A cruel case of mutilation which practise was used in Norwich was when the ears of a convicted person were pinned to the pillory, which left the victim to wrench his head away, and in doing so both ears would be lost and then shaved down. After Kett’s Rebellion, Edward VI declared in an act that brawling in a churchyard became punishable by mutilation.

Ducking or Cucking Stool In Fye Bridge Norwich women who were accused of certain crimes were placed in a ducking or cucking stool. Those in charge would fasten an armchair to the end of two beams which were up to fifteen feet long and they were parallel to each other so

that the two pieces of wood with their two ends embrace the chair so it would hang between them like an axle keeping the chair in a horizontal position so that the woman could sit in it. The ducking or cucking stool was then mounted on wheels so that the convicted could be wheeled through the streets. Another system used was the tumbrel which was a chair on two wheels with two shafts fixed to the axles and this would then be placed in the water. A plaque until recently was placed on Fye Bridge stating that strumpets and common scolds suffered the punishment of dunking there. For the elderly, the shock of the cold water was sometimes enough to kill them.

(Original Wording) in 1562 a woman, for whoredom, to ryde on a cart with a paper in her hand, and tynklyd with a bason; and so at one o’clock to be had to the cokyingstool, and ducked in the water. The ducking or cucking stool allowed many poets to write poetical verse, including Benjamin West, who in 1780 wrote the following; ‘There stands, my friend in yonder pool, An engine call’d a ducking stool; By legal pow’r command down, The joy and terror of the town. If jarring females kindle strife…’ In England and Wales there had been no prosecution of common scolds for some time. Counsel

in Sykes v. Director of Public Prosecutions in 1962 described the Act as obsolete and Section 13(1)(a) of the Criminal Law Act 1967 abolished it.

Scold’s Bridle This was used in the 16th and 17th century to curb a woman’s tongue. The gadget was made of thin iron and passed over and around the head, and when fastened at the back of the neck it was kept together by a padlock. A piece of iron went into the mouth and kept the tongue down by pressing. This was used in Norwich along with iron collars

A Trial by Wager of Battle Chamber’s Twentieth Century Dictionary states ‘Wager of battle trial by combat, an ancient usage which permitted the accused

Ducking or Cucking Stool

56 | March 2016

www.finecity.co.uk

FINELIVING

Wager of Battle

and accuser, in defect of sufficient direct evidence, to challenge each other to mortal combat, for issue of dispute.’ This was finally abolished in this country in the year 1818. History documentation in Norwich tells us that during the reign of Henry III., Agnes, the wife of Adam de Rattlesden, impleaded Richer de Reymes for the fourth part of a fee in Overstrand and Northrepps. It had been released by Richer to one Roger de Herleberge for eighty marks of silver. Roger was called upon to warrant it, and the a dual or a combat of trial was fought on this account between Roger and a Freeman of Simon, son of Hugh, on behalf and right of Agnes.

How Was the Trial of Wager of Battle Conducted? Thebattle took place in front of a court, and at sunrise all parties assembled and the accuser and the accused were made to be bare-armed and bare-legged. Each of them were armed with a wooden truncheon and a small wooden target, and when ready, they took each other’s hand and each stated an oath whether guilty or not guilty. Each man was then also required to swear that they had no stone or charm that the law of the devil be exalted or the law of God depressed, then the fight took place. If the accused defended himself till evening he was deemed to be acquitted, but if beaten and shouted out a surrender he was hanged. It is deemed so strange that there was an Act called ‘The Privilege of Sanctuary’ where a thief or murderer who was fleeing from justice to a Church was allowed to go free on condition of his voluntarily ‘Abjurning the Realm.’

make the execution more horrific, the accused would be placed in a gibbet and pulled up and down in the boiling water. This such punishment took place in Kings Lynn when in 1531 a maid was boiled to death in the market place for poisoning her mistress.

Pressing to Death This was passed on to the accused if they refused to enter a plea to the indictment, he not being ‘mute by the visitation of God’ and this was practised in Norfolk.

