Image Credit - Chris White
If you wrap up warm and embrace the fresh North Sea breeze, the rolling sands of North Denes offer up its own barren beauty to brighten the shorter days of winter. This quiet spot, washed in salty mists and dotted with tussocks of marram grass, is a favourite with dog walkers and adventurers who want to get the most out of their day.
Be the first to greet the morning by heading down to the beach before sunlight. If you want to take breakfast with you, a flask of coffee and Pastéis de Nata from one of Great Yarmouth’s Portuguese stores makes a fine treat.
Nestle down in the shelter of the dunes and watch the sun as it rises up and over the sea, full of promise for the new day.
As the world wakes, you can head into town and explore the delights of this historic seaside town and enjoy a varied selection of food and heritage experiences. When the afternoon light starts to fade, take a gentle stroll along the shoreline.
The winter sunset lights the rooftops and sends murmurations of starlings into whirling flight across the sky as the town settles down for the night ahead.
If your trip coincides with a new moon you may be rewarded with a crash of tides and brightly lit waves on a black sea. In September the Harvest Moon rises light and buttery, while the colder Wolf Moon of January shimmers over the wide horizon.
For further details about Head East visit www.visiteastofengland.com/head-east
Free bus passes are being offered to Ukrainians being hosted by families in Great Yarmouth, thanks to a tie up between the local council and First Bus.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council leader Carl Smith heard first hand from families staying in the town how difficulties with transport was making it difficult for them to settle in and asked First Bus if they could help.
Now thanks to their generosity, Ukrainian guests will now be able to apply for a free one month pass for travel across the borough, and as far out as Norwich or Lowestoft.
Head of operations and engineering Chris Speed has donated an initial 20 passes for the scheme, which is being coordinated by the council.
One of the first families to benefit from the passes will be Mariana Peda and her two children Anastasiia and Vitalii. They are currently staying with hosts Sheila Daniels and Brian Huggins in Bradwell, having arrived from Sokal in west Ukraine around a month ago.
Work to create a new library, university and learning centre in the heart of Great Yarmouth has stepped up a gear thanks to a £3.5m partnership with the University of Suffolk and East Coast College.
Plans were unveiled in 2020 for a new education and community hub in the former Palmers department store in Great Yarmouth Market Place, including an enhanced Norfolk County Council public library. Last year Great Yarmouth Borough Council bought the building and began initial planning for the new centre.
Now East Coast College and the University of Suffolk have formally committed to the scheme, with a £3.5m contribution that will see the college teach degree level courses at the new centre, accredited by the university. The University of East Anglia is also backing the project, with plans to offer remote learning facilities for its students, alongside professional development courses.
Residents and visitors to the borough are being invited to stretch their legs and delve into the rich past of Great Yarmouth to explore its history as a seaside resort, fishing port and market town.
Great Yarmouth’s official heritage guides are offering nine walks to explore the borough’s beautiful historic buildings, admire architecture and hear some colourful stories of local characters.
All walks are written and designed by Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s heritage guides, who guide participants off the beaten track and out into the local area to discover more about what went before in Great Yarmouth.
A reusable cup scheme has been launched today as part of a drive for a Norfolk resort’s greenest ever holiday season.
Cafes and restaurants in Hemsby, near Great Yarmouth, will offer customers a reusable cup from today to help put an end to single use disposable takeaway cups.
Tea and coffee drinkers will be encouraged to borrow a ‘Hemsby Cup’ in return for a £2 deposit, use and then return back to any participating café to get their money back.
The launch at Richardson’s Yacht Club on Beach Road heard how each cup can be used over 1,000 times and is fully recyclable. Nine businesses in the village have signed up to the scheme, which is free for businesses to participate in.
Norfolk’s newest leisure centre is now recruiting for its top team as plans gather pace for its opening this summer.
The new £26m Marina Centre on Great Yarmouth’s seafront will boast a six-lane swimming pool, learner pool and leisure water with flumes; along with a gym, sports hall, indoor climbing zone, community spaces and a café.
With only a few months to go until its planned opening in late summer, an exciting recruitment campaign is underway to find some outstanding individuals who will play a crucial role in the opening of the new centre and providing excellent customer service to the residents and visitors.
The centre will be operated by Freedom Leisure - one of the most successful and growing not for profit leisure and cultural trusts in the UK - on behalf of Great Yarmouth Borough Council.