More volunteers are needed to help out at a popular charity shop in Wymondham.
The East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices store is based at Anchor House, in Market Place, and open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm and between 10am and 4pm on Sunday.
Shop Manager Becky Cooke is keen to hear from anyone who might be interested in joining her team and supporting the cause. She said: “We’d love to hear from anyone interested in joining us. As many extra pairs of hands as possible would be wonderful. We’re looking for all-rounders who fancy helping with a variety of jobs, like sorting, pricing and operating the till. However, if anyone has any specific requests that’s fine, too. We’ll always do our best to cater for everyone. For instance, we have separate toy and book rooms and some people just love working in there.We’re a friendly bunch and anyone who joins us is assured of a warm welcome. Everyone’s equal and we all get stuck in together, as part of a team.”
EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex. It has three hospices, including one at The Nook, in Framingham Earl, just outside Norwich, and The Treehouse, in Ipswich.
“People may think they need to dedicate a big chunk of time but we’re grateful for anything people can give us, even just a couple of hours or popping in at lunchtime,” added Becky. “They’ll be doing something worthwhile and rewarding and if anyone fancies popping in or calling me, I’ll happily show them around and answer any questions. It’ll make a real difference and all the money raised in our shops goes towards our vital care services.”
EACH has developed a thriving retail sector which is an essential funding stream to keep care services running.
To find out more about volunteer opportunities, pop into the shop at 12 Market Place, Wymondham, Norfolk, NR18 0AX, call Becky on 01953 607467 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Five-star housing developer, Lovell, has unveiled the Steppe Mammoth it is sponsoring as part of Break’s GoGoDiscover 2022 trail and it can be discovered now until 10th September 2022 at Wymondham on Fairland Green.
Buzz has been designed by artist Donna Newman and is decorated with furry bumble bees, honeycomb and lavender. Symbolising the importance of bees in our ecosystem, Buzz is inspired by the fields of lavender which have long played a part in the landscape of Norfolk. It took Donna four days to decorate Buzz – with 40 different brushes being used!
Donna Newman from Eden Design is a freelance painter based in the Midlands and has family in Norfolk so is familiar with the countryside and also grows lavender in her own garden. Donna comments: “I love Buzz as he is inspired by bees and just looks amazing on Fairland Green outdoors and surrounded by nature. I used five different paints on Buzz and a hair dryer to make the paint dry quicker! I hope Break raises lots of money from the trail and auction, and thanks so much to Lovell for picking my design.”
Music maestro Barry Holden has admitted feeling “incredibly happy and proud” after raising just over £10,000 from the last of his hugely popular Norfolk festivals.
The 77-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.
The first was in 1986, inspired by Sir Bob Geldof’s global fundraiser, and another took place in January 2005, in the aftermath of the devastating Boxing Day tsunami. Barry’s gigs have since taken place every year bar two, because of Covid, but it was the end of an era when the last one was held at North Walsham Community Centre on Saturday, 28th May.
It was in aid of EACH and Addenbrooke's Teenagers Cancer Trust and both charities will receive £5,100.
Steely cyclists saddled up for a bumper biking challenge and raised more than £50,000 for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).
The charity’s popular Ride for Life event took place last weekend, with 32 people pedalling 200 miles through the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire countryside. Many more signed up for a one-day, 70-mile package, with 39 riding on Friday and 34 on both Saturday and Sunday. Between them, they raised a staggering £51,225 for EACH, which supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across East Anglia.
Events fundraiser Hannah Forbester said: “It was a huge success. “Everything went smoothly and everyone seemed to enjoy the experience. In terms of the amount raised, it’s an outstanding total. We were on around £45,000 by close of play on Thursday, so a further £6,000 came in while the cyclists were in action on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We couldn’t be happier and there’s still more sponsorship money to come, so that figure will grow even more. We were also thrilled to get such high numbers taking part. Everyone bonded and enjoyed sharing the experience together. Little groups formed, depending on pace, and there was plenty of encouragement for each other along the way. People made a point of clapping others as they arrived at the rest stops. We’ve had lots of positive feedback since and I know people who did the three-day challenge enjoyed cycling alongside those taking part on individual days. They said it gave them a real injection of energy.”
Anglian Vipers Rugby League is a new Rugby League club formed by Rob Humphries of WSX World Sports Exchange, Chris Wildish; former Naval Officer, Airline Captain and Author of “Please Don’t Cancel Christmas, Daddy” and Dave Parkin working for Deloitte in Norwich and a Rugby League player from Bath University and Silsden Storm.
The gap in the provision of Rugby League was noticed by Rob and Chris over 2 years ago. Covid got in the way of the initial plan but when Dave joined in, it became apparent that there were 3 likeminded individuals with different complimentary talents and the enthusiasm (in spades) to start a Rugby League Club to cover Norfolk and Suffolk and give everyone in the area the opportunity to try this slick, fast, hard hitting, exciting sport. Several names were considered but Anglian Vipers struck as the one name to appeal to everyone across the two counties and give an identity beyond just Norfolk or Suffolk.
A brand-new café at South Norfolk Council’s Wymondham Leisure Centre is proving popular, with their coffee hailed by customers as ‘the best they’ve ever tasted’.
Coffee with Flo opened its door on 1 April selling a variety of light lunches, cakes, snacks and drinks. The food is fresh and locally sourced, and everything is cooked from scratch. There’s also lots of healthy choices and plenty of vegan options to choose from, as well as a children’s menu.
Manager Florin Stoian, who has over 20 years’ experience in the catering industry said: “All our customers have been fantastic, giving us such great feedback, we have really been overwhelmed by their praise, particularly for our coffee and giant scones.”