Check out Peter Sargent's new East Anglian history book, A Place in History: 50 More East Anglian Moments in time.

"Shining a light on our region's rich history," Let's Talk magazine

"A Place in  History...takes us on a glorious stroll through the life and times of not just Norwich and Norfolk, but the rest of East Anglia." Eastern Daily Press

Read one of Peter's stories here, the Duel in Ber Street Norwich (1600)

Peter Sargent

A Place in History, price £12, is on sale at Jarrold Norwich, Jarrold at The Forum Norwich, Waterstones Norwich, King's Lynn and Bury St Edmunds, The Book Hive Norwich, Revelation Christian Bookshop Norwich, Jarrold Cromer, The Holt Bookshop, Ceres Bookshop Swaffham, George E Reeve Wymondham, Ketts Books Wymondham, The Diss Publishing Bookshop, Burrows Bookshop Ely, Browsers Bookshop Woodbridge, Allthingsnorfolk and Amazon.

New Aural Care Service from Norfolk Deaf Association

Norfolk Deaf Association (NDA) is offering a new Aural Care Service at its Meridian Business Park head office in Norwich.

The Aural Care clinics provide an earwax removal service, using microsuction, and are run by highly qualified registered staff nurses, who are trained and experienced in aural care procedures.

Linda Shelton carrying out a microsuction procedure

Aliona Derrett, Chief Executive Officer, NDA explained: “We are very pleased that we are able to offer this new service to the people of Norfolk, so soon after our June move into a new head office. Funding for the equipment came from a number of grant making trusts.”

“The Aural Care Service is responding to identified need in the county; we have written to all GP practices, encouraging them to refer patients. However, no formal referral is required and patients can make an appointment direct with NDA. We would very much like to offer ear wax removal as a free service, but as a charity we need to cover our costs, so currently the charge is £30.”

“I would like to thank Linda Shelton, our Aural Care Practitioner, who has helped us set up a very professional service. Our ambition is to eventually extend our clinics to other premises within the Norfolk community.”

The microsuction technique removes excessive or troublesome earwax. It is generally accepted to be the safest and most effective method, and is performed with the aid of an operating microscope and a finely calibrated suction device. The procedure is syringe free.

The removal of earwax is essential for people who use hearing aids and experience excess wax, as well as many individuals who suffer from hearing reduction due to significant earwax build up in the ear canal.

NDA currently supports more than 11,500 patients in Norfolk who use hearing aids. The charity deals with many cases where individuals stop using their hearing aid altogether, because they believe that their aid is ineffective or ‘broken’, when in fact their ear, hearing aid mould and tubes are blocked with wax.

Comments from patients:

“The procedure was fine, carried our very professionally with great care and consideration.”

“I have no hesitation in recommending the treatment to anyone. My hearing does seem so much better now. A first class, great value, service.”

“Microsuction is much cleaner, not as messy as the syringe. It was a very straightforward procedure and my hearing has improved.”

“I found the experience friendly, very professional, and good value for money, thank you.”

To make an appointment please email appointments@norfolkdeaf.org.uk or t. 01603 404440, fax 01603 404443. The Aural Care clinics are held at NDA, 14 Meridian Way, Meridian Business Park, Norwich NR7 0TA. Free parking is available for patients.

For more information about NDA and its services see www.norfolkdeaf.org.uk.

On The Edge 'book surgeries' at Brundall Medical Centre, Norfolk

Tony Ashman with one of his book 'patients', Heather

Retired Norfolk GP, Tony Ashman is donating proceeds from the sale of his debut mystery novel, On The Edge, to his former medical practice, Brundall Medical Centre, for the purchase of much needed equipment.

Tony is holding a series of 'book surgeries' at Brundall Medical Centre between now and Christmas. People can book direct with Tony to meet him and buy a signed copy of the book, every Thursday and Monday from November 15 to December 20.

To book an appointment at one of Tony's book surgeries, please email tony.ashman@rocketmail.com. For more information click on 'News' at www.brundallmedicalcentre.nhs.uk.

On The Edge, price £9.00, is set in the Lake District and Scotland and features five main characters whose lives are all 'on the edge'. Psychologist Alice is struggling to keep herself together after the year from hell. Circus performer Bonny is already falling apart. Private investigator Sammy is drinking himself to death. Guitarist Angus is nearing the end of the road and prisoner Harry is already there.

Tony Ashman explained: “I’ve decided that all personal proceeds from sales of the book will be donated to NHS-related causes, initially Brundall Medical Centre. I've been delighted with the response to the first week of 'book surgeries' at Brundall, selling more than 70 books and am looking forward to the run up to Christmas.”

