KL Magazine June 2016

ISSN 2044–7965

ISSUE 69 JUNE 2016 PRICELESS

magazine

WEST NORFOLK | NORTH NORFOLK | COASTAL

COVER IMAGE Snettisham Pier by Ian Ward

meet the team MANAGING DIRECTOR Laura Murray MANAGING EDITOR Eric Secker DESIGN TEAM Amy Phillips Lisa Tonroe PHOTOGRAPHY Ian Ward SALES AND PROMOTION Daniel Thomas CONTRIBUTORS Clare Bee Sarah Juggins Richard Parr Sylvia Steele

contact 18 Tuesday Market Place King’s Lynn PE30 1JW 01553 601201 info@klmagazine.co.uk KL magazine cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs. While every care is taken, prices and details are subject to change and KL magazine takes no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters. All rights reserved.

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he Queen is officially 90 years old this month, and it’s another huge milestone in a quite remarkable life. Not only is Elizabeth II the longest-reigning monarch in British history and the longest reigning female monarch in the history of the world, she also has the longest royal marriage, is the most travelled monarch ever (visting no less than 116 countries during 265 official visits) and she has the record for having her portrait on the most currencies – even in countries such as Fiji, where she’s no longer queen.

Mary Relph has been following The Queen’s life for the last 70 years, and ever since visiting the Sandringham Flower Show as a young girl she’s collected a staggering amount of royal memorabilia. You can read more about her collection – and her love of all things royal – on page 28 of this month’s magazine.

Another amazingly well-travelled woman is Norfolk’s Helen Lloyd. Since leaving her job as an engineer in 2009, she’s cycled over 15,000 miles through Africa, almost 7,000 miles around the Americas and then spent three months cycling solo across one of the most remote, coldest inhabited regions of the planet. Never one to sit still, she’s currently in Swaziland on yet another adventure, but you can catch up with her story on page 88.

As we look forward to the King’s Lynn Festival next month (see page 8) we close on another royal note. Now in its 65th year, this fabulous celebration of the arts was founded by Ruth, Lady Fermoy – an accomplished concert pianist herself – who invited her close friend Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later to become Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother) to open the first festival. Enjoy the magazine – and we’ll see you again next month.

KL MAGAZINE

KLmagazine June 2016

Contents

JUNE 2016

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8 50 KLmagazine June 2016

106

6-13 WHAT’S ON This month’s diary of forthcoming events

58-65 FASHION The latest looks from our local boutiques

8-10 THE KING’S LYNN FESTIVAL 2016 Previewing a feast of cultural delights

68-70 CANAPÉS, CAKES AND CALAMITIES Deborah Steward on her life as a chef

14 KING’S LYNN CORN EXCHANGE Forthcoming shows you won’t want to miss

74-82 FOOD AND DRINK Reviews, recipes and recommendations

16-18 A GENTLER WAY OF LIFE...

The story of Anglesey Abbey

78 RESTAURANT REVIEW A taste of the Mediterranean in King’s Lynn

22-24 800 YEARS IN ONE BUILDING Discover the wonders of Clifton House

82-84 THE SPICIER SIDE OF LIFE...

The rise and rise of Candi’s Chutneys

28-30 MARY’S ROYAL COLLECTION Memories of 70 years of royal watching

88-90 BIKING AROUND THE WORLD The amazing adventures of Helen Lloyd

34-36 MAYORS DESIGN AWARDS 2016 Celebrating the best of local architecture

96-98 SHERINGHAM MUSEUM The Mo is bigger, brighter and better than ever

42-44 ONE MAN AND HIS PIGS...

Meet Peter Jackson’s Iron Age friends

102 A BRUSH WITH ADVENTURE The work of explorer-artist Thomas Baines

47 YOU AND YOUR PETS With local vet Alex Dallas

104 SAMARITANS How the charity is helping the armed forces

48 THEN & NOW The changing face of West Norfolk

106-108 A DANCE OF SKY AND SEA...

The dramatic praintings of Rebecca Lloyd

50-52 NORFOLK’S BUTTERFLIES Flying in the face of an uncertain future

114 MICHAEL MIDDLETON Is this a starling I see before me?

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The Sleeping Beauty

JUNE BOX OFFICE: (01603) 63 00 00

Sun 19 June BRITTEN SINFONIA Tenor Ian Bostridge with Britten Serenade £8 - £27 Mon 20 June RHYTHM OF THE DANCE Irish dance and music £7 - £24.50 Tues 21 June JAMIE RAVEN LIVE Magician and illusionist £7 - £18.50 Fri 24 – Sat 25 June THE SLEEPING BEAUTY English Youth Ballet in sumptuous production £7 - £22

Tues 24 May – Sat 4 June THE BODYGUARD Smash hit musical adaptation of the Whitney Houston film £8 - £48.50

Tues 7 June DANCING IN THE STREETS Celebration of Motown’s greatest hits £8 - £27.50

Thur 9 – Sat 11 June ALL OR NOTHING The story and music of The Small Faces £8 - £25

Sun 5 June CHARLIE LANDSBOROUGH Versatile singer-songwriter £7 - £19.50

Wed 8 June SAMANTHA BARKS Musical theatre star in concert £8 - £25.50

Sun 12 June SOME GUYS HAVE ALL THE LUCK Rod Stewart tribute £7 - £21.50

Wed 29 June – Sat 30 July MARY POPPINS Spectacular production of wonderful musical £8 - £57.50

Book online: www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk T H E AT R E ST R E E T, N O RW I C H N R 2 1 R L

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WE CLOSE OUR EYES,

GO WEST

CALL ME, KING OF WISHFUL THINKING

FEATURING MARK KING…

FIELDS OF FIRE,

LESSONS IN LOVE, LEAVING ME NOW, SOMETHING ABOUT YOU, RUNNING IN THE FAMILY

IN A BIG COUNTRY

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KLmagazine June 2016

259 YEARS AGO: King’s Lynn’s most famous son, Captain George Vancouver, was born in the town’s New Conduit Street on 22nd June 1757

June Sunday 19th

VINTAGE TRACTOR ROAD RUN & COUNTRY FAIR Manor Farm, Grimston, King’s Lynn PE32 1BG (10am & 2pm-5pm) Looking for somewhere to take your Dad on Father’s Day? Look no further than the 6th annual vintage tractor run and country fair!

Come along at 10am for a cup of tea and a bacon butty to wave off the vintage tractors as they embark on a road run around the leafy lanes of West Norfolk – then return at 2pm for the country fair and welcome the tractors back as they return from their jaunt. The tractors will all be there to view as well as displays of vintage farm machinery and steam engines from a bygone age. There will also be craft stalls and demonstrations of pottery, stone carving and lace making to name a few with lots of other side shows and stalls for all the family to enjoy. For refreshments during the day there will be a barbecue, hog roast, strawberries and cream, beer tent and Pimms stall, and live entertainment will be provided by the great local band DNA. The event is all in aid of Friends of St Botolph’s Church.

11th & 12th June HOLIDAY HOME OWNERSHIP WEEKEND Searles Leisure Resort, Hunstanton, PE36 5BB (10am-4pm) Showcasing our brand new Stately Richmond & Cambrian Retreat Lodges. Visit this weekend to see the new design Stately Richmond and our first ever Cambrian lodge!

With special offers on the day and refreshments available why not make a point of visiting the award winning, 5 star Leisure Resort & Country Park to explore the easy options for holiday home ownership. If a holiday home is something you’ve been considering, then the open weekend is a fantastic opportunity to find out more. If a new lodge in our Country Park is not what you are looking for, then Searles has something to suit everyone at its leisure resort with preowned caravans from only £11,995 and pre-owned lodges from only £69,995. There really is something to suit everyone! Searles is a family resort with something for everyone, indoor & outdoor pools, gymnasium, hair & beauty, golf, bowls, fishing, tennis, not to mention the fantastic daytime activities and evening shows. For more information, e-mail holidayhome@searles.co.uk, call 01485 536026 or visit the websites www.searlesnorfolklodges.co.uk and www.searles.co.uk.

Thursdays and Sundays

QUIZ NIGHTS, CAR BOOTS AND SUNDAY LUNCHES House on the Green, Ling Common Rd, North Wootton PE30 3RE Every Thursday, House on the Green holds a special Quiz Night at 7.30pm for teams of six people or less. It’s a fun way to test your general knowledge – and the food and drink are great too! Entry is only £1 per person, and the winning team takes all.

If you’d rather browse for bargains than rack your brain, don’t miss the Charity Car Boot Sale held at House on the Green every Sunday.

Pitches start setting up from 8am and the sale itself starts at 9.30am.

Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted for the Phoenix Youth Project. If you’d like a pitch yourself, the charge is £6 per car and £8 per van or trailer. And there’s no better way to round off your morning than by enjoying one of House on the Green’s fabulous Sunday lunches. Served from 12noon to 4pm (a la carte is available from 4pm), you can choose from one, two or three courses and prices start from only £10.95. For more details and information, please call 01553 631323.

KLmagazine June 2016

Saturday 25th

WATLINGTON ANNUAL VILLAGE FETE Watlington Playing Field, Watlington, King’s Lynn (11am-5pm) Join in the community spirit and visit Watlington’s annual village fete - a fun packed day with an endless variety of entertainment and activities. Just a snippet of the what’s happening includes a dog show, a car boot sale, trade stalls, live entertainment and music, tug of war, children’s sports day, archery, birds of prey, football skills, pony rides, climbing walls, slides and bouncy castle, a Punch and Judy show, and a fantastic array of hot and cold refreshments. Bring the family along and enjoy a fantastic day out this summer in the setting of a pretty Norfolk village.

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mainstream, arthouse & classic films

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www.thecoachpub.com | 01485 540391 77 Manor Road, Dersingham, King’s Lynn PE31 6LN

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Films subject to change. View our website for up to date screening information.

To book tickets call: 01945 588808 or go online:

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CELEBRAT CELEBRATING ATING OUR OUR H 30 3 0TTH ANNIVERSARY AN A NNIVERSARY

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Coming soon...

Friday 1st & Saturday 2nd July

SHAKESPEARE AT THE KING’S LYNN FESTIVAL 2016 King’s Lynn, various locations To take part or not to take part? In the year that commemorates the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, the King’s Lynn Festival is presenting a series of special events celebrating the most famous playwright in history. A choral concert at the newly restored St Nicholas Chapel will feature three Shakespearean songs composed by Vaughan Williams, and there’ll be a special programme of Tudor and Elizabethan music at King’s Lynn Minster. The King’s Lynn Arts Centre will be hosting an exhibition of Shakespearethemed scupltures by Susan Bacon, and St. George’s Guildhall will be screening Justin Kurzel’a critically acclaimed film version of Macbeth. All this and Shakespeare-inspired Lynn Town Walks!

For more information , please call the King’s Lynn Festival office on 01553 767557 or visit www.kingslynnfestival.org.uk. For events requiring tickets, you can call the box office on 01553 764864.

© National Trust Images/June Moy. Registered Charity Number 205846.

OPEN AIR CINEMA AT HOLKHAM HALL Holkham Hall Walled Gardens, NR23 1AB (7:45pm for a 9.15pm start) Sit back and enjoy a weekend of open air cinema as The Luna Cinema turns the beautiful grounds of the walled garden into the ultimate setting for two nights of classic cinema under the stars. On the Friday Michael J Fox will be time travelling back to the 1950s in the classic sci-fi adventure ‘Back to the Future’. On the Saturday, there is the chance to ‘have the time of your life’ with the muchloved ‘Dirty Dancing’. Bring a picnic or enjoy the fantastic hot food and full bar on site. Tickets are limited and must be booked in advance, so don’t miss out on the cinematic event of the summer!

To book tickets visit the website www.thelunacinema.com.

17th – 30th July

• Bee Weekend - Sat 4 & Sun 5 June, 10.30am - 4.30pm • Costume Weekend - Sat 11 & Sun 12 June, 11am - 4pm • Much Ado About Nothing - Thurs 14 July, 7.30pm (gates open at 6pm) There's plenty to do at Oxburgh Hall this summer! Join us on Bee Day and discover more about the fascinating world of bees, or step back in time on our Costume Weekend.

Make sure to bring a picnic and a blanket for an open air performance of Much Ado About Nothing performed by the Lord Chamberlain's Men. Check out our website for more details!

01366 328258

KLmagazine June 2016

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PICTURE: JOHN BATTEN

What’s On

ABOVE: Wisbech-based harpsichordist David Wright will be performing at the King’s Lynn Minster on July 23rd as part of a festival of musical delights that also features popular soprano Lesley Garrett (opposite, main image), clarinettist Emma Johnson (opposite, top) and cellist Guy Johnston, who won the BBC Young Musician of the Year award in 2000

A feast of culture: from Mozart to Macbeth...

Since 1951, the King’s Lynn Festival has brought a wealth of world-class talent to some of the town’s most historic buildings.

KL magazine previews this year’s event, which opens next month

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nce again, a glittering line-up of world-famous names will be heading to King’s Lynn this summer to feature in the town’s 66th and biggest-ever feast of music and the arts.

The King’s Lynn Festival, which takes place next month from July 17th-30th, builds on last year’s record-breaking event with a breathtaking celebration of classical music, jazz and folk plus an exciting schedule of exhibitions, films, talks and walks.

The Festival opens with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra performing a sparkling collection of

KLmagazine June 2016

music from the movies plus favourites

by Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Dvorak, while the closing concert features the Czech National Symphony Orchestra with its celebrated conductor Libor Pesek and highly-acclaimed violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky.

In between, a packed programme of some 30 events will take audiences to several of Lynn’s beautiful historic buildings. For instance, the superb acoustics of the town’s St Nicholas’ Chapel provides the setting for an uplifting concert by the 100-strong King’s Lynn Festival Chorus on July 19th. The Glories of English Choral Music is one of several events featuring

the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams, and takes place 60 years after he conducted a festival concert in the chapel two years before his death.

A second event in the chapel will be based on TS Eliot’s famous Four Quartets, spoken by actress Juliet Stevenson with cellist Guy Johnston playing selections from Bach’s cello suites, and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams (a poet and T S Eliot expert) discussing the texts.

Eight events are being staged in the town’s St George’s Guildhall (where the Festival has its roots), including the Ruth Fermoy Memorial Concert featuring renowned clarinettist Emma

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What’s On

FESTIVAL FACES: In addition to a feast of world-class musical talent, the 66th King’s Lynn Festival also features such famous names as (clockwise from top left) Andrew Graham-Dixon, talking about the Secrets of the Mona Lisa on July 25th; Juliet Stevenson reading TS Eliot on July 28th; Michael Fassbinder in the film Macbeth on July 23rd; and historian and TV presenter Suzannah Lipscomb talking on the wives of Henry VIII on July 23rd.

Johnson with the Piatti Quartet.

Martin Green, Kris Drever and Aiden O’Rourke, who make up Lau – winners of the BBC Radio Folk Award no less than four times – will be at the Guildhall on July 18th, while another big name from the folk world, The Unthanks, will be bringing their exciting brand of folk music to the town’s Corn Exchange on July 20th.

The Festival also includes four concerts in the Minster, which welcomes former Royal Harpist to the Prince of Wales Catrin Finch on July 27th – a visit which coincides with the Hands On Harps event, an opportunity for complete novices to have a lesson in playing the harp.

Festival favourite

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Lesley Garrett will return to King’s Lynn on July 24th, singing much-loved arias, classics from 20th century musicals and songs by George Gershwin, while singer Claire Martin will be teaming up with Ray Gelato and his band for A Swingin’ Affair on July 22nd – jazz fans will also be thrilled to see Ronnie Scott’s All Stars celebrating the worldfamous Soho Jazz Club on July 29th.

In addition to the musical treats, the King’s Lynn Festival also welcomes back popular art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon, who’ll be giving two talks on the Art of Scandinavia and the Secrets of the Mona Lisa, while historian Suzannah Lipscomb will be speaking on the wives of Henry VIII. The Festival’s

partnership (established last year) with the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich continues with an exhibition at the Fermoy Gallery of works by American-born artist, Alfred Cohen.

Cohen settled in North Norfolk in 1978 and worked at his studio at Wighton until his death at the age of 80 in 2001.

The exhibition explores the theme of ‘light and water’ and includes work featuring the Thames, the Channel coast and the Norfolk area.

Of course, no cultural celebration in 2016 can ignore the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, and a second exhibition in the gallery foyer will feature sculpture by Norfolk artist Susan Bacon inspired by some of the Bard’s most memorable creations – the bronzes were originally displayed as part of an exhibition at the Globe Theatre last year.

Fittingly, King’s Lynn Community Cinema Club will be showing Justin Kurzel’s stunning film version of Macbeth on July 23rd. Featuring Michael Fassbender in the title role and Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth, it’s a great chance to see the film that competed for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival last year.

This really is a Festival for everyone.

While pianist Cordula Heiland gives a piano recital at the King’s Lynn Town Hall on July 25th, composer Toby Young appears with the Contemporary Consort on July 18th, and the intriguing Royal Geographical Society/IBG talk by Tristan Gooley on July 30th is titled How to Read Water.

“The 66th King’s Lynn Festival will be a glorious top-level event with major international classical performers and stars of lighter music providing something for every musical taste,” says Ambrose Miller, the Festival’s Artistic Director. “It’s not all about concerts in grand settings either – there’ll be plenty of pop-up concerts in a number of venues around the town.”

Indeed, on Saturday July 16th, Festival organisers will be staging a range of free entertainments in conjunction with the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk as part of the council’s bid to attract more visitors to the town centre – attractions will include Hoofbeat, Silent Disco, Springwood jazz and concert bands, Travelling by Tuba and OAE Tots music workshops.

Festival tickets are already (as usual) selling like the proverbial hot cakes, so call the box office on 01553 764864 or visit www.kingslynnfestival.org.uk for full details and timings of all the events.

KLmagazine June 2016

Snettisham Caravan Park

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Superb Summer shows!

June at the Corn Exchange features ballet, comedy, a murder mystery and a children’s favourite!

THE GRUFFALO’S CHILD Thursday 23rd & Friday 24th June Following hot on the heels of The Gruffalo’s monstrous success comes The Gruffalo’s Child - with attitude!

Just how brave is she? One wild and windy night the Gruffalo’s child ignores her father’s warning and tiptoes out into the snow. After all, the Big Bad Mouse doesn’t really exist... does he?

Tall Stories Theatre Company returns, bringing Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s award-winning sequel to life in this magical, musical adaptation.

Recommended for ages 3+.

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AGATHA CHRISTIE’S THE MOUSETRAP Monday 13th - Saturday 18th June The longest running show of any kind in the history of theatre starring Louise Jameson (Doctor Who, EastEnders, Doc Martin) as Mrs Boyle.

The scene is set when a group of people gathered in a country house cut off by the snow discover, to their horror, that there is a murderer in their midst. Who can it be? One by one the suspicious characters reveal their sordid pasts until at the last, nerveshredding moment the identity and the motive are finally revealed.

In her own inimitable style, Dame Agatha Christie has created an atmosphere of shuddering suspense and a brilliantly intricate plot where murder lurks around every corner.

KLmagazine June 2016

What’s On

RUSSELL KANE (15+) Right Man Wrong Age Saturday 11th June No one is ever the ‘right’ age, it is the beauty and the curse of being a real person. In this brand new show, Russell Kane unleashes another blisteringly funny, award winning stand up performance about growing up, growing down, and why farts will always be funny!

Ballet Cymru presents:

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD / THE THREE LITTLE PIGS Thursday 9th June Award winning company, Ballet Cymru, present an extraordinary vision. Two stories from the mind of the most popular storyteller in the world, Roald Dahl. To celebrate the centenary of this famous author, two of his hugely popular stories are brought to life. Ballet Cymru has been granted permission from The Dahl Foundation to produce two works based on sections of the wonderful Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs. Featuring original choreography, animated costumes and stunning sets.

Now booking for September!

SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME Tuesday 13th - Saturday 17th September From the team that brought you the huge success that is Dreamboats and Petticoats, Save The Last Dance for Me will take you back through the 'music and magic' of the early 60s, a time when each passing week brought another Rock 'n' Roll classic.

