Councillors and the street scenes teams from the Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk have been taking the Anglia in Bloom judges on a tour of West Norfolk.
King’s Lynn was the first to be seen on Thursday 18 July. Borough councillor Elizabeth Nockolds took the judges on a tour of the town.
In Tower Gardens Julie Williams and Jo Reynolds from Soroptimist’s King’s Lynn explained the planting they had done in the gardens, alongside Rachel Williams and David Taylor who worked with local school children on projects in the Tommy Garden, including creating the little Tommy soldiers. President of the Rotary Club of King’s Lynn, Steve Roberts, pointed out their work. John Hayes from the Gaywood Valley Conservation Group and Phillip Pole also discussed the work they have done in the borough.
On Friday 19 July it was the turn of Hunstanton and Downham Market to be seen
Borough councillor Carol Bower showed the judges why she thought the town deserved another gold award, while town councillor Adrian Winnington pointed out the planting that had taken place to increase insects, including bees, into the town and the community orchard work. The Hunstanton Heritage Garden Friends and adopt a bedders joined the judges in Esplanade Gardens too.
In Downham Market, Borough Councillor Colin Sampson was joined by Deputy Mayor Jenny Groom and other town councillors and In Bloom committee members. The judges were particularly interested in the community orchard and the development of the allotments. After touring areas including the railway station, The Willows Nature Reserve, memorial garden and orchard they were serenaded by a musician at the Town Hall.
On Monday 22 July Bircham was judged. This is the first time they have entered Anglia in Bloom.
We find out the results from the judging at an awards ceremony held in St Ives, Cambridgeshire on 10 September.
A new crazy golf game that’s opened in The Walks, King’s Lynn, close to the café is already proving popular.
Cllr Brian Long, Cabinet member for Corporate Services, said: “Our public open space team installed this refurbished crazy golf game at the end of last week and already hundreds of people have stopped to play it"".
“We have also integrated this into the borough council’s Summer of Play programme, where we offer a range of activities for children and young people by giving them something that helps them have fun, socialise and be more active. To play a round here, and hire a club, it costs only £1.50 per adult and £1 per child. This can be booked at the café".
A well-supported community clean up at beaches along the West Norfolk coast on Sunday resulted in around 30 bags of rubbish being removed.
The event was organised by the council’s Single Use Plastics Working Group (SUPWG) and was attended by a number of borough councillors, including the council leader, Cllr Stuart Dark MBE, chair of the SUPWG, Cllr Terry Parish, the council’s cabinet member for the environment, Cllr Paul Kunes, and Councillors Sandra Squire, Carol Bower, Ben Jones, Chris Morley and Anthony Bubb.
The event was also attended by the area’s MP, James Wild, parish councillors, the council’s chief executive, Lorraine Gore, family members and members of the public.
Flags were waved, boats walked down the high street, there was dancing and sea-shanties sung in King’s Staithe Square, along with a festival regatta on the river as part of the 12th King’s Lynn Hanse Festival.
Cllr Graham Middleton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for Business, Culture and Heritage at the borough council, said: “The sun was shining and the crowd flocked to see the parade of flags through town and the entertainment on stage in King’s Staithe Square.
“I would like to thank King’s Lynn Hanse Group, Wells and King’s Lynn Coastal Rowing Club, Stories of Lynn, King’s Lynn Town Guides, the teams at the Minster, Hanse House, Marriott’s Warehouse, Clifton House Tower and The Place for making this a great event again and for encouraging people to visit King’s Lynn and enjoy what the town has to offer.”
A floral display has been created in King’s Lynn to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen.
Created by Jason Wells with help from Sam Martin, who work for the Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk, a specially created badge bed in Tower Gardens marks the occasion with flowers. There are a mixture of plants such as Begonias, Pelargoniums, Marigolds, Dahlias and some Cannas as centre pieces.
Cllr Brian Long, Cabinet member for Corporate Services, said: “The message in the Tower Gardens display is to mark the historic occasion of the Queen’s 70 years of service and I’m pleased that everyone in the borough can visit and see it. These plants add a nice splash of colour to our green spaces. It looks stunning and should be in place for people to come and see until early November.”
Children from St Martha’s Catholic Primary School in King’s Lynn have been learning about the town’s history through a fun activity to recreate some of its buildings using recycled materials.
Developed as part of the five-year Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) project, the lessons aim to inspire today’s young people to learn about and protect their historic environment.
Speaking after a visit to see the children working on their buildings, Cllr Richard Blunt, the borough council’s cabinet member for development and regeneration and chair of the HAZ project board, said: “King’s Lynn has a rich and varied history that is important to preserve, from its associations with King John to its strategic importance as a medieval trading port. This project is helping to educate future generations about our local heritage and learn why it is important to conserve it, and I have been amazed to hear how much they know. These are also living buildings that remain part of our culture and they are still used: I was talking to one boy about the town hall and explained to him, ‘that’s my office!’”