 HEAR'SAY
He's Back!!!
AT LAST! Yes folks it is I Le clerc! Or rather your old codger Vic. Back from the void
or the new Sheringham Tesco car park. Well neither are very inspiring I can tell you.
Well, have you missed me? I suspect many might say yes, like a Guantanimo Bay prisoner
would miss a bacon sandwich. And no I haven't been to prison, joined the French (pah!)
foreign legion, the BNP or had a baby! In fact the reasoning for abandoning my post as
gossip raconteur was purely a personal domestic matter and now all is well. Hurrah! And
you may well be pleased.
As now, so much has gone on in and around town that I don't really know where to start. I
see that as long as the government don't tax it out of existence before it's able to get a
new foothold with it's punters, that the Dunstable Arms is again in full swing and finally
serving beer and fare to the masses. A good service indeed for all those dew pond watchers
whence they return to their modest dwellings town side of reality.
It would prove to be a rather useful watering hole don't you know? ! Then what with
rumours flying around as to the next use of Woolworth's it's now anyone's guess and I'm
now taking odds on Bet Fred having a book on the outcome. Ten to one it's a lap-dancing
venue for the SCAMROD protesters, who as we know would do anything to keep a rather large
store out at any cost. Oh how I'd chuckle if that one ever came about. Still I had better
not jest. Yarmouth got theirs!
Now then. One hopes that the weather has finally started to get better behaved. Except for
the odd hailstorm and with that cherishing thought in mind we cast our thoughts to the
inevitable losing of the hour at the end of the month and then Easter or is that not a
politically correct term now. I guess it's probably now called spring festival. And what
ever you do, get those veggie-fat full cream lardy gut expanding eggs now before Whitehall
slaps a great big tax tariff on them.
Personally I don't think we should all suffer the same fate of taxation. After all the
government only want to stop obese people getting larger. So the obvious solution surely
would be to test the customer's BMI index before purchase, thus banning any overweight
folk from buying it (as clearly they don't need any more) let the skinny lot stuff
themselves (in moderation of course) and Bob's your uncle, safe, controllable fat control.
Or just put Jo Brand behind the counter of every Spar shop. It doesn't really matter I
suppose. As kids these days seem to have other worldly appetites on their minds than
eating Easter eggs when they are twelve and fifteen years old respectfully! Still the
new-borns would soon grow large enough to enjoy their first bag of white buttons and a
bottle of cider before it's Ten!
Moving on and I see that the world is a safer place with a black American President the
Irish troubles were solved by compensating all those affected by generous hand outs and
Sheringham's poppy line hosted it's 50th anniversary - of it's closure!? A somewhat
contradiction in terms me thinks, but hey who am I to knock the hoarding masses that
accrued at the station for a couple of weeks to view and enjoy those wonderful tinderboxed
beasties brought in by road on low loaders at £1000 a time!
Never mind by next year they will arrive via Norwich and railroad straight through
Shering-Henge and Ottendorf Green. So where will the poor "'ow muchers? Munch their
ice-creams in the wind then eh? They will have snapped away the centre of the ice-cream
eater's world in one foul scoop of vanilla and strawberry forever leaving us bereft and
chocolate flaked off quite frankly.
Any way peeps and good readers of Sheringham and beyond I bid you farewell for this
edition and hopefully you'll be back next month for the next instalment of Vic's tales. So
'till then be good.
Take care now Vic. |
Cutting costs for disabled children's families
Conservative Spokesman welcomes the launch of a new website
North Norfolk's Conservative Spokesman, Trevor Ivory, is encouraging local families with
disabled children to use Family Fund Extra, a free-to-join online buying club that offers
discounts on thousands of products and services.
Trevor Ivory said, "Family Fund Extra will help families with disabled children in
North Norfolk make their money go further and I warmly welcome this new initiative."
National charity, The Family Fund, is behind the new website, which offers online
discounts from leading high street names such as Comet and Argos. Chief Executive Derek
Walpole said, "The Family Fund is always looking for new ways for disabled children's
families to keep their costs down."
As well as offering reductions for disabled children's families, the website also enables
everyone to help disabled children while shopping online. Derek Walpole explained,
"One click from the Extra website takes you to Amazon, Trainline and a hundred other
sites. You pay the same and they give the Family Fund a small commission to help severely
disabled children." The Family Fund makes grants worth £30 million to 48,000
disabled children's families a year for the things they need.
Visit familyfundextra.org.uk
to find out more.
Trevor Ivory, Parliamentary Spokesman for North Norfolk
Support for local producers central to economic survival
National Trust report sets out a ‘charter’ to support local food producers.
Supporting local producers is integral to the long-term survival of regional
businesses, communities and character, according to the National Trust in a new report
published today (Monday). The National Trust is well known for the conservation work
it carries out in its stately homes, nature reserves and coastal habitats. It also manages
dozens of historic kitchen gardens, allotments and other growing spaces, many of which
give local communities the space to grow their own. Today’s report, Appetite
for change, shares the progress the National Trust has made in supporting producers, farm
tenants and fishing communities by sourcing sustainably produced, local and seasonal food
for its 150 restaurants and cafes across the country. It also sets out the
charity’s ‘charter’ to continue this local food sourcing policy, looking at
ways it can ensure the survival of regional character, food heritage, minimise food miles
and invest in the local economy, helping it weather the economic pressure currently being
experienced. In 2008, the National Trust supported local businesses by contributing over
half a million pounds to producers in the region.
Jennifer Forrest, the charity’s local food ‘champion’, said: “Food
plays a vital part in our lives; and with budgets being stretched we believe that buying
locally produced food can offer great value, reduce food miles, support the regional
economy and what’s more, it tastes so much better. “Food has become an
anonymous commodity and we are committed to inspiring people to think about where and how
their food is produced. Around a third of all food bought by consumers in the UK is thrown
away each year, most of it before its sell by date; that just seems such a shocking
waste.” Jennifer added: “Good food has sometimes been marketed as a
luxury, with a price to match, often putting people off. By encouraging an interest in
traceability we hope people will realise the hidden costs of anonymous, mass produced food
– costs to the environment, local economy and to our taste buds.” This
report follows an announcement that the National Trust wants to provide an extra 1000
allotments across the country over the next three years, offering communities the
opportunity to experience the pleasure of growing their own. Miss Forrest concluded
“Let’s not take the food on our plate for granted. We hope this report will
plant a seed in people’s minds, encouraging a growth of interest in the benefits of
local food.” *The full report Appetite for change can be found – from
Monday 23 March 2009 - at http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/food. |