This nostalgic, feel-good show will transport you back to music's golden era as we follow two teenage sisters through the summer of '63.

Lola Saunders, a finalist on The X Factor 2014, will make her theatrical debut in the role of Jennifer starring alongside Antony Costa as Milton.

For more info about our shows pick up a copy of our latest brochure from the Corn Exchange or browse a copy on our website.

MORE JUNE HIGHLIGHTS...

MAD ABOUT THE MUSICALS 10th ANNIVERSARY

THE ROY ORBISON STORY

Starring Gareth Gates and Michael Courtney Wednesday 1st June

JAMIE RAVEN LIVE Last Few Tickets!

Sunday 26th June | 7.30pm

King’s Lynn Corn Exchange

COMEDY CLUBS (18+) Thursday 2nd June & Thursday 30th June

Tickets for all shows are available from our Box Office on 01553 764864 or book online at: kingslynncornexchange.co.uk @klcornexchange

KLmagazine June 2016

80th Birthday Tour Friday 3rd June

@klcornexchange

Alive Corn Exchange

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KLmagazine June 2016

PICTURES: IAN WARD / CMGLEE

Local Life

ABOVE: Inspired by the English country landscapes of the Georgian and Victorian eras, Lord Fairhaven’s superb gardens at Anglesey Abbey were one of the largest laid out in the 20th century

Returning to a gentler age at Anglesey Abbey...

50 years ago, Lord Fairhaven left his home to the care of the National Trust, hoping it would care for and preserve a passing way of life. Sylvia Steele looks at the story of Anglesey Abbey.

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nly the stone gate piers set back from the main B1103 fenland road give an indication that a property of some significance hides behind the coppice of yew trees.

“A house and gardens that represent an age and way of life that is passing,” is how Lord Fairhaven somewhat poignantly described his home of Anglesey Abbey when he willed the estate to the National Trust in 1966. He said he wanted it preserved so that people could see what his life was like.

Exactly half a century later, the manor house that stands on this once uninspiring fenland site reveals the

KLmagazine June 2016

creativity and vision of the man who purchased it in 1926 and used his wealth to bring glamour and warmth to the house and colour to the gardens.

The ambience in the house is not so much of a stately manor but of a warm and welcoming home – a step back into a gentler age. Everywhere there’s a mishmash of pieces from his vast collections; pieces that obviously held special memories for the man who was born in Fairhaven, Massachusetts in 1896 and whose maternal grandfather Henry Huttleston Rogers was one of the world’s wealthiest men.

We learn from the Volunteer Encounter Guide that the bookshelves in the library were made from the elm

foundation pilings of Waterloo Bridge when it was demolished in 1934 – and that the walnut library table once belonged to Sir Robert Walpole at Norfolk’s Houghton Hall.

It was Fairhaven’s intention that the house reflect the lifestyle of a 1930s gentleman – somewhere where he could entertain his friends.

But there’s nothing 1930s about the glass atrium opened eight years ago by TV gardening personality Charlie Dimmock – a building that adds a contemporary reception area, restaurant and shop. It’s an open and airy space that leads to a division of avenues; one to the house itself and another to the Winter Walk, taking a

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Local Life

ABOVE: Born Urban Huttleston Rogers Broughton in Fairhaven, Massachusetts (USA), the 1st Lord Fairhaven bought Anglesey Abbey with his brother in 1926, and used his family’s immense fortune to build an outstandingly rich collection of furniture, pictures, and objets d’art. He left the abbey to the National Trust on his death in 1966.

circuitous route around the gardens.

Anglesey Abbey is now a welcoming Jacobean house set in 98 acres of magnificent gardens, but it wasn’t always an abbey. Sometime in the 12th century, a small priory (home to a community of eleven canons) was established here that survived until 1536, when it became one of the first monastic houses to be suppressed by King Henry VIII and most of the monastic buildings were demolished, In 1591, a manor house was built within the ruins and in the 17th century it became the vicarage to nearby Lode Church.

Lord Fairhaven bought the Anglesey Abbey estate with his brother in 1926 because it was conveniently close to Newmarket (they owned the Barton Stud) and the surrounding countryside provided very good partridge shooting.

During Fairhaven’s lifetime the house received many changes, with the crypt becoming the dining room; much remodelled but retaining the vaulted ceiling of the monks’ common room and being the only remaining original structure.

Stone stairs lead down to the domestic wing; the butler’s pantry, kitchen, scullery, brushing room and servant’s hall (where the staff relaxed after work) have all been conserved to reflect the hard work undertaken below stairs in a 1930s gentleman’s house.

As an interactive experience, it’s the pervading aroma of cooking that leads you through these whitewashed corridors to where specially-trained Encounter Volunteers offer visitors newly-baked cheese straws in a kitchen

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warmed by no less than six Aga ovens.

When Lord Fairhaven turned his attention to the extensive grounds he created gardens based on 18th and 19th century English country gardens; they’re thought to be among the finest in England, and were certainly one of the largest British gardens laid out in the 20th century.

They’ve become a haven for all seasons that bring gardening enthusiasts on visits throughout the year. Deemed to be a symbol of hope, snowdrops always bring many winter visitors to the Abbey’s annual festival celebrating the flowers from late February to early April.

At the gateway to the Winter Walk is a contemporary sculpture created in 1998 to mark the centenary of Lord Fairhaven’s birth. An avenue of Himalayan birch trees (they’re pressurewashed annually to keep the bark shiny white) leads along meandering footpaths where the pounding water through the millrace draws you to the Lode Water Mill.

Thought to have stood on this site since 1086 the mill had become derelict by the 1920s, and when Lord Fairhaven purchased the house he also bought the mill. For a time it was used for storage until it was restored in 1935 to its original corn milling purpose.

In 1978 the Cambridgeshire Wind and Watermill Society became interested in Lode Mill and it received further restoration – today the huge wheel can be seen grinding corn once again.

The Riverside Walk leads back past the herbaceous garden and dahlia garden to the manor house where the

rose garden is laid out in all its scented glory. But this is only part of the vast estate. There are many other avenues and meadows where each curve in the path offers something new – and dotted throughout the garden is Lord Fairhaven‘s collection of statuary, set against a backdrop of yew.

Not overlooking the many visiting children, the Hoe Fen is a set-aside area – a place to explore where there are no ‘do not touch’ notices, whilst an event that captures the imagination of child and adult alike is Anglesey Abbey’s Winter Lights show, which runs on weekends in the run-up to Christmas when almost every area is illuminated by strobing lights.

“When you see the breathtaking surroundings, it’s easy to see why our visitors totalled 340,000 last year,” says Visitor Experience Manager Tom Bear.

“This year will be a very special time to visit. To celebrate the National Trust’s fifty years at Anglesey Abbey, the restaurant has been upgraded, and this month we’ll be holding an exhibition of contemporary art and various displays telling the fascinating Fairhaven story.”

KLmagazine June 2016

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Norfolk Leisure, Garage Lane, Setchey, King’s Lynn PE33 0AX | Open: Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm Tel: 01553 811717 | Email: sales@norfolkleisure.co.uk | Web: www.norfolkleisure.com

KLmagazine June 2016

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PICTURES: WISBECHGRAMMARSCHOOL

The pathway to an all-round education that inspires...

Choosing the right school for your child is a huge decision for any parent, and at Wisbech Grammar School there is help every step of the way

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isbech Grammar School needs little in the way of introduction. One of the oldest schools in England (founded in 1379) and set on a beautiful 34-acre site, it enjoys the benefit of excellent facilities, subject-specialist staff and small class sizes. Together with a programme of extended enrichment activities and exceptional levels of pupil care (at all ages) it’s one of the leading co-educational independent schools in the region and continues to deliver its promise of delivering an all-round education that inspires.

All well and good, but understanding the routes available to access this rewarding educational experience is especially important as thoughts turn to school entries for September 2017.

The main entry points into Wisbech Grammar School are in its Prep School, Magdalene House at Reception age then in the Senior School into Years 7, 9 and

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Lower Sixth Form.

“Although those are the four main entry points into the school, they’re not exclusive by any means,” says Registrar Karen Barclay. “Children commonly join us in all year groups, and the lovely thing about Wisbech Grammar School is that its welcoming and friendly atmosphere enables children to settle in and begin to thrive very quickly.”

The first step for parents interested in an education at Wisbech Grammar School is independent research – talking to parents of existing pupils, requesting a prospectus, and by visiting the school’s website.

“It’s a good way of getting a flavour of life at the school,” says Karen, “but by far the best way of discovering what the school has to offer and whether this is the right school for your child is to visit the school in person.”

Wisbech Grammar School has a number of open events throughout the

year (see panel opposite) that offer the opportunity of meeting staff, pupils and existing parents.

“If people are unable to attend one of our open events, we welcome visits at any time,” says Karen. “Some schools insist on particular times of the day or days of the week, but we have a very open approach here, and prospective pupils and their parents are welcome at any time.”

Indeed, open events are often followed up by an individual tour when the school is sitting. Taken by existing pupils, the tours offer a genuine and authentic insight into life at Wisbech Grammar School, and include the option of meeting with the headmaster and other relevant members of staff.

The next step in the process is to register your child for admission, after which they’re invited for a taster day, spending a whole day in school and experiencing what it means to be a pupil

KLmagazine June 2016

EVENTS at Wisbech Grammar School. The day can also include an assessment, although the school does have dedicated assessment days for all the main intake points.

“Although that may sound slightly daunting and formal, it’s about discovering a child’s potential,” says Headmaster Chris Staley. “There is an academic criteria to meet, but it’s often the case that a child’s true ability isn’t being realised in their current school. With our small class sizes and our tailored approach to education, we really can tap into that potential and bring out the best in children.”

It’s an attitude that applies to all children, and which is why Wisbech Grammar School has an extensive bursary programme for gifted and talented children who would otherwise be unable to access the school – offering financial support on fees that ranges from 5% to 100% in exceptional circumstances.

And on the subject of the gifted and the talented, parents can also apply for their children to be assessed for a scholarship.

Wisbech Grammar School offers two types of scholarships at three entry points of years 7, 9 and 12 – academic scholarships for children that are

particularly gifted academically, and an all-rounder scholarship for children who are academically strong but also excel in areas such as sport, music, art and drama.

Pupils awarded scholarships also receive a reduction in fees – from £1,000 in years 7 and 9 rising to £1,500 in year 12 – and bursaries can also be awarded alongside scholarships.

Once a place at the school has been offered and accepted, pupils and parents are invited to various welcoming and familiarisation events, immediately becoming part of the school community and preparing them for the start of a remarkable, rewarding and inspiring educational journey.

And if anyone’s still unsure as to how they can begin the application process, they’ll always find a very welcome and friendly admissions team available at the end of the telephone or via e-mail for help and advice.

“We recognise that choosing a school is a huge decision for parents,” says Karen. “Both my daughter and I went through the process 12 months ago, and it was the perfect introduction to the school. Yes, it is a huge decision, and the Admissions Team at Wisbech Grammar School are here to help parents and pupils every step of the way.”

SATURDAY 24th SEPTEMBER l Open Morning 10am-12.30pm An introduction to the whole school for pupils (ages 4-16) interested in joining Wisbech Grammar School.

TUESDAY 18TH OCTOBER l 6th Form Open Evening (6pm-8pm) An introductory event for pupils considering entry to the 6th Form in September 2017 SATURDAY 8TH OCTOBER l Assessment Morning For children interested in joining Wisbech Grammar School at the Year 7 or 9 entry points in September 2017.

SATURDAY 4TH FEBRUARY, 2017 l Assessment Morning For children interested in joining the reception class in Wisbech Grammar School’s Magdalene House Preparatory School in September 2017 To register or for more information, contact the Admissions Team on 01945 586750 or send an e-mail to admissions@WisbechGrammar.com

WISBECH GRAMMAR SCHOOL 47 North Brink, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire PE13 1JX t: 01945 586750 w: www.wisbechgrammar.com

Building on a tradition of sporting excellence Wisbech Grammar School has a proud and rich tradition of sporting excellence. The School’s shooting team recently won a national schools’ award, several of the School’s rugby and hockey players have been selected for national teams, and pupil Mollie Allen recently competed in the British swimming team trials for the Rio Olympics.

“We’ve always had a diverse range of toplevel athletes at Wisbech Grammar School,” says Director of Sport Phil Webb, “and we’ve recently launched the Elite Sports Education Programme to recognise this and support gifted pupils enabling them to fulfil their potential in their chosen field.”

KLmagazine June 2016

Any pupil fulfilling the criteria to join the School’s Elite Sports Programme receives a range of extra support that includes strength and conditioning, nutrition advice, physiotherapy and additional coaching. This is delivered by the School’s specialist coaching and workshops with our highly qualified Heads of Sport and input from guest professional sportspeople.

“The programme is for anybody within the School who’s particularly talented at sport,” says Phil. “It works alongside the pupils’ academic studies and is assessed annually across all year groups, enabling pupils to enter the programme at any point during their time at the School.”

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KLmagazine June 2016

PICTURES: IAN WARD

Local Life

ABOVE: The dining room in the tower of Clifton House in King’s Lynn (opposite) has been laid out to show how it must have looked in the early 1600s. Thanks to the present owners, the public can still visit and enjoy this remarkable Grade I listed building.

800 years of history in one incredible building Few people are so passionate about their home they’re happy to open it to the public. But when your family home is a unique property like Clifton House, it’s a passion that’s easy to understand

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estled into the Georgian backdrop of King Street, Clifton House isn’t just one of the most distinctive buildings in King’s Lynn – it’s probably the finest surviving merchant’s town house in the whole country.

The great architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner said it contained “the most remarkable catalogue of building periods from the middle ages onwards” and in addition to Tudor, Stuart and Georgian interiors (and a magnificent staircase by Henry Bell) the Grade I listed building features a famous Elizabethan tower whose precious Jacobean murals are only equalled by the spectacular views from its top.

KLmagazine June 2016

Built from the 12th century on, the house now has a Georgian façade, but it is a later addition, a facelift to revamp a tired old building in much the same way we renovate our homes today, but if the history of English architecture could be told in a single building, it would be Clifton House. And thanks to the efforts of its past and present owners, many of its original features have survived to this day.

Happily, the property is now in the best possible hands for such a historically-important building. Since 2005 Clifton House has been owned by historian and archaeologist Dr Simon Thurley, former Chief Executive of English Heritage and director of the Museum of London and his wife Dr

Anna Keay, who in addition to being Director of The Landmark Trust is a respected historian and writer herself – her acclaimed biography of James, Duke of Monmouth (son of Charles II) The Last Royal Rebel was published last month.

The couple have lovingly breathed new life into the ancient rooms to create a wonderful family home which they share with their two children, without losing any of the historic details.

Indeed, Simon and Anna have gradually and painstakingly continued the restoration and conservation work begun by the King’s Lynn Preservation Trust when it took the property on after a period of neglect and abandonment.

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Local Life

PICTURES: A treasure trove of history and architectural wonders, Clifton House is also a family home for the building’s current owners; historians and writers Dr. Anna Keay (above right) and her husband Dr. Simon Thurley

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almost certainly the first brick building in King’s Lynn and would originally have been used to store wine, a regular import to the town and the trade of the building’s first resident.

Between the undercroft and the tower, most of the rooms in Clifton House are now 16th–17th century in style – although the kitchen is still Tudor. The staircase leading from the main entrance is particularly impressive, and the morning room on the ground floor (although one of the most modern in the house) is a wonderfully casual sitting room where the sunlight floods in from the large windows.

It’s the perfect marriage of heritage and home, and every year Simon and Anna open the doors of Clifton House and its tower to the public, sharing this stunning piece of the history of King’s Lynn.

“When we arrived at Clifton House, the property had a tradition of being open to the public that stretched back 30 or 40 years,” says Simon. “We both felt quite strongly that this should continue. There isn’t another property like this in the town, and our open days are a great opportunity for people to see one of King’s Lynn’s most important remaining buildings.”

PICTURES: IAN WARD

“We couldn’t have done the work had we not been so passionate about Clifton House,” says Simon. “With any property of this age, ongoing maintenance is always required, which often eats away at the budget for other things, but it’s essential for the future of this quite remarkable building.”

Undoubtedly the jewel in the crown is the five-storey tower of Clifton House, which was built in 1570. Many merchants in King’s Lynn had towers built into their properties, but contrary to popular belief they weren’t used to observe returning ships – they were status symbols, signs of wealth and standing in the local community.

The tower of Clifton House was the biggest in King’s Lynn, and is the only one still remaining.

“It’s not unique to King’s Lynn,” says Anna Keay. “Similar towers exist in Ipswich and Sussex, but the one at Clifton House is the only one that retains its original relationship with the surrounding buildings, its painted interiors, its chimneys and its character.”

For her husband, it’s also one of his favourite parts of the house.

“In the summer it’s lovely to have family meals in the tower dining room, which is laid out as it would have been in the early 1600s,” he says. “We also enjoy taking friends to the top of the tower for drinks while they admire the breathtaking views of the town – it’s a sight which can’t be matched anywhere else in King's Lynn.”

But the historic value of Clifton House goes deeper (literally) than its tower. The magnificent and atmospheric vaulted undercroft was

CLIFTON HOUSE will be open during the King’s Lynn Festival on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th July from 10am to 4pm. Entrance charges are £3.50 for adults and £2.50 for children. Under 5s are free.

Please note that Clifton House is not suitable for people with impaired mobility due to the number of stairs. Individuals or groups can join one of the regular tours guided by Simon and Anna (with tea and cakes afterwards), which take place this year on June 17th, July 15th and 28th, and September 9th and 16th. Booking via www.invitationtoview.co.uk. For more details and information please see www.cliftonhouse.org.uk

KLmagazine June 2016

KLmagazine June 2016

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ABOVE: The Tile Shop’s new showroom is dedicated to the best in contemporary bathroom design – together with a fabulous collection of more classic and traditional styles.

Showcasing the latest in beautiful bathrooms...

The Tile Shop launches a new showroom packed with stylish ideas for your home... or the last two years, The Tile Shop at Wiggenhall St. Germans has been going through something of a renaissance. Since a devastating fire in September 2014, Edward and Louise Chenery (together with their close-knit and friendly team) have brought a brighter and bigger look to the business that was first opened by their mother Sally in a barn adjoining the family home back in 1978.

They’ve not only re-built the kitchen showroom, they’ve developed a wholesale operation and revitalised the bathroom displays. They’ve introduced a range of giftware, lighting and interior accessories, they’ve expanded the collections of natural stone flooring, and

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taken on two new members of staff.

And they haven’t finished yet.

The latest addition to The Tile Shop is a recently-completed second showroom dedicated to bathrooms.

“It was part of the reception area and it really hadn’t changed much since mum first opened the store over 30 years ago,” says Louise. “Since the fire, it’s always been a part of our plans to expand our current bathroom ranges – and the new showroom has also given us some extra space for some new furniture collections.”

Since the late 1800s Britain has led the way in stylish bathrooms and innovative ideas, and The Tile Shop’s newlycompleted showroom continues that

KLmagazine June 2016

tradition with a collection from famousname brands that offers the perfect balance of form and function, with the very best in engineering and performance.

Brands such as Burlington, for example, whose classic bathrooms include some of the most beautiful freestanding baths currently available; Britton, whose ranges are designed by the talented Tim Powell, arguably one of the most experienced bathroom products designers around today; and Pure, whose contemporary and minimalist looks feature latest technologies such as ergonomic nonslip surfaces and LED backlit mirrors.

“Bathrooms have changed a lot over the years,” says Louise, “and people are paying a lot more attention to them now. They can be an integral part of your interior design, and our showroom is packed with ideas of just how amazing your bathroom can be.”

And if your tastes don’t quite extend to sinks with integrated bicycles or sink units with motion-sensitive internal mood lighting, The Tile Shop also offers a more traditional selection of classic designs from the Edwardian and Victorian eras.

“The new bathrooms are fantastic, but it’s not all about the looks,” says Louise’s brother Edward. “We also offer

a complete professional fitting service as well – from the carpentry and the plumbing to the electrics and the finishing touches. Oh, and the tiling of course!”

