Discover West Norfolk Summer Event 2010 at Bircham Windmill

Summer Event - 27 June 2010

Members of Kings Lynn Borough Council (Tourism Dept) and Hunstanton Tourist Centre came along to support the Discover West Norfolk sumer event along with representatives of the King William IV (Sedgeford), Le Strange Old Barns Antiques, Arts and Crafts (Hunstanton), Park House (Sandringham), RSPB Titchwell/Snettisham, Sandringham House and Gardens, Twitcher’s Retreat B&B (Snettisham), Hunstanton-On-Line and last but by no means least Bircham Windmill itself..

Everyone who attended this year's summer event enjoyed themselves tremendously. Guests were immediately put to “work” searching for treasure around the windmill’s garden trying to match the numbered clues hidden in the garden to the names of the businesses and tourist attractions on the answer sheet. DWN members sent along a prize and a “clue” item representative of their business to add to the treasure hunt and what fun we had working it all out.

Some of the clues were straightforward but many had to be really thought through (and of course you needed to find all the clues first so that you could try and match the clue to the correct business. (The idea was to see how much we all knew about each other’s businesses and what we actually offered.

At first the task seemed rather daunting but once the treasure hunters got underway and switched their thinking caps on the results soon flowed in for marking. The treasure hunt was a real success and I thoroughly enjoyed it (I managed a respectable score of 16 right out of 19 and was happy to collect my prize: a day out at Pensthorpe for the family (can’t wait)). Representatives of Park House won the majority of the lovely prizes overall but prizes were also won by RSPB Titchwell/Snettisham, Kings Lynn Borough Council and the Tourist Information Office staff.


Lasagne al fresco at Bircham Windmill	Treasure hunters search Bircham Windmill gardens

Sally, Michael & Alex entertain	Queuing for dinner?

"Treasure" Items were as follows

Green eco-cover bottle (showing how Deepdale Farm were very keen on recycling and being eco-friendly in all their services).
Sausage and song sheet (showing how Bircham Windmill are to hold a “Sausage and Song” night on 29 July (6 – 9pm) where you can enjoy summer tunes (with piano and vocals, pop, jazz and easy listening) with sausage in a bun & salad, then fruit and cream. Entry to the windmill is included and the tearooms are open. Tickets are £7.50. children £4.50 under 4s free. To book tel. 01485 578393.
Reed diffuser (showing that Caithness Crystal offer practical glass items as well as decorative crystal).
Book by Paul Whittome, owner of the Hoste Arms (giving background information about the Hoste Arms).
China mugs with birds depicted on them (showing that Twitchers Retreat B&B do more than just B&B).
Wheelchair wheel (showing that Park House offer facilities for the disabled).
Computer mouse (showing that Hunstanton-On-Line uses a computer!!!).
Beautiful roses (showing that the Rose & Crown in Snettisham have some beautiful rose blooms this year).
Birds nest (the RSPB clearing showing that their interest is in birds).
Toy truncheon (Kings Lynn Borough Council representing “Tales of the Old Gaol House” which they operate).
Toy soldier (showing us that Houghton Hall has a Toy Soldier Museum which must not be missed).
Toy boat with paint set (showing us that the Lifeboat Inn are offering a Watercolour Painting Holiday on for three nights – with welcome lunch £325 per person, two sharing - from Monday, 27 September 2010 with artist Tim Fisher.
Lavender plant (representing Norfolk Lavender who is also holding a Lavender Festival on 10 and 11 July 2010 with a small craft fair, hog roast, farm shop, Lavender Hill Mob performance, bee, falconry, lace-making and carpentry demos – all proceeds are to go to benefit Tapping House Hospice).
Spring and watch (representing Pensthorpe Nature Reserve and Gardens who hosts BBC Springwatch).
Horseshoe (representing Church Farm where we are advised to look out for Bernard the Suffolk Punch working horse – and the donkeys!).
Crown (representing the King William IV). Corgi (representing Sandringham House).
China cat (showing us an example of the type of gift items that may be found at Le Strange Old Barns Antiques, Arts and Crafts in Hunstanton).

Bircham Windmill pulled out the stops and catered for all 73 of us with Gina Wagg's mouthwatering Lasagne and fresh salads followed by strawberries and cream and a selection of Mrs Temples’ Norfolk cheeses. It was a lovely relaxing evening and we even had live entertainment thrown in for the whole of the evening. Well done to Sally, Michael and Alex for keeping going throughout. The trio filled the garden of Bircham Windmill with lovely melodies and it felt like a real summer evening in all.

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