14th Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September

The 14th Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival returns to South Quay on Saturday 7 September (10am to 6pm) and Sunday 8 September (10am to 5pm) to celebrate the town’s proud maritime past and our maritime future with visiting ships, live music, street entertainment, arts, crafts and children’s activities, . The festival is organised by Greater Yarmouth Tourist Authority.

Festival activities and entertainment on South Quay are free; a donation of £1 per visitor towards Festival costs is welcomed.

The Morgenster

Dutch square-rigged tall ship the Morgenster, which will also be offering sailing trips and steam tug Challenge, the last steam tug to work on the Thames will be in port. The Challenge, part of the National Historic Fleet, is best known for the role she played in Operation Dynamo, evacuating troops from Dunkirk in 1940. MTB102, the third last vessel to leave Dunkirk will also be alongside, as well as steam drifter Lydia Eva, RASC Fast Launch Humber, RNLI Great Yarmouth & Gorleston’s Samarbeta liefboat, HMCC Vigilant (customs cutter), MV Confidante (Gardline coastal survey vessel).

Steam Tug Challenge

Shanty and maritime music will be performed throughout the weekend at three different venues on South Quay. New visiting shanty groups are Nine Tenths Below from the North-West and Baggyrinkle from Swansea. Other performers at the festival are Sheringham Shantymen, Capstan Full Strength, Crossjack from Germany, The Jolly Rogers from Centre 81, Benny Graham and Chuck Fleming, the Mollyhawks and DPA Performing Arts Academy Gorleston.

BBC Radio Norfolk will be broadcasting their gardening programme “The Garden Party”, hosted by Thordis Fridriksson, on the main stage from 12 noon to 2pm on Saturday 7 September; the panel will look at growing plants by the sea.

Visitors will be able to meet Admiral Nelson, Mrs Hamilton, Lofty the Lighthouse and Horatio Herring; enjoy military re-enactments from East Norfolk Militia, street theatre from Inner State, punch and judy shows with Professor Pulson and face painting and balloon modelling.

Head to the BBC Summer of Wildlife stage to discover creatures filmed off the coast of Norfolk and find out what an underwater camera can see. Find out about the Broads and local nature reserves and make a dragonfly, a butterfly feeder or a flying wristband with the RSPB, or have a go at making herring kites and shark’s tooth necklaces with Norfolk Wildlife Trust.

Eastern Inshore Fisheries will have a tank full of local marine species to explore and Great Yarmouth Sea Life Centre will also give visitors the chance to get close to sea creatures.

Watch a maritime masterpiece being painted before your eyes, see lace making and spinning and have a go at making a fisherman’s net. There’s also face painting with a nautical theme.

Morgenster Sailings: there are five passenger sailing trips between Thursday 5 September and Sunday 8 September. Sailing duration will depend on the tide, but will last from 2½ to 3½ hours. Thursday 5 September at 9am and 2pm – £32 per person; Friday 6 September at 6.30pm – £35 per person; Saturday 7 September at 6pm –  £39 per person; Sunday 8 September at 6pm – £39 per person.  Tickets are on sale at Great Yarmouth Tourist Information Centre t 01493 332200 or online at www.maritime-festival.co.uk.

Aileen Mobbs, Festival Chairman and GYTA Honorary President said: “This will be our fourteenth Maritime Festival. We are enormously grateful to our festival sponsors who enable us to put on such a fantastic event every year. Our visitors are always delighted by the nautical nature of our festival, as we celebrate the town’s maritime past, present and future.”

The Maritime Festival sponsors are Seajacks UK Ltd, E.On Climate & Renewables, Eastport UK, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, ELM Contracts, Bunn’s Fertiliser, Gardline, BDO LLP, Petrofac, Bateman Groundworks & Wellington Construction. With thanks also to MDF Transport, Regional Scaffolding and Eastern Power

Space and Form – Norfolk Sculpture at Wymondham Arts Centre – September 3 to 15

Space and Form, a mixed sculpture exhibition featuring the work of six Norfolk artists, Viv Allen, Nick Ball, Judith Campbell, Lucy Edwards, Max Lamb and Dr Fiona Wilkes is at Wymondham Arts Centre from Tuesday, September 3 to Sunday, September 15.