Naturally – today, The Tile Shop is almost certainly the biggest tile and stone showroom in the whole of the UK, with some 17,000 wall and floor tiles on display, from ceramics and porcelains to mosaics and glass, and from anti-slip tiles to ranges specially created for swimming pools.

It’s a choice that has something for every home, every taste, every colour scheme, and every budget.

And it doesn’t include the Tile Shop’s Natural Collection showroom, which offers an incredibly wide range of stylish, sophisticated, and carefully-sourced natural stone flooring such as travertines, limestones, fossil stones, slates, terracottas and marbles.

From superb kitchens and bathrooms to a virtually endless choice of tiles, from free planning and design to expert fitting and advice, The Tile Shop has everything you and your home is looking for.

And a lot more besides.

If you’re looking to create a beautiful new look for your home, visit The Tile Shop now – and discover a world of choice, a world of quality and a world of first-class service.

information

THE TILE SHOP Fitton Oake Fitton Road, Wiggenhall St. Germans, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE34 3AX Tel: 01553 617540 Web: www.fittonoaketiles.co.uk

KLmagazine June 2016

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PICTURE: JOHN SWANNELL

Local Life

ABOVE: The striking portrait of The Queen taken in 2012 by British photographer John Swannell

Treasured mementos of a momentous life...

For more than 70 years, a local woman has been following the Royal Family, building a huge collection of royal memorabilia.

Richard Parr talks to Mary Relph about her royalwatching life.

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he whole nation will be celebrating in style later this month when The Queen marks her official 90th birthday. As celebrations go on in June throughout West Norfolk, one woman will have more reason than most to mark the monarch’s milestone birthday.

Now 82, Mary Relph has been following The Queen’s royal progress since being taken by her mother to the Sandringham Flower Show as a 12year-old girl. From that moment on Mary became hooked by the royal

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magic, and 70 years later that magic has lost none of its original sparkle – if anything, the magic shines ever brighter.

Now, exclusively for readers of KL Magazine, Mary has offered her own personal tribute to Britain’s longestserving monarch by selecting nine of her most favourite pieces from her vast private collection of royal memorabilia – one for each decade of The Queen’s life.

It was a difficult task, because over the years Mary has built up a quite remarkable collection of figurines,

KLmagazine June 2016

Local Life

Range Rover suddenly pulled up alongside them and the window was wound down.

“Hello Mary!” exclaimed a very familiar voice. “What are you doing here? You should be in Norfolk!”

Once Mary had recovered from the initial shock of finding herself actually talking to The Queen, she regained her composure.

“The Queen told us that she’d just come down from the hills,” says Mary. “She said she had a ‘stinking cold’ so she’d taken the dogs up into the hills for a walk. Two of them were in the back of the plates, mugs, Whisky bells, car with her Lady in Waiting. books and pictures that fill We chatted with The Queen every nook and cranny of for a good five minutes – it Mary’s cosy cottage in a was really lovely, and I’ll never village near Downham forget it.”

Market.

Mary’s been making plans Mary’s favoured pieces are to travel to London on June as follows: a figurine of The 11th for one of her favourite Queen in her 1947 wedding royal ceremonies, the dress; a Golden Jubilee plate Trooping of the Colour – and featuring a colour picture of in July she’ll be attending the The Queen in ceremonial Sandringham Flower Show uniform on horseback; a plate with Sheila and their fellow featuring a charming portrait royal watchers. of The Queen as a young girl; They’ll make for their a detailed Lilliput Lane model favourite spot to catch sight of Windsor Castle; a Diamond of Prince Charles and the Wedding loving cup mug; a Duchess of Cornwall when Whisky bell celebrating The ABOVE: Mary Relph at home with just a small part of her collection they arrive for their now of royal memorabilia, which represents a lifetime love of the Royal Queen’s Golden Wedding; a traditional visit to the show – Family that began at the Sandringham Flower Show in 1946. framed photograph of The and Charles and Camilla will Queen wearing a black dress Sunday morning in January or on the certainly recognise Mary. and veil for an audience with the Pope; harbour side at Scrabster, Scotland, The Her admiration for the heir to the a Diamond Wedding mug; and two Queen and her late mother have often throne is almost equal to that of mugs celebrating The Queen’s 90th acknowledged Mary’s presence.

Charles’ mother. birthday.

Never was this more graphically “My dearest wish is to see But it’s not just the commemorative illustrated than five years Charles become King in limited edition items that fill Mary’s ago, when Mary and her my lifetime,” she says, walls and display cabinets of her fellow royal watcher admitting to an cottage. Album upon and good friend Sheila equally fond album are crammed Clark were strolling affection for the full of thousands of her through the grounds Duchess of own photographs, of Balmoral Castle.

Cornwall. mainly of her two The two ladies had Indeed, when favourite royals – earlier been Mary unwrapped a The Queen and disappointed when special delivery the late Queen the Queen failed to parcel after the Mother, both of appear for her Westminster Abbey whom often customary visit to Cathrie wedding of Prince spoke to Mary church for morning service.

William and the former and referred “The vicar came out and told Kate Middleton in 2011, she to her by her us that The Queen was indisposed and couldn’t believe discovering it first name. wouldn’t be attending the morning contained a slice of the young Whether service,” says Mary. “As you can newlyweds’ cake. it’s in the imagine, we were really disappointed.”

Mary had been unwell with an injured depths of Later that day the couple was back and had been unable to travel to a strolling through the public areas in the London to share in the wedding freezing grounds of Balmoral when a green celebrations.

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Local Life

ABOVE: This Lilliput Lane model of Windsor Castle is one of Mary Relph’s nine speciallychosen items from her collection that she selected specifically for this feature – one for each decade of The Queen’s remarkable life.

Later, when The Queen and Prince Philip celebrated their Diamond Wedding anniversary in 2012, illness again kept Mary at home. Camilla sent her an enormous floral bouquet with a handwritten card saying that a ‘little bird’ had told her Mary was poorly, “Whenever Camilla spots me at a royal event she always asks how I am,” says Mary, who sums up her devotion to the Royal Family quite simply: “It’s been the joy of my life.”

Certainly there can be few more devoted and loyal admirers of the Royal Family, and this deep devotion has brought Mary almost celebrity status.

She’s appeared on television and radio, and her story has been featured in numerous newspaper and magazine articles.

Fittingly, one of her dearest friends is the Sun’s royal photographer, Arthur Edwards – who was the surprise VIP guest at Mary’s 80th birthday party, which had been organised by her family in the village bowls club pavillion.

Arthur and his wife gave Mary a large gift wrapped in 80th birthday paper.

She eagerly tore off the wrapper to reveal a large colour picture of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge taken during an official overseas tour.

The picture now takes pride of place above

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Mary’s fireplace in her lounge.

“What a wonderful gift it was,” she says. “I couldn’t believe it, but I was equally shocked to see dear old Arthur himself walk through the door at my party!”

Mary says Arthur has really looked after her over the years, and this is borne out by the number of pictures of various royal engagements that Arthur has signed for Mary.

At the age of 82 and following major surgery, Mary admits she can’travel around the country as much as she did in her younger days.

“I just can’t do what I used to,” she says. “It’s just too much these days, so I have to be more selective."

Despite that, in her next breath Mary casually mentions that she and Sheila are planning to attend what’s known as ‘Royal Week’ in Scotland in July.

“God willing, I’ll be there,” she says, closing with a glowing tribute to The Queen she’s admired so much for the last 70 years.

“Quite simply, she’s been a marvellous Queen, and even at the age of 90 she still attends numerous official engagements. What more is there to say, but sincere thanks and many happy returns Your Majesty!”

KLmagazine June 2016

KLmagazine June 2016

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KLmagazine June 2016

Why SEAT is turning heads in King’s Lynn...

More stylish, more sporty, more extras – and now more aordable than ever! he arrival of SEAT in King’s Lynn towards the end of last year was good news for local motorists. Not only did it see the brand return to the town for the ďŹ rst time in over a decade, it came courtesy of Du Morgan – the family-run business that has more than 100 years experience in motoring excellence and whose adjacent CitroĂŤn centre received a Dealership of Year award a mere 12 months after opening ďŹ ve years ago.

The current SEAT range is often described as a combination of German technology with Spanish air, and as part of the Volkwagen Group has a distinct emphasis on superb build quality, sleek lines and innovative features. “There’s probably never been a better time to discover SEAT,â€? says Sales Manager Martin Seal. “At the moment, we have some very special oers that

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make the price almost as attractive as the cars themselves.�

The new Ibiza SC Sol, for example, boasts a range of features from 15â€? ‘Marsala’ alloy wheels to DAB digital radio and hill hold control, and is currently available from only ÂŁ8,995 – saving you over ÂŁ3,000 on the recommended retail price. Similarly, in addition to superior dynamics and outstanding design, the new SEAT Ibiza CUPRA is driven by the most potent engine ever built into an Ibiza, delivering no less than 192 bhp – and is available now with a saving of more than ÂŁ2,200.

What’s more, as part of Du Morgan’s loyalty programme, existing SEAT owners can save up to a further £1,000.

For an unrivalled driving experience and excellent levels of customer service, contact Du Morgan and book your test drive today.

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Du Morgan SEAT 49 Bergen Way, North Lynn Industrial Estate King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 2JG Tel: 01553 770144 Web: www.dumorgan.com/seat

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KLmagazine June 2016

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Local Life

ABOVE: 45 Priory Road in Downham Market, a development of 14 flats that won both the award for Small Residential Groups and the Overall Gold Award at this year’s Mayor’s Design Awards. B D Upton Ltd of Wisbech won a highly Commended award for their work on the project.

Celebrating the grandest designs in West Norfolk From new single build properties to community projects and listed building schemes, this year’s Mayor’s Design Awards recently celebrated the most inspiring developments in the area

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t a special awards ceremony held at the town hall in King’s Lynn on April 27th, over 100 people took part in a celebration of local craftsmanship and architectural excellence with the announcement of the winners of this year’s annual Mayor’s Design Awards.

Now in their 18th year, the awards highlight the central role good building design and workmanship plays in making our local communities attractive places in which to live and work, and in helping attract more visitors and business to the area.

“It’s been a truly marvellous evening,” said Conservation Officer Pam Lynn as

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the ceremony came to an end. “It’s been a showcase of quality design that really contributes towards making our borough such a beautiful place. The calibre of entries was extremely high this year, and the judging panel congratulates everyone on their individual projects – especially to the well-deserved winning schemes.”

The Mayor’s Design Awards focus on small-scale works by local architects, designers and contractors, but there’s nothing small-scale about the ambitions of the projects themselves – or the people behind them. From conversions and listed buildings to commercial and community schemes, the awards have a place for everything

from extensions on existing homes to small developments of residential properties, and stress the impact architectural design has on our everyday lives and our environment.

When entries closed at the start of the year, 29 projects were shortlisted for the ten awards, and although the majority came from the north of the Borough, more entries than usual came from the south. This year also saw the addition of an award for Modern Design Schemes, reflecting the diverse and innovative building designs being created around the Borough.

In March, the shortlisted projects were visited by the judging panel, which comprises the Mayor, Cllr Colin

KLmagazine June 2016

Manning, Cllr Vivienne Spikings (Chairman of the Planning Committee), Cllr Mick Peak (Vice-chairman of the Planning Committee), Assistant Director Stuart Ashworth and Conservation Officer Pam Lynn.

Although they naturally found it a pleasure to visit all the schemes, it was a difficult job to choose the winners.

“When I visited the nominated properties with my fellow judges I was truly amazed and delighted at the very high standards we found,” says Mayor, Cllr Colin Manning, who was unable to attend the award ceremony itself. “It made the task of deciding the winners much more difficult, but it also made the task more enjoyable – because it meant we could fully appreciate all the dedicated and talented people working in and enhancing our area.”

The overall Gold Award winner for 2016 was 45 Priory Road, Downham Market, which also won the award for Small Residential Groups – a stunning development of 14 flats. In the judging panel’s opinion, the scheme made such a dramatic change to the environment that it was the obvious choice for the overall award – an exceptionally welldesigned scheme, built to a very high standard and using materials in keeping with its surroundings. It enhances the area and fits well with the feel of the market town, completely epitomising what the judges mean by ‘design in the environment.’

Perhaps the last word should go to Deputy Mayor Cllr David Whitby, who stepped in for the Mayor at the last moment for the awards ceremony.

“I think we were all really impressed with the quality and the standards of local building design highlighted by this year’s Mayors Design Awards,” he says.

“The workmanship used on the buildings throughout the entries was immaculate, precise and thoughtful – and they’ve all helped make West Norfolk such an interesting and attractive place to live and work.”

PICTURES: The standard of projects in this year’s Mayor’s Design Awards was higher than ever. ‘Saltmarsh’ in Burnham Market (above) won the award for Modern Design Schemes (and was highly commended in the Large Single New Build category), while the King’s Lynn Transport Interchange (left and below) won the award for Community Schemes. The stunning property ‘Caradon’ in East Rudham (bottom) won the awards for both Extensions and for Craftsmanship.

PICTURES: IAN WARD

The application process for entries to the 2017 Mayor’s Design Awards will open later this year, and details will be available at www.west-norfolk.gov.uk

Turn the page for details of all winners at the Mayor’s Design Awards 2016 KLmagazine June 2016

35

“A celebration of quality design that really contributes towards making West Norfolk a beautiful place to live...”

PAM LYNN Conservation Officer

MODERN DESIGN SCHEMES Winner: Saltmarsh, Herrings Lane, Burnham Market Agent: Tom Faire Architects Highly Commended: Redgate Primary School, Hunstanton Agent: NCC Childrens Services

COMMUNITY SCHEMES Winner: King’s Lynn Transport Interchange Bus and Rail Stations Agent: Regeneration, BCKLWN

EXTENSIONS Winner: Caradon, The Green, East Rudham Agent: Lawrence Coussell Ltd Highly Commended: 27, The Birches, South Wootton Agent: Calvert, Brain and Fraulo Architectural Ltd

SMALL SCALE NEW BUILD PROPERTIES Winner: 21 Downham Road, Denver Agent: PKS Construction Ltd Highly Commended: Applewood Cottage, High Street, Fincham Agent: Ian J M Cable Architectural Design

LARGE SCALE NEW BUILD PROPERTIES Winner: The Court House, Joan Shorts Lane, Burnham Market Agent: Richard C F Waite Architects Highly Commended: Saltmarsh, Herrings Lane, Burnham Market Agent: Tom Faire Architects

REFURBISHMENT SCHEMES Winner: 5 Smugglers Close, Old Hunstanton Agent: Ian H Bix & Associates Ltd Highly Commended: Saltmarsh, Ship Lane, Thornham Agent: Tom Faire Architects

RESTORATION/CONVERSION SCHEMES Winner: Old Chapel, Downham Road, Denver Agent: PKS Construction Ltd

LISTED BUILDING SCHEMES Winner: 7 Front Street, Burnham Market Agent: Lawrence Coussell Ltd

SMALL RESIDENTIAL GROUPS Winner: 45 Priory Road, Downham Market Agent: Richard C F Waite Architects Highly Commended: Fredricks Court, Norfolk Street, King's Lynn Agent: Richard C F Waite Architects

CRAFTSMANSHIP Winner: Robbie Wright Builders, Heacham Project: Caradon, The Green, East Rudham Highly Commended: B D Upton Ltd, Wisbech Project: 45 Priory Road, Downham Market

OVERALL GOLD AWARD Winner: 45 Priory Road, Downham Market Agent: Richard C F Waite Architects and B D Upton Ltd

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KLmagazine June 2016

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KLmagazine June 2016

Air source heating and an award-winning project A

Showcasing the local expertise and professional service of 4 Way Refrigeration

ir source heating from 4 Way Refrigeration Ltd represents a major step forward in energyefficient climate control, but the real test of the system’s benefits are best demonstrated in the real world – from real people in real homes. People like Mr Thomas and Mrs Ridley, for example, who’ve been living with air source heating since the completion of their spectacular property in Burnham Market a year ago.

“We previously lived in an older property and had to rely on oil-fired heating,” says Mrs Ridley. “That was expensive enough, and as our new home was going to be just as large we really wanted a more economic and a more energy-efficient solution.”

At 3,700ft2 the new home (which won the award for Large Scale New Build

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Properties at this year’s Mayor's Design Awards) presented a real heating challenge, but one that air source heating was ideally suited for.

“This was a slightly different installation than usual because of the sheer scale of the property,” says Steve Simpson of 4 Way Refrigeration Ltd. “It employs a dual system with two units working in conjunction and a hot water capacity of 600 litres. It’s a great demonstration of the versatility of air source heating – which works efficiently on everything from two-bedroom selfbuilds to larger projects such as this, which has five bedrooms and five bathrooms.”

Using a combination of radiators and underfloor heating, the result is a system that does justice to the stunning family

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home – unobtrusively and costeffectively.

“It works tremendously well for our needs and it’s very responsive – it’s so easy to control each room,” says Mrs Ridley. “We really appreciated the fact that Steve didn’t disappear after it was installed; he helped explain the system to us, showed us how to get the best from it, and is always there for help and support. We really couldn’t have asked for more from him.”

For a professional service from a local company with a proven track record of working successfully with local builders and architects, contact 4 Way Refrigeration Ltd for more details and information – and discover what a difference air source heating can make to your grandest designs.

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KLmagazine June 2016

39

HomeStyle with Traci Horton of Poppi Interiors

Using colour in your home

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hen designing interiors for your home, colours play an extremely important role. Not only can they help to create the illusion of space, but they’re able to change your mood and the way you feel when you walk into a room...

BLUE

Cooling and calming, a natural choice for a bedroom

GREEN

Surrounds us in nature and is relaxing. Easy to use, especially in calming shades of mint and olive

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Happy and uplifting, promotes memory and concentration a great colour for a study or workroom

PURPLE

Regal and powerful, associated with royalty.

A brilliantly diverse colour, great at stimulating the brain

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KLmagazine June 2016

Superb craftsmanship: every step of the way!

Reaching the heights of quality with the specialist joinery skills of TJE Joinery... imothy Edmunds of TJE Joinery is no stranger to grand designs. Over the past few years, he’s worked on a number of high profile and awardwinning projects from restorations to new builds, designing and handcrafting everything from windows and doors to kitchens and decorative mouldings.

It’s fair to say TJE Joinery works wonders in wood, but Tim’s true passion is staircases.

“People can be wary of changing a staircase because it’s more complex than fitting a new kitchen,” he says, “but it can form an integral part of an overall design and can actually make a statement in its own right. We’ve made them in all shapes and sizes for all kinds of properties, and although they always present you with a few challenges, they’re always rewarding to see once we’ve finished installing them.”

Tim’s most recent project is the magnificent staircase featured here, created for a new-build project in Bawsey – and it’s one of the most

T

KLmagazine June 2016

ambitious he’s designed and built to date.

“As the living space was upstairs it was important that the staircase made the best impression possible,” says Tim. “It’s a grand entrance and it needed a fittingly amazing staircase.”

Starting with the architect’s plans, Tim used his experience and eye for detail to suggest a few significant changes – increasing the size of the newel posts to complement the open space and recommending open treads to maximise the amount of light in the entrance hall.

He also suggested moving the staircase away from the wall to increase the drama of the staircase – and making the striking glass sides easier to clean.

The result is a stunning flight of stairs, gently curving to the first floor and expertly crafted (to millimetre perfection) in European white oak.

For outstanding designs, superb levels of craftsmanship and first-class customer service every step of the way, contact Tim at TJE Joinery – and make the most of your grandest designs!

TJE Joinery

information

Willow Farm Units, Main Road, Saddlebow, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE34 3AR Telephone: 01553 617805 Website: www.tjejoinery.com E-mail: tjejoinery@btconnect.com

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KLmagazine June 2016

Local Life

A taste of the iron age at Blackborough End...

Last year, a retired carpenter fulfilled a long-held ambition and bought a herd of Iron Age pigs. Sarah Juggins talks to Peter Jackson about his charges and the joys of caring for a rare breed.

B

lackborough End is a small, quiet village just outside King’s Lynn. At first glance it doesn’t seem the sort of place to be housing quasiwild animals, but if you stand in the centre of the village and listen very carefully, you might just hear the odd squeal or grunt that gives away the fact that something a little different is lurking here.

