Family’s handwritten notes tell of love and sadness for missing windsurfer at Hunstanton

Poignant messages by the family of missing windsurfer Chris Bamfield have been left near the spot he was last seen.

The handwritten notes accompany bouquets of flowers laid on the promenade at Hunstanton.

Mr Bamfield’s wife Vanessa refers to him as her “rock” and “hero”.

“We had so many plans, we will still do them in the after life,” she wrote.

Tomorrow (Saturday) will mark a week since the recently retired West Norfolk Council employee went missing.

The alarm was raised at about 5.20pm after Mr Bamfield, of Middleton, failed to return from an afternoon windsurfing session.

Police called off the search for him on Monday after his board and sail were found.

Mr Bamfield, a 65-year-old with 40 years’ windsurfing experience, had worked for the council for 29 years.

An online appeal has been launched by the council, with the support of Mr Bamfield’s family, to fundraise for Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

In an article to be published in Tuesday’s Lynn News, columnist John Maiden pays tribute to Mr Bamfield’s listening during his time as a council officer.

The pleasant experience of being consulted on the colour of railings and street furniture in Hunstanton – previously bright blue – is recalled.

“It may be just a matter of taste, but the dark green and gold, favoured by the Civic Society, was duly adopted by West Norfolk Council thanks to Chris,” Mr Maiden writes.

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