The exhibition, featuring artists chosen by the sculptor Dominique Segurado, is open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm and Sunday, 12 noon to 5pm, free entry. Wymondham Arts Centre is at Becket’s Chapel, Church Street, Wymondham, Norfolk NR18 0PH.

Arthur Lucas, Arts Centre Director said: “Space and Form features an exciting mix of highly creative Norfolk sculptors presenting work that will entertain, challenge and inspire visitors to Wymondham Arts Centre. The works include abstract and figurative forms –– in glass, ceramics, found objects, and textiles. The scale ranges from the very large to domestic tabletop."

“The light and height of Becket's Chapel lends itself to sculpture: the shapes and spaces of the building itself becoming part of the exhibition, complementing but not dominating the modern works. Their shapes and forms provoke the imagination with an interplay of solidity and transparency, of bulk and empty space.”

Viv Allen from Brampton had a joint show with Karen Whiterod Step into our Worlds during Wymondham Arts Centre’s first season in 2009.  She creates sculptural ceramics as wall hangings and installations – both temporary and permanent: “My work evokes landscape and natural forms and the reflection of light on water and land. Finished pieces range from the small and framed to three-dimensional installations and composite pieces up to five metres tall.”

Judith Campbell is from Salthouse; her art is more likely to be found alone in a wild place than at a gathering, but for Wymondham she has ventured indoors. “Since graduating in fine art as a mature student in 1997, my love of nature and deep concern for the environment has become of paramount importance. Most of my work is sited in wilderness to honour the nature of the place.  These covert works of art, mostly of natural materials, are often never seen before they have been reclaimed by the seasons and the environment.”

“When it is discovered, the intense spiritual content often leads to appreciation by others.  A diptych made to express the sadness of a large area of heath land destroyed by fire was bought by the worshippers of Salthouse Church, renamed as ‘The Crown Of Thorns’ and placed in the altar space as a meditation on their faith.”

Torsos - Lucy Edwards

Lucy Edwards, who has a studio at Muspole Workshops in Norwich, will be exhibiting new figures for the first time, created for personal reasons. Lucy explains: “I’m a bit wary of the ‘art as therapy’ label but, for me, making has always been undeniably therapeutic and working now, in such a directly emotional way, is proving to be amazingly cathartic. The figures are personal but, as I prepare to exhibit them for the first time, I’m hopeful that they might go beyond being beneficial just to me and may also offer solace to anyone else dealing with life’s vicissitudes.”

Many Brisles Series - SALT Glass Studios

Max Lamb and Dr Fiona Wilkes run SALT glass studios, a glass and printmaking studio at Burnham Thorpe. They create sculptural installations exploring the boundaries between glass and print, using traditional processes from kiln cast, to free blown and screen-printing.

Max has worked with leading UK commercial glass studios and art institutions over the past 15 years including London Glassblowing Workshops, Flux Glass Design (which he ran for five years), London Glass Works and Sandfish Glass.

Fiona’s experience includes national and international educational projects, residencies and workshops in the UK, Caribbean and South America. Her solo and group shows include Kettle’s Yard Gallery, Tate Modern and National Art Gallery Guyana.

Nick Ball transforms objects to create pieces that challenge the imagination. He exhibited a 6x6x6-foot installation called ‘Black Cube’ at Wymondham Arts Centre in October 2010. Made from rows of suspended two-litre plastic drink bottles and originally designed for a sculpture exhibition in London for the visually impaired, the interplay between movement and sound was a great success with visitors. His major piece for this exhibition may not have as much movement, but is sure to intrigue. ‘Slidescraper’ is in homage to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building in New York. The piece explores the uniform façade of buildings integrated with stories of its occupants, played out by images of art, craft and architecture.