In fact, living on a 12-acre site surrounded by houses, are more than 30 Iron Age pigs. These hairy, longsnouted animals are a throwback to an earlier time. They’re covered predominantly with black hair but their coats are tinged with gold and red

KLmagazine June 2016

which shimmers in the sunlight like burnished metal. They snuffle happily in the soil until something causes alarm – and then the whole lot scampers away with their tails ram-rod straight. With a little imagination, you could be back in the Middle Ages, so ancient do these little porkers look.

The site is divided up into four areas; three have pigs running freely around in them and one larger area is left fallow for now. A year ago the whole site was a mishmash of overgrown grass and old wizened apple and oak trees, but now it’s the playground for the lively little creatures who one minute are running from one side of the field to the other at frightening speed, the next are lying

on their sides as the owner strokes their flanks and talks softly to them.

Peter Jackson is a retired carpenter.

Lively, vivacious and utterly devoted to his charges, Peter bought his herd (or drift) of pigs in April 2015.

“I have always wanted to own pigs,” he says, “and I have no idea why I didn’t do this years ago.”

The land and adjoining house has been in Jackson’s family for more than 60 years, but with a full-time job Peter had never had time to make the land work for him. Now, with the perimeter fenced and the land divided into different areas, he’s certainly working his land. Where the pigs are roaming, the soil is broken up and the pigs’ long

43

Local Life

snouts have churned the surface so it resembles a ploughed field. There’s a tight line of electric fencing around each paddock because these pigs are insatiably curious and, with his pigs living in the centre of the village, the last thing Peter needs is a escapee or three causing havoc.

In one two-acre paddock, about 10 young sows are grubbing in the soil for food. When they see Peter approach, they run towards him with their ears flapping comically and their tails held high like a cartoon warthog.

A second paddock has a much more adult feel to it. Here lives the boar and his small group of sows. These will be producing and rearing the next generation and soon these more matronly porkers will be wandering around the fallow land, picking up fallen acorns and apples as they prepare to give birth.

In the third paddock are ‘the boys’.

These are pigs that are almost ready for market, developing strong back haunches and with a layer of fat from the fodder beet and barley with which Peter has supplemented their diet.

Iron Age pigs are a rare breed species, with few breeders in the UK. They’re a cross between a wild boar and a Tamworth, and Peter’s herd also has some Gloucester Old Spot in its lineage.

In the 1980s, in a movement spearheaded by Joe Henson, founder of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, there was a concerted effort to bring the Iron Age pig back from near extinction – and now some dedicated pig breeders are carrying on Henson’s work.

The problem with rearing Iron Age pigs is keeping consistency in the

44

breed. The Tamworth is one of the most undiluted pig breeds in the country, but if two Iron Age pigs are crossed then the dominant genetics of the wild boar may well dominate so a breeder has to take care to keep his breeding stock controlled.

Peter bought his pigs from a breeder in Scotland, but he knows of no other sizeable drifts of Iron Age pig in England. The reason for this is a story familiar to many of the other rare breed pigs still struggling to be championed – they take longer to come to maturity, so they cost more to produce commercially. And there’s a widespread belief that these little creatures are wild and unmanageable. As four or five pigs jump all over each other to have their ears tickled by Peter, that seems a belief that’s hard to sustain.

“They just need proper handling,” says Peter. “I have one little pig who was the runt of the litter and she’s still a bit shy, but there’s nothing wild about these pigs. They come running when I call them and they’re really calm.”

This latter point is an important one for the future of the pigs. Eight to ten of them are reaching the point where they will be taken for meat – or dispatched.

Peter is concerned that this is done in as stress-free manner as possible.

“They can lose a lot of bodyweight through stress,” he says. “And the muscles tighten, so we want to keep them as calm as possible.”

To achieve this, Peter has been working with his pigs to get them used to human contact. When the pigs go to the abattoir he’ll accompany them on their last journey, and the butcher – Julian Howard – has been selected because of his reputation for running a

highly sensitive operation.

“I will be sad to see them go,” says Peter. “But I’m very happy that I’ve given them the best life they could have.

Look around you – this is a natural environment and they’re treated as well as any pig’s ever been. But that’s the business side of it.”

And at the far end of the process, there’s the question of what you can expect from a plate of Iron Age pork.

“The meat has the gamey depth of wild boar,” describes Perth Pork Products, “enhanced by additional fat.”

And on the Accidental Smallholder website, one enthusaist wrote “it was an out-of-this-world eating experience, very close to Mangalitsa.”

The first litter to be born on Peter’s small-holding arrived a few weeks ago, and Peter’s found his workload increasing ten-fold.

Smaller than the average piglet, baby Iron Agers are ginger, black or striped – and while they’re very cute, they’re real escape artists. Peter’s eyes sparkle at the thought.

“I’m working harder now than I ever have before,” he says, “but I’ve never been happier.”

KLmagazine June 2016

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Pets

AnimalMatters Our monthly look at the issues concerning you and your pets with Alex Dallas of the London Road Veterinary Centre...

Why helping hands make happy pets... eople frequently ask me how I do my job, and they’re usually referring to the more upsetting and demanding aspects we encounter in our daily lives as veterinarians. I’ve always believed that what we’re doing is ‘helping people help their pets’ and it’s that belief that spurs us on every day.

I always stress that we’re helping people. It’s the essence of what we do, and we do it by helping them do their very best for their pets.

That help begins before people even choose a new pet by offering them advice and guidance, and by supporting them through their first encounters with this new family member. The puppy and kitten consultations, with the associated examinations, questions, discussions, vaccines and lots of cuddles are all fabulously rewarding.

We try to give new owners answers to their worries, offering puppy classes, monthly checks, and advice on future care. In short, we want these pets (and ther owners) to have the best possible start.

P

Most people associate a vet’s work with poorly animals, and this is still a major part of what we do. When a worried or frightened owner comes to the practice with a sick or injured pet, we clearly explain and discuss the possibilities and the options. We take the time to offer choices, we discuss outcomes, and we arrange treatment plans which suits the client’s needs.

Naturally, there are cases when we simply can’t cure an animal, but this is when we can assist gently and kindly to end any suffering and distress, and we carefully and professionally help owners through this very difficult step.

All of us – vets, nurses and reception staff – work together to provide this help to pet owners. Part of my role is to offer advice to any of my vets facing challenging problems, and we meet daily for a ‘ward round’ to discuss our hospital in-patients and any ongoing cases we feel need more attention.

It’s a part of my role I’m proud of and makes me feel part of a very caring dedicated team. That’s our philosophy,

and it’s one we all share – and that’s why I can do this job.

The BBC recently boradcast a couple of excellent programmes concerning dogs and I’d highly recommend you try and catch them if you haven’t already seen them.

The first was a two-part programme on how to choose a puppy, and it demonstrated wonderfully the excitement and the enthusiasm people have for their choice of breed of new dog – and how often this is the wrong dog for particular circumstances. It was a very important point to make.

There was plenty of advice on how to select an appropriate breed for you and your lifestyle, and it should be made compulsory viewing for any prospective dog owner.

The second programme was harder to watch, as it was an edition of Panorama on puppy farming. However, if more people were aware of this dreadful business then perhaps (as prospective owners) we would make more informed choices – and ultimately put these puppy farms out of business.

Together, the two programmes illustrated why a good home-bred puppy, with proper care and socialisation makes for a far better purchase. If you’re thinking about getting a puppy, then do your research!

London Road Vets

@LondonRoadVets

www.makeyourpetsmile.co.uk

LONDON ROAD 25 London Road, King’s Lynn telephone: 01553 773168 e-mail: info@lrvc.co.uk HOLLIES Paradise Road, Downham Market telephone: 01366 386655 e-mail: info@holliesvetclinic.co.uk KLmagazine June 2016

47

West Norfolk: Then and Now

1960s

2016

CHANGES AT THE QUAYSIDE...

Thanks to Bob Booth again this month for this view of the South Quay in King’s Lynn during the mid-1960s, at which time it was still dominated by merchants and haulage contractors – and you didn’t have to look too far to find a place to park!

The most obvious difference

between then and the revitalised quayside we enjoy today is the overhanging gantry of corn merchants Gregorys & Hampson – and the cranes on the Boal Quay.

You can enjoy thousands of images of Norfolk’s history on the website at www.picture.norfolk.gov.uk or by visiting the Norfolk Heritage Centre at

the Millennium Library, The Forum, Norwich (or your local studies library).

We’ll be taking another look back in time at the local area next month.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Enjoy thousands of images of Norfolk’s unique history at www.picture.norfolk.gov.uk 48

KLmagazine June 2016

OS T THE MNCED ADVAOW ON WIND ARKET THE MDAY! TO

For the excellent job Economy Windows did and the advice they gave us, I know we definitely picked the best company in the area and I'd have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone...

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Brighter looks and better advice from ECOnomy Windows... ecently, ECOnomy Windows announced the introduction of a new generation of highperformance windows that don’t just match the top-end products on the market today; they probably outperform the national brand leaders – and all at an incredibly competitive price.

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Even better, that level of technology is fully supported by ECOnomy Windows‘ expert technical help and advice. Take John and Pat Mayner of Hunstanton, for example. The couple have just finished

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replacing the 20-year-old windows in their bungalow with ECOnomy Windows‘ new triple-glazed units, and appreciated the company’s guidance on the technical aspects of their plans.

“We originally considered a 6-window bay to the front of the house,” says John, “but ECOnomy Windows took the time to carry out an initial survey, and establishing that additional building work would be needed for the extra structural demands put on the house. In the end, the costs outweighed the benefits, but it was clear the help and advice we received from ECOnomy Windows was always in our best interests rather than their own.”

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team a few weeks ago, the Mayners are delighted with the new look – and are already enjoying the benefits.

“We really can notice the difference already,” says John. “They look brilliant, the house is a lot quieter, and we can tell it’s taking less time to warm up. For the excellent job ECOnomy Windows did and the advice they gave us, I know we definitely picked the best company in the area and I’d have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone.”

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A flower knows when its butterfly will return, and if the moon walks out the sky will understand; but now it hurts, to watch you leave so soon, when I don’t know if you will ever come back... – Indian poet Sanober Khan

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KLmagazine June 2016

PICTURES (author and copyright holder): KIRI STUART-CLARKE

Nature

ABOVE: A small copper butterfly glistening in the sunshine and (opposite) the beautiful common blue on a blossom of pink heather – Norfolk is home to 39 species of butterfly, and is the country’s only home for the Britain’s largest native butterfly, the Swallowtail

Safeguarding the future of Norfolk’s butterflies They’ve been around for millions of years, but the last four decades have seen an alarming decline in butterfly numbers across the country. But help is at hand, Clare Bee discovers...

B

utterflies, harbingers of spring and summer, delight us all with their beautiful colours, gentle flight and thoughts of warmer days to come. As the daylight hours lengthen and temperatures start to rise, our butterflies begin to come out of hibernation.

Butterflies have been around for over 50 million years and probably first evolved more than 150 million years ago. Their intrinsic beauty and value are part of life’s pattern and their presence in an indication of a healthy environment and ecosystem. Areas rich in butterflies and moths are also rich in

KLmagazine June 2016

other invertebrates. They’re valuable both educationally and scientifically, and are an important contribution to the food chain as prey for many birds, bats and other insect-eating animals.

Their adaptation to specific habitats and food plants mean they’re highly sensitive to their environment and are one of the first species to react to change. Because of this, they’re considered the ‘canary in the coal mine’ – an indicator of the overall health of an ecosystem. Even the Government has recognised that butterflies and moths are early indicators of biodiversity.

Butterflies also have an amazing

lifecycle, and children are fascinated by their seemingly miraculous transformation from egg into caterpillar and then into butterfly. Millions of children are enchanted by The Very Hungry Caterpillar – even though poetic licence means the caterpillar in question has a rather interesting diet!

The variety and beauty of our butterflies makes them a popular depiction of freedom, peace and beauty, and many writers and poets have been inspired by them.

Norfolk is home to 39 butterfly species and is the only place in the whole country you’ll find the Swallowtail. This rare British butterfly

51

PICTURES (author and copyright holder): KIRI STUART-CLARKE

Nature

ABOVE: Before you start removing all the stinging nettles from your garden, spare a thought for the unmistakable Peacock butterfly. Without nettles, these spectacular creatures – along with the Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral butterflies – would have nowhere to lay their eggs. Below is a Small Skipper butterfly basking in a meadow’s evening light

(it’s also the country’s largest native butterfly) only lives in the Broadland area of Norfolk and survives on a single host plant (milk parsley) which grows in and around the area.

More common species found in Norfolk include the Peacock and Large White, several blue butterflies and the unusual Skipper species, which are mothlike in appearance.

Butterfly numbers, however, are sadly in decline. In the last century, no less than four butterflies (and over 60 moths) have become extinct.

Butterfly Conservation is an organisation dedicated to saving butterflies and moths, raising the awareness of the decline in their numbers and promoting action to try to reverse this decrease in many of our most threatened species.

Approximately every five years, Butterfly Conservation and its partners publish a ‘state of the nation’ assessment of the UK’s butterflies, and the 2015 survey provided evidence that overall 76% of the UK’s resident and regular migrant butterfly species has declined over the past four decades.

The Norfolk branch of Butterfly Conservation, managed in association with the RSPB, is based at the Catfield Fen reserve to the east of the county.

This active branch of nearly 1,000 members organises many awarenessraising events, field trips and meetings – and can also be seen at the Royal Norfolk Show.

Members encourage active reporting

52

of butterfly sightings and are involved in a new garden project inviting the public to think about how to provide ‘butterfly friendly’ plants.

“It’s vital that everyone does something for butterflies”, says nature writer, photo-journalist and Butterfly Conservation volunteer Kiri Stuart-

Clarke. “Gardens are increasingly important habitats for butterflies, and planting suitable host plants can be invaluable in halting their declining numbers.”

Everyone can get involved, and even leaving a nettle patch (a good food source for tortoiseshell and peacock caterpillars) is a great way to give them a helping hand. Buddleia (commonly know as the butterfly bush), lavender and verbena are also favourites, and will all encourage butterflies to your garden.

As with many of our native species of birds and butterflies, it’s the loss of habitat, along with climate change and the use of pesticides which has had the most devastating effect. Farmers are increasingly being encouraged to leave a strip of uncultivated land around their fields to create natural habitats for plants and insects.

In the last century we’ve lost a shocking 97% of our flower-rich hay meadows, and ancient woodland (rich in biodiversity) now accounts for only 2% of Britain’s land area.

With Norfolk’s butterflies facing an uncertain future, six of the county’s butterflies have now been listed as ‘priority species’ and are earmarked for protection under the UK’s Biodiversity Action plan. These include the humble Dingy and Grizzled Skippers, the elm tree dependent Whiteletter Hairstreak, the Silverstudded Blue, the honeysuckle-loving White Admiral , and coastal resident the Grayling.

If you’re interested in keeping an eye out for these marvellous creatures, mid-May to mid-June is a good time to spot Swallowtails; from mid-June look out for Silver Studded Blues, and the Grayling and Dark Green Fritillaries may be seen in late June (these last two are often spotted near the coast).

Often seen in July are Silver-washed Fritillaries (a notable local success story readily spotted in Holt Country Park) and White Admirals. Later in the summer, Painted Ladies and Clouded Yellow butterflies occasionally arrive en masse from the continent.

Butterflies are one of our most beautiful, ancient and important insects. The decline in their numbers means we must all do our bit to help reverse this and bring this most wonderful creature back to our gardens and countryside.

For more information on the work of Butterfly Conservation and how you can help safeguard the future of Norfolk’s butterflies, please visit www.butterfly-conservation.org

KLmagazine June 2016

East Anglia’s Largest Caravan & Motorhome Dealer Over 85 new & used vehicles in stock NEW & USED CARAVAN SELECTION

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KLmagazine June 2016

53

Welcome Summer with the John Deere collection

POPPYFIELDS • Coffee shop • Aquatics • Pet supplies • Tools & accessories • Bird feeding products

Call into our showroom to see the full range t: 01553 617666 Lynn Road, St Germans, King’s Lynn PE34 3EU Holbeach: 01406 540261 | Swineshead: 01205 822440

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KLmagazine June 2016

Save money and enjo y cheaper fuel costs by buying high quality firewood now!

Why it makes sense to buy now and burn later!

Save money by buying your firewood from Heritage Tree Specialists now

A

s we start enjoying the summer, it may seem a very strange time to be thinking of firing up the woodburner and enjoying cosy evenings in front of a roaring fire – but for the expert team at Heritage Tree Specialists, there are several reasons why it makes sound economic sense.

Throughout the year, the wide range of arboricultural work undertaken locally by Heritage Tree Specialists naturally produces vast amounts of timber – and the company aims to recycle as much of this as possible. While woodchippings are donated to local allotments and community woodland, larger timbers are cut to 9-inch ‘split’ firewood logs, which are then sold on to domestic customers.

Wood fuel is gaining popularity again among homeowners. In part it’s due to increasing concerns about ‘green’ issues – because as a fuel, wood is carbon neutral and is actually more eco-friendly than both wind and solar power. Moreover, as a fully renewable resource, it’s also largely immune to the fluctuating prices of our

KLmagazine June 2016

dwindling fossil fuel supplies.

But why worry about all this in the middle of summer?

The calorific value (heat produced) of firewood can vary enormously, and while it’s true that hardwood species will generally produce slightly more heat than softwood, the critical factor affecting fuel efficiency is the wood’s moisture content, which brings us to the issue of ‘seasoned’ logs.

“We advise our customers to buy and store logs a year in advance for two very good reasons,” says Dan Ashton of Heritage Tree Specialists. “Not only does it ensure the logs are

properly seasoned before burning, but it also saves the homeowever considerable expense – because unseasoned logs are approximately half the price of seasoned logs.”

It’s a significant cost difference, and it only reflects the time the wood has spent drying out. Moreover, even if you do wait until later in the year to pay more for ‘seasoned’ logs, you’ll often find yourself advised to store them for at least six months anyway. Heritage Tree Specialists has a constant supply of mixed firewood logs for sale by the load or half-load (a load comprises around 2.5m2) and they’re available now for only £100 per load.

For enough high quality firewood to see you through the winter, for expert advice on storing it, and for genuine savings on your fuel costs, contact Heritage Tree Specialists now.

information

Heritage Tree Specialists Willow Farm Industrial Units, Lynn Road, Saddlebow, King’s Lynn PE34 3AR Tel: 01553 617008 Web: www.heritagetreespecialists.co.uk E-mail: info@heritagetreespecialists.co.uk

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Windows | Doors | Conservatories | Roofline Orangeries | Flat Roofing | Garage Doors Glass Balustrades & Balconies

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Tower Street, King’s Lynn PE30 1EJ Tel: 01553 762878 Web: www.economyflooringkl.co.uk 56

KLmagazine June 2016

HOMEhints

in association with FRIMSTONE LTD

Please help our driveway from disappearing!

Q

Every time a car leaves our drive, it seems to take a lot of gravel with it as well. What can we do to stop this happening?

A

g to create a Whether you’re lookin ilding a base bu or r rde bo decorative IMSTONE is FR d, for a new garden she help and ert exp e som for re always he estions to qu r you advice. Please e-mail we’ll and .uk .co ne sto enquiries@frim . ion ect dir point you in the right

Every garden shed needs a solid foundation...

Q

I’m going to put a shed in a part of my garden that is only grass at the moment. How do I set about preparing the ground and the base for the shed?

A

The first thing you’ll need to do is remove the turf and dig out a flat base. Although you can take the excess topsoil to any FRIMSTONE centre to be recycled, please note that we cannot accept the turf – so either try to use it elsewhere or dispose of it responsibly.

Once you’ve prepared the site, contact your local FRIMSTONE centre and order some Type 1 – this is recycled crushed concrete or rail ballast that has been produced under our BSI accreditations and meets with the Waste and Resource

Action Program (WRAP) quality protocol.

Slabs will provide an ideal base for your shed, but before laying them, you’ll need to tamp down the Type 1 and add about 2 inches of sand – FRIMSTONE’s domestic soft sand is ideal for this purpose.

Once your slabs are in place, leave them for about three weeks and keep checking the level, adding additional sand as and where necessary as they settle.

