Category: Articles

Martime Heroes, Suffolk Norfolk Life magazine

5 January 2021

THE PLAYING CARDS… MARITIME HEROES

A family history of seafaring, a fascination with maritime heroes and a hobby of collecting have all combined to lead one well-known speaker to produce a set of pictorial playing cards. Cathy Shelbourne laughed as she admitted she didn’t actually play card games much but, wanting to share the stories she had extensively researched around the world, it seemed to her the natural progression to […]

Norwich street art - Suffolk Norfolk Life magazine

Articles

5 January 2021

The Art on the Streets

Cave paintings in prehistoric times, medieval church frescos, murals on the walls and ceilings in stately homes… wall paintings have a long history. However, when in the 1960’s, unauthorized pop-art wall paintings began to appear on city and town streets, residents and councils were horrified by the “graffiti”. The debate has been long and heated, but it is now accepted that ‘street art” can be […]

Articles

14 November 2020

Runners join in Suffolk Churches Ride and Stride 2020

This year the Suffolk Churches Ride and Stride event, organised by Suffolk Historic Churches Trust, welcomed many new participants, keen to put their enthusiasm for cycling and walking to a good cause, after many lockdown weeks. New to the event this year were also many runners who, having had their usual events cancelled, were keen to get involved. Bill Hill from Brockley, who works for […]

Articles

14 November 2020

What Makes the Perfect Tour Guide?

Whenever I have been on a visit to an interesting new city or larger town, I have nearly always looked up the times of the local official guided tours. Wandering around soaking up the atmosphere is wonderful, but you miss much of what is under your nose – or above your head! In Stratford on Avon, Cambridge, Oxford and Norwich, l have enjoyed my visit […]

Articles

14 November 2020

How to get a book published

Have you ever dreamt of writing a book and seeing it on a shelf in a bookshop? Do you read a novel and think ‘I could do that?” It is said that everyone has a book inside them, but how does a new writer, having written their book, find a publisher? Do you really need an agent? Is it worth considering self-publishing, perhaps digitally? Catherine […]

Articles

14 November 2020

Sophie Harris, Equine Photographer

The sight of a beautiful horse grazing in a field, or clearing a fence, will make most of us pause in admiration. One Suffolk horse lover has been able to combine her passion for horses with her love of photography. Sophie Harris lives in Levington, Suffolk and, when not taking photographs for commissions at private stables or national and international horse shows, can be found […]

Articles

17 September 2020

Review: Harry’s Bar Celebrates ‘The Few’

Black and White Productions at The Two Sisters Arts Centre, Trimley St Mary, September 2020 Against all odds the 11th ‘Harry’s Bar…’ night of cabaret and drama has gone ahead, albeit with a socially separated, mask wearing, much reduced audience. Black and White Productions have given careful thought to ensuring audience members feel safe in the current coronavirus situation … and how wonderful it was […]

Articles

15 July 2020

Comedy writer, Alan Stafford

How did a school music teacher become a comedy writer, hearing his ‘gags’ on the radio and winning an award for the best book title? When Alan Stafford from Ipswich tells the story, it sounds quite straight-forward but surely it must be hard work to be funny? “There are music teachers, much better than me, who spend all their spare time in orchestras, writing music […]

Articles

15 July 2020

Book worms, book lovers and World Book Day

Book worms, book lovers and World Book Day – let’s get our children reading for pleasure. Most of us have a favourite children’s book and what it is depends upon what was popular when we were young, or what we read to our own children. The Hungry Caterpillar, The Famous Five, Mr Men, The Railway Children, Harry Potter, or Danny, Champion of the World…. What […]

Articles

15 July 2020

Alfie Bowen, fine art photographer

Anyone knowing Alfie Bowen from Worlingham ten years ago would never have imagined that he would now be a successful fine art photographer. His autism and mental health problems meant that, after he was bullied at his main-stream school and only managed three weeks at university, he was isolated and suicidal. Now he is represented by a prestigious agency, Da Vinci Fine Art, and his […]