Activities and Awards relating to the Environment and Sustainability
LABC (Local Authority Building Controllers Association) award for energy efficiency 2010. We were delighted to have been proposed for this award by our local building inspector, and even more delighted to have been shortlisted as one of four outstanding Energy Efficiency buildings in East Anglia.
Sustainability Live In April 2010 we were one of five candidates shortlisted for the SME (small and medium enterprise) Award for Energy Efficiency.
Old Home Superhome project This project run by the National Energy Foundation and the Sustainable Energy Academy provides a number of exemplar buildings open on specified days to the public and showing the application of renewable technology and energy efficiency to older buildings. In March 2010, following an energy audit, we were selected as the 49th building in the project and the only one at that time in the Norfolk/Suffolk region. We opened for four days in September through the Heritage Open Days programme run by English Heritage.
Campaign to Protect Rural England In September 2010 we were told that we had won a CPRE award in the category of historic building renovation. We will be again opening as part of the CPRE's Green Buildings in Norfolk open days in September 2011
Homebuilding and Renovation Awards We didn't get this one but have been told that our project is sufficiently interesting to perhaps feature in a forthcoming magazine article
Federation of Masterbuilders For the benefit of our great builder Rob Bacon of R J Bacon Builders Ltd, we put our project forward in the Energy Efficiency category of the Master Builder of the Year award. We were notified in late November that our project won the Eastern Region category. Unfortunately this was another one where we got to the national final but didn't win an award. It was a good day out though! Hard luck Rob - you've got to win it one day.
Events
We are hosting a number of world class musicians playing in the Norfolk concerts, at Salle Church, during 2012. For this year's concert programme keep an eye on www.norfolkconcerts.org
Other news
In 2011 we decided to apply for a Visit Britain rating and were awarded 5 stars (June 2011)
Those of you who have visited us recently will be pleased to know we have had our drive re-surfaced with heavy duty tarmac and the parking area re-tarred and shingled. No more potholes and puddles to avoid on the way to and from the pub! (June 2011)
Samphire - the excellent local food shop has been closed as a result of the National Trust not renewing their lease (despite a heavy degree of criticism and a Save Samphire campaign on Facebook). Itteringham Village shop now stocks a range of Samphire produce. We understand that the Samphire location at Blickling Hall has been re-opened as a National Trust cafe. (I can't recall having seen any repair work done on the roof of this building - which was the reason allegedly given for moving Samphire out.) I believe a number of Samphire items are now on sale in the cafe.
You may have seen the The Walpole Arms was placed into administration in December 2011. We understand that the administrators have received a number of serious offers for this great pub at the end of our drive and we are hopeful that it will continue to trade successfully during 2012. Our eat and deal stays with the Walpole Arms are discontinued until further notice.