Kind-hearted Barry Holden celebrated his 80th birthday in style – hosting a milestone music festival and raising more than £7,000 for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) The talented bass guitarist held the last of his popular Live Aid-style concerts in North Walsham inspired by Sir Bob Geldof’s global fundraiser in the aftermath of the devastating Boxing Day tsunami Barry’s gigs then took place every year bar two and the last was at North Walsham Community Centre on 5th April – the day after his 80th birthday “The money we’ve raised has been used to fund music therapy whose heroics were rewarded with an appearance on ITV show Surprise “I was invited along to one of the sessions “EACH is an amazing charity and one close to my heart but I’m also pleased we’ve been able to support other worthy causes like the Teenage Cancer Trust helping us raise a phenomenal amount of money and I know our donations have been well spent and appreciated.” Some of the musical highlights of the final North Walsham Live Aid bill included the bands Raw Edge auction lots included memorabilia signed by Sir Bob Geldof and the memories will stay with me forever,” added Barry “I’ve got an awful lot out of it over the years meeting so many amazing people and celebrities like Eric Clapton and Sir Stirling Moss “I think my favourite two shows were the first and last I take a moment and stand on the empty stage “I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me along the way and would love for someone else to take over and keep the event going but don’t want the pressure or responsibility of organising it on my own.” he and wife Chris were invited to the opening of The Nook in 2019 The couple also volunteer in the charity’s North Walsham shop Find our notes to editors here For further information about this release please contact: Matt Plummer | Media and PR Manager | 07738 328058 | Matt.Plummer@each.org.uk Website by Itineris North Walsham Live Aid presents it’s annual rock concert The night will also include the famous rock memorabilia auction North Walsham Live Aid was formed by Barry Holden Rod Palmer and Darren Turner in 1985 following the massive success of the Wembley event Tickets are £12 and can be purchased from: Postle’s North Walsham Community Café and the EACH North Walsham Charity Shop this event is organised independently by an external group and EACH are not liable for any aspect of this event We are always in need of volunteers to help us at events - without them Musician Barry Holden has vowed to bow out on a high after being ‘tempted out of retirement’ to organise another of his popular festivals The 79-year-old has raised thousands of pounds for charities including East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) by staging a series of Live Aid-style concerts in North Walsham “This year will definitely be the last,” said the dad of two It felt the right time to hang up my guitar and fundraising hat and an awful lot of time and work goes into arranging these events I couldn’t resist the opportunity to do it once more as a perfect way to celebrate my 80th birthday and lots of others are pitching in to give me a hand and we’ve already got a full bill of local bands signed up including rock memorabilia signed by Sir Bob Geldof “It’s going to be great and a very special he and Chris were invited to the opening of The Nook in 2019 a bass guitarist in various bands throughout his life whose heroics were rewarded with an appearance on ITV show Surprise “EACH is an amazing charity and one that’s close to my heart and I know our donations have been well spent and appreciated and the memories will stay with me forever “I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me along the way and can’t wait to bow out on a high next month.” To find out more about volunteering for EACH, pop into your local shop, visit each.org.uk/volunteering, email volunteering@each.org.uk or call 01223 205183 (option four) Hi it’s Annette writing the run report this week I’m one of your Run Directors and Volunteer Coordinator for North Walsham parkrun I love checking in with people to see how their week has gone I love seeing you ring the PB bell and the sheer joy on your faces on beating that time I love our volunteers and how they support the participants I love the community we have created together and the friendships we have developed over the last 3 years 112 people took part in North Walsham parkrun Welcome to the parkrun family to Mai Wallace and Emma Goward who joined us for their 1st parkrun hopefully we will see you continue on your journey sunshine and dry ground led to 20 PBs and a lot of PB bell ringing there are times I struggle to fill the volunteer roster Please be aware this is especially the case when we have a pacing event (3rd Saturday of the month) which leaves us short of volunteers and that will lead to us cancelling some of those pacing bibs so the pacers can ensure the event runs by volunteering I’d like to say a huge thank you to our volunteers you are very much valued and appreciated and I do not say it lightly when I say the event couldn’t happen