Woman at Lollards Pit The Lollards were the followers of John Wycliffe. The Norwich heresy trials from 1428-1431, included the trials of Hawisia Mone and

Margery Baxter. Hawisia and her Husband Thomas were a wealthy family living in Loddon. They both held meetings at their home to many Lollards and they also hid Lollards who were under threat of prosecution. Some of these were significant names and titled gentry. Hawisia trained at adult Lollard school and became a teacher at the school based in her home. At her trial it was shown that she was not able to sign her name but used her own seal. The penalty for relapsed heretics was death by burning which took place in the Lollards Pit at the bottom of what is now Gas Hill in Norwich. Margery was married and living in Martham and was a follower of Hawisia. During her trial she was very outspoken and prayed to the dead Lollard leader William White.

Boiling to Death

feature by:

Michael Chandler Author, Historian & Broadcaster @EastAngliaMedia

www.finecity.co.uk

This terrible punishment was used during the time of Henry VIII. A cauldron was filled with water and fixed in a public place and as soon as the water was hot the accused was plunged into it. To

Scold’s Bridle

2016 March | 57

FINEHomes

Posh Plants… in recovery!

fter an exhausting weekend showing off Posh Plants at the EDP Wedding Show it is lovely just to enjoy a day or two winding down. The old trade bike was the focal point to my stand surrounded on all sides by my beautiful Posh Plants, the wicker basket was filled with spring flowers, looking as if they had just been picked!

So, it was a busy show with lots of ‘brides to be’ looking for inspiration for their special day. My smiling muscles ached, my feet ached and by the time all the plants were back to the nursery my back ached, but, I had a long list of enquiries to follow up and many hundreds of Posh Plants leaflets had been given to eager visitors! Today, a couple of hours in glorious early spring sunshine

Posh Plants

topiary, plants, shrubs and trees to hire or buy

was spent at one of our lovely broads. A bracing walk followed by coffee and cake in a restaurant overlooking the water was just what was needed to recharge the batteries. We really are surrounded by stunning landscape and its often the case that what’s on our doorstep is sometimes overlooked. So, more bracing walks and maybe not so much cake! Cobwebs well and truly blown away, its back to the nursery to spend some time on these very stylish bay cones and box balls. These smaller Posh Plants are popular for weddings, a number arranged either side of an aisle make for a very impressive entrance! Equally, at home, a pair or a group by a front door create a warm welcome and will add importance to the property. These bays can be supplied in the cream ceramic or the grey lead type planters. For more ideas and prices have a

look at the online shop at www. poshplants.com or come and visit the nursery. Sue Huckle Posh Plants Seven Acres Nursery East Tuddenham www.poshplants.com email: sue@poshplants. com 07703 347014

Award Winning Landscaping and Design

Sue Huckle is the inspiration behind many award winning gardens, offering a professional and creative approach to the art and science of garden design. At Seven Acres Nursery we have a range of lovely plants and containers for sale, as well as our beautiful collection of large topiary plants available to hire for weddings, parties and your workplace!

07703 347014 email: sue@poshplants.com website: www.poshplants.com

Posh Plants, Seven Acres Nursery, Common Road, East Tuddenham, NR20 3NF

Paving and Pathways Ponds and Water Features Lawn Laying Walls and Brickwork Timber and Decking Driveways, Fencing and Screening Garden Design by Georgina Read

T: 01953 852139 E: info@lifestylelandscaping.co.uk W: www.lifestylelandscaping.co.uk

58 | March 2016

www.finecity.co.uk

Yeomans Electrical

70 Cashback Up to

Re £5 0 W dem Ca it s En ho ptio hba ds ut n ck 16 Cas £4 Via /0 hb 49 3/ ac .99 16 k

Re £7 0 W dem Ca it s En ho ptio hba ds ut n ck 16 Cas £5 Via /0 hb 29 3/ ac .99 16 k

1400 Spin 8kg Washing Machine

1400 Spin 9kg Washing Machine

14 Place Settings Dishwasher

Model No: WAQ28462GB

Model No: WAT28370GB

Model No: SMS58M32GB

• 15 Programmes, EcoSilence Drive • Super Quick Wash 15 Minutes • AquaSpa Wash System • Dimensions: H84.8xW59.8xD55cm

• 15 Programmes • Super Quick Wash 15 Minutes • EcoSilence Motor with 10 yr warranty • Dimensions: H84.8xW59xD59cm

• 5 Programmes • Red LEC Display, Ecosilence Drive • VarioFlex Basket System • Dimensions: H84.5xW60xD60cm

Re £5 0 W dem Ca it s En ho ptio hba ds ut n ck 16 Cas £4 Via /0 hb 49 3/ ac .99 16 k