Fairhaven Garden Dog Day and Show - Norfolk Broads

Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden at South Walsham in the Norfolk Broads, is staging its fourth annual Dog Day on Saturday, August 31, from 10am to 4pm.

The event is a fun day for all dog lovers and a great opportunity for local residents to demonstrate pride in their dogs.

There is a dog show with 11 categories, including best puppy, waggiest tail, best rescue, best trick, prettiest bitch and handsomest male. It costs £1 to enter each category; proceeds go to Canine Partners. There is no need to enter in advance, just bring your dog along on the day and join in. Acle Feed and Seed and James Wellbeloved are sponsoring the Dog Show.

Other activities are K9 capers display team, ‘have a go’ dog agility, ‘have a go’ flyball, dog races and games, along with doggy stalls.

Entry to the Dog Day is £2 adults, £1 children and dogs free. The Dog Day is being staged next to the main car park. There is plenty of free parking.

Full list of dog show categories
11am prettiest bitch (puppy-5yrs)
11.20am prettiest bitch (6+yrs)
11.40am handsomest male (puppy-5yrs)
12noon handsomest male (6+yrs)
12.20pm best rescue
1.20pm best trick
1.40pm best senior
2pm best puppy
2.20pm waggiest tale
2.40pm best crossbreed
3pm best in show

Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden is at South Walsham, nine miles east of Norwich, signposted off A47 at B1140 junction, www.fairhavengarden.co.uk, tel. 01603 270449. Garden entry is adult £6, concessions £5.50 and child £3.50 (under 5 free).

The garden is open daily all year (closed Christmas Day), free entry to tearoom, gift shop and plant sales. There is wheelchair access throughout the garden, including a Sensory Garden. Visitors requiring special facilities are advised to telephone in advance, mobility scooters available. Dogs are welcome on leads; small charge to cover poop scoop.

The Graveyard Walk – meet Great Yarmouth characters from the past

Great Yarmouth Minster

Great Yarmouth Minster and its graveyard is the setting for The Graveyard Walk at 2pm on Wednesday 28 August. Meet at the Fishermen’s Hospital gates at the northern end of the market to hear fascinating stories about characters laid to rest in this large consecrated area next to the medieval town wall.

There’s the tomb of a sailor killed by pirates and a ghost story about an Egyptian princess. Hear about James Sharman (d.1867), the first curator of the Nelson Monument. Charles Dickens based the character Peggoty in David Copperfield on Mr Sharman, who served on HMS Victory at Trafalgar as a ‘pressed man’ and claimed to have carried Nelson’s body below decks.

See the monument commemorating those who died in the suspension bridge disaster of 1845 and discover the bricked up gate where some of Nelson’s sailors took their final journey, visit the town cemetery where sailors, merchants and the odd circus owner lie side by side next to six listed memorials. Explore the Minster and finish the walk with a nice cup of tea in the church.

Places must be booked in advance on 01493 846346 or by calling into Great Yarmouth Tourist Information Centre on Marine Parade. Prices: £6.50 adults, £4.50 children (7-16), under 7’s free. Ten paying people minimum required for the walk to go ahead. Price includes refreshments in the Minster, www.heritage-walks.co.uk.

Fairhaven Garden Children's Day – The Enchanted Sleep - Norfolk Broads

Head to Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden at South Walsham in the Norfolk Broads on Wednesday 28 August for a special Children’s Day from 11am to 3pm.

Step into the Fairytale Garden and enjoy The Enchanted Sleep, a new interactive play inspired by Sleeping Beauty and performed by Norwich-based The Greenword Tree. What is behind the bramble hedge? Will Mr Prince, the gardener, ever get them under control and from who is the Good/Bad Fairy stealing dreams? Children are invited to dress up as their favourite fairytale character and join in the fun. There will be two performances at 11.30am to 1.30pm.

The Greenword Tree will be running drama workshops after each performance. There will also be face painting and children's crafts and a sweet cart. Normal garden entry charges apply: adult £6, concessions £5.50 and child £3.50 (under 5 free).

Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden is at South Walsham, nine miles east of Norwich, signposted off A47 at B1140 junction, www.fairhavengarden.co.uk, tel. 01603 270449.