without them Here are this weeks Hi-Vis Heroes: Graham Fryer We have seen a big increase of people coming along and loving the process and bringing a friend along you are always supported and we have a whole variety of people who take part bring a friend along to share in the joy of North Walsham parkrun © parkrun Limited (Company Number: 07289574) No part of this site may be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of the copyright owner After finding out I would be spending the weekend in North Norfolk the first thing I did was get onto the parkrun events page and check out which parkrun I could visit Norfolk is a whole new area for me so I had many to choose from – Holkham (set in a stunning Nature Reserve) Blickling (a beautiful National Trust location) and Sheringham (Robin Hood!!) were the closest to where I was staying But just a little further away was an even more desirable parkrun… Taking place on a school’s play field and through an adjacent park North Walsham has something the other three couldn’t offer – the letter N for my alphabet challenge and North for my compass challenge And it seems lots of others had the same idea as there were tourists from Brighton Suffolk and from in and around Norfolk too Once I’d decided North Walsham was the parkrun for me I checked on the Facebook page to see whether volunteers were needed and for any other news I had just bought a tutu for a charity race so I was very excited to see that this Saturday the 22nd was going to be a tutu (2-2) day – I’ve never attended a parkrun tutu event before and it certainly didn’t disappoint I came by car and the tips about parking on the website were helpful helped by the tickle of runners all heading in the same direction and a friendly local on a bike It was a cloudy morning and a strong wind was blowing across the field as I made my way over to the first timers’ briefing There were 26 first timers this week – 4 brand new to parkrun (welcome Jamie Robinson Esmai Kilgallon and Andrew Couper) and *22* others attending North Walsham for the first time The volunteers were very welcoming and the whole atmosphere was friendly and fun There was a great mix of ages across the 101 runners and walkers with attendees in every age group from 10 to 75-79 (apart from the 15-19 category probably still sleeping!) and it felt like a very inclusive After the first timers’ briefing we made our way over to the start line milestones and birthdays were celebrated (congratulations Alan Gosman on your 25th parkrun and happy birthday to Georgina Peck) the new Vitality parkwalker (thank you Ivan Block) was introduced after-parkrun cake was announced and then we set off The wind had died down and the sun had come out and it was a wonderful sight seeing all the tutus (and non tutus) starting their 5km run/walk to the finish line The course was very well laid out with cones at every corner and the marshals were very friendly and encouraging I started off a bit too fast and dropped back only to be overtaken by a runner in a matching green tutu who was run/walking the course I would catch him up as he walked and then he’d overtake me when he ran pointed out by another runner just behind us After two full laps of the school field and adjoining park we had just one lap of the school field left – the sun was beating down on us by this point and my opponent was mostly ahead but I wasn’t giving up just yet I upped my pace for the last km and overtook as he walked his last stretch before the finishing funnel I crossed the line in position 20 and he came in at 22 – a very fitting finishing token and one that perhaps makes him the winner of the battle after all Thank you to Martin Wall for encouraging me to run faster and not give up and to Mark Palmer entertaining the silliness and helping to make this morning even more enjoyable Solar installation works at Victory Swim and Fitness Centre have been completed and the North Walsham leisure centre is already generating its own power The solar panels are predicted to generate an estimated 188,000 kWh per year and save over 35 tCO2 helping to decarbonise the Council’s estate The installation was made possible thanks to funding from the Government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund (SPSF) a capital works fund stream available to local authorities to improve the energy efficiency of public leisure centres Energy generated at Victory helps to reduce reliance on the national grid and lower running costs for the facility which is run by the Council’s leisure operator portfolio holder for Climate Change and Net Zero said: “This project is another prime example of this Council’s commitment to our climate and 2030 net zero target will ensure green energy is generated and will bring down the day-to-day running costs for the leisure centre.” Stuart Jardine Everyone Active Contract’s Manager said: “It is great news that these investments will reduce the centre’s carbon footprint going forward Everyone Active is proud to work alongside the Council to help achieve our company’s Net Zero ambitions.” The solar paneling was installed by CorEnergy St John