The base will then be ready for your shed.

If you’d rather have a concrete base, you’ll need to line the excavated space with wood before adding the concrete.

FRIMSTONE supplies a quality ‘pre-mix’ (a high quality combination of sand and gravel) and for an average size shed you’ll need ½ to 1 ton (depending on size and depth) of pre-mix together with a bag of cement. A job of this scale can easily be done by hand, but for larger sheds and workshops you may want to hire a concrete mixer. To calculate exactly how much material you’ll need, there’s a handy (and easy to use) Aggregate Calculator on the FRIMSTONE website.

HEAD OFFICE Ashcraft Farm, Main Road, Crimplesham Norfolk PE33 9EB Tel: 01366 388900 Web: www.frimstone.co.uk

It sounds as though your drive was laid with small-size (10mm) pea shingle, which looks very pretty but isn’t really suitable for the purpose – as you’re discovering! Realistically, your only option is to going to be to replace it with either 14mm or 20mm gravel, both of which will feel a lot less ‘lively’ and won’t get stuck in tyre treads.

All FRIMSTONE centres supply high quality 14mm and 20mm gravel, and although we do offer the latter in easy-tomanage bags a typical drive will generally require 6 ton – so you may prefer us to deliver it.

To avoid replacing the entire drive, an efficient solution would be to take out half the existing 10mm gravel and spread the new gravel over the top. Before doing so, take the time to make the surface as hard a possible, pushing the 10mm gravel into the soil to hold it. You could also introduce a membrane and/or plastic grid (see below) as a way of keeping weeds to a minimum and preventing any of the smaller stones working their way back to the top.

The old gravel doesn’t have to be wasted either – it can be used to address ‘wet’ areas of your garden and improve drainage, or can be utilised for decorative purposes in flower beds.

Alternately, you could always choose a non-round material such as limestone or granite (both of which are also available from your local FRIMSTONE centre) which are much less likely to move around and be taken elsewhere!

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KLmagazine June 2016

57

fashion Fashion

It doesn’t matter whether you’re headed to a festival or a beach, the weather’s not the only thing that’s brightening up as the summer approaches.

Vibrant colours, bold designs, floral prints and breezy fabrics are the order of the day – and our local boutiques are ready to make the most of the season...

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Parrot Dress by Smashed Lemon EVERYTHING OUTDOOR Holkham - 01328 712120 | Sandringham - 01485 298082 KLmagazine June 2016

The Isabella In Orange by Horseware Ireland Platinum Collection (£86) THE HAYLOFT at BEARTS | Stowbridge 01366 388151 KLmagazine June 2016

59

Fashion

Tunic Dress by Almost Famous (£119) GODDARDS | King’s Lynn 01553 772382 60

KLmagazine June 2016

FOR SOME, SLEEP IS SOMETHING T H AT J U S T H A P P E N S . AT S O M N U S IT HAPPENS BY DESIGN.

M A D E I N YO R K S H I R E S I N C E 1 840

YO U R L O C A L SOMNUS SLEEP STUDIO: 1 Paradise Road Downham Market, PE38 9HS Tel: 01366 384411 Web: bedsofparadise.co.uk Also on display in ‘Paradise’, 50 High Street Downham Market, PE38 9HH

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BABY GOODS, TOYS, NURSERY FURNITURE & CLOTHING

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61

Fashion

Dress and Jacket by Zeila CINDYS | Sutton Bridge 01406 350961 62

KLmagazine June 2016

Cindy’s of Sutton Bridge

Open: 9am - 5pm (closed Wed & Sun) Sizes stocked 10-26 01406 350961 www.cindysfashions.co.uk 108 Bridge Road, Sutton Bridge PE12 9SA

125 Norfolk Street King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 1AP t: 01553 770536

www.davidaukerjewellery.co.uk

KLmagazine June 2016

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Fashion

Surrey Shirt in Duck Egg by Schoffel (£59.95) LINGS COUNTRY GOODS | Great Massingham 01485 520828 64

KLmagazine June 2016

Morton ATV

all terrain and utility terrain vehicles

Coffee & Fashion all under one roof!

New and used vehicles and equipment • Fertiliser spreaders • Mowers • Sprayers & much more. Servicing is available on all vehicles and mowers with Honda, Briggs & Stratton and Polaris engines.

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1W Wellesley ellesley St, King’s Lynn Lynn PE30 1QD | 01553 772382 www.goddardsonline.co.uk www.goddardsonline.co.uk

Heath Farm, Great Massingham PE32 2HJ www.lingscountrygoods.co.uk www.mortonatv.com | Tel: 01485 520828

put your stamp on your summer wardrobe at

re h o r s e wa d i r el a n

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y

don’t forget our new coffee shop!

joules

TEL: 01366 388151 | Brighton Mill, Stow Bridge, King’s Lynn PE34 3PD | WEB: www.bearts.co.uk KLmagazine June 2016

65

The local denture service that's better by smiles!

Offering while-you-wait repairs for cracked or broken dentures – usually within the hour.

If something’s getting in the way of your smile, contact James Asman at Hunstanton Dental Laboratory for a friendly, professional, and confidenceboosting local service in a relaxing and friendly environment.

t: 01485 533388 e: j.asman@yahoo.co.uk 9a High Street, Hunstanton PE36 5AB

66

The Fent Shop By appointment to Her Majesty The Queen Purveyor of Dress Fabrics and Haberdashery P.F.Day & Son King’s Lynn

Largest selection of fabrics in West & North Norfolk, with all stock on display

Dress Fabrics Curtain Fabrics Craft Fabrics Net Curtains Knitting Wool Haberdashery

41 Broad Street, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 1DP

T: 01553 768613 | W: www.thefentshopkingslynn.co.uk KLmagazine June 2016

“

Just by looking at the body differently, you can make what at first seems impossible actually happen...

”

TERRY CONNOLLY Free Your Body Therapy

“It’s marvellous, and it’s made such a difference to my life....”

Discover how Terry Connolly and a revolutionary new form of therapy can help free you from a life of chronic aches and pains Trevor heard about Terry and Free Your Body Therapy from his daughter, and though he was sceptical at first (“I didn’t think it would work as it’s a new thing,” he says) he decided he had little to lose – and everything to gain.

Terry is currently one of only a handful of people in the entire world offering PDTR (Proprioceptive Deep Tendon Reflex) as a form of treatment, combining that with AiM (Anatomy in Motion) gait therapy – a cutting-edge method of correcting postural problems, helping with the repair and rehabilitation of injuries and the relief of pain.

As Trevor says, it’s certainly a ‘new It really surprised me, but I’m thing’ – but is it one that works? absolutely over the moon “What do you think?” he asks, easily with the results. It’s truly raising his arms above his head. “It marvellous, and it’s made really surprised me, but I’m such a difference to my life.

I’d happily recommend it absolutely over the moon with the to anyone... results. It’s truly marvellous, and it’s made such a difference to my life. I’d TREVOR WARNER King’s Lynn happily recommend it to anyone.”

t Free Your Body Therapy in King’s Lynn, Terry Connolly continues to use a range of new treatment techniques to finally free people from a life of chronic aches and pains – techniques that are taking more and more people by surprise.

People like Trevor Warner of King’s Lynn, for example, who up until recently could see little hope of alleviating his significant shoulder pain and associated problems with mobility in his arms.

“I’d been told that surgery offered me little or no solution,” he says, “but I really did need some help. I could only raise my arms with great difficulty and had to use two hands whenever I wanted to drink a cup of tea – or a pint of beer!”

A

“

KLmagazine June 2016

”

For Terry, it’s another example of how looking at the body in a different way really can work wonders.

“Trevor’s case was quite complex,” he says, “but it’s still a case of re-training the muscles and using P-DTR to offset the damaged receptors. Listening to my recommendations of doing exercises in his own time helped Trevor massively, but I think even he was astonished at the results. I just wish that when he first came in I had his reaction on camera!”

If you’re interested in finally freeing yourself from a life of chronic aches and pain, contact Terry at Free Your Body Therapy in King’s Lynn today and book an appointment for an initial assessment and consultation.

information

The Fitness Studios Old Dairy Units, Austin Fields, King’s Lynn Tel: 01553 277520 Web: www.fitnesskingslynn.co.uk www.freeyourbodytherapy.co.uk

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KLmagazine June 2016

PICTURES: DEBORAH STEWARD

Food & Drink

ABOVE: Over the course of the last 30 years, Deborah Steward (right) has prepared mouthwatering dishes, catering for everything from intimate dinner parties to large-scale events of over 700 people. Life in the kitchen she says, is never dull.

Cakes, calamities and 30 years of fine food...

Following the publication of her first book charting her three decades in the kitchen, professional chef Deborah Steward talks about her life-long passion for Norfolk’s freshest local produce

M

y name is Deborah Steward and along with my husband Kevin, I run the catering operation at Sandringham – as well as a thriving outside catering business. I’ve been cooking professionally since 1979 and never ever tire of being in either my own kitchens or someone else’s.

We’ve provided everything from intimate dinner parties to huge fundraising events for more than 700 people, and I’ve prepared mouthwatering dishes in a wide variety of

KLmagazine June 2016

unusual locations from stately homes to windswept tin huts on remote beaches. Our work takes us from the everyday to the extraordinary and the best thing is that you can always expect the unexpected!

My fascination with food started at a very early age, and I think it may have something to do with being a small part of a large family who virtually all share an interest in either eating, cooking or indeed growing good, honest food.

Eighteen months ago I had to have an operation on my foot that put me out of action for three months, and as

I’ve had a long-held ambition to write, I took this opportunity to put the wheels in motion and start my book.

All the hard work came together in February this year with the publication of my book Canapés, Cakes and Near Calamities.

The book is an honest account of how Kevin and I started our career together, catering for all kinds of events both large and small in our part of our beautiful county.

Comprising of a series of short stories and anecdotes, as well as recipes that are relevant to the individual stories and

69

Food & Drink

behind-the-scenes photos, the book is at times funny as well as sad – and it’s sometimes highly amusing!

It charts the growth of our business from the very beginning to the present day, and hopefully readers will find it an amusing insight into how we took our first tentative steps into the amazing business that is outside catering.

So where do I start?

It would be fair to say I come from a family of people who are unusually interested in food. From a very early age I can remember pheasants hanging on the back of the shed door when they were in season, waiting to be plucked by Mum when she could fit it in around caring for her large and loud family!

Dad would almost always have something ready to harvest from either our garden or his allotment – crisp green callaloo from his native Jamaica, or perfectly sweet carrots complete with clumps of wet soil.

Various uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces would often appear with bags of delicious, freshly gathered food too. Wonderful walnuts, baskets of wild mushrooms (although we never discovered the closely-guarded secret location of where they came from!), half a dozen freshly caught mackerel that were almost too beautiful to eat, a handful of ruby red autumn raspberries... the list goes on and on.

Maybe that’s where my love of food began – being close to such bountiful, premium, seasonal ingredients, collected by family and prepared with care. Nowadays those words are used with abandon on restaurant menus the length and breadth of this land, but

70

when I was growing up it was a given that what you ate was good, nourishing fare which was prepared with love.

In my life as a chef I’ve always strived to carry this idea and my love of beautiful produce forward, making full use of the rhythm of the seasons, and carefully preparing the very best ingredients to show them off and do them proud.

I think my very favourite and busiest time of year is harvest time, when there’s so much produce and so little time to prepare it all. It’s a big challenge to pick, prepare and bottle chutney, jam and pickle while the ingredients are both plentiful and either cheap or free – but the end results are glorious!

There’s something lovely about squirrelling away food at a time of plenty to be able to enjoy it later on when the season has passed, and the further enjoyment is remembering who you picked it with and the fun you had doing it.

The tradition of bartering is alive and well in this part of Norfolk, and long may it continue!

In late October, we’ll often get a phone call to say “Deb, the quinces and medlars are ready!” and we’ll head off to carefully pick them. This can be a hazardous job (as anyone who’s done it themselves will appreciate) and we should really wear crash helmets.

We turn our harvest into the most fabulous crystal-clear jelly and dark, sticky membrillo to have alongside cheese at Christmas time. In return for this generosity, a few days before Christmas, a basket of preserves will find its way back to where it came from, to be enjoyed over the festive period. Deal done!

PICTURES: DEBORAH STEWARD

ABOVE: Deborah with her family – together with her husband Kevin she now runs the catering operation at Sandringham, making the most of Norfolk’s finest ingredients

Deborah’s book Canapés, Cakes and Calamities (£14.95) is available from Sandringham, White House Books in Burnham Market, Jarrolds in Norwich and Cromer, and Holt Book Shop. Copies can also be ordered online at www.deborahsteward.com

KLmagazine June 2016

BEST WESTERN PLUS Knights Hill Hotel & Spa

aywood Pop by our shop in G needs ! ting For all of your cake

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KLmagazine June 2016

01328 701331

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Chalk Farm, Druids Lane, Litcham, King’s Lynn PE32 2YA

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Food & Drink

Seabass with lentils & Boulangere potatoes Serves: 6 INGREDIENTS 6 Seabass fillets, descaled, weighing 150-200g each Lentils 500g puy lentils 75ml olive oil 4 washed carrots -2 cut into small dice, 2 peeled into strips with a potato peeler 1 onion cut into small dice ½ head of celery cut into small dice 2 tbsp fresh thyme 1 tsp turmeric 3 bay leaves, shredded 800ml vegetable stock 2 tsp white wine vinegar 3 tbsp of crème fraiche Boulangere potatoes 6 medium potatoes peeled 1 onion finely sliced 1 litre of fish stock 72

METHOD 1 For the lentils, bring the lentils to the boil in salted water, reduce to a fast simmer and cook until just tender-al dente- and drain.

2 Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the onion, carrot and celery and gently fry until tender and golden. Then add the herbs, vinegar and turmeric to the cooked vegetables.

3 Mix the lentils, vegetables, stock and crème fraiche all together and gently reheat until hot.

4 For the boulangere potatoes, preheat the oven to 180⁰C and grease a deep baking dish 20cm x 15 cm with butter.

5 Finely slice the potatoes on a mandolin.

Layer the potatoes and onion alternating each layer and make sure you season each layer well. Keep layering until you have used all the potato and onion.

6 Pour the fish stock on top of the potatoes, make sure the liquid just covers the top, add a little more if necessary.

7 Bake in the oven for about 1 hour until the potatoes are tender and all the liquid has evaporated.

8 To assemble, cook the Seabass fillets in a heavy fry pan with a little rapeseed oil, skin side down until browned. Flip over for 1 minute. Place a generous spoonful of the warmed lentils on 6 plates, add a wedge of the potatoes and place the Seabass on top, skin side up. Garnish with chervil.

Recipe by Jules Hetherton Head Chef at Strattons Ash Close, Swaffham PE37 7NH Tel: 01760 723845 Web: www.strattonshotel.co.uk KLmagazine June 2016

strattons hotel with self catering, restaurant and café deli

boutique luxurious classic contemporary heart of norfolk award winning restaurant afternoon tea cocoes café deli self catering Luxury without sacrifice to the environment ash close swaffham norfolk pe37 7nh 01760 723845 enquiries@strattonshotel.com www.strattonshotel.com

BOOK NOW FOR FATHER’S DAY! Sunday 19th June

Sunday C ar very 12no on-6pm THREE COURSES JUST £11.99

Locally sourced award winning food and Sunday lunches

2016 AA Rosette Restaurant

Celebrating 40 years in business

KLmagazine June 2016

Old Hunstanton Road Old Hunstanton Norfolk PE36 6HH Tel: 01485 533486 www.caleyhallhotel.co.uk

Contact us for more details

Clenchwarton Road, West Lynn King’s Lynn PE34 3LW Web: brewersfayre.co.uk

Tel: 01553 772221 73

Food & Drink

Honey, Lemon and Thyme Spatchcock Barbecued Chicken Serves: 4-6 INGREDIENTS 1x 3.5lb free range chicken FOR THE MARINADE 3 tbsp olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, grated 1 dessert spoon balsamic vinegar 1 dessert spoon of runny honey The juice and zest of a lemon 4 sprigs of thyme leaves, stripped 2 tsp capers Salt and pepper

METHOD 1 Make up the marinade by combining all the ingredients into a deep sided baking tray and mix well.

2 On a chopping board prepare the chicken; firstly remove the wishbone, then with a sharp pair of catering scissors cut all the way down the backbone. Turn the chicken over and apply pressure to the breastbone, flattening the chicken. The breastbone will break as you flatten the chicken out. With a sharp knife make even cuts across the breast and leg. This will allow the marinade to penetrate and help the cooking process. You can ask your butcher to Spatchcock your chicken for you.

3 Rub the chicken, skin-side down into the marinade, cover and place in the fridge and leave for 2-3 hours.

4 When your BBQ is at cooking temperature, place the chicken in the centre and cook for 5 minutes on each side. At this point you can either move the chicken to a cooler part of the bbq and continue to cook, turning regularly, or you can pop it into the oven at 180C for 30-35 minutes. To check if cooked, use a knife to pierce the thigh meat. The juices should run clear and the flesh firm and white.

5 Once cooked allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving; serve with a potato salad and a sprig of watercress.

Recipe by Bowers Butchers 71 Lynn Road, Gaywood, King's Lynn PE30 4PR Tel: 01553 773845 Web: www.bowersbutchers.com

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KLmagazine June 2016

Discover why BBQ should stand for Bowers Butchers Quality!

Has summer ever tasted quite this good?

From picnics to BBQs, Bowers Butchers have everything you need for al fresco dining – with award-winning products and fantastic tastes! f there’s anything better than inviting all your friends and family over for a summer BBQ or picnic, it’s treating your guests to the very best in locallysourced and award-winning food – and a taste of quality from Bowers Butchers.

“Barbecues tend to get more than their fair share of bad press,” says James Middleton (whose grandfather founded the family-run butchers in King’s Lynn 84 years ago), “but by choosing the right products and insisting on high quality they can be both really nutritious and truly delicious – as well as enjoyable!”

To make the most of your outdoor dining this summer, Bowers Butchers has a huge selection of mouthwatering essentials, from their famous awardwinning sausages to spare rib chops, homemade burgers and free-range chicken kebabs.

Away from the charcoal and flames, you’ll find a tempting choice of pork pies, quiches and savoury tarts all expertly made on the premises by Joy Smith.

For the perfect accompaniment,

I

KLmagazine June 2016

Bowers Butchers also offers a fabulous range of chutneys, pickles, patés and preserves – all packed with fresh flavours and many of them made to secret family recipes. And in the unlikely event you can’t find something to suit your tastes (Bowers Butchers has over 12 different varieties of sausage alone!) James and his friendly team can help, even to the extent of making gluten- or preservative-free sausages for you!

If that’s all too much to choose from, Bowers Butchers has ready-made BBQ packs available, featuring a carefullychosen selection of burgers, sausages, ribs and chicken drumsticks.

“We want people to really make the most of their outdoor dining,” says James, “and that’s why we’re holding a Facebook competition over the summer, asking people to upload pictures of their BBQs – and we’ll be giving the best one a £30 Bowers Butchers gift voucher!”

In addition to visiting the Gaywood shop itself, you can now enjoy a taste of Bowers Butchers at the farmer’s market

on the North Beach Caravan Park in Heacham on the 2nd Saturday of every month – and with proceeds going to Macmillan Cancer Support it’s all in a good cause too!

Thanks to Bowers Butchers, it looks as though we’re in for a very tasty summer!

information

Bowers Butchers 71 Lynn Road, Gaywood, King’s Lynn Norfolk PE30 4PR Telephone: 01553 773845 Website: www.bowersbutchers.com E-mail: info@bowersbutchers.com

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The

Gate Inn

at Fair Green

QUIZ NIGHTS EVERY OTHER TUESDAY!

• FRIENDLY BAR SERVING REAL ALES & FINE WINES • COUNTRY GARDEN • DOG & FAMILY FRIENDLY • CLASSIC PUB FOOD • LOCAL, SEASONAL PRODUCE

Hill Road, Fair Green, Middleton, PE32 1RW | Tel: 01553 840518

www.thegatemiddleton.co.uk

J&D PAPWORTH FARMS BUTCH E R S & G RA Z I E R S Home produced beef, pork and lamb from our Norfolk Farms. BBQ meats, bespoke burgers and sausages are also available.