On The Edge is also on sale at Jarrold Norwich, Jarrold Cromer, allthingsnorfolk.com and Amazon and is available as an e-book.

On The Edge  is published by Paul Dickson Books, www.pauldicksonbooks.co.uk.

Norfolk Black History Month – Mary Seacole Portrait Unveiled at City Hall Norwich

Glenda Forde with Danny Keen and his portrait of Mary Seacole

Glenda Forde, Chair of the Mary Seacole Memorial Association unveiled a portrait of Mary Seacole at City Hall Norwich on Monday, October 1. The portrait by Jamaican artist, Danny Keen, will be on display at City Hall until Wednesday, October 31, marking Norfolk Black HistoryMonth.

Mary Seacole, the 19^th century Jamaican nurse, entrepreneur, adventuress, and writer is remembered for her work caring for sick British soldiers during the Crimean War. She has strong Norfolk connections through her husband Horatio Hamilton Seacole. Officially he was the godson of Horatio Nelson and Emma Hamilton, but it is believed that he may have been their natural child.

Danny Keen's portrait of Mary Seacole was commissioned by the Mary Seacole Memorial Association. Glenda Forde, the association's Chair said: “I would like to thank Danny Keen for his wonderful portrait of Mary Seacole, which celebrates a unique connection between the UK, Norfolk and Jamaica.”

Danny Keen's portrait of Mary Seacole

Danny Keen added: “It has been a great pleasure to paint Mary Seacole's portrait. She is an inspirational figure, with this close connection with Norfolk through Horatio Nelson. Jamaica, to my knowledge, is the only place where you can visit one of Nelson's homes, which today is cared for by the Jamaican National Trust.

Norfolk Black History Month runs throughout October with a busy programme of art, music, film, talks and history events celebrating 70 years of the Windrush generation, and also marking the centenaries of the end of World War I and the Representation of the People Act, which gave women the right to vote. For the full programme of events see www.norfolkblackhistorymonth.org.

Norfolk Black History Month – October – Celebrating 70 Years of the Windrush Generation

Norfolk Black History Month Launch, City Hall, Norwich, Frifday 28 September, left to right Abraham Eshetu, Norfolk Black History Month Committee, Councillor Martin Schmierer Lord Mayor of Norwich, Danny Keen Chair Norfolk Black History Month and guest speaker Lord John Bird, founder of the Big Issue 

Norfolk Black History Month returns throughout October with a busy programme of art, music, film, talks and history events celebrating 70 years of the Windrush generation, and also marking the centenaries of the end of World War I and the Representation of the People Act, which gave women the right to vote. For the full programme of events see www.norfolkblackhistorymonth.org.

Danny Keen, Norfolk Black History Month Chair explained: ““Our theme this year is Celebrating 70 years of the Windrush Generation. Coincidentally, it turned out to be the year that a British Prime Minister had to apologise for the dreadful mistreatment of black British citizens by successive governments.”

“I am Jamaican, from the same cohort who have been cruelly victimised. Fortunately for me in the early 1970s, I became aware of the Government's announcement that Caribbean people living in the UK needed to become naturalised, as we were joining the Common Market.”

“Despite the injustice meted out to Caribbean immigrants, we won’t let the Government spoil the party! We are going to dance to Salsa and, groove to Jamaican Jazz during Norfolk Black History Month. There’s lots to celebrate! We invite everyone to enjoy and explore the joyous impact of black culture on British society.”

“This year we have two major historical landmarks,” added Danny Keen. “The centenaries of the end of World War I, and the centenary of women being able to vote. In World War I many black people volunteered to fight for King and Empire. As a Norfolk resident, I am proud that two sons of Thetford, both of whom had grandmothers who were African slaves, served with outstanding gallantry. Major Prince Frederick Duleep Singh, and Captain Noel Glaysier Minns MC, DSO, MD served during World War I when the military rule book banned black or coloured people from becoming officers.”

“During World War I Princess Sofia Duleep Singh opened a hospital and tended to wounded soldiers herself, she was also a prominent suffragette, and went to India to promote the rights of her people.”

Norfolk Black History Month Highlights

Monday, October 1, 10am at Norwich City Hall: unveiling of Jamaican artist Danny Keen's portrait of Mary Seacole by Glenda Forde, Chair of The Mary Seacole Memorial Association. The portrait will be on display at City Hall throughout October. Mary Seacole, the 19^th century Jamaican nurse had strong connections to Norfolk. Her husband, Horatio Hamilton Seacole was a member of the Suckling family. Horatio Nelson's mother was Catherine Suckling.

