All Things Norfolk are delighted to be able to share with you a short documentary "Every Footstep" which has been made by George Parker and Ben Barter and follows Kees Jones, a young farmer from Holt, whose life has revolved around his third-generation family farm, during the harvest season of 2020.
Over the summer months, George and Ben spent many hours following Kees, documenting the various processes involved in harvest. They wanted to capture the spirit of the farming life, and also pay tribute to the romance of Norfolk's natural surroundings. Primarily, the film is a portrayal of Kees; his life and his work, conveying that the two things are synonymous with one another. They found particular poignance in Kees’ passion for his job, demonstrating the great value that can be found in pursuing work that is meaningful.
George and Ben began filming the documentary in July of 2020. Seeing that Ben and George were both childhood friends of Kees, access to him and his farm was very easy and informal. They spent July and August making regular trips to the farm, spending the odd day here and there with Kees and documenting his day-to-day activities ( and trying their best not to get in the way! ). They finished filming in late September, with harvest coming to a close and the pair of them having to go back to their final year of University. The editing process took a couple of months and the final cut was finished in time for Christmas. They are happy with the final product and very much enjoyed the time they spent on the farm. They know that Kees enjoyed the process as well; frankly, George and Ben think he just liked a bit of company - It does get lonely out on those tractors !
To view the documentary "Every Footstep" please click on the image below
About George Parker (22) and Ben Barter (22)
The pair are in their final years of University and are both pursuing careers in film. They are local to Norfolk - Ben lives in Foulsham and George lives in Fakenham. They are great lovers of Norfolk and the English countryside, which translates well on screen.
In the latest in our series finding out a little bit more about what it is like running a local independent business in Norfolk we caught up with the team behind The Hemporium Shops, one of our newest business members.
What is the History of The Hemporium Shops?
We opened our first Hemporium in Hunstanton in August 2019 followed by the second in Wells next the Sea in the first easing of the pandemic lockdown in June 2020. The third was in Holt in August 2020 with the fourth in September 2020 in Norwich just before the November lockdown. Finally shop number 5 was due to open on 5th November in Burnham Market but stalled due to the November lockdown being imposed but then opened briefly in the December prior to Tier 4 imposition for Xmas and then the January 5th 2021 lockdown! So the next stage of easing in April could see all 5 shops open for the first time ever!
On Friday 28 February, over 275 children from 8 local schools attended open rehearsals at the Auden Theatre in Holt.
The children, aged between 7 and 12 were invited to hear members of the London Mozart Players performing pieces in rehearsal, ahead of their public performance later that evening. Amongst the programme was Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4 performed by horn player Ben Goldscheider, who was the winner of Brass Section of the BBC Young Musician of the Year winner 2016, when he was 18 years old.
Saturday (29th) saw over 80 young brass, strings and woodwind musicians taking in a free workshop to perform as an orchestra. For the workshop, specialist music tutor Helen Stowell of the Norfolk Music Service specially arranged a range of pieces from Mozart’s Horn Concerto to Havana, by Camilla Cabello. For many of these young musicians, this was their very first ensemble performance and a unique moment to play great orchestral pieces with other musicians.
Councillors from the Town and District Councils together with the public and NNDC’s Countryside Rangers celebrated the opening of the exciting new facility, which includes a modern zip line, bug see-saw, and 3 different swings, one of which is an inclusive bucket swing and a ‘me & you’ swing where parents and toddlers can swing together.
The new area replaces the old playground, which stood in place for 12 years and needed updating, and was funded by North Norfolk District Council to provide a modern children’s play area for the thousands of visitors to the Green Flag Award winning park.
The ribbon was cut by Leader of NNDC, Cllr Sarah Bütikofer with help from youngsters and their families already enjoying the new attractions, and cakes were provided by the on-site tea room, Hetty’s House, to mark the occasion.
A Bakers & Larners of Holt customer is celebrating after winning a £250 gift card as part of the award-winning independent store’s ‘golden giveaway’.
Mr Barry Williams, who regularly visits Baker & Larners from his home near Fakenham, popped into the store to pick up provisions from the store’s food hall.
Mr Williams was presented his golden envelope from sales assistant Nettie on Wednesday 5 February.
The golden giveaway was launched by Bakers & Larners of Holt in January to say thank you to its customers during its 250th anniversary of trading in the Georgian town.
A year of fundraising by staff at CT Baker Budgens of Holt has resulted in a donation of £19,885 being made to Macmillan Cancer Support, north Norfolk
During 2019, staff baked, walked and hosted lots of events throughout the year to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support which provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer.
Staff joined Jane Gurney-Read, Acting Managing Director for the CT Baker Group, who presented a cheque for £19,885 to local Macmillan Cancer Support volunteers. The charity was chosen by staff in memory of a valued colleague who sadly passed away.