A traditional country inn, next door to Royal Sandringham

34a Market Place, Swaffham 01760 724753 16 Millers Walk, Fakenham 01328 855039 46 Station Road, Sheringham 01263 823189

FA R

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33 Market Place, North Walsham 01692 403059

www.papworthbutchers.co.uk

• Bars, Restaurant, Function Room & Gardens • Food & Afternoon Teas served everyday • Daily Specials - Thursday Chinese Night

the FEATHERS www.feathersdersingham.com

71 M Manor anor R Road, oad, Der Dersingham singham P PE31 E31 6L 6LN N

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|

01485 540768

KLmagazine June 2016

Continuing a 150-year tradition of fresh fish in King’s Lynn is the Donaldsons team of (left to right) Karen Broocks, Steve Williamson, Sarah Marsh and Deanna Williamson

A bright new look and a fresh taste of the sea!

Re-opened after a recent fire, Donaldsons is now better than ever n Christmas Eve 2015, the fire that broke out at Donaldsons fishmongers in King’s Lynn wasn’t particularly big, but it was certainly devastating. The extensive smoke damage saw the popular family-run store closed for three months – but it would take a lot more than that to see the end of a tradition of fresh fish that stretches back over 150 years.

“The Donaldsons name has been a part of King’s Lynn for generations, so we wanted to re-open as soon as possible,” says Steve Williamson, who took over the long-established business with his wife Deanna 30 years ago.

“Actually, we saw the fire as an opportunity to make Donaldsons better than ever!”

Donaldsons is still your first choice for fresh fish and shellfish, from favourites such as haddock and plaice to more unusual tastes such as swordfish and bream – most caught in the North Sea

O

KLmagazine June 2016

and Atlantic and usually delivered to the store within 12-24 hours.

As part of the brighter new look, the store will soon feature a live shellfish tank, which will offer customers the chance to select the freshest possible clams and oysters straight from the water! The re-opening has also given Donaldsons the chance to expand its popular delicatessen, which offers a mouthwatering selection of cheeses, olives and cured meats “We source as much as possible from Norfolk and nothing is mass-produced,” says Deanna. “For us, the main requirements for the deli are that products are interesting and are full of flavour!”

A brand new healthy fast-food service (including a salad bar) will enable you to enjoy a range of delicious and freshlyprepared treats such as crab sandwiches,

prawn salads and hot chicken rolls, while to ensure you get the very best from your fish, Donaldsons will also shortly be hosting special cookery demonstrations and tasting events.

“Fish is the easiest thing in the world to cook, and it can be really amazing with very little effort,” says Deanna.

“We’ll be helping people do everything from preparing different prawns and dressing crabs to creating the perfect seafood paella!”

For a true taste of the sea (and a lot more besides!) it’s time to take a fresh look at Donaldsons.

information

Donaldsons Austin Fields, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 1PH Telephone: 01553 772241 Open: Tuesday-Thursday 7am-4pm, Friday 7am-5pm and Saturday 7am-3pm

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Food & Drink

RestaurantReview

KL magazine visits Lynn Mediterranean restaurant

A

fter a morning’s shopping spree in King’s Lynn, my friend and I decided we deserved a spot of lunch and thought it might be nice to try somewhere we’d never been before.

We’d heard great things about Lynn Mediterranean, so we thought it was the perfect opportunity to give it a try.

Located on the High Street (it’s opposite Debenhams) the large restaurant and bar offers outside seating at the front and a terrace at the back for al fresco dining.

The interior hasn’t fully embraced the Mediterranean theme, but it is very clean and has a nice open feeling thanks to the high ceilings and large bar area.

After asking for a table for two, we were seated in a lovely table in front of the large windows at the front – perfect for people watching, which is one of our favourite pastimes! We were handed the menus and were pleasantly surprised at the sheer vastness of options to choose from. The main menu alone included over 50 dishes!

There was also a specials menu, which offered a tempting selection of additional dishes. Realising we might take a while to decide, we ordered a lovely bottle of the Italian Ricossa Gavi from the wine menu.

After much deliberating I opted to start with the ‘Mucver’ (zucchini and feta fritters served with mixed leaves and tzatziki) while my friend chose the caramelised goat’s cheese served with

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fresh asparagus and dressed with salad leaves, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil pesto.

Both starters arrived in good time and were superb. The presentation was lovely and the various flavours were fantastic. My fritters were perfect – with a hot and gooey centre and a crisp outer, a touch of spice and a refreshingly tasty tzatziki. It was an authentic Mediterranean dish and was very impressive. I was told the goat’s cheese and asparagus was equally good, although my friend felt more asparagus would have balanced out the more-than-generous amount of goat’s cheese. Other than that, it was delicious.

For our mains, I ordered the Poulet Farci, which consisted of chicken breast stuffed with spinach and ricotta, wrapped in Parma ham and served with a mushroom sauce and sautéed potatoes – while my friend chose the seafood pasta, a combination of linguine with king and baby prawns, fresh calamari and fresh mussels together with a mild chilli, cream and garlic sauce. Once again, both dishes were wonderful. With hearty portion sizes and all elements cooked to perfection (especially the pasta) the dishes really did rival the well-known, high street Italian restaurants. A lovely added touch was provided by the waiter offering us some of the restaurant’s special homemade chilli sauce (it’s extremely tasty) on the side.

It really did feel as though we’d been transported to a sun-drenched island, as the standard of food is exactly as you’d expect in a lovely restaurant abroad – fresh and full of flavour. Our bill totalled £57 for two courses and a bottle of wine, which we thought was very reasonable. Lynn Mediterranean isn’t trying to be the fanciest place in King’s Lynn, but it doesn’t need to. If you’re looking for lovely food in a great environment, it’s perfect.

FOOD

9

SERVICE

8

VALUE

9

LYNN MEDITERRANEAN CAFÉ, BAR & RESTAURANT 110 High St, King's Lynn PE30 1BX Telephone: 01553 767634 Website: www.lynnrestaurant.co.uk KLmagazine June 2016

A charming way to spe nd the day Enjoy a bite to eat in our pretty vintage-style tearooms Breakfast

Full English • Sausage Sandwich • Bacon & Egg Bap Eggs, Beans or Cheese on Toast • Toasted Teacake (Served from 9am until 11.30am)

Light Lunches & Hearty Mains

Beef or Cheese Burger with Chips & Salad Omelette & Salad or Chips • Lasagne & Chips or Salad Fish or Scampi, Chips & Peas • Ham, Egg & Chips

Jacket Potatoes, Salads & Sandwiches Jacket potato served with a choice of fillings.

Sandwiches, baguettes and toasties freshly made to order with a choice of fillings served with crisps, coleslaw and salad garnish.

A choice of salads served with fresh baguette.

To see our full menu visit us in store or online:

www.charmedtearooms.co.uk

coffee, f o e c i Also a cho teas! m a e r c cakes and

Plenty o f

FREE

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The Hythe, Bridge Road, Downham Market PE38 0AE www.charmed-interiors.co.uk | 01366 384126 | 9 - 5 Mon to Sat (tearoom open until 4pm) KLmagazine June 2016 81

Food & Drink

INGREDIENTS 170g Bucatini, or other long pasta A small handful of walnuts A large dollop of Marscapone ¼ cup of cream 2 cloves of garlic 2 marinated artichoke hearts Half a dozen scallops A handful of parsley, roughly chopped Juice and zest of one lemon

WINE MATCH All the ingredients in this dish love being accompanied by Chardonnay, seek one out that you really enjoy. The artichokes like an unoaked Chardonnay, whereas the walnuts would prefer something with oak to it. The cream would naturally like to have a thick buttery one and the scallops might appreciate the old-world subtlety of a Chablis. The choice is entirely yours – none of these will disappoint.

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Bucatini with scallops, walnuts and artichokes Preparation: 5 minutes Cooking: 35 minutes Serves: 2

so start tasting early. When ready, drain and set aside, reserving a little of the pasta water.

METHOD 1 Boil a large pan of salted water.

While it’s heating up, toast the walnuts in a saucepan over a medium-high heat. Let them cook for a few minutes until they’re just starting to colour.

Remove from the pan and let cool for a couple of minutes.

4 Put the walnuts, garlic, cream and marscapone in a food processor and blend together. Add this to the artichokes, turn the heat down low and add the pasta.

2 Wipe the pan clean and add a touch of oil. Cut the artichokes lengthways and place in the pan cut side down).

Let them sizzle a bit, but ensure they don’t burn.

3 Put the pasta in to cook. Bucatini can be ready in as little as six minutes,

5 To cook the scallops, coat them with a little oil and season well. Heat a frying pan up over a high heat until the pan is almost smoking. Give the scallops a minute on each side so they have a nice bit of colour.

6 Fold the parsley, lemon juice and zest into the pasta and serve the scallops on top.

KLmagazine June 2016

A TRADITIONAL PUB WITH TRADITIONAL FOOD

The Angel

• Outside catering for weddings, business functions, etc • Function room • Childrens play area • Food served daily (excluding Monday lunch)

WAT LIN GTON vil lage fet e GREAT DEALS ON OUR FOOD SENIOR CITIZENS LUNCHES Carvery on Thursdays only £9.50 Rest of the week only £9 CURRY NIGHT Thursday nights only £8.50 & includes a drink STEAK NIGHT Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays

PIE NIGHT Monday nights only £8.50 & includes a drink LUNCHTIME SPECIAL On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Soup, sandwich or a wrap only £6 and includes a drink

- Saturday 25th June -

On the playing field (11am-5pm) After the fete The Angel will be providing more fun and entertainment from 6:45pm onwards!

• Hot food - BBQ & Hog Roast • Grand draw • Live Music from Chest of pogs & Martian’s Folly Find us on Facebook!

01553 811326 | www.theangelpub.webs.com | 41 School Road, Watlington, King’s Lynn, PE33 0HA

FOR STUNNING KITCHENS AND BEDROOMS

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KLmagazine June 2016

53 3-2016 196 53 YEARS OF BEAUTIFUL KITCHENS

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KLmagazine June 2016

Food & Drink

ABOVE: There’s nothing quite like some locally-produced homemade chutney to spice up the summer. “I was told to never buy anything that will give you nothing in return,” says former chef Candi Robertson (below), whose business is now in its fourth successful year.

Enjoying the spicy side of life at Chutney Barn...

Starting with £50 worth of jars and some produce from her own allotment, former chef Candi Robertson is now recognised as one of Norfolk’s finest chutney producers, as Sylvia Steele discovers

A

fter only four years in the business of food production, Candi Robertson is already enjoying tributes and accolades from the community of local fine food producers.

Hailed as one of Norfolk’s finest chutney producers, Candi has picked up a raft of awards for the eponymous company she started in 2012 – but how did Candi’s Chutneys begin, and where did the idea of producing premium chutney originate in the first place?

Seated in the two-room unit she calls Chutney Barn, surrounded by farmland on the outskirts of Holt, Candi Robertson talks passionately about her KLmagazine June 2016

love of cooking and the product that’s proved to be such a success.

Candi was a chef for 25 years before becoming disenchanted with the work.

Feeling it was leading nowhere, she decided to do something for herself and her family.’

“Whilst working in a gastro pub I began inventing my own chutney,” she says. “I’d always made chutney with my mum and grandmother, so I thought I’d go for it.”

It meant starting from scratch with just £50.

“My first market was at Blakeney, and it was a bit overwhelming at first,” she remembers. “But I found that people actually liked my product. That was the

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Food & Drink

start of my taking my chutneys to markets. The same year, customer reaction to tastings at the North Norfolk Food Festival at Holkham Hall confirmed our belief in our product.”

Candi explains that the company is very much a family affair – with her husband helping out with food preparation and at the markets, her eldest IT-savvy son assisting with publicity, and her youngest son helping out on the sales side.

“He’s the only one who receives tips!” she says.

For a while, Candi worked from the kitchen in her Norfolk home before moving into the garden room. Within 18 months, the business had moved into the new unit Chutney Barn.

When asked what makes her chutney so special (as the Great Taste Awards for three years in a row have borne out) she’s quick to answer.

“We only use good regional produce as fresh as it’s possible to get,” she says. “All our chutney is seasonal. We don’t use any preservatives, just vinegar and sugar.

In fact, the only non-regional ingredients are the whole spices such as star anise and turmeric.”

She talks enthusiastically about her preparation.

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“The parsnips for our Parsnip and Chilli Chutney are lifted on Thursday and are chutney by Friday afternoon!” she says. “Our tomatoes are from a Norfolk Nursery, who grow awardwinning fruit.”

Her process of open-pan cooking, using six pounds of Class 2 vegetables at a time, sounds time-consuming for a single cook to handle – but Candi clearly enjoys the challenge.

She admits the hardest thing to tackle has been learning how to market and run her own business.

“All the knowledge I’ve gained has been from other producers at farmer markets,” she says. “Everyone’s so helpful, and the camaraderie is amazing.”

But professional help was soon on the way when she won the Kettle Chips Mentoring Award at the North Norfolk Food Festival at Holkham in 2015.

“The prize of £1000 was used to update my premises,” she says, “and I’ve received ongoing assistance in managing the business and moving it forward.”

She’s now a very successful businesswoman, but Candi never forgets the struggle of others less fortunate. In 2015 she supported the

charity EACH (East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices) by donating £2 from every jar of Original Beetroot and Juniper Chutney sold – and this year is supporting Nelson’s Journey, a charity supporting children who are struggling with the aftermath of losing a loved one.

Ask if she has a favourite chutney among these piquant aromas and her answer is spontaneous.

“My 2014 award-winning Norfolk Crier Onion Marmalade is very traditional and a personal favourite because it was named in honour of my husband,” she says. “He’s the original Norfolk Crier because he peels all the onions!”

Tasting sessions at the markets bring inevitable questions about how to cook with spices and Candi’s response has been to set up the Chutney Club.

“It’s a chance for anyone interested to dip their toe into the mysterious world of chutney alchemy and aromatic spices,” she says. “We make it a fun day by showing how to make your own chutney and discovering by trial and error what spices complement each other.”

Future plans are to hold cookery courses for groups of up to six people to show the variety of ways to enhance everyday cooking by using chutney.

Producers of food and drink in Norfolk have recently been introduced to a new ‘Proudly Norfolk Food & Drink’ labelling scheme as an initiative to acknowledge their passion and the integrity of their product. Candi sees this as an excellent way of promoting her chutney.

“I strongly believe that as a community of great producers we should all be proud of what we produce,” she says. “This will be a sign that the consumer can trust the product.”

It’s now a multi-award winning small business, but where does Candi’s Chutney go from here?

“Our local grower is trying to produce celeriac all year so it looks like our ever popular Norfolk Knobbly (a celeriac and onion mustard chutney) will become more available,” she says. “And we mustn’t forget that September is Norfolk Food Month! I’m looking forward to producing something a bit special for that. But that’s still a Candi’s Chutney secret and it’s too early to divulge!”

For more details and information about Candi and her delicious chutneys, please visit the website at www.candischutney.vpweb.co.uk

KLmagazine June 2016

Palmers

JUNE EVENTS 1ST YEAR ANNIVERSAR YP PAR ARTY ANNIVERSARY PARTY

ALE HOUSE ANDKitchen

Sunday 5th (4-11pm)

LOCALLY SOURCED AND FRESH FOOD SERVED EVERY DAY FROM 12-3pm & 6-9pm from our Ale House classics or À la carte menu 4 MEAT CARVERY

Every Wednesday & Sunday

TRADITIONAL TUESDAYS Every Tuesday

Celebr Celebrate ate our 1st anniv anniversary ersar y with Liv Livee Jazz & Swing with Nig Nigel el P Portass ortass on kkeyboards, e yboards, Tom Tom Melvin on vocals, vocals, John Wilmott on sax & Tim Ey Eyeles trumpet. eles on trumpe t. from FFollowed ollowed by by live live music fr om Simon Benefer Benefer and Sam Cook “Jackdaw” “Jackdaw” playing all the chart classics.

Free Free buffet buffet and BBQ.

THE MACARNOS MACARNOS Satur day 11th (8pm) Saturday and The amazing 4 piec piecee ac acoustic oustic b band will be playing all the classic chart hits o James Morrison. fr from om Ed Sheer Sheeran an tto

SOUL L& MOT OWN NIGHT MOTOWN

B&B S RO O M

Satur day 25th (8pm) Saturday John Willmott playing Soul, ffunk, unk , Northern soul and Mot Motown own classics.

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Ev ents ar Events are e fr free ee admission &e v er y one is w elcome! everyone welcome!

46 Market Mark e t Place, Place, LLong ong Sutt Sutton on PE12 9JF www www.palmerslongsutton.co.uk .p almer slongsutt on.co .uk 01406 365554

VAN PELT PORK BUTCHERS - EST 1935 -

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• Weddings • Corporate events • Parties

Service is available within 50 miles of King’s Lynn

Hot pork rolls

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Call us to discuss your plans on 01553 773536 Find us: 108 Norfolk St, King's Lynn PE30 1AQ Email: anthony.barton@ymail.com KLmagazine June 2016

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KLmagazine June 2016

Keep your home looking extra good with Xtraclean!

The extra-professional, extra-local and extra-friendly cleaning service

W

e all like keeping our homes looking as good as possible, but it’s inevitable that you’ll eventually find that your best cleaning efforts simply aren’t good enough to free your floors, carpets and upholstery from years of daily use and restore them to that ‘as new’ condition.

“That’s when people are often tempted to hire cleaning equipment for themselves,” says Xtraclean’s Martin King, “but without an understanding of how different fabrics and surfaces react to cleaning and without any technical experience, it can be a risky venture – and the results can be very upsetting and extremely costly.”

Martin founded Xtraclean 22 years ago, and the Swaffham-based company are true experts in cleaning carpets, upholstery and stone floors.

Their professional and friendly service covers East Anglia with a team of highly skilled, highly trained and highly knowledgeable technicians dedicated to keeping your home looking its very best.

Indeed, Xtraclean’s truck-mounted cleaning system (which uses its own water supply) enables it to offer one of the most up-to-date and effective services in the whole country.

“One of the most important steps in the whole process takes place before we even start cleaning,” explains Martin. “We thoroughly check and examine the condition of all surfaces to ensure they’re treated with the correct products at the right temperatures – and if they need any pre-cleaning treatment.”

By using professional products

specially developed for specific materials, Xtraclean leaves you with a home that’s perfectly safe for children and animals – and the optional addition of special protection can keep mould, mildew and harmful bacterias to a minimum for even longer.

“Applying a protector or sealant increases the life expectancy of furnishings and floors,” says Martin, “but if people decide against having their carpets and floors protected, we always give them expert advice on post-cleaning care.”

For an extra reliable, an extra professional and an extra friendly service that’s also fully-insured, Xtraclean is the obvious answer – contact Martin and his local-based team today and give your home the look it always deserves!

Xtraclean Unit 3, Jack Boddy Way, Swaffham PE37 7HJ Tel: 01760 337762 Web: www.xtraclean.co.uk E-mail: sales@xtraclean.co.uk

KLmagazine June 2016

87

Local Life

ABOVE: Travelling alone through some of the most forbidding places on earth may seem daunting, but Helen Lloyd takes it all in her stride.

“Most people in this world are kind and want to help,” she says. “Travelling alone makes it much easier to meet local people and learn about their culture and the world they live in.”

One woman, one bike and a world to explore...

She spent two years cycling across Africa and three months pedalling her way through one of the coldest, most inhospitable places on earth. KL magazine catches up with Helen Lloyd.

W

hen Helen Lloyd was eight years old, she urged her mother, father and younger sister to climb Ben Nevis during a family holiday in Scotland. Her sister soon returned to the car park with their father, and her mother recommended they turn back about half way up the 4,414 ft mountain, but Helen was undaunted.

She asked a nearby father and son if she could join them on their trek to the top.

“I remember being very shy as a child,” she says, “so I must have really wanted to do it!”

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It was the beginning of a lifetime of amazing adventures for the Norfolkborn woman, who joined a youth expedition to the Himalayas when she was 16, and followed that with a trip to Morocco and a gap year in South America.