October 1 to 31, Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, Ancient House Museum, Thetford: Discover the stories of Thetford's black World War I heroes Major Prince Frederick Duleep Singh and Captain Noel Glaysier Minns and the work of Suffragette Princess Sofia Duleep Singh.

October 9 to 31, Norwich Millennium Library (ground floor): Windrush and the American Civil Rights Movement – Danny Keen art exhibition. A selection of work that Danny Keen created in the 1960s in response to the American Civil Rights Movement.

October 10, Stage 2, Theatre Royal, Norwich, 7.30pm: Britain on Film, Black Britain, featuring film from 1901 to 1985. Free event, but tickets must be booked in advance.

October 14, The Hub Cafe Bar, Sheringham Little Theatre, 7.30pm to 10pm, ticket £10: Jazz & The Windrush – a salute to the music of the 1940s with Vic Brown & The Band

October 16, Norwich Millennium Library, 7pm to 9pm: Caribbean Voices: celebrating a century of Caribbean women's writing, hosted by Dr Claire Hynes, UEA.

October 18, Revolution De Cuba, Norwich, 9pm to 1am: Jose Ferrera & his Cubanda , Salsa Extravaganza.

October 24, Sheringham Library, 11am to 12noon and Cromer Library 2pm to 3pm: African Drumming with Millicent Chapanda. Workshop costs £3 per person. Book via Sheringham Library, t 01263 822874.

October 25, Horsford Cricket Club, 7pm, ticket £5: An evening with former England cricketer, Devon Malcolm with Jamaican buffet dinner. Please book in advance, email rob.kelly@live.co.uk .

October 28, Norwich War Memorial, 11am: Commemorating the black volunteers of World War I.

October 28, The Cafe Bar, St George's Theatre , Great Yarmouth, 1pm to 3pm, ticket £6: Jazz & The Windrush – a salute to the music of the 1940s with Vic Brown & The Band.

November 3, St Miles Church, Coslany, Norwich, 5pm to 9pm: Pablo Fanque Norfolk's Black Legend, celebrating 250 years of the circus, an evening of entertainment for all the family. T 01603 568364 for tickets.

For more information see www.norfolkblackhistorymonth.org .

A Place in History – new East Anglian History Book by Peter Sargent

Peter Sargent at the Jarrolds Norwich launch 

APlace in History: 50 more East Anglian moments in time by PeterSargent was launched at Jarrold book department in Norwich on Wednesday, September 26. Published by Paul Dickson Books, A Place in History is on sale at £12 and is a sequel to Peter Sargent's AMoment in Time: 50 stories that bring East Anglian History to life, published in 2017.

Join author Peter Sargent on a 2,000-year journey through East Anglia's colourful and varied history. In this series of 50 short stories, meet kings and queens such as Edward I and Katharine of Aragon, figures of legend such as Fenland giant Tom Hickathrift, medieval saints and more than a few sinners.

There are witches and clergymen, soldiers and sailors, revolutionaries and working class heroes, entrepreneurs, raffish hell-raising boxers and dedicated philanthropists Discover the stories of Cardinal Wolsey's origins as a humble butcher's boy in Ipswich, the duel on Norwich's Ber Street in 1600, the founding of the Norwich Revolution Society at the Maids Head Hotel in 1791, the 19^th century Norfolk cricketing hero Fuller Pilch and much more.

Peter Sargent explains: "So many people have their place in history. For some it is a large and well-known slot, familiar to millions of people in the present day. Others have a far more humble location, and are not so well-known. They all find their place in this book."

Peter Sargent’s interest in history was sparked when he studied the subject at the University of East Anglia during the 1980s. After working in March, Peterborough and Cambridge, via spells in Malta and Hong Kong, he returned to Norfolk to work as a journalist on newspapers and magazines.

From 2004-11 he wrote weekly articles on local history, which appeared in the Eastern Daily Press and was production editor on Let’s Talk magazine for six years, before becoming a full time writer in 2016.

A Place in History

A Place in History is available at Jarrold Norwich, Jarrold Cromer, City Bookshop Norwich, Waterstones Norwich and Bury St Edmunds, Revelation Bookshop Norwich, Beccles Bookshop,The Holt Bookshop, Ceres Bookshop Swaffham, George Reeve Wymondham, the Maids Head Hotel Norwich, the Adam and Eve Norwich, Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden South Walsham, Amazon and www.allthingsnorfolk.com.

For more information about Paul Dickson Books see www.pauldicksonbooks.co.uk

Fairhaven Garden in Best 100 Gardens in the UK 2018

Fairhaven Garden's gardening team

Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden at South Walsham in the Norfolk Broads is in Garden News magazine's Best 100 Gardens in the UK 2018. The best 100 were voted for by Garden News magazine's readers.