The garden is open daily all year (closed Christmas Day), free entry to tearoom, gift shop and plant sales. There is wheelchair access throughout the garden, including a Sensory Garden. Visitors requiring special facilities are advised to telephone in advance, mobility scooters available. Dogs are welcome on leads; small charge to cover poop scoop.

For more information about The Greenword Tree t. 01603 621912, www.thegreenwordtree.co.uk.

Raveningham Gardens Norfolk Broads August Bank Holiday Opening

Bacon Garden, photograph Anne Green Armitage

Raveningham Gardens, South Norfolk, is open Bank Holiday Sunday and Monday, 25 and 26 August, 2pm to 5pm.

Enjoy the herbaceous borders, 18th century walled kitchen garden, Victorian glasshouses, orchard, arboretum, herb garden, contemporary sculptures, 14th century church and views across the new lake established at the turn of the Millennium; tea and cake on sale.

Raveningham Gardens is also open on Thursday 29 August, 11am to 4pm.

Entry is adults £4, concessions £3.50 and children under 16 free. The gardens (NR14 6NS) are 10 miles south east of Norwich, signposted off the A146 at Hales, then B1136, t. 01508 548152, email office@raveningham.com,  www.raveningham.com.

Special Norfolk Food Festival Preview Event with The Maids Head Hotel and Winbirri Vineyard Friday 30 August 2013

The Norfolk Food Festival kicks off at the end of the month with a packed programme of events across the county from 31 August to 6 October.

The Maids Head Hotel and Winbirri Vineyard are running a special Food Festival preview event on Friday 30 August.

The Wine Press @ Wensum restaurant at the Maids Head Hotel

The event starts at the Maids Head Hotel in the historic Cathedral Quarter in Norwich, where you will be collected at 1.30pm and taken to the Winbirri Vineyard at Surlingham, in the Norfolk Broads, for a tour with wine tasting, cheese and nibbles. Then return to the Maids Head Hotel for a three-course Norfolk wine and dine menu featuring Norfolk dapple soufflé, rump of Smallburgh lamb and Norfolk rhubarb parfait. Each course will matched with a Winbirri wine.

Winbirri Vineyard Surlingham Norfolk

The cost is £60 per person including transport to and from the vineyard, tour and dinner at the Maids Head Hotel. To book tickets t.01603 209955, email events@maidsheadhotel.co.uk.

Norfolk Food Festival is running a special competition for two tickets to the event and overnight stay at the Maids Head, which is believed to be the oldest hotel in Britain. For competition details go to www.norfolkfoodfestival.co.uk, detail to enter is 23 August. 

More to appreciate in Great Yarmouth – new official free tourism app

Tourism bosses today launched the new official Great Yarmouth app, available free for iPhone and iPad users. The new tourism app is suitable for phones and tablets running iOS6 and is available from the app store now. Search for ‘Great Yarmouth’ and look out for the ‘i heart GY’ icon. An Android version will follow soon. 

Left to right at Sara's Tearoom: David Helsdon – Tourism Events Manager, Cllr Michael Jeal – Chair of the Greater Yarmouth Tourist Authority, Lyn Bird – Marketing & Systems Assistant, Ken Sims – GYTA Marketing Director & owner of Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens, Alan Carr – Greater Yarmouth Tourist Authority CEO, Albert Jones – GYTA Director & owner of Great Yarmouth PleasureBeach, Sally Davies – The Southern & Matt Smith – Sara’s Tearooms.

There’s everything that visitors to the borough of Great Yarmouth need for a great day out or stay on the new tourism app. Covering the whole borough, from Hopton-on-Sea in the south, to Winterton-on-Sea in the north and Repps-with-Bastwick and Clippesby in the west, the app is packed with useful information about the entire resort, as well as the most up to date information about what’s on. 

The app features in-built maps, images and information to help visitors plan their holiday, from details about activities such as boat trips, swimming pools and golf, to tourist attractions, food and drink and entertainment, as well as where to stay, car parks, toilets and cash machines.