Despite studying aeronautical engineering for four years at university, Helen’s passion for travel was only ever equalled by her love of sport – primarily as a hockey player (as much for the socialising as for the game, she admits) with some rowing, mountain-biking, adventure-racing and snow-boarding thrown in for fun.

A knee injury brought a premature

KLmagazine June 2016

Local Life

KLmagazine June 2016

It’s as though time itself has stopped and everything with it is frozen in the moment; only you continue to move, to change, to age; and the still world watches you pass through, an intruder breaking some hallowed, unwritten rule.

Nothing else is moving. There is nothing else.

You are alone with only the road and the trees...

HELEN LLOYD from A Siberian Winter’s Tale

PICTURES: HELEN LLOYD

end to the sporting participation, but if anything it simply increased Helen’s wanderlust and her thirst for adventure.

In the summer of 2009, Helen left England to cycle through Africa – a decision that saw her travel over 15,000 miles and arrive in Cape Town almost two years later.

She cycled across the Sahara, Sahel and tropics of West Africa, she paddled down the Niger River in a pirogue, hitch-hiked her way to Timbuktu and spent three months traversing the Congo, documenting her travels in a regular and endlessly entertaining blog.

For example, by the time she’d reached Brazzaville in the Congo (roughly halfway through Africa) Helen recorded she’d gone 15 consecutive days without a shower, seen 11 snakes and scorpions, received 29 marriage proposals, read 55 books, drunk 491 beers and been asked for three bribes – although she didn’t pay any of them.

Finally returning home, Helen put her experiences into a book. Desert Snow documents her incredible two-year journey through the highs and lows of her memories and misadventures and describes a continent brimming with diversity that’s both a world away from what she knows – and yet not so different at all.

But if you think Helen welcomed the opportunity to relax in the peace and quiet of rural south Norfolk, you’d be sorely mistaken.

At the beginning of 2014, she packed her bags, grabbed her bike and spent the next three months cycling solo across one of the most remote and coldest inhabited regions of the planet.

In the depths of winter.

“You can call me crazy for wanting to cycle through Siberia in winter and you can call me crazy for actually doing it,” she says. “But it’s not really. I mean, people live there all year round, through all temperatures. I was just there for three months!”

It was, however, a pretty fearsome three months.

In temperatures of at least -50oc (her thermometer didn’t go any lower than that) Helen battled against the cold, camped in the wild beside snowdrifts, overcame her fears of wolves and falling through the ice of frozen lakes, and longed for a cup of tea on days when the only sign of human life was a single lorry thundering by on the icepacked roads.

Her biggest challenge, however, was facing the unrelenting cold.

“The idea I might freeze to death was always at the back of my mind,” she

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Local Life

ABOVE: Helen Lloyd’s adventures aren’t all of the two-wheeled variety. During her 2009 trek through Africa, in addition to cycling across the Sahara, she also paddled down the Niger River in a pirogue and hitch-hiked her way to Timbuktu.

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being alone in such a harsh and unforgiving environment.

“In Siberia there’s so little sensory input,” she says. “All you see is the white of the snow and the black of the trees.

There’s no colour apart from the most wonderful sunsets. Everything is covered in snow and ice, so there are no smells and you don’t feel anything because you’re wrapped up in so many layers.”

Even so, Helen’s not ready to stop just yet. She’s now returned to Cape Town and is currently on Africa: Take 2, this time crossing the continent from south to north – and this time on motorbike.

Towards the end of April, Helen had crossed into Swaziland, but her next destination is anyone’s guess.

“Over the years I’ve learned that planning a route is pointless,” she says.

“Vague ideas are far more practical. As for timescales, my last Africa trip was the only journey without a real timescale, and so it shall be with this one. I hate being in a rush. The slower the better. That’s by far the best way to meet local people and learn about their culture, and understand the regions I’m travelling through.”

PICTURES: HELEN LLOYD

says. “One night I stopped to camp and took off my gloves so I could put a warmer jacket on. In that short space of time, both gloves had frozen and my hands wouldn’t warm up. I tried running around but I’d lost the use of my hands and I was struggling. When it’s that cold, things can go wrong very quickly. It might only be a minute or two, but you can lose the feeling in your hands and you can’t hold anything, you can’t put more clothes on, and you can’t get food.”

Although much of the vast landscape of snow-covered hills and plains seemed empty, there were settlements along Helen’s route, sometimes towns with a hotel, sometimes a small collection of houses where people would offer her food and a bed for the night.

“As I went deeper into Siberia there were fewer and fewer people on the road and some days I only saw one truck,” she says. “They’d ask if I wanted a lift or if I wanted a tea. I did take a couple of lifts – it was very hard to say no at times!”

Helen’s book A Siberian Winter’s Tale was published towards the end of last year and describes both the physical challenges of cycling through a Siberian winter and the mental challenges of

Helen Lloyd’s two books Desert Snow (2013) and A Siberian Winter’s Tale (2015) are both published by Take On Creative and are available from all good bookshops. To follow Helen’s progress on her latest adventure (she’s currently in Swaziland), visit her website at www.helenstakeon.com.

KLmagazine June 2016

KLmagazine June 2016

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KLmagazine June 2016

EMMA STEARMAN King’s Lynn office

SOPHIE KING Wisbech office

JAMES PALMER King’s Lynn office

A new generation of legal expertise at Fraser Dawbarns Looking to the future with a trio of newly-qualified solicitors...

F

or over 170 years, Fraser Dawbarns has served generations of local people and businesses with a friendly, high-quality legal service. With offices in King’s Lynn, Wisbech, Downham Market and March and over 100 staff, the company is now one of the largest law firms in the area.

Fraser Dawbarns has always made the accessibility of legal services a guiding principle, and is committed to providing a personal, approachable service that’s in the very best interests of their clients. In that respect, the future looks very bright indeed, as Fraser Dawbarns celebrates the qualification of three new solicitors.

James Palmer joined Fraser Dawbarns three years ago, and qualified in November. Based in King’s Lynn and working in the Private Client Department, James specialises in matters relating to wills, estates, powers of attorney and trusts.

“What’s always impressed me is the emphasis the partners put on being part of a local community and interacting with people,” he says. “In fact, it was my work experience with Fraser Dawbarns that first made me realise how rewarding a career in law KLmagazine June 2016

could be.”

Sophie King qualified two months ago, although she joined Fraser Dawbarns as a Conveyancing Executive in 2013. Based in Wisbech and working in the company’s Commercial Department, Sophie assists clients in all commercial property matters from sales and purchases to leases and associated company issues.

“What appeals to me is the investigative side of property law,” she says. “Getting to the bottom of an issue and achieving a successful resolution for a client is a fascinating process.”

The most recently-qualified of the three solicitors is Emma Stearman, who joined Fraser Dawbarns in 2011 as a paralegal in the crime department and qualified as an Accredited Police Station Representative the following year.

“Fraser Dawbarns has a refreshingly friendly and open approach to law,” she says. “I think it’s important to remember that the practice of law is essentially about working with people – and they should always be your main priority.”

Emma’s now working in Fraser Dawbarns’ Family Department, dealing with divorce proceedings, issues

relating to finances and children, cohabitation matters and deeds of separation.

Welcoming the three new solicitors to the team, Fraser Dawbarns’ Managing Partner Tony Cheetham looks to the future with confidence.

“The strength of Fraser Dawbarns always rests with our highly-talented staff,” he says. “James, Sophie and Emma will continue our proud tradition of working closely and professionally with our clients to serve their very best interests.”

FRASER DAWBARNS LLP 21 Tuesday Market Place King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 1JW Tel: 01553 666600 Fax: 01553 767221 DX: 57800 KINGS LYNN Web: www.fraserdawbarns.com E-mail: info@fraserdawbarns.com

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KLmagazine June 2016

The changing face of inheritance tax...

With inheritance tax receipts at an all-time high, Claire Melton FCCA TEP of Stephenson Smart talks about the government’s plans for the future – and how they’re likely to affect you he latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics show that in the year to 5th April 2016, HM Revenue and Customs receipts from inheritance tax hit an all-time high, exceeding £4.5 billion and representing an increase of 22.5% on the previous year.

In a tax year where total tax revenue reached £533 billion, the contribution from inheritance tax is still well below 1% of HMRC total tax take.

The number of deaths during this year exceeded those of previous years, which contributed to the increase – but it was also due to the increasing value of estates, namely property.

The increasing value of property prices are bringing more and more estates into the charge of inheritance tax, and London and the South East are already responsible for half the country’s inheritance tax bill.

The government hasn’t increased the amount you’re able to leave free of inheritance tax (£325,000) since 2009 but it has made efforts to help families pass their home from generation to generation free of tax. For example, it has introduced the new main residence nil rate band which takes effect from 6th April 2017 – £100,000, and

T

KLmagazine June 2016

increasing to £175,000 over four years.

We discussed this in February’s magazine, and it’s a valuable relief which should be incorporated into tax planning – although it’s worth noting that it may be of no benefit to individuals without children or who haven’t owned a home since 8th July 2015.

The government has also been consulting on probate application fees recently and are currently reviewing feedback. It’s hoping to increase income to create a more sustainable courts and tribunals service and to introduce a more progressive fees regime.

Probate applications are currently charged at a fee of £155 if made by agents such as ourselves, and £215 if paid by an individual (these are known

OUR BRANCHES

as “personal applications”).

These fees apply to estates worth £5,000 or more. The proposition is to raise this threshold to £50,000, with the intention of lifting around 30,000 estates out of the need to pay a probate fee altogether. The proportion of estates paying no fee is expected to rise to 57%.

However, estates valued at more than £50,000 would incur a minimum application fee of £300, increasing in line with the estate’s value to a maximum fee of £20,000 when the estate reaches £2 million.

It begs the question whether it will become a priority to restructure your estate prior to death in a way that disposes of your assets upon death without the need to apply for a grant.

Stephenson Smart were one of the first accountancy practices in East Anglia to be licensed to provide probate services by our regulator the ICAEW (the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales).

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KLmagazine June 2016

PICTURES: SHERINGHAM MUSEUM

Local Life

ABOVE: The newly refurbished and expanded Sheringham Museum on the ‘Mo’ is a treasure trove of maritime history and provides a fitting home to three lifeboats and four original Norfolk fishing boats

Welcome to the Mo and the story of Sheringham How do you document hundreds of years of social history and the proud traditions of a close-knit community? As Sylvia Steele discovers on a visit to Sheringham Museum, you do it in style...

D

uring the 1950s, families in Sheringham enjoying the open-air bandstand and children’s playground affectionately known as ‘the Mo’ probably gave little thought to its history. It had once been the site of a family house named after Morag Pigott (who’d been born there in 1881) and had been requisitioned by the military in 1940 and used too train troops in house-to-house fighting.

The badly damaged house was finally demolished in 1946, but with its lofty views over the often turbulent North Sea and its place in Sheringham’s history, the site was always a perfect location for a museum celebrating the town’s maritime heritage.

KLmagazine June 2016

Now, finally, Sheringham’s Mo Museum is home at last.

The story began 30 years ago when a group of local history enthusiasts founded the first Sheringham Museum in a row of fishermen’s cottages, which became a victim of its own success as the collection of donated artefacts associated with local life soon began to outgrow the available space.

When the opportunity of acquiring the town’s lifeboats dating from 1904 to 1991 arose, it was too good to resist – but where do you store three lifeboats and four original Norfolk fishing boats?

That was the dilemma facing the founding group and the Town Council, and it was overcome by storing the

boats at various sites throughout the locality until plans for a bigger museum could be put into action.

The favoured option was to convert the unused Anglian Water building that now stood on ‘the Mo’ and an application for Heritage Lottery funding was successful in 2004.

The funding came with a proviso, however. The museum would have to raise ‘match funding’ of £100,000 to unlock the £1.1million grant needed to build a new rooftop extension.

Additional funding to meet the shortfall became available from the Arts Council England and North Norfolk District Council’s ‘Big Society’ funds plus donations from museum members. It wasn’t all plain sailing,

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Local Life

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Until October 30th, The Mo is open from 10am-4.30pm Tuesday to Saturday and from noon-4pm on Sunday. For more details, please visit www.sheringhammuseum.co.uk

PICTURES: SHERINGHAM MUSEUM

though. The initial space was never intended to house a museum – and until construction of the new extension, plans for the education and exhibition areas had to be put on hold.

The new extension increases the area from 600m2 to 1,000m2, providing better community and visitor facilities and making space for the town’s eighth historic boat, the Atlantic 75, to join the rest of the fleet.

More than 15,000 items associated with the town are exhibited – including a cannon with other marine artefacts recovered during the wind farm construction off the Norfolk coast in 2010.

“The cannon is a remarkable find,” says Museum Manager Philip Miles, whose field of expertise is archaeology.

“I think it’s probably of Malaysian or Indonesian origin and could date back to the mid- to late-18th century – it could well be internationally significant.”

The museum currently welcomes some 20,000 visitors a year – including 1,500 schoolchildren.

“We want to host more school and group visits in the future,” says Philip, “and following the huge success of our exhibition of fishermen’s ganseys last year, we’re looking forward to hosting similar shows this summer.”

With the end of the 2015 season, volunteers arrived to cover the lifeboats with tarpaulins and protect the precious exhibits from builders’ dust as construction work began in earnest.

The Museum reopened in April, with the work on the education and exhibition rooms expected to be completed later this month.

As you walk into the state-of-the-art entrance hall you can understand why The Mo was awarded Full Accreditation Museum status last year under a new Arts Council England scheme, an industry benchmark that meets the same standards as some of the national museums.

Once inside, you can walk among the historic fleet of lifeboats dating from 1904 to 1991, the J C Madge, Foresters’ Centenary and Manchester Unity of Oddfellows and four original Norfolk fishing boats – or you can view the treasured artefacts recovered from local fishermen’s cottages.

There are plenty of fascinating treasures to catch your eye – a pig’s bladder used as a fisherman’s float, a Victorian fly trap, and a fragment of the first bomb dropped by a Zeppelin in Britain, which landed hit Sheringham at 8.30pm on 19th January 1915.

A gallery encircles the first floor with a recreated street scene whilst giving yet another viewpoint over the balcony to the boats below.

The Sheringham Shoal Wind Farm Visitor Centre is tucked away on the first floor, but it’s easy to find. The wind farm project may be controversial, but the outlook over the Norfolk coast from the 360-degree viewing tower is stunning. The 88 wind turbines situated

on a sandbank off the coast can be viewed through powerful telescopes.

Philip Miles talks enthusiastically about the Arts Council Grant of £10,000 a year that will enable a UEA student to complete a master’s degree in cultural heritage and museum studies and benefit from a year-long museum placement.

“Visitors these days expect presentations to go beyond labels identifying objects,” he says. “The students are at the cutting edge of what’s going on in museums today, and they’ll share their learning.”

One of the challenges facing The Mo is to finding some form of interaction between the exhibits and visitors.

“The cost of designing, programming and constructing a single interactive screen presentation is more than £12,000, which is clearly out of reach for small museums,” says Philip. “We’re therefore experimenting with low-cost reliable hardware and software enabling us to build interactive displays for a fraction of the cost.”

Philip is justifiably proud of the work accomplished at The Mo and is looking to the future with a great deal of optimism.

“We’ve been given a unique opportunity to preserve and display a significant piece of Sheringham’s maritime history,” he says. “With the support given by our volunteers, by the Heritage Lottery Fund and other funds, we’ve been able to create a stunning new space with unrivalled views of the North Sea.” What better location for a local maritime museum?

KLmagazine June 2016

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KLmagazine June 2016

Letting Better Our monthly round up of the latest news and legislation concerning Landlords and Tenants in the private rented sector with Edmonton Estates Director Damien Simone

Independent Lettings & Property Management Specialists

QUI CK FAC TS

Image - Getty images

Cherie Blair QC has launched a legal challenge against the Government’s buy-to-let tax hikes claiming a contravention of landlords’ Human Rights.

Location + Price + Presentation = Return On Investment O

ver the next two issues of KL Magazine we are going to be explaining how to get the best return from your rental investment as well as pointing out some easy but common mistakes that landlords make which can make their property harder to let.

“How much rent can we achieve?”

This is the most pressing question posed by landlords both new and experienced and sometimes circumstances require us to answer this without even seeing the property.

There are three key factors that are going to determine how much rent you will achieve and how quickly. In order of importance these are:

• LOCATION • PRICE • PRESENTATION In this month’s edition we are going to focus on the first two points in this list as Presentation is a lengthy topic which

we will fully detail in the July feature.

LOCATION Location is something that you can only consider at the time of purchase and in fairness even if you are advised that a property that you are interested in is located in a less desirable area as long as you get the other two elements correct you will let it. Any firm that specialises solely in letting property like ours may well be able to offer more insight into the local rental market as this is the sole focus of our business.

PRICE Property prices in King’s Lynn and the surrounding areas have increased notably over the past 12 months and sales are being agreed at the fastest rate since the last recession. However it is important as an investment landlord not to get caught up in bidding wars.

We can tell what the ceiling rent is for a property both in its current condition as well as with accurately costed

improvements to allow you to budget and confidently offer or alternatively know when to withdraw from a deal that will not prove cost effective.

Occasionally we have the difficult task of managing potential clients’ expectations of what is an achievable rent for the property that they have agreed to purchase. When seeking to obtain a buy to let mortgage to purchase a property the majority of lenders will require a written valuation from an ARLA Regulated firm such as ours to ensure that accurate prices are being provided by a qualified letting agent, rather than just a projection from the selling agent.

If you would like professional advice on how to maximise your returns from either a potential or existing property investment then we would be delighted to assist you. In the meantime don’t forget to look out for part 2 of our Return On Investment feature in next month’s KL Magazine.

Edmonton Estates Ltd, St Ann’s House, 18 St Ann’s Street, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 1LT 01553 660615 | www.edmontonestates.co.uk | info@edmontonestates.co.uk

KLmagazine June 2016

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History

ABOVE: Thomas Baines, pictured below in a rare photograph, was one of the first Europeans to see Victoria Falls, and his paintings of the magnificent sight (the one above was sketched on the spot) has probably never been equalled.

Thomas Baines and a brush with adventure...

In 1842, an aspiring young artist left his home in King’s Lynn for the furthest reaches of the known world. Clare Bee charts the remarkable life and artistic legacy of John Thomas Baines

I

n his annual address to Royal Geographical Society in 1875, President Sir Henry Rawlinson paid tribute to “a man of marked individuality of character, a born artist and explorer, a lover of wildlife, skilled in all the shifts and resources of an explorer’s career. Few men were so well endowed for successful African travel, and perhaps none possessed greater courage and perseverance.”

He was speaking of John Thomas Baines, the little-known but very prolific artist who was born in King’s Lynn in 1820. An adventurer in the true spirit of the word, Baines travelled far from his home town, producing some of the 102

finest images of colonial life in southern Africa and Australia in the 19th century.

He was educated at Horatio Nelson’s Classical and Commercial Academy and at Mr Beloe’s school in King’s Lynn.

Both seafaring and art were in young Thomas’ blood – his grandfather had been the captain of a whaling ship, his father was a master mariner in the navy, and on the other side of the family, his maternal grandfather was a local painter and decorator who taught young Thomas to carve and draw, and inspired his early love of art.

Thomas began his working life as an apprentice to a coachbuilder, where he learned to paint coats of arms on KLmagazine June 2016

newly-made coaches, but at 22 his apprenticeship came to an end.

Following the rejection of a marriage proposal, he made the momentous decision to follow an aunt who’d moved to Durban in South Africa, and set off in 1842 to establish himself there as a scenic and portrait painter. He also worked as the official war artist during the Eighth Frontier War for the British Army. His business thrived while living in Cape Town, but he found his creativity was soon stifled by the demands of his clients.

He subsequently returned to England, supervising the publication of “Scenery and Events in South Africa” and the African section of a major exhibition.

He also found time to work at the headquarters of the Royal Geographical Society on a map of Africa.

But his wanderlust soon got the better of him. In 1855 he set off again, travelling on an expedition (sponsored by the Royal Geographical Society) across northern Australia in the company of explorer Augustus Gregory.