On selected Bosch appliances

Only

£449

.99

£399.99 After Cashback -Via Redemption

Service only your local independent electrical retailer can provide

Only

£529

.99

£459.99 After Cashback -Via Redemption

Only

£449

.99

£399.99 After Cashback -Via Redemption

Yeomans Electrical 65 North Walsham Road, Sprowston, Norwich, NR6 7QA Tel: 01603 426294

*T&C’s apply. Sold as an agent for Euronics Limited. All rights reserved. All offers are subject to availability while stocks last. Delivery & Installation charges may apply Exclusions and Radius Apply. Selected Stores Only. Prices correct at time of print but can be subject to change. See in store for full details. Images for illustration purposes only. Copyright Euronics 2016. January E&EO 2016. BOSCH(£50CASHBACK)-BOTH.indd 1

www.finecity.co.uk

03/02/2016 15:23

2016 March | 59

World Premiere! New Lexus Reviewed by Tim Barnes-Clay, Motoring Journalist

exus unveiled its LC 500h luxury 2+2 coupe to the world’s media in Holland this month. Tim Barnes-Clay was at the event in The Hague to find out all about the new model. The LC 500h is important because it signals the next phase in the evolution of Lexus. It blends the dynamic luxury, ultra-rigid, inertiatuned chassis and lightweight multi-link front suspension of the recently revealed ‘normal’ petrolpowered LC 500, with a brand

60 | March 2016

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEmotors

LC 500h luxury 2+2 coupe new Multi Stage Hybrid System. This fresh tech adds a new automatic transmission to the established attributes of Lexus’s full hybrid powertrain to deliver the sharpest and most refined drive from a full hybrid yet, with much stronger and uninterrupted acceleration. The LC 500h features all the elements of a traditional full hybrid powertrain, including a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine, a powerful electric motor and a lithium-ion www.finecity.co.uk

battery, together with a four-speed automatic gearbox, mounted at the rear of the hybrid transmission. The electric motor generates better acceleration feel than a conventional engine, and the introduction of physical gears allows for engine revs to be more closely matched to the driver’s use of the throttle The result is a much more direct connection between pedal inputs and vehicle acceleration, with nought to 62mph brought well into the subfive-second range.

Looks-wise, the Japanese motor manufacturer has given the LC 500h classic coupe proportions and has produced an exterior design that projects an avant-garde elegance. The coupe’s sporty profile is characterised by its sweeping roofline, which narrows rearward from above the centrally placed occupants to create a distinctive silhouette. It has a long, wheelbase, compact overhangs and a particularly low bonnet line. The bulging front and rear wings

feature by:

Tim Barnes-Clay Writer @carwriteups

2016 March | 61

FINEARTS motors

improve high-speed stability and a diffuser and rear spoiler manage airflow during performance driving. The dynamic luxury theme of the exterior is carried through into the LC 500h’s interior, which brings together grace, quality and sophistication with a driverfocused cockpit.

flare away from the midpoint of the car, housing wide, largediameter wheels, while the door panels are pulled inwards, creating a commanding three-dimensional form that emulates the hallmark spindle shape of the Lexus grille. The LC 500h also has its own lighting signature, created by independent daytime running lights in an arrowhead configuration and ultra-compact triple LED headlamp units.

62 | March 2016

At the rear the roof tapers down between beefy wheel arches, reinforcing the car’s broad and unwavering stance. Here the lighting arrangement is distinguished by a sequence of increasingly brighter L-shaped LEDs which creates a strong three-dimensional effect. The LC 500h’s astonishing driving dynamics are witnessed in restrained yet functional aerodynamic details. Vents in the front and rear wheel arches

The area around the front passenger spreads outwards to create a comfortable and welcoming space. Alongside, the driver’s environment has been ergonomically designed to instil confidence and invite lively driving, with an intuitive layout of the controls and an excellent and supportive seating position. Special attention has been paid to the steering wheel design, with a change in the crosssectional shape of the rim around its circumference to allow for variations in grip and twisting of the wrist. New, larger magnesium alloy paddle shifts have been profiled for easier hooking with the fingertips and have a more positive action. The information displays are

arranged in order of importance, with the most critical positioned closest to the driver’s sightline. The instrument binnacle houses the latest development of the meter technology introduced in the Lexus LFA supercar, with a moving central ring. The centre console features the new generation Remote Touch Interface touchpad control. Indeed, throughout the cabin, the quality and finish of the upholstery, trim materials and detailing reflect the Takumi craftsmanship and fine attention to detail for which Lexus is internationally renowned. What’s more, the new LC 500h is fitted with the Lexus Safety System + package of active safety technologies, designed to help prevent an accident, or mitigate the consequences of an impact. The features include a millimetreradar-controlled Pre-Crash Safety system that can detect both vehicles and pedestrians in the car’s path; All-speed Adaptive Cruise Control; Lane Keep Assist; and Automatic High Beam. The car will be officially launched in Europe in the spring of 2017.