The app uses a combination of phone signal and GPS to identify the user’s location and reference it against the attractions and facilities on the maps. Users can choose to view the information in a list ordered alphabetically or by nearest location to them or on a map. A blue marker on the map shows where they are in relation to the items displayed.  The app was developed by Norfolk firm pocketi as a free trial.

The maps and information are stored on the phone, so there is no need to constantly download data, saving on charges and helping reduce battery usage. Free updates will be available from the app store. 

The app currently includes all graded accommodation that advertise in the Great Yarmouth Holiday Brochure, along with all tourist attractions, cafés, restaurants and pubs on the tourism database.

The app has been tested by members of the Greater Yarmouth Tourist Authority’s Marketing Group in locations all over the borough to ensure that the app is accurate in all areas of the holiday resort, not just on the seafront. More information will be uploaded over the coming months, including shops, takeaways, parks and gardens. 

Ken Sims, Marketing Director of the Greater Yarmouth Tourist Authority and owner of Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens said: “We are always delighted to investigate the use of new technology to extend Great Yarmouth’s marketing reach to potential visitors and to make their holidays even more enjoyable once they are in the borough. The Greater Yarmouth Holiday Brochure can already be downloaded as an app, but given the high number of people now using smart phones to assist them with their holiday or day trip plans when they are actually here, the GYTA Marketing Group seized the opportunity to develop this more practical app, which will help guide people around the area.”

Councillor Michael Jeal, Chair of the Greater Yarmouth Tourist Authority said: “The new official Greater Yarmouth tourism app is an excellent resource for all visitors to the borough. The GPS technology used in the app will help guide you to your accommodation, attraction, café, restaurant, car park and even the nearest cash machine and toilets.”  

For an immediate link to the app, users can go to the official Greater Yarmouth tourism website at www.great-yarmouth.co.uk and click on the App Store link, or for more information contact Great Yarmouth Tourist Information Centre t. 01493 846346.

Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival Tall Ship Sailings on the Morgenster

Dutch square-rigged tall ship the Morgenster, one of the visiting vessels at this year’s Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September, is also offering sailing trips.

Morgenster was built a sailing herring lugger. Launched in 1919, motorised and extended in 1927, she fished for herring until 1970. Then she went into the sport angling business, before a brief interlude as pirate radio vessel, Radio Del Mare.  The current owner and skipper Harry Mueter, bought the Morgenster in 1983, restored her and she began life as a sail training vessel in 2008.

Booking for the Great Yarmouth cruises is now open online at www.maritime-festival.co.uk, or Great Yarmouth Tourist Information Centre, t 01493 332200.

Sailings depart from the south end of South Quay and last from 2½-3½ hours.
Thursday 5 September at 9am and 5pm – £32 per person
Friday 6 September at 6.30pm – £35 per person
Saturday 7 September at 6pm – £39 per person
Sunday 8 September at 6pm – £39 per person.

Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival, on Saturday 7 September (10am to 6pm) and Sunday 8 September (10am to 5pm), celebrates the town’s proud maritime past and our maritime future with visiting ships, live music, street entertainment, arts, crafts and children’s activities.

The Festival takes place on South Quay; activities and entertainment are free (except for river and sailing trips). A donation of £1 per visitor towards Festival costs is welcomed.

Shanty and maritime music is performed throughout the weekend at three different venues on South Quay. Visitors will be able to go onboard Dutch square-rigged tall ship the Morgenster, which will be also be offering sailing trips.

Steam tug Challenge, the last steam tug to work on the Thames will be in port. The Challenge, part of the National Historic Fleet, is best known for the role she played in Operation Dynamo, evacuating troops from Dunkirk in 1940.

Visitors will be able to meet Admiral Nelson, Mrs Hamilton, Lofty the Lighthouse and Horatio Herring; enjoy military re-enactments from East Norfolk Militia, street theatre from Inner State, punch and judy shows with Professor Pulson and face painting and balloon modelling.

For more information see www.maritime-festival.co.uk.