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"The Coat of Hopes is a patchwork coat on an ongoing walking pilgrimage through the UK towards the end of the climate and ecological emergency"

The Coat of Hopes is a coat featuring hundreds of blanket patches made by groups and individuals who have encountered it on its journey.

“It has been made by and worn and walked by many hundreds of people on a journey on foot of around 1500 miles so far. It carries people's hopes for the places they live, sewn into the blanket patches of which it is made.”

Many of you will be aware of our ongoing efforts to improve the land to the rear of the Mayfly. Despite running battles with flytippers, we’ve made huge progress, and we’re keen to keep going. However, we’ve been told we’re no longer able to access the recycling centre without a waste carriers licence, and haven’t the funds for a skip. So we’re very grateful indeed to Jo Thompson for setting up the below fundraiser. Any donations will be greatly appreciated and will have an immediate and positive impact on the land, environment, and on the improvement of Rant Score. Thanks!

A new recycling scheme for medicine blister packs has just started. There are now four different locations you can now take your empty blister packs. 

They are Trinity Church, Uncle Sid's Zero Waste Store, and the Mayfly cafe, all in the High Street, and The Olive Centre, next to the library in Clapham Road.

The scheme is a Most Easterly Community Group initiative, called Use It All, supported by Lowestoft Town Council. It's very much a pilot scheme, designed in part to estimate need.

Use it All has teamed up with Lowestoft Town Council to run a pilot scheme on those pesky medicine blister packs.

There are now collection points in four locations.

Trinity Church, top of High Street

Uncle Sid's Zero Waste Store, High Street

The Olive Centre, Clapham Road

The Mayfly, High Street

Here you can deposit your empty medicine packs, and they will be eventually recycled by ReFactory.

The Polemical Brothers present your vinyl. The idea is a simple one. You bring your vinyl records. The Brothers play them. The equipment  - ie the needle and arm - is good. Use a post-it (c) note of the track you want played, as the Brother's memory is both inadequate and selective. In between your magic music, the Polemical Brothers will slip in some of their own choices from their enormous library. . . 

The Triangle Tavern, home to Green Jack Beers and a juke-box-less front bar,  starts a new season of eccentric Quiz Nights.  

1st prize - the pot

The 2nd Prize – good question

The Cost - £2.00 per person (cash only)

The Teams – max 5 per team, min 1 person . One person teams get automatic 5 bonus points

The Rounds – Five rounds – usually 2 general, 1 single category eg 'science', 1 local, 1 sound or picture.

The Points – 50 questions, 2 points each. Single, half and quarter points may be available on some questions

by Susan Steward and Harry Grainger

The largest administrative task by far to demand both the attention and the time of the parochial authorities in Lowestoft during the Early Modern period was relief of the poor – a weighty responsibility placed upon English parishes by the formative Poor Law Act of 1601. And the fortunate survival of Overseers of the Poor account books for the period 1656-1712 (Suffolk Archives, Ipswich - 01/13/1/1&2) reveals much about the implementation of this legislation.

Our local film club..

Book tickets 

Next we have 

ACHIEVEMENTS: Taught