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEmotors Competition

Win A Mini! or £10,000 cash!

All you have to do is complete the following sections and send it back to ensure your are included in the draw. Or enter online at: www.FineCity.co.uk/winamini Only one entry per household Your name: How much is your home phone bill ? £ Your address: Would you like to pay less than that? Postcode: Your landline contact number: Your email address:

YES

household bills every month?

YES

Would you like to have an extra income?

YES

Would you like to save 25% on your other

www.finecity.co.uk

Please send your entry to: FineCity Magazine, Queens House, Queens Square, Attleborough, Norfolk, NR17 2AE. Terms & conditions apply. Go to www.FineCity.co.uk/winamini for full T’s & C’s.

2016 March | 63

The Where Of Social Media

magine you own a sandwich shop on the beach. In a bid to find new customers, you write a message, put it in a bottle, and throw it out to sea. Do you think you would get many customers? Probably not. In some ways, following random people on Twitter and hoping to

get a new customer is a bit like sending a message in a bottle.

Even if someone reads the message, they are not likely to visit your sandwich shop. Last month I talked about knowing why you are using social media and who you want to engage with. This month I am going to talk about where your audience is.

Is your audience local? Make sure you put “Norwich”, “Norfolk” “UK” or your town name in every social media bio, and in as many updates as you can. I often try to fit in the word “UK”, as there are places outside the UK with the same name. Until I added “UK” to my LinkedIn group, I had people asking whether “x” was across the road from “Macy’s” in the US. I am often followed by cafes that

Ideal Event Services

We are a Norwich based Event company with over 20 years experience in Event production and equipment hire covering the East of England. We supply Staging , pa , lighting , projection screens and much more .

Bright Yellow Marketing Follow us on Twitter @socialmedianorw

64 | March 2016

say “pop in and see us”. I like using local businesses so I usually look at where they are based, to see if it is worth a visit. Often, there is nothing at all in their bio or their tweets to tell me where they are located. These cafes could be in Scotland for all I know. As well as ensuring your bio tells people where you are (unless you are looking for International customers) use the hashtag

Steve Jenkins I offer a considered, professional service with a realistic & practical understanding of your needs, budget & time constraints while adding value to your bottom line.

www.finecity.co.uk

ok “f ” Logo

CMYK / .eps

Facebook “f ” Logo

this down to only pick up tweets from local people, even if they don’t use the words “Norwich” or “Norfolk” . You can do this by using Advanced Twitter Search or using a tool such as hootsuite.

#Norwich #Norfolk #UK as appropriate in any updates. That is the first step. The next step is to follow people who live in that location. The key is to follow people whom you would like as customers. A

percentage will follow you back. You can run a search for the location name, you can follow the followers of other local people or you can be really clever and run a search for the phrases that your potential customers are likely to be using. In Twitter, you can narrow

@brightyellw @socialmedianorw @sarajgreenfield

If you need any help with this feel free to send me a tweet @ socialmedianorw or email sara@ brightyellowmarketing.com. I’m always happy to help with quick questions. Sara Greenfield Bright Yellow Marketing www. brightyellowmarketing. com

feature by:

Sara Greenfield Guest Writer @sarajgreenfield

www.finecity.co.uk

2016 March | 65

FINEAdvice

Marketing

Join in our Success Story

sectors, to feature in our new ‘FineAdvice’ section with a combination of editorial and an advert on a full page, in the same design and layout as this page is being presented to you.

