June 2024 in review: Former head teacher’s trial, new club opens and woman’s love of leopard print goes viral

We’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories in West Norfolk from June 2024…The month began with a pet owner making a plea to well-meaning residents of Fakenham to stop taking her adventurous cat to the vets.Phoebe, the half-Bengal cat, had become something of a celebrity in the town, as she was regularly seen wandering around, walking into shops and greeting children on the school run.

But when Phoebe wound up at the vets on three separate occasions over a week period, as people mistook her for a lost pet which left owner Toni begging residents not to take her.There was a bit of an animal theme to June, as we also reported that a woman’s extravagant house took the internet by storm after her granddaughter posted a tour of the leopard print interior.Born and bred Lynn woman Ira Bowman, 76, gave an inside look into her home which had more than 500 leopard print items – showcasing her lifelong love for the design.

When reporter Molly Nicholas visited Ira, she told her: “I don’t have any tack – I have classy things.” Meanwhile, a pair of vandals were slammed after their “despicable” actions resulted in damage to a war memorial during D-Day commemorations.While Lynn residents paid their respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Second World War, two perpetrators vandalised the Cross of Sacrifice at the Hardwick Road Cemetery. They burned the wreaths which had been placed on the monument, causing damage to the structure itself.

And in more tragic news, Lynn journalist David Blackmore described the heartbreaking moment when he realised that he and a Greek cameraman had spotted the body of TV doctor Michael Mosley.David is a reporter with ITV’s This Morning programme and was on the Greek island of Symi covering Dr Mosley’s disappearance.The journalist had flown out to the island to cover the story, which dominated headlines since Dr Mosley went missing after setting off for a walk leaving his wife Clare at a nearby beach earlier in the week.

“He was an incredibly friendly, likeable, and great person. It is so heartbreaking for his family, and it has been hard for all those who have helped in the search,” David said. Closer to home, tributes were paid to a county councillor and former headmaster whose loss would be “felt across the community” after his death at the age of 65.John Crofts, who was elected as a Liberal Democrat county councillor for Freebridge Lynn last year, had been in the top job at Hunstanton’s independent Glebe House School for 14 years until he retired in 2018.

John’s peers within the North West Norfolk Liberal Democrats group said they were “sad to announce” his death – which they said was “unexpected”.In happier news, we reported that a number of West Norfolk residents had been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours.Karen Harvey, from Upwell, was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to people living in hygiene poverty, to considerate consumption, and to the environment, having founded Toiletries Amnesty to provide for those in need in 2014. Watlington’s Martin Berliner was also made an MBE. As a former CEO of the Maccabi GB charity for two decades, Martin was recognised for his leadership of the organisation and his unwavering dedication to bettering the Jewish community and all its members.

The Three Dads Walking – including Tim Owen from Shouldham – were made MBEs too for their services to the prevention of young suicide.And Lynn’s Pat Pinnington, a Girlguiding leader who has celebrated 60 years of volunteering this year, was awarded a British Empire Medal.

Elsewhere, the trial of former head teacher Greg Hill got under way at Lynn Magistrates’ Court.The former head of Howard Junior School in Gaywood was accused of harassment without violence against a trainee teacher who worked under him at the school, as well as resisting arrest and breaching bail conditions.He denied all charges but was found guilty in July and jailed for 20 weeks in August.

And it was a good month for businesses reopening, as the White Horse at Holme welcomed visitors again after a revamp and the new Rewind club – in the former Bar and Beyond premises on Lynn’s Norfolk Street – saw more than 500 people on its opening night.Nathan Hollands, manager of the club, said: “We had people come in as young as 18 years old and people as old as in their 60s.”