Emily Page will be trecking across the Sahara Desert from the 13th to the 18th November to raise awareness and money for YANA. Entry added: 29 Oct 2014 |
Last night the Club had a behind-the-scenes briefing by one of Norwich’s leading retailers,Richard Marks, who as head of branch at John Lewis has some 600 partners or staff, welcomed more than two dozen members. He was speaking in the Sandringham room, which was once home to shop staff in a row of four old cottages, complete with a Tudor window – and graced with a portrait of the branch’s founder, Robert Herne Bond, incidentally brought up at Hall Common Farm, Ludham. He had opened a drapers’ shop in Ber Street in February 1879.Mr Marks, who has been in retail for 34 years, said that the past dozen years had seen momentous changes. John Lewis, which has 43 branches and 320 Waitrose outlets, bought Bonds from the founding families in 1982. In November 2001, it became John Lewis and also opened on Monday and then also Sundays.The pace of online shopping, where John Lewis has now invested substantially, now accounted for more than one third of the total £4bn annual turnover.
Mr Marks said that the Norwich branch was set to enjoy a record year – again – and that his team was tackling the online challenge with enthusiasm.Neil Jordan, chairman, presented Mr Marks with a green club tie – which matched the John Lewis corporate colour scheme, and thanked him for the visit.
On a historical note, the directors of Bonds sold the adjoining site for Agriculture House, the home of Norfolk National Farmers’ Union, in about 1950. It cost about £14,000 to build and the county office was opened in 1952. The last holder of the county post, Ken Leggett, who stood down in 1991, was among the party of club members.The visit was originally suggested by Sarah Bebb, when her cousin, Isabel Macdonald, was then head of branch.
Entry added: 17 Oct 2014 |
The open studio and artists at work event last weekend at Smallburgh raised £1,080.00 for the East Anglian Air Ambulance. Entry added: 16 Oct 2014 |
YANA was invited to mark World Mental Health Day, on BBC Radio 4 Farming Today. Presenter Anna Hill interviewed the club's secretary and trustee, Michael Pollitt, about the work of YANA (You Are Not Alone) at the Norfolk showground. Entry added: 10 Oct 2014 |
Stalham Farmers Member Hugh Crane celebrated his 90th birthday on Tuesday 7th October 2014 congratulations Hugh. Entry added: 10 Oct 2014 |
BBC Radio 5 Live interviewed the secretary, Michael Pollitt, about the work of YANA. This followed publication of a report by the World Health Organisation, which has highlighted concerns about suicide in the farming community around the world.
The role of YANA, which was founded in November 2008, and supported by the Clan Trust, has been helping to make a difference.5 Live carried an eight-minute interview on the Up All Night programme - earlier this morning, Tuesday, September 16. It was about 1.40am.You can find it on the "Listen Again" feature.
Entry added: 16 Sep 2014 |
The Guest speaker at the annual dinner on 11th March is Ed Parker, co-founder of the charity, Walking for the Wounded,they've raised circa £7m for the North Norfolk-based charity since the launch in 2010 - and also received Royal patronage, through Prince Harry.
Entry added: 17 Aug 2014 |
Calling all potato and beet growers. Entries are invited from members for two of our key crops - potatoes and also the whole crop sugar beet. And as the cereal harvest progresses, please consider taking a small sample for the two grain competitions Entry added: 31 Jul 2014 |
A champion on our doorstep.
Great news from Guy Paterson - who is the CLA Game Fair's 2014 Game Chef!
He won a closely-fought final at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, and clinched success after a last-minute cook-off to secure victory. And he has agreed to come and share some of his secrets of his culinary skills with a cooking demonstration to club members later this autumn.Watch this space and again congratulations to Guy with his champion disk featuring a trio of muntjac, which impressed the judges.
Entry added: 21 Jul 2014 |
When supporters of farming's charity gathered at the Norfolk showground on a cool June evening, there was a very well-kept surprise in store for one Puffa wearer - the secretary to Stalham Farmers' Club.As the highly-successful evening was coming to a close, Sir John White, president of the Norfolk branch of the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution invited Michael Pollitt to come to the front of the crowd.Then, his fellow committee members presented him with a 10ft tall heritage apple tree in thanks for his efforts over the past four decades in promoting RABI and its fund-raising activities in the EDP and its sister publications.Completely taken-aback, your secretary, who joined the EDP as its agricultural editor in 1984 and left after close to 30 years on July 1, took the apple tree back to his north Norwich home."I'm extremely grateful because it has now found a home alongside the other six Norfolk heritage varieties in our small garden," he said. And it even pre-dates the foundation of the club in 1841, he added.The tree - a Pitmaston Pine Apple, who originates from Herefordshire and dates from 1785 - came with four small apples.It has now been planted and seems to be doing extremely well. "I thank the RABI committee and especially secretary Sally Mitchell for her kind present," he said.On the last day of the Royal Norfolk Show, your secretary was also presented to the president, The Duke of Wessex, and given a special award by the RNAA. It followed very generous gifts by members of the wider farming community at a brief ceremony hosted by Kit Papworth, chairman of Anglia Farmers.Now, recovering from acute pancreatitis and off work for more than two months from April, your secretary is busy planning the autumn programme.Watch this space.
And the sugar beet and potato competition judging will be taking place within the next few weeks - so I'm looking for some quality entries.
Entry added: 21 Jul 2014 |