Welcome to the ‘FineAdvice’ section of FineCity Magazine About Us:

In a fast moving world, where the media seem to be ever more distant from people’s real concerns, it is vital that community lifestyle magazines like FineCity Magazine find and print the information and news that is important to local people. That’s where we come in; two years ago we added FineCity Magazine to our portfolio of publications which include; Dispatch Magazine in Attleborough & Diss and a second publication in Wymondham & Dereham. We also publish Norfolk on My Mind for North Norfolk and Suffolk on My Mind for Suffolk. Over the fifteen years we have been publishing magazines our publications have become some of the most well respected community lifestyle magazines, and

a “must-read” across a Norfolk & Suffolk. Our distribution is enormous; Dispatch is delivered Free of Charge Door to Door to 30,000 homes and businesses. FineCity Magazine is delivered or collected around the City centre by 12,000 people each month, and Norfolk on My Mind has 10,000 copies available for pick up across 800 pick up locations. Suffolk on My Mind is seen by 10,000 people in Bury St Edmunds and across Suffolk. This gives us a combined readership of 155,000 every month.

FineCity Magazine:

New for 2016 we are adding a ‘FineAdvice’ section in our rapidly growing FineCity Magazine.

We are offering YOU the full page (normal cost £505.00) for just the cost of a half page advert £295.00. You pay for the advert we’ll give you the editorial (425 words) for FREE, with a 12 months commitment.

Come and join FineCity and be part of our success story!

The FineAdvice section is designed to offer readers advice, and enable your company to be the exclusive provider. In addition to the above, we will also include your company within our daily tweets and Facebook page completely free of charge. FineCity Magazine is growing throughout Norwich, now with a 12,000 print run every month, and available for pick up at our prestige partner locations which includes;

We are inviting just one company from a few specialist market

John Lewis, Waitrose, Jarrold, Cinema City, MadderMarket, The Theatre Royal, The Forum, Norwich Library, The Norwich Tourist Information Centre, Norwich Airport, Castle Mall and Intu Chapelfield, and further copies are delivered Door to Door around Eaton, Cringleford, Easton, Newmarket Road and The Golden Triangle area of Norwich.

Advice by:

Harry Cawley Sales @finecitymag 01953 456789

Meet The Family FineCity Magazine

Dispatch Magazine 2016

Norfolk On My Mind Magazine 2016

Suffolk On My Mind Magazine 2016

Issue 52

March

2016

We me Reyno et Amelia l the BB ds from an in-dC for intervi epth ew

FINEPE OPL

66 | March 2016

E FINEMO TORS FINEAD VICE FINEAR TS

FINEEV ENTS

MOTH

’S DAY Gift id eas fr for Mo om Jarrold, ther’s Day an d Easter MOT

ORING World Premie www.finecity.co.uk re o New L exus L f the C 500H

FINEAdvice

Money

Residual Income

Which of the following is most important to you?

generated after the initial effort has been made. Compare this to what most people focus on earning: linear income, which is “one-shot” compensation or payment in the form of a fee, wage, commission or salary.

• Extra income • Financial freedom • Get out of debt • More free time • Have your own business • Personal development • Help others • Meet new people • S ave for retirement or retire earlier • Leave a legacy

Linear income is directly proportional to the number of hours invested in it (40 hours of pay for 40 hours of work), but one of the great advantages of residual income is that once things are set in motion, you continue making money from your initial efforts, while gaining time to devote to other things... such as generating more streams of residual income!

Do you fancy the backing of a fast-growing FTSE 250 PLC, which provides the opportunity to build a substantial long-term “Residual Income” alongside your other commitments?

Here’s an example of Residual Income; In 1998 my college spent 35 minutes showing a friend of his how to save money on her bills. Last month he got paid for that conversation for the 206th time for that 35 minute chat. That’s Residual Income explained!

Do the work once, get paid forever! re you looking for a change? Looking for something different? Need more money? Want to take control of your life? Or are you bored or broke? There are lots of massive opportunities out there if you’re energetic & ambitious and if you really want to create a better life for yourself and your family. Remember, if you want things to change and you want things to be different, YOU have to do it. Life doesn’t have a remote control, you have to change it. If that sounds like you, I’d like to introduce you to a fantastic business opportunity that you can work around your other commitments, like your current job or childcare etc.

www.finecity.co.uk

Residual income (also called passive, or recurring income) is income that continues to be

There is No stock to carry, No

targets to meet, No set hours — just talk to people about saving money! So… how soon can you spare 10 minutes so I can show you how to make a lot of money and explain how this award-winning and trusted company can help you achieve what you want?

