Hopes for early start to flyover dashed and tributes paid to racing driver: Memories from this week in 1994

In our regular On This Week column, we look back through the pages of the Lynn News from March 3 – 9, 1994…Hopes for an early start to Lynn’s Never Never Land flyover have been dashed again. The first calls for the jam-busting bridge at Hardwick go so far back in the mists of time that the Department of Transport admits it has no exact record of the date.Meanwhile, West Norfolk people know that more than 20 years of Government promises and assurances have amounted to just two piles of mud on Hardwick roundabout. News of the latest setback came when transport secretary John MacGregor cut Hardwick from his 1994-95 road building package. Outraged North West Norfolk MP Henry Bellingham said: “First of all I was speechless, but this has now turned to deep anger. Everyone I have spoken to is appalled over the way the Department of Transport has let us down.”

Talks are to be held with parents, staff and governors about ways of solving overcrowding problems at schools in the Lynn area, and also on the possibility of closing some small primary schools with low pupil numbers in some in some villages. Plans being put forward include: a new primary school on St Michael’s First School site in South Lynn; building a new 240-place primary school on a site in Marsh Lane, Gaywood; and amalgamating Rosebery Avenue First School and Gaywood Junior School. In rural areas there will be consultations on the future of Barroway Drove and West Dereham primary schools.A ban on women performing as priests has been officially approved by leaders at All Saints’ Church in Hillington Square, Lynn. An overwhelming vote of 12-2 by members of the parochial church council in a secret ballot decreed a woman would not be acceptable in the church to officiate at services or to run the parish as a priest. The decision brought to the surface in the town a major nationwide church rift over female ordination.Well-known West Norfolk bookmaker Herbert Cassell, who died in July last year aged 71, has left an estate valued at more than £750,000. He has bequested £20,000 to his favourite racecourse at Fakenham, where he worked for more than 30 years. The money will be used to sponsor the Betty and Herbert Cassell Memorial Steeplechase, to be run at Fakenham for ten years. Mr Cassell also left £10,000 to West Winch Church. His wife Betty, who died in September 1990, was a county table tennis champion and the couple had first met when playing in the Lynn Table Tennis League.Martin Brundle has moved closer than ever to his dream of driving for motor racing giants McLaren this season. Formula One star Brundle (34), from Gayton, tested the new McLaren-Peugeot MP4-9 at Silverstone over three days last week after having a new seat fitted. Fellow Brits in the frame, Johnny Herbert and Derek Warwick, are now understood to have been told they do not fit in with the plans being made by McLaren boss Ron Dennis.Now in its centenary year, Lynn Town Band is still in good shape, with plans to give about 20 performances during the year. It all starts this week with a 100th birthday concert at Lynn’s St Margaret’s Church. Brass bands as we know them today didn’t appear until the 19th Century and the first in Lynn was the Lynn Original Brass Band in the 1840s, followed by the Lynn Working Men’s Saxhorn Band in 1854 and the Highgate Band in the 1870s.The year 2000 could see the opening of a £250,000 sports and community centre scheme in Pott Row. Land on Chapel Lane is being earmarked for the project, which would also serve Grimston and Roydon. Plans for the new centre have been drawn up because the existing hall in Cliff-en-Howe Road, Pott Row, is not big enough to cater for the needs of villagers.A ‘fireball’ was seen shooting across the sky over West Norfolk early on Monday morning [March 7]. Milkman Mark Rengert was doing his round in Gaywood just before 3am when he saw the spectacular sight describing it as being a quarter of the size of the moon, but brighter. The ‘meteor’ is also reported to have been seen over Wymondham, Watton and Dereham at 3.15am.