A new web poll for all you people who shop in Fakenham… Is it good, bad or just OK to shop here? Is it improving or getting worse? I’ve seen a few posts on Twitter which imply that Fakenham’s shops are dying because of Tesco. I don’t believe that’s true, but would like your opinion too.

Please vote using the Poll section of the menu on the right of the page. If you have a comment to make after your vote, please add it to a comment on this post. If you actually run a shop in town, please tell us about your experience.

The previous poll on here (pictured right) found that most readers of the site who responded are from the Fakenham area. That’s a start!

How do you think your ’shopping experience’ in Fakenham has changed since the major supermarkets arrived in town?

I got an email from somebody in Saffron Walden asking this question. His town is being targeted for a new Sainsbury store and their Tesco is planning to extend. It already has a Waitrose too. Here’s his message…

“I am contacting you because here in Saffron Walden we already have two supermarkets (Waitrose and Tesco) and now Sainsbury’s has applied to build a third one on the edge of town. We see from a 1998 report from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister that there was a decline in market share for the town centre convenience sector in Fakenham of 64% caused by supermarkets.  Do you recall this being the case?  And how has the town centre coped since then?”

I said I’d post it here to see if anybody in Fakenham would care to voice their opinion. My reply to him is in the first comment below…

I’ve noticed lots of people complaining about the lack of grit on the town’s roads and pavements during this recent cold snap. Well blow me down, when I got to work this morning there was a guy in a hi-viz jacket hand-gritting both sides of the pavement along Norwich Street. The road had been done too – and I think a fair bit of the town had been covered, judging by my walk home this evening.

I wonder if this has anything to do with the recent Town Council meeting, where the state of Fakenham’s car parks before Christmas was ‘discussed’. Town Councillor Ann Chappel criticised the NNDC, saying that it had “failed to meet its responsibilities to shoppers and businesses”. I must say, having seen what Queens Road car park was like on the week before Christmas (we skated round for a bit then decided not to park there at all) I tend to agree.

As you may have read in the local press, Norfolk County Council are planning to save money in future by switching off some street lighting between the hours of midnight to 5am. They aim to complete the project by around the end of 2012 and are due to make the final decision by 25th Jan this year. The scheme will cost £274,000 during the next three years but is then projected to save £167,000 a year.

Here is a list of roads included in the project for Fakenham if the idea goes ahead as planned. Next to each road name is the number of the street light which is to be affected so you can check for yourself. The full list for Norfolk is available on the EDP website.

Arthur Road 001716 ; Baron’s Close 001719 ; Barons Hall Lane 001720
Bracken Close 001722 ; Bramble Court 001723 ; Bridge Street 001724
Bridges Walk 005894 ; Charles Road 001728 ; Clover Way 001732
Copperbeech Close 001733 ; Dairy Farm Close 001738 ; Eckersley Drive 001739
Edinburgh Drive 001740 ; Elizabeth Avenue 001741 ; Fayre Green 001745
Foxglove Close 001747 ; Gorse Close 001750 ; Great Eastern Way 001751
Green Court 001752 ; Gwyn Crescent 001755 ; Hall Close 001756
Heron Close 001759 ; Holt Road 001762 ; John Chapman Close 001763
Kingfisher Close 001764 ; Mallard Close 007742 ; Massey Court 001767
Meadow Court 001768 ; Nightingale Close 001771 ; Norman Close 001772
Norwich Road 001773 ; Oak Street 001776 ; Old Post Office Street 001779
Olivia Close 001780 ; Paddock Close 001783 ; Plantation Road 001785
Queens Road 001786 ; Riverview Court 001787 ; Rowan Way 001789
Salmons Way 001794 ; Searle Close 0017973 ; Sedge Close 001798
Shelldrake Close 001799 ; Smiths Lane 001800 ; Southgate Drive 001802
Station Close 015680 ; The Drift 001804 ; The Lawns 001806
The Ridings 001807 ; Townshend Green East 001809 ; Townshend Green North 001810
Townshend Green West 001811 [ Valley Way 001814 ; Warren Avenue 001815
Wells Road 001816 ; Wensum Way 001817 ; Wigg Road 001819

The National Blood Transfusion Service needs more donors. Their next session in Fakenham is on 18th December at Fakenham Community Centre in Oak Street.

There will be two sessions – the first from 10.30am to 12.30pm and another from 2pm to 4.30pm.

They advise you to make an appointment rather than just turn up, so give them a call on 0300 123 2323 to book in.

Thanks to Irma, Donor Relations Assistant in Norwich, for getting in touch.

It was looking pretty busy in the town centre this morning, with more visitors being planned for later. The Farmers’ Market seemed like it was thriving, with lots of people buying stuff. The Craft Fair in the parish church was in full swing too – lots of stalls and a good stream of customers as well.

Later this afternoon, the market place will host more stalls, rides and performers in the lead-up to the Christmas lights switch-on at 5pm. I’m informed Santa’s grotto will be there as well. It’s all go, isn’t it?

Edit: This post took all of three minutes to appear in a Google search!!!

Fakenham’s Christmas lights get switched on next Saturday, 28th November. The lights have been extended onto Norwich Street and Bridge Street this year and new regulations mean that energy-saving LED lighting is now being used.

In the photo, you can see Kings and Barnhams‘ Peter Hamilton at work installing lights across Norwich Street last Thursday afternoon. The Fakenham electrical company install and then maintain the lights right through the festive period.

It’s official then. Christmas is coming – feeling excited yet?

Dudgeon Offshore Wind Limited is keen to hear the views of the local community about the onshore elements of this project and has arranged three public exhibitions where members of the public will have the opportunity to ask questions and to learn about the Dudgeon project in more detail. Exhibitions are planned as follows:

 • Tuesday 17th November 2009, Fakenham Parish Church, 1pm – 8pm
• Wednesday 18th Nov. 2009, Necton Rural Community Centre (Village Hall), 12am – 7pm
• Thursday 19th November 2009, Holt Community Centre, 1pm – 8pm

 The exhibitions will be manned by key members of the project team and will include displays providing detail on the Dudgeon project and the associated engineering and environmental studies being undertaken for the development.

Having watched BBC’s iPlayer coverage of yesterday’s Lord Mayor’s Show in London, I thought it might be fun to post some video captures of PMC’s pea harvester in the procession – just to prove they were there! I’m sure lots of Fakenham people who work there (and previously at FMC) would be interested.

A crew of hardy volunteers turned up at Fakenham Market Square at 10 this morning, in inclement weather, for Kickstart Fakenham’s second Tidy Up day. Fewer attendees than in the summer (were the gale force winds last night to blame?) but lots of rubbish collected none the less.

First prize for strangest item bagged was awarded to Sean Mears’ wasp nest. Largest bag bagged was by Dave Grahame (who doesn’t even live in the county!!!). A useful and fun morning’s work by all.

Thanks to Stephen Jacklin of Kickstart for arranging everything - from bringing the pickers & high-viz jackets to filling in everybody’s favourite bit of paperwork, The Risk Assessment.