Top Headlines: Fuel station refurbishment, vegan restaurant shuts, and learning to drive investigation

Our biggest stories over the past week have featured plans for the refurbishment of a fuel station, a vegan restaurant shutting, and an investigation into learning to drive in Lynn.Meanwhile, Lynn’s hospital has joined an educational partnership for aspiring nurses.Take a look at some of West Norfolk’s top stories from throughout last week…King’s Lynn Driving Test Centre pass rates drop – are learners facing more challenges?

It’s a rite of passage to finally earn your driver’s licence – but is it becoming harder for learners to get behind the wheel?The most recent data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) revealed that from April to September 2024, Lynn’s test centre on Rollesby Road had a practical test pass rate of 45.9% – lower than the national average of 48.9%. When we look back at statistics from the same period in previous years, the centre’s pass rates took a hit after 2022.Why is this? Our feature examines the answers… Fakenham’s Morrisons petrol station refurb would be twice as big and create 30 full-time jobs

A petrol station revamp, which could bring two fast food giants to a town, would see its building more than double in size.Proposals to demolish and rebuild the Morrisons garage on Clipbush Lane in Fakenham were submitted to North Norfolk District Council back in February, with plans to house a Burger King and the town’s second Greggs branch inside.In the latest revised layout, plans show that Motor Fuel Group, the company which operates the site, hopes to make it nearly three times as big as it currently is. Resist! Vegan Kitchen owner Gareth Ellison closes King’s Lynn restaurant for good

A vegan restaurant owner says “the time has come to step down” as his business closes less than two months after reopening.Gareth Ellison, from Resist! Vegan Kitchen, has announced that he will not be continuing with the business in Gaywood due to “many growing factors”.Now everything within the venue is for sale – including artwork, kitchen equipment, furniture, crockery and much more.Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Anglian Ruskin University are working together to deliver nursing education in West Norfolk

A partnership between Lynn’s hospital and a university means that aspiring nurses can now train at a dedicated satellite training site. This new strategic partnership between the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Anglian Ruskin University (ARU) will bring pre-registration nursing education directly to West Norfolk, making this closer to home for many nursing students – with a training site at the QEH.Launching in September, the collaboration will provide new local pathways into nursing and marks a significant investment in the future of the healthcare workforce.Fakenham sisters all save lives as community first responders for Norfolk ambulance service

Meet the life-saving trio who are making a difference to a town – and they are all sisters.Hayley Penney, 38, Christina Sayce, 37, and Claire Armiger, 35, from Fakenham, volunteer as community first responders (CFR) for the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST). Each tends to medical emergencies in the area, providing vital support to patients before crews arrive.Downham Market-born Blues-Rock duo When Rivers Meet break into UK Top 5 with new album Addicted To You

A Downham-born Blues-Rock duo has broken into the UK Top 5 chart with a fully independent album.When Rivers Meet has made history once again with its new album ‘Addicted To You’, which has landed at number four in the official UK album chart, alongside three number ones across genre charts.As a completely independent act with no label, manager or outside funding, the married couple, Grace and Aaron Bond, have pulled off a rare feat in today’s music industry.