A new workout experience has arrived at Wymondham Leisure Centre.

As part of South Norfolk Council’s ongoing commitment to invest in its leisure facilities and the health and wellbeing of its residents the Council is introducing EGYM to Wymondham Leisure Centre.

EGYM is state of the art gym equipment powered by smart technology. It offers personalised workout experiences suitable for everyone, from beginners to experts.

South Norfolk Cabinet member Richard Elliott said: “The Council is continuing to invest in all our leisure centres. We have installed new Matrix equipment in Diss and now we are putting, new state of the art, equipment in Wymondham. Keeping fit should also be fun and this new kit will ensure you enjoy your workout.”

Five-star housing developer, Lovell, has unveiled the Steppe Mammoth it is sponsoring as part of Break’s GoGoDiscover 2022 trail and it can be discovered now until 10th September 2022 at Wymondham on Fairland Green. 

Buzz has been designed by artist Donna Newman and is decorated with furry bumble bees, honeycomb and lavender. Symbolising the importance of bees in our ecosystem, Buzz is inspired by the fields of lavender which have long played a part in the landscape of Norfolk. It took Donna four days to decorate Buzz – with 40 different brushes being used!

Donna Newman from Eden Design is a freelance painter based in the Midlands and has family in Norfolk so is familiar with the countryside and also grows lavender in her own garden. Donna comments: “I love Buzz as he is inspired by bees and just looks amazing on Fairland Green outdoors and surrounded by nature. I used five different paints on Buzz and a hair dryer to make the paint dry quicker! I hope Break raises lots of money from the trail and auction, and thanks so much to Lovell for picking my design.”

Anglian Vipers Rugby League is a new Rugby League club formed by Rob Humphries of WSX World Sports Exchange, Chris Wildish; former Naval Officer, Airline Captain and Author of “Please Don’t Cancel Christmas, Daddy” and Dave Parkin working for Deloitte in Norwich and a Rugby League player from Bath University and Silsden Storm. 

The gap in the provision of Rugby League was noticed by Rob and Chris over 2 years ago. Covid got in the way of the initial plan but when Dave joined in, it became apparent that there were 3 likeminded individuals with different complimentary talents and the enthusiasm (in spades) to start a Rugby League Club to cover Norfolk and Suffolk and give everyone in the area the opportunity to try this slick, fast, hard hitting, exciting sport. Several names were considered but Anglian Vipers struck as the one name to appeal to everyone across the two counties and give an identity beyond just Norfolk or Suffolk.

A brand-new café at South Norfolk Council’s Wymondham Leisure Centre is proving popular, with their coffee hailed by customers as ‘the best they’ve ever tasted’.

Coffee with Flo opened its door on 1 April selling a variety of light lunches, cakes, snacks and drinks. The food is fresh and locally sourced, and everything is cooked from scratch. There’s also lots of healthy choices and plenty of vegan options to choose from, as well as a children’s menu.

Manager Florin Stoian, who has over 20 years’ experience in the catering industry said: “All our customers have been fantastic, giving us such great feedback, we have really been overwhelmed by their praise, particularly for our coffee and giant scones.”

More volunteers are needed to help out at a popular charity shop in Wymondham.

The East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices store is based at Anchor House, in Market Place, and open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm and between 10am and 4pm on Sunday.

Shop Manager Becky Cooke is keen to hear from anyone who might be interested in joining her team and supporting the cause. She said: “We’d love to hear from anyone interested in joining us. As many extra pairs of hands as possible would be wonderful. We’re looking for all-rounders who fancy helping with a variety of jobs, like sorting, pricing and operating the till. However, if anyone has any specific requests that’s fine, too. We’ll always do our best to cater for everyone. For instance, we have separate toy and book rooms and some people just love working in there.We’re a friendly bunch and anyone who joins us is assured of a warm welcome. Everyone’s equal and we all get stuck in together, as part of a team.”

South Norfolk Council’s leisure centres are offering free online gym membership until 1 March, allowing members access to more than 30 live streamed classes and more than 60 on demand classes. 

By signing up to Your Home Workout, members can try a range of professional classes, from energetic Dance Fit, Body Pump and High Intensity Interval Training to Yoga and Pilates, free of charge, and then for just £10 a month after 1 March. 

An online class timetable, for those wanting to join in live, is on the South Norfolk Council website – search ‘Your Home Workout from the homepage to view it and see what you’d like to try. 

South Norfolk Council’s Leisure Team have recently launched a brand-new YouTube channel to help residents keep fit and active during lockdown. 

The Council’s 3 Leisure Centres in Diss, Wymondham and Long Stratton were forced to close in March, but the team have been busy creating free content to help inspire residents to try new ways of exercising and keep fit at home.

Over the coming weeks, the team will post Pilates, Yoga, HIIT workouts and much more on their South Norfolk Leisure channel.

Aspiring footballers and those wishing to use their passion of football to kick off their future careers have been given a boost with the arrival of a national football and education programme in Wymondham.

The Football Industry College kicked off at South Norfolk Council’s fantastic 3G facility at Kett’s Park in September 2019, providing boys and girls aged 16 to 18, the opportunity to combine education with a football development, training and match programme.

Utilising the exciting world of the Football Industry with an innovative education and sports development programme, students have the opportunity to study for a BTEC Level 1/2 Sport or Level 3 in Sport & Exercise Science, along with the chance to improve their GCSE maths and English grades if required.

South Norfolk Council Cabinet member, Yvonne Bendle said: “Being host to the Football Industry College is fantastic news for the district. The Council continues to invest in the health and wellbeing of our residents and it is wonderful to see our new facility being used to offer young people such a great opportunity.” 

In the second of our series giving you the opportunity to learn a little bit more about the people who own or run some of the fabulous local independent businesses which we are proud to feature on All Things Norfolk, we feature Martin Wanger of Madeline Dando Books.

Madeline Dando Books is based in Wymondham and titles include "Amber Sands" and "Leaving Her Tears Behind" . 

"Amber Sands" is  a true love story with bags of courage, resilience and triumph over adversity.The author wants the book to warm your heart, break your heart and to inspire each and every reader.  "Leaving Her Tears Behind" is a story of love, desire, greed, hate and revenge, that the Author thinks will keep you on the edge of your seat right till the very end. 

The history of Wymondham’s is being brought to life with the help of a unique, interactive heritage trail.

South Norfolk Council has been successful in securing a £116,000 grant from the Rural Development Programme for England to build a digitally interactive historical trail that will be available to download, free of charge, from all app stores.

The trail has both child and adult versions that can be used in parallel, on separate smart devices, allowing families to enjoy the experience together while watching different stories as they explore the town.