Ambulance volunteers in North Walsham prepare for a weekend of celebrations to mark the centenary of the charity’s first aid unit in the town Tuesday 30 April 2024: St John Ambulance volunteers in North Walsham are preparing for a weekend of celebrations to mark the centenary of the charity’s first aid unit in the town a range of activities are planned in the town and members of the public are welcome to come along and take part there will be gazebos in the paved area of Market Street and the local St John Cadets (10- to 17-year-olds) will be running a sponsored 100-minute CPR-a-thon from 10.30am There will also be a tombola and a display of the history of the unit in the town since 1924 Between 1.30pm and 3.30pm the volunteers will be running more general first aid demonstrations and passers-by are welcome to stop and learn some life saving first aid techniques the Cadets will be dressed in historic uniforms St John’s County President in Suffolk will be present with his own 1960s ambulance which has been beautifully restored to how it would have looked when in service including items of historic first aid equipment the charity’s fascinating museum at Preference Place will be open between 11am and 3pm on 4 May and visitors are welcome to come and learn more about the history of the North Walsham unit there will be a celebratory Church Service at St Nicholas’s starting at 3pm followed by an invitation-only celebratory tea plus local MP Duncan Baker and representatives from the County will be in attendance at the service and tea along with current Regional and District St John Management Teams and This service is open to all and those interested are asked to be seated by 2.50pm Cromer and North Walsham Unit Manager for St John Ambulance said: “We’re thrilled to be celebrating such an impressive milestone in the history of the North Walsham unit We’re really looking forward to sharing the weekend with members of the public and VIP guests who have provided invaluable support for St John in the local area over the years There are a lot of activities for visitors to get involved in or watch and we hope that people will take the time to come and learn some first aid cheer on the Cadets as they undertake their CPR-a-thon and talk to current and former volunteers about the vital role they have played in the town and surrounding villages over decades.” Are you a National or Key Account customer? Log in at our major accounts portal. We've sent you an email on how to re-set your password Enter your email address below and we will send you instructions on how to create a new password Your email address is registered on our Major Accounts portal – to receive your agreed pricing for training courses please proceed to the portal a by-election has been called to fill the councillor vacancy on North Norfolk District Council The by-election will take place on Thursday 12 September 2024 and a Notice of Election has been published here - Home | Upcoming elections, parish polls and referendums (north-norfolk.gov.uk) Nominations need to be submitted by 4pm on Thursday 15 August 2024 and Statements of Nominated Persons will be published on Friday 16 August To be eligible to vote in the upcoming by-election, you must register by Tuesday 27 August 2024.Register today at: www.gov.uk/register-to-vote  North Walsham parkrun welcomed 108 enthusiastic participants for our 146th event A special shout-out to the Norwich Moon Pigs Running Club who brought their vibrant energy to our event This unique club started as groups of friends running together during Covid times and decided to keep the tradition alive Thank you for visiting and for brightening up our parkrun with your fantastic club T-shirts Another mention goes to Chris and Georgina Peck who celebrated their wedding anniversary by joining us Who needs flowers and chocolates when you’ve got a 5k to conquer the bin collections in North Norfolk will be different from usual Serco will be conducting bin collections on a revised calendar for collections Please present your bin by 7am on your revised collection day Normal service will resume on the week commencing Monday 13 January, 2025.You can check your bin day using our webform and were granted nearly £45,000 for the purchase of floating pontoons and equipment to help them continue in their Light Craft Navigation project Their aim is to restore North Walsham & Dilham Canal with operations undertaken by dedicated volunteers who are restoring the canal on behalf of the proprietors The application to the Council was for modular pontoons which are sectional and can be assembled by the volunteers and therefore offer a level of versatility for them in their work to restore the canal The pontoons can also be used as static platforms along the canal or with the attachments of battery powered propulsion they can offer transportation of materials or equipment The grant has enabled the Canal Trust to futureproof their operations and accelerate the activity they can undertake to achieve their hopes of opening the whole waterway Hear from the North Walsham & Dilham Canal Trust about their grant experience: