South Norfolk Council’s leisure centres are offering free online gym membership until 1 March, allowing members access to more than 30 live streamed classes and more than 60 on demand classes. By signing up to Your Home Workout, members can try a range of professional classes, from energetic Dance Fit, Body Pump and High Intensity Interval Training to Yoga and Pilates, free of charge, and then for just £10 a month after 1 March. An online class timetable, for those wanting to join in live, is on the South Norfolk Council website – search ‘Your Home Workout from the homepage to view it and see what you’d like to try. 

The ground has been broken to start construction of Great Yarmouth’s exciting new state-of-the-art Marina Centre, with Great Yarmouth Borough Council sharing a video on social media in order to celebrate this exciting milestone with the community. The council’s £26m investment will be a major boost to the economy and community for decades to come, acting as a catalyst for potential further investment and seafront regeneration, whilst supporting health and well-being for the whole borough. While it was not possible to stage a ground-breaking ceremony on-site, the council worked with main contractor Morgan Sindall Construction to create a “virtual ground-breaking ceremony” in the form of a video shared with residents on the council’s social media channels.

South Norfolk Council has supported more than 100 families, including more than 150 children, so far this festive season by providing toys, tins of chocolates and Christmas food hampers.The packages and presents were distributed by South Norfolk Council and Broadland Councils’ Help Hub, a partnership between organisations that support people in the two districts by offering practical help, advice and guidance. Donations to make this gifting possible came from The Salvation Army, two local businessmen who have supported the initiative for several years, local charities and community groups, council staff and members of the public. The Help Hub will continue distributing these festive packs to families in need over the coming fortnight to help make Christmas extra special and make sure that no one gets forgotten on Christmas day.

Residents and visitors are asked to complete a short survey to help bolster a major funding bid to The National Lottery Heritage Fund to save and revive Great Yarmouth’s Winter Gardens. The Grade II*-listed landmark is a national heritage gem, the UK’s last surviving Victorian seaside cast iron and glass winter gardens, and it requires significant national investment to repair and restore, supported by a robust business plan for re-use. With the project among only 12 shortlisted nationally to apply to the Heritage Horizons Awards scheme, Great Yarmouth Borough Council is working with conservation specialists and a preferred operator to finalise the application to the first stage of this very competitive multi-stage national funding pot.