Advice by:

Jonathan Horswell Mentor @jonathanhorswel 07802 690589

2016 March | 67

FINEAdvice

Utilities

Utility Warehouse Have you claimed your FREE energy-efficient LED light bulbs yet?

live locally and I represent a company that will replace every light bulb in your home with the latest energyefficient LED bulbs, completely free of charge, thus saving you around 11% OFF your electricity bill forever! If you’re a homeowner, I can help you claim: Free LED light bulbs typically worth £300-£500 They are bright, fully dimmable, light-up instantly, and use around 15 times less electricity than traditional light bulbs. Free expert installation by a team of professional fully trained fitters; they’ll visit your home and install your new LED light bulbs

68 | March 2016

at a convenient time for you — completely free of charge. Free lifetime guarantee If a light bulb ever needs replacing, you’ll be sent a new one in the post — so you’ll never have to buy another light bulb again! Lower electricity bills - forever! In addition to helping to save the planet, your new LED bulbs will reduce your electricity bills by around 11% — FOREVER Who’s behind this initiative? It’s being provided by Utility Warehouse, the Nation’s most trusted utility supplier. In addition to gas and electricity, they provide landline, broadband and mobile giving you the

convenience of all your utilities on one monthly bill.

As a member of Utility Warehouse, you SAVE...

Utility Warehouse is operated by Telecom Plus PLC, a major British company whose shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange. The company provides its members with great value, great savings and the best possible customer service. Perhaps it’s not surprising that, in a survey, 93% of Utility Warehouse customers said they would recommend them to a friend.

• Single supplier for all your utilities • Award-winning customer service • Value that’s unbeatable • Easy to switch • Ready to claim your FREE LED light bulbs?

Utility Warehouse is very different to other suppliers because they’re a club - a Discount Club. They don’t have any high street shops and because (unlike their competitors) they don’t spend customers’ money on expensive advertising campaigns on TV, they can afford to charge their customers less for the same services. They have also received numerous awards from Which? Magazine and Moneywise, and have around 600,000 satisfied customers.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me today. I’ll be delighted to explain how it works.

Advice by:

Jonathan Horswell Mentor @jonathanhorswel 07802 690589

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEAdvice

Solicitors Failed Will Dispute May Cost Woman Her Home

woman who contested the will her father made shortly before he died has been left with a legal bill larger than her inheritance, after the High Court ruled that her liability to contribute to the legal costs of the executors and beneficiaries who won the case was not to be limited to the sum she expects to inherit.

will on the ground that her father had signed it without ‘knowledge and approval’. The document had been drafted by her aunts before being signed by her father who she claimed to have been involved with ‘undue duress’.

The woman, her late father’s illegitimate daughter, was left £100,000 in his will when her expectation had been to inherit his entire estate. Only two weeks before he died, her father had changed his will, leaving the remainder of his estate (more than £500,000) to his four siblings, using a pro-forma will they had bought from a stationery shop.

Although the judge in the High Court found the circumstances under which the new will had been executed ‘suspicious’, he decided, on the balance of probabilities, that it should be admitted to probate and given legal effect.

The daughter contested the new

She claimed that her father had always been financially generous to her and had told her that she was his sole beneficiary.

her. After arguments about costs led to another court hearing, the Court ruled that the legal costs of the winners should not be limited to the £100,000 the woman was left in the will, leaving her in a position where she may have to sell her house to pay the balance of the legal costs of the winners. The evidence required to overturn a will that appears to be properly executed is substantial, and to undertake such a challenge without having expert legal representation is a very risky strategy. If you would like to discuss any of the issues raised in this article, or need help with a legal matter,

such as disputing a Will, contact Ann-Marie Matthews on 01603 478567 or email amatthews@ nicholsonslaw.com.

Advice by:

Ann-Marie Matthews Solicitor amatthews@nicolsonslaw.com 01603 478567

Although the woman was not legally represented, the executors were, and claimed the right to recover their legal costs from

JTD 14111 Nicholsons Advert.qxp_Layout 1 07/01/2015 13:06 Page 1

If you need a will, Nicholsons make it easy... Making a Will is the only way to protect your family and assets for the future. Nicholsons specialise in Will writing, inheritance tax planning, Powers of Attorney and property trusts. We pride ourselves on making the whole process as easy as possible either by meeting in our office or visiting you in the comfort of your own home. If you are interested in discussing a Will or any other legal matter contact Ann-Marie Matthews on 01603 478567 or email amatthews@nicholsonslaw.com

