April 2024 in review: Sleeping on streets to raise money, celebrity football match and dead piglets dumped

We take a look back at some of the biggest news stories in West Norfolk in April 2024…There was a colourful start to the month when tulip fields opened to the public to once again raise money for a hospital.This year was the fourth year the event has taken place just off the A148, close to the Sandringham Estate.

It gave people the rare chance to celebrate the start of spring, by visiting and walking through the breathtaking fields of hundreds of thousands of tulips.Braving the cold, a duo raised plenty for charity after sleeping out on the streets of Swaffham.Steph Cooper and Tracey Stannard-Brace experienced what it was like to be homeless while raising money for mental health charity, Mind, and a local boy who has cerebral palsy. The pair raised £1,362.

Bikers put smiles on people’s faces after spreading Easter cheer across the community. More than 70 bikers from the Freewheel Cruiser Riders Association gathered on Easter Sunday to ride up to Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital with donations of toys, eggs and colouring books to give to those staying in over the bank holiday weekend.

A group of people were arrested after a dead piglet was dumped.Seven people were arrested after four dead piglets were found surrounded by graffiti in Downham in March. Officers arrested five men and two women in connection with the incident. Three dads who lost their daughters to suicide launched a book sharing their inspiring stories.

Three Dads Walking who lost their daughters to suicide is made up of Tim Owen, from Shouldham, Mike Palmer and Andy Airey, who launched the book just weeks before setting off on their third charity walk.Many fundraising took place across West Norfolk including a tractor run which created thousands for a charity.The event organized by The National Vintage Tractor and Engine Club had 47 drivers take part in aid of East Anglian Air Ambulance. The tractors travelled 50 kilometres, raising a total of £2,300.

Community spirit was in full swing as a school set up a pre-loved prom shop to ensure no student misses out on a party. Staff at Lynn’s King Edward VII (KES) Academy came up with the initiative of a pre-loved prom shop after they recognised that the occasion can be a large expense for an outfit that is only worn once.Celebrities took part in a football match in Lynn that raised an astonishing amount for charity.

The stars – including Eastenders legend Danny Dyer – took part in the match held at The Walks Stadium in aid of children’s charity Amber’s Army which raised more than £17,000.Amber’s Army was set up last year by the parents of eight-year-old Amber Sheehy who died of cancer.The month was drawn to a saddening close as a school announced it would be closing its doors.

Downham Preparatory School which caters for children aged up to 13, made the announcement that would be closing “with great sadness”.The school was run by Elizabeth Laffeaty-Sharpe, who told the Lynn News that concerns about a future Labour government imposing a 20 percent tax on private school fees heavily contributed to the closure.