Baines’ reputation as an artist gained him the position of official draughtsman and expedition artist. The plan was to explore the Victoria River district in north western Australia to evaluate the area’s suitability for colonial settlement – and such was Baines’ contribution he was rewarded by having Mount Baines and Baines River named in his honour.

Wherever he went, Thomas was never without his sketchbook and pencil, capturing detailed records of plants, insects and unfamiliar animals.

From Australia, Thomas set out once more to Africa, this time accompanying David Livingstone along the Zambezi River, and became one of the first white men to see Victoria Falls. He painted the first (and arguably the finest) pictures of the Falls, which were subsequently published in 1865 in a book containing lithographs and pages of descriptive text.

Baines’ detailed paintings and sketches give a unique insight into colonial life in both Australia and South Africa. His work is perhaps of greatest significance in South Africa, where he produced eyewitness accounts of life in the mid-19th century, a key moment in the country’s history.

Thomas returned to England and lectured widely during the 1860s, including at the Athenaeum in King’s Lynn, a building which subsequently became the premises for the main Post Office. He was a great supporter of the Lynn Museum and donated many drawings, ethnographic objects from his travels, as well as oil paintings.

KLmagazine June 2016

ABOVE: Thomas Baines’ view of expedition life with the 1,200ft high spray cloud of Victoria Falls in the background. Below is part of an 1857 painting that features Thomas himself with Aborigines near the mouth of the Victoria River in Australia.

But Thomas decided once more to return to Durban in 1870 to live as an artist and to explore for gold.

However, in 1875, Baines was struck down by an attack of dysentery while preparing for a visit to the goldfields, and he died in May of that year at his cousin’s house.

King’s Lynn Museum has a large collection of paintings and drawings by Thomas Baines, many of them donated

by Baines himself. However, in 1947 a permanent loan of items was sent to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), including 17 paintings, 6 lithographs and 28 small unfinished sketches.

The works are now held by the National Archives of Zimbabwe and relate mostly to the military history of Rhodesia, and are therefore of considerable interest to Zimbabwe.

At the time of the loan, the Town Clerk of King’s Lynn Council wrote that “the Corporation agrees that Africa is the spiritual home of Thomas Baines, and consider that his work will be much appreciated there”. Almost 70 years later, the Thomas Baines collection continues to be valued by the Zimbabwe National Archive and is well looked after. Indeed, many of the oil paintings have undergone extensive restoration by a professional

conservator, and the works have been inspected several times by members of King’s Lynn Museum staff who are reassured that the collection is well cared for.

Its contribution is a valued part of the Archive and is regularly used for research and display.

Hopefully, interest in the life and work of Thomas Baines should increase over the next few years, as King’s Lynn Museum plans to celebrate the bicentenary of his birth in 2020 with an important exhibition of his work, together with talks and other associated events.

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How Samaritans are set to help our armed forces KL magazine talks to King’s Lynn Samaritans about a national programme that addresses the emotional legacy of military life...

W

e all understand the physical costs of armed conflict, but its emotional legacy for service personnel and their families is poorly appreciated or understood – especially for those men and women who’ve left the armed forces.

During his Budget speech back in March, George Osborne announced that Samaritans would now be offering armed forces staff and their families tailor-made confidential support services around the clock and wherever they are in the world.

The charity is going to receive £3.5 million over the next three years to develop a national programme helping military personnel, veterans and their loved ones identify when someone may need emotional support – and helping

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them access Samaritans’ services more easily, whether they’re in the UK or stationed overseas. The finances are coming from what’s known as the LIBOR fund, which was established following the rate-fixing issue, and sees the associated fines paid by the banks passed on to the voluntary sector.

It was a very welcome announcement for Keith King, who in addition to being Director of King’s Lynn Samaritans, is an ex-serviceman himself.

“We rely on men and women in the armed forces to put their lives on the line to keep us safe,” he says. “With this funding, Samaritans can share its expertise with the military so that those serving or leaving the forces and their families are better equipped to

deal with their unique circumstances, as well as the day-to-day struggles we all face.”

Keith explained that there will be three main elements to the national Samaritans programme.

Firstly, it will build on Samaritans’ existing digital technology to offer servicemen and women both at home and abroad access to confidential support by text, by e-mail and by instant messaging.

It will also involve online training for military personnel and their families in listening skills, giving them the confidence and expertise to encourage each other to open up when life is particularly tough.

Finally, it will use face-to-face training to create ‘listening volunteers’

KLmagazine June 2016

“There are in this world, in every country, people who seem to be ‘ordinary’ but who turn out to be extraordinary. They give their total attention. They completely forget themselves. They listen and listen and listen, without interrupting. They have no message. They do not preach.

They have nothing to sell.

We call them Samaritans...”

within the forces, who will be available night and day for colleagues who need to talk about difficult thoughts or feelings.

The need for such a service is clear and is long overdue.

Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 in the UK, and of men and women aged 20-34. For men who are 24 or younger and have left the armed forces, the risk of them taking their own lives is between two and three times higher than men the same age who haven’t served in the military, according to research carried out at the University of Manchester in 2009.

Hazel Nunn is Samaritans’ Head of Research and Evaluation, and she’s concerned that the true scale of the issue isn’t fully appreciated in the UK. Although there are many obvious differences between the UK and the US, a 2012 TIME magazine report found that one US soldier died by suicide every day of the year – a figure that only related to serving personnel.

Data for veterans and reservists in the UK is not routinely recorded or reported, but it’s currently estimated that no less than 22 US veterans dies by suicide every day.

“At Samaritans we believe that suicide is preventable, and the new funding represents an important opportunity for suicide prevention,” she says. “By working with others, we

KLmagazine June 2016

hope this will lead to improved knowledge about suicide in UK armed forces and veterans, and the supplementation of support services for those who need them most. Above all, we hope and believe this will help us achieve our vision that fewer people die by suicide.”

Samaritans already has a long track record in tailoring its services to the needs of those who may be more at risk of taking their own lives. For example, over the last 25 years it has developed a listening scheme in prisons, where inmates are trained in listening skills and offer emotional support to prisoners finding it difficult to cope. King’s Lynn Samaritans already provides this valuable facility to both HMP Whitemoor and HMP Wayland.

Similarly, for the last six years Samaritans has been working with Network Rail and the wider rail industry’s 200,000 staff to develop online and face-to-face training in the skills needed to identify anyone who may be vulnerable – with a view to keeping them safe, and directing them to sources of support.

“King’s Lynn Samaritans are already here for anyone who is struggling – and that includes those in the military,” says Keith King. “This new funding will enable us as Samaritans to share our expertise and give servicemen and women vital skills in listening and

supporting others that they can use in their military careers – and later in their civilian lives.”

Whoever you are and wherever you are, you can talk to Samaritans at any time on any day of the year, and anyone who calls does so in total confidence. It’s fundamental to our service that no one outside of Samaritans will know what you’ve told us – or even that you’ve been in touch.

It’s also important to remember that you can talk to Samaritans about anything. It’s perfectly okay to tell us you’re not having a good time, that you’re stressed out, that you’re scared, alone, or tired. We’re free to call on 116 123 – and in keeping with our policy of strict confidentiality, the number won’t ever appear on your phone bill.

If you’d like to explore the possibility of volunteering with King’s Lynn Samaritans in any capacity, please get in touch by sending an e-mail to volunteering@ kingslynnsamaritans.org.uk

information 26 Queen Street, King’s Lynn PE30 1HT National Line: 116 123 (this is free to call) Tel: 01553 761616 (local call charges apply) Web: www.samaritans.org

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King’s Lynn Samaritans/Charity Number 268748

PICTURE: SAMARITANS / ROSE ATKINSON

Dr Chad Varah, CH CBE Founder, Samaritans

PICTURES: REBECCA LLOYD

Local Arts

ABOVE: The vast skies of Norfolk present a never-ending challenge for the pastels of Rebecca Lloyd (below), but it’s one the award-winning artist finds endlessly fascinating. The intricate interplay of light and water in her work reflects Rebecca’s familiarity with choreography.

Capturing the dramatic skyscapes of Norfolk...

Through the disciplines of dance, acting and photography, it’s been a long journey to the canvas for award-winning local artist Rebecca Lloyd, but her paintings have been well worth the wait

T

he stunning pastel paintings of Rebecca Lloyd skillfully and immediately capture the essence of a coastal walk in Norfolk, with whispers of shoreline, huge varied cloud formations, and vast skies. Her work can be found in private collections around the world, her first exhibition at The Artmonger in Burnham Market was so successful it sold out in the first three days of a 10-day show, and in 2013 she received the Pastel Society's Buzzacott Award for best upcoming artist at The Mall Galleries in London.

Amazingly enough, however, Rebecca spent most of her early years dreaming of the stage. It seems nothing stands in the way of natural-born

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talent. KL magazine talks to her about her work and her love of Norfolk’s sky.

KL magazine: Today you’re an awardwinning artist, but you originally wanted to be a dancer, didn’t you?

Rebecca Lloyd: I did. I attended a professional ballet school from the age of 11, but by the time I was 16 I was suffering from a recurring knee injury and it became clear it was going to be a problem for me in the future.

My art teacher actually suggested I apply to art school, but my heart was set on performing. I come from a very theatrical family (both my parents were actors) and to me it was a totally natural way of life.

Instead of following my art teacher’s

KLmagazine June 2016

advice I went on to drama school and worked as a jobbing actress.

Unfortunately, that involved several periods of ‘resting’ – which is the acting term for unemployment!

KL: How did you eventually make the transition from stage to canvas?

RL: It all started with a chance encounter I had with a stills photographer who was working on a commercial project and was looking for a trainee assistant.

That led me into a whole new world and before I knew it I was travelling the world working as a freelance assistant photographer. I’m someone who needs to be doing something creative, and although I’ve always painted (even at school I was in the art room if I wasn’t in the dance studio!) it’s not something I ever consciously decided to take up professionally.

However, after moving to Norfolk from London 13 years ago, it became clear that painting was what I was finally going to settle on to satisfy my creativity.

KL: What is it about the skies of Norfolk you find so captivating?

RL: I don’t think anyone could fail to be moved by the beauty of Norfolk. For me, trying to capture the essence of a vast sky that has no obvious boundary by way of hills or cliffs and seems to go on forever is a never-ending challenge.

Wherever you are in Britain, the sea is a constant source of fascination. I think it’s the movement – the waves dance and the overall choreography changes with the wind and weather. It’s that movement I’m drawn to the most – the sky and the sea in a constant and endlessly-fascinating state of flux.

KL: Why do you prefer working in pastels?

RL: I work in pastel on a large scale as I love the fact I can use my hands. I can sense the painting coming alive as the colour pigment is pushed into the support with the tips of my fingers or the heel of my hand. There’s no waiting for drying or washing of brushes – it’s very immediate.

KL: How do you work – are your landscapes ‘real’ places and times or are they imagined?

RL: Most of my paintings have been inspired by what I’ve physically encountered, but increasingly I feel drawn to the imaginary in an attempt to ‘feel’ rather than ‘see’ the painting.

I recently worked on three pieces inspired by the poem Sea Fever by John Masefield, who was Poet Laureate from 1930 until he died in 1967. I enjoyed the

KLmagazine June 2016

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PICTURES: REBECCA LLOYD

Local Arts

process of working purely from my imagination rather than a visual record.

I think working in different ways helps to keep an open mind. It’s always important to keep pushing yourself as an artist. The day you’re truly satisfied should be something to strive for, rather expect.

KL: Aside from the natural world, do you find inspiration from any other artists?

RL: I’m hugely inspired by artists of the past such as Corot, Courbet, Rousseau, Constable and Seago – but I’ve also found the work of contemporary artists such as Maggie Hambling and Kurt Jackson particularly inspiring.

KL: What’s your favourite painting by another artist?

RL: My favourite painting would always be by another artist! It’s a difficult question to answer, though. I think it would have to be one of Turner’s late works such as ‘Snow Storm’ or a seascape by Joan Eardley, such as her amazing ‘Flood Tide.’

me. It was the first painting I ever sold, and it gave me the impetus to carry on.

KL: What are you currently working on?

RL: At the moment I’m working on a large piece that involves painting a translucent pumice ground onto the support before applying the pastel.

It’s a really exciting way of working as the pumice produces a textured surface that creates a sense of movement that only becomes clear when the pastel is applied. It’s a bit like those ‘magic’ painting books I had as a child – when you applied water to the page, the image started to appear. I used to love them!

KL: Where can we see more of your work?

RL: My work is always available to view online at www.rebeccalloyd.co.uk and at my studio in Docking. Further afield, you can see examples of my work at the Flint Gallery in Blakeney and The Artmonger in Burnham Market, the Serena Hall Gallery in Southwold and Byard Art in Cambridge.

KL: Is there a painting of your own that’s particularly special or important to you?

RL: Probably the painting ‘Brancaster towards Scolt Head’ as it was the work that earned me The Pastel Society’s best upcoming artist award for at London’s Mall Galleries. That would have to be one that’s quite special to

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KLmagazine June 2016

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KLmagazine June 2016

Letters Write to KL magazine at 18 Tuesday Market Place, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 1JW or editor@klmagazine.co.uk

DEAR KL MAGAZINE As part of the ‘behind the scenes’ management of The Dabbling Duck, I feel I must comment on Sarah Hilton’s review in your April issue.

While we are pretty thick-skinned here, I’ve read the review several times now and I don’t consider it completely balanced and objective.

I don’t think Sarah intended this in any way, and I do understand that using a reader rather a staff reviewer adds a bit more variety, spontaneity and impartiality – but in this case it has detracted from a broadly good review.

The main issue concerns Sarah’s disappointment that her ‘hot’ smoked salmon was served cold.

There are two basic recognised forms of smoking (hot and cold) as a curing and preservative method for fish, and both have been established for many years. The ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ refers to the temperature of the smoke used in the smokehouse chamber, and ‘hot’ smoked salmon (like all smoked food) is immediately chilled after the smoking process and is usually served cold at the point of consumption. This is perfectly normal.

Unfortunately, Sarah was unaware of this and chose to take us to task on serving something cold that we described as ‘hot smoked salmon’ on the menu. It clearly must have irritated her somewhat as she chose to return to the matter again in her summing up at the end of the review.

This ‘negative’ aspect of her visit was actually the result of Sarah’s lack of

KLmagazine June 2016

knowledge rather than any essential fault of our own.

As for the staff not asking to replenish existing drinks, I think it’s important to remember that The Dabbling Duck is a public house and not a restaurant with a bar. We do not (or intend to) offer a full table service, and the emphasis is always on getting the food out at the right time to all individual members of a party. It’s a hard balance to achieve, as some customers (quite rightly) feel that constantly being asked about topping up drinks is overly intrusive.

We try to pay more attention regarding drinks with families and older customers who might not have quite as much flexibility in attending the bar.

I’m certainly not ‘having a go’ at KL magazine, because everyone in the local hospitality business really appreciates the coverage you give us and the good PR you give this bit of Norfolk.

Personally, I hate the term ‘foodie’ and the sense of elitism it brings to food. Whether you attend the Dabbling Duck suited and booted or in muddy wellies with the dog, you’ll experience the same food, warm hospitality and respect as everyone does.

I appreciate that being a reviewer can be a thankless task sometimes, but I do think that in this case a little more knowledge would have been much better for all of us – and saved you from scoring a bit of an own goal.

Oh, and of course, Sarah and her husband will always be welcome here!

DAVID KILHAM

DEAR KL MAGAZINE Having just read May’s magazine, I’d just like to say well done to Barry Blades for bringing stories of local people like Joe Dines (above) to a wider audience.

With the approaching 100th anniversary of the battle of the Somme (when 19,240 British soldiers were killed in a single day) it’s only by personal accounts such as these that we can truly appreciate the huge scale and the long-lasting impact of the war that was supposed to end all wars.

PHILLIP CROWE

DEAR KL MAGAZINE I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the famous landscape gardener Humphry Repton and his creation of Sheringham Park in your April issue, and was rather astonished to come across his impressive grave a few days later (see picture) in the churchyard of St. Michael’s in Aylsham. It features a fittingly grandiose epitaph that he composed himself.

Your readers may also be interested to learn that Repton’s work can also be seen at Catton Park in Norwich and the gardens at Blickling and Gunton halls.

MARY STEPHENSON

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“CWA offers routes suited to your chosen career”

ELIZABETH RUSSELL

Studied at sixth form as she was told it was the only way to university Came to the College of West Anglia

Studying nursing and paramedic academy Planning to study at university

APPLY PPLY NOW AT CWA.AC.UK 26

KLmagazine June 2016

KING’S LYNN - WISBECH - CAMBRIDGE

“Sixth form isn’t the only route to university”

STEPHEN HERNANDEZ

Went to sixth form, but realised it wasn’t his best option Came to the College of West Anglia Studying nursing & paramedic academy Planning to go to university

APPLY PPLY NOW AT AT CWA.AC.UK CWA.AC.UK KLmagazine June 2016

27

KING’S LYNN - WISBECH - CAMBRIDGE

The Last Word

WildWestNorfolk Michael Middleton’s

L

ove him, hate him or simply fail to understand a word of him, we’re all more than familiar with William Shakespeare. Although for many it may have been much ado about nothing, the recent 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death has brought back many happy schoolday memories of trying to analyse how the theme of ambition is dealt with in Macbeth and critically examining King Lear’s changing relationship with Cordelia.

Shakespeare’s impact on the English language is well understood and appreciated, introducing us to almost 2,000 new words and giving us a host of colourful and useful phrases from ‘cruel to be kind’ (Hamlet) to ‘a tower of strength’ (Richard III) – but instead of turning this into an English Literature essay, I’d like to focus your attention on one of the Bard’s more unusual legacies.

In 1890, an eccentric drug manufacturer called Eugene Schieffelin walked into Central Park in New York City and released 60 starlings that he’d recently imported from England.

It was part of the American’s madcap scheme (‘madcap’ first appeared in Love’s Labour’s Lost incidentally) to introduce every bird mentioned in Shakespeare’s works that wasn’t already present in the USA. His efforts with bullfinches, chaffinches, nightingales and skylarks all came to nothing, and for six years Eugene’s starlings remained in Manhattan – the first nesting pair making their home on the roof of the Museum of Natural History.

They soon started spreading their

114

wings, however, easily adapting to changing climates and happily eating anything they came across.

By 1928, they’d made their way 1,030 miles westward to the Mississippi and just 14 years later had gone a further 1,700 miles and could be found in California. By the mid-1950s there was more than 50 million of them.

Forget Shakespeare – this was something out of a Hitchcock movie.

Roosting in hordes of up to a million at a time, the starlings devoured vast stores of seed and fruit (in a single day, a cloud of starlings can gobble up 20 tons of potatoes) and helped spread diseases such as histoplasmosis and toxoplasmosis. They also started bullying several native bird species, driving some of them to the brink of extinction.

The Americans then spent millions of dollars trying to undo Schieffelin’s avian Shakespeare project.

When efforts with balloons and artificial owls failed in Washington DC, officials tried exposing them to itching powder. Then the police stepped in with a flock of mechanical hawks. When electricians laid live wires across prominent buildings, the starlings simply moved to the closest nonelectrified spots (they weren’t so bird-brained after all), and when the White House installed speakers to broadcast recordings of the starling’s alarm call, the birds simply hopped over to some sycamore trees a few hundred yards away.

But then it got nasty. In 1960, a Lockheed Electra

crashed seconds after taking off from Logan Airport in Boston after 10,000 starlings flew into the plane. 62 people died, prompting the government to resort to poisoned pellets. In the three years from 1964-67 nine million starlings were poisoned in California, while the Department of Agriculture experimented with irradiating captive starlings with lethal doses of cobalt 60.

Not even that worked, however, and today there are over 200 million starlings in America – and they’re going nowhere. Henry IV, Part 1 has a lot to answer for.

My favourite proposal for the starling problem was a simple solution first suggested by the American government in 1931.

“When the breasts of these birds have been soaked in a soda-salt solution for twelve hours and then parboiled in water,” an official said, “they may be used in a meat pie that compares fairly well with one made of blackbirds or English sparrows.”

Mmmm... a dish fit for the gods, as Shakespeare might have said. Actually, he did. In Julius Caesar.

KLmagazine June 2016