Nicholsons Solicitors LLP, 97 Yarmouth Road, Norwich, Norfolk NR7 0HF

SPECIA L OFFER with this simple w advert ill fo or pair fo r £110* r £150*

Tel: 01603 478567 Email: info@nicholsonslaw.com www.nicholsonslaw.com

* Excluding VAT

www.finecity.co.uk

2016 March | 69

FINEAdvice

Health

The Effects of Untreated Hearing Loss Written by Karen Finch - Managing Director and lead audiologist at The Hearing Care Centre. The multiaward winning, family-run company has 20 centres across Suffolk and Norfolk. “What?”, “Huh?”, “Pardon me?”, “Would you mind repeating what you said? I couldn’t understand you.” If you or one of your friends or family members has a hearing loss, then these phrases will be very familiar to you! Many hearing impaired people are aware that their hearing has deteriorated but are reluctant to seek help. Maybe it’s just that they don’t want to acknowledge the problem, are embarrassed by what they see as a weakness, or believe that they can “get by” without using a hearing aid. According to hearing loss charity Action on Hearing Loss, people take on average 10 years to

70 | March 2016

address the effects of hearing loss before seeking help. But time and again, research shows us that untreated hearing loss can have a negative impact on social life, psychological well-being, cognitive ability and our overall health. Each can have far-reaching implications that go well beyond hearing alone. In fact, those who have difficulty hearing can experience such distorted and incomplete communication that it seriously impacts their professional and personal lives, at times leading to isolation and withdrawal. Studies have linked untreated hearing loss effects to:

• Fatigue, tension, stress and depression • Irritability, negativism and anger • Social rejection and loneliness • Avoidance or withdrawal from social situations • Reduced alertness and increased risk to personal safety • Impaired memory and ability to learn new tasks • Reduced job performance and earning power • Diminished psychological and overall health Fortunately, hearing loss is treatable. Hearing aids are currently the best option for individuals suffering from hearing loss, allowing them to hear many of the sounds they have been missing. Many different types of hearing aid are available, packed full of fantastic features and paying a visit to your local audiologist would allow you to better understand what options are available. Norfolk Open Days – FREE hearing checks

This month my team and have organised a series of Open Days in Norfolk to help encourage those with hearing loss to take the first step. The Open Days will allow you to book a hearing assessment free of charge, saving £20 off the normal consultation price. Monday 14th March, Cecil Amey Opticians, WYMONDHAM Tuesday 15th March, Cecil Amey Opticians, DEREHAM Wednesday 16th March, Cecil Amey Opticians, ATTLEBOROUGH Thursday 17th March, Cecil Amey Opticians, HARLESTON Thursday 17th March, Cecil Amey Opticians, WATTON Friday 18th March, Thetford Healthy Living Centre, THETFORD Appointments are available between 9am and 5pm, but must be booked in advance. To reserve your space please call 0800 096 2637 or visit www. hearingcarecentre.co.uk

www.finecity.co.uk

‘Start with a better finish...’

Myhill Decorators

Myhill Decorators have over 20 years of experience in a wide variety of decorating projects throughout Norwich & East Anglia. From house rennovations to commercial units let us do what we do best.

Daytime - 07877 499 381 Eve - 01603 758125

info@myhilldecorators.co.uk www.myhilldecorators.co.uk

Shepherd’s Crook

Yeomans Electrical 65 North Walsham Road, Sprowston, Norwich, NR6 7QA Tel: 01603 426294

Shepherd’s Crook is extremely sumptuous with full-size double bed, freesat flatscreen TV, and fully equipped kitchen including fridge and dishwasher. And unlike a lot of shepherd’s huts, our WC and shower is truly en-suite - you don’t need to go outside! Based on the edge of Framlingham Suffolk Call Becky on 07778 381953 for availability.

Painting & Decorating INTERIOR/EXTERIOR 20 Years Experience Senior Citizen Reduced Rates Tel 01603 867521 | Mob 07762039656 4 Cypress Close, Taverham, Norwich NR8 6QG View all our services at www.affordable-pc.com www.finecity.co.uk

FREE ESTIMATES Contact Peter Isaac

01603 403294 / 07974 804042 2016 March | 71

ÂŠ 2016 Intu Properties plc

Shop with us: in centre | at home | on the go

Monsoon

S/S16 fashion is here

Come into bloom with fashion from your favourite brands. Find out more at intu.co.uk/fashion