South Norfolk Council’s Leisure Team have recently launched a brand-new YouTube channel to help residents keep fit and active during lockdown.
The Council’s 3 Leisure Centres in Diss, Wymondham and Long Stratton were forced to close in March, but the team have been busy creating free content to help inspire residents to try new ways of exercising and keep fit at home.
Over the coming weeks, the team will post Pilates, Yoga, HIIT workouts and much more on their South Norfolk Leisure channel.
Cabinet Member Councillor Yvonne Bendle, said: “Just because our residents can’t get to the gym, it doesn’t mean they can’t take part in exercise classes, we will be posting regular videos to help keep people active at home. There will be something for everyone on our channel, from people who are new to fitness, to those who are regular gym-goers. With new videos every week, we hope they will help motivate our residents to maintain a healthy lifestyle in these difficult times. Give our free classes a go and if you like the videos, don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel.”
Visit the South Norfolk Leisure Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/
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.”
Nominations for Broadland District and South Norfolk Council’s Business Awards are now open. The Awards recognise and celebrate the amazing array of successful businesses in both districts.
Despite the challenges of the past 18 months, many businesses have survived and even thrived, not just financially, but by being adaptable, innovative and excelling at supporting the very communities that have supported them.
To recognise this, the Councils have added five new categories to the awards, including Outstanding Employer, Business in the Community, Working Together, Business Resilience and Business Innovation.
Businesses are invited to nominate themselves for an award in any of the 10 categories and residents can support their favourite business by nominating them as ‘Retailer of the Year’.
Last week, the stars of South Norfolk were invited to a special Community Champions reception, held by Council Chairman Florence Ellis.
Fourteen awards were handed out to individuals who have gone above and beyond to improve the lives of local residents at the event which was held at the Corn Hall in Diss.
Councillor Florence Ellis said: “We wanted to say thank you to these remarkable people who have shown unbelievable kindness and compassion when it has mattered the most. The service they have provided to residents and continue to provide has made a huge difference to the lives of local people and we wanted to recognise and applaud that.”
Certificates were handed to: Park Radio, Robin Stamp, Lorraine Burrell, Liz Brown, Heather Jackson, Cathy Harvey, Pauline Shadbolt, Samantha England, Lizzy Pegg, Michael Harroven, Matt Scade, Ann Gibbins, Jill Casson and Hilary Springett.
South Norfolk Council’s Leisure Centre in Long Stratton has achieved a rating of ‘excellent’ from Quest – the industry’s go-to scheme for quality assurance.
The assessment focussed on the Leisure Centre’s recovery from the pandemic and its ongoing Covid-19 security measures. A range of areas were put under the spotlight including cleanliness and hygiene, how effectively the Centre was managed, the customer experience and community engagement.
South Norfolk Councillor Alison Thomas, Cabinet member for Better Lives, said: "The team at Long Stratton Leisure Centre have worked extremely hard to keep our customers safe during this pandemic and its fantastic they have received this top accreditation as recognition. It’s also an assurance to all our customers that they can continue to keep fit and healthy in a Covid-secure environment.”
Two local councils are calling on residents and businesses to dispose of their waste responsibly, or they could face a hefty fine.
In the last 12 months, Broadland District and South Norfolk Council have carried out 206 fly-tipping investigations, resulting in fines for businesses and residents who have broken the law and blighted the countryside with their waste.
South Norfolk Cabinet Member for Clean and Safe Environment Councillor Michael Edney said: “We live in a beautiful part of the world and we want to keep it that way. Fly-tipping is selfish and harmful to the environment and wildlife, it blights our countryside and costs taxpayers over £50K a year to clean up. If you are caught fly-tipping, we will not hesitate to fine you.”
Just this month, a mobile catering business was issued with a £300 fixed penalty notice for fly-tipping business waste in a lay-by near Diss. Not only did the owner have to pay the fixed penalty, but also had to pay for the waste to be removed by a licensed waste contractor. The owner was also advised on how to dispose of waste properly and legally in the future.
