People Blocking

Although bed blocking is a term many will recognise……….i.e. someone has not moved out of an A&E hospital to a convalescence hospital or wherever to free up the A&E bed, – it does seem now that “blocking” in one form or another occurs in many aspects of our lives.

Increasingly older couples are urged to move from their family homes to free them up for younger families………upon becoming elderly they are encouraged to downsize yet again.

But as our average life expectancy increases this is becoming more and more problematical.

We see it now in politics with MP’s and Councillors staying in place for decades……….perhaps 3 terms should be the maximum?

Certainly this happens on some Committees to enable a fresh face and pair of eyes to lead.  Although, of course if there are NO new faces, the old get re-elected.

This must also be the case in industry and commerce (and no doubt farming & the church too), where the ageing boss cannot be shifted.

A younger and fitter generation are increasingly being kept out……..we need to think about a way to redress this culture.

Anglo Sikh Heritage in Thetford

Surprising though it may seem, one of the resons for which Thetford is famous is its links with Sikhism.

An extraordinary story about how the Maharajah Duleep Singh came to live at Elveden Hall and his youngest son eventually living in Blo Norton Hall.

At this point there were no more descendants so the line ended, however the legacy in Thetford and its surrounds is very apparent.  For instance the building which is now the Ancient House museum was given to the town by Frederick in 1921.

There is a monument complete with statue in memory of his father on Button Island.

Each year an Anglo Sihk Festival is held and an event will always be included in the Thetford area because of these stong links.

This year the Museum were giving illustrated talks and the Libary opened its achives to allow photographs pretaining the the family be viewed.

Recycle BRITA cartridges

Took ages for me to find so on the basis that if I wish to recycle spent cartridges there must be others too…..here is the link to the recycle address finder lifted from the Brita website.

Caistor Roman Town

I managed to take a walk around the archeological dig at Caistor St. Edmund during the week.

Perfect weather too, lovely sunshine but not too hot for doing the circular walk and taking in the scenery and history.

As with Hadrian’s Wall a few years ago and Chester more recently I am always a bit spooked by the ghosts at these sites.

A bit small but you can see the town layout on the left and the coastal town on the right

It wasn’t difficult to imagine people living in the Tas valley though.  Presumably they would have been surrounded by trees then?

I hadn’t realised that Brancaster had been the north Norfolk sea port for the Romans, and Caister on Sea was the easterly port.

The latest dig has just been completed………the site is too large to be totally uncovered so mini digs take place each year – this year some poor murdered soul was found.  Not sure where the bones are now – presumably under a microscope somewhere nearby.

outer wall

The outer wall is vast.  About 17 metres deep and almost as high.  A Christian church was eventually built within the walls – presumably using reclaimed material. 

The river Tas bounds the remains on two sides and eventually crosses the A140 at Newton Flotman and it disappears into Tasburgh.

London 2012 and Norfolk Celebrating Talent

With less than 3 years to the Olympic and Paralympic games, Norfolk Celebrating Talent (which is the name we have given the promotion of the games in Norfolk) is gathering pace.

The site is continuously updated and it is hoped that all our schools will register.  The site is going to be formally launched on 7th october, but you can access it via the link above.

Business Link in Diss

Another organisation which has come on leaps and bounds since I was in business is Business Link.  Especially when many companies are strapped for cash and need help with training it is very good to note that their courses are free and also that you dont have to go to the main towns to access all of them.

I see in the (very comprehensive) catalogue that several courses are run in Diss.  Booking Keeping and Accounts; IT and e-commerce and Sales and Marketing.  Each critical if you want to run a business successfully.

You can book to get on to a course on line : www.bookevents.org or by phoning 0845 601 1000

Norfolk Trading Standards

The County Trading Standards department are always up to speed with internet scams, and of course you can help by advising them of anything new as well.

Beware of “Prize Draws” and that tempting “You have Won a Free Holiday” message – bear in mind the old adage : If it’s too good to be true, – it probably is!

Certainly if in doubt contact our Trading Standards Department on tel no. 08454 04 05 06 or email trading.standards@norfolk.gov.uk  There is no charge for advice.

They have got lots of printed articles and leaflets available giving advice and they are open 08.00-18.30 Mon-Fri and also on Saturdays 09.00-13.00

True’s Yard Museum – Kings Lynn

If you have a an hour or so spare in Kings Lynn, take the time to visit True’s Yard museum.

It is down by the old waterfront and is pretty much all that is left of the old “fishing quarter” following a slum clearance project in the 1930’s.

When I visited there was a very informative guide on hand, – her grandfather had been a local fisherman.  She told me how the original museum building had been saved by a local school teacher who hadn’t wanted to see the old district completely flattened.     I cant remember now whether it was the corner shop or pub that was bought but irrespective it prevented this happening and later the (private) museum managed to raise funds.  More recently they were awarded a Heritage Lottery grant to buy the last remaining cottages.  Tiny little houses, and still in their 1930’s condition.

Really interesting, and hopefully now secured for future generations to see how the fishing industry previously flourished, albeit difficult and dangerous work.

There is an archive and research centre there too for those tracing their family history.

3D is coming to a place near you soon!

One of the advantages of being a County Councillor is that you get the opportunity to meet people, see places and go places that you might otherwise not even think about.

One such occasion was last week when I managed to visit a young company specialising in 3D projection.  They refer to it as seeing in stereo.  You still need to wear special specs by they just look a bit like sunglasses rather than the old green/red paper things we used to wear.

The company is called INITIONand as well as filming in 3D they also have a wide range of other process uses.  For instance scanning and manufacturing prototype models.  All done by computer.  Amazing.

If we are really lucky someone might think to film the 2012 Olympics in 3D – and screen it around the world.  Wouldnt that be fun.

FLOOD Road Show at Mere’s Mouth

South Norfolk Council is holding a joint road show with the Environment Agency at the Mere’s Mouth on Wednesday 30th September 2009, from 10am until 3.30pm. 

The event is being held as an awareness raising exercise for the residents of Diss and the surrounding areas. 

Jim Bagley, District Emergency Planning Manager and Shirley Bishop, Flood Defence Officer from SNC will be in attendance together with members of the Environment Agency’s, Flood Warning Team. 

Residents are encouraged to go along and check if their postcode falls within an area at risk of flooding and what methods can be used to help prevent flooding.

Anyone can go along, – it is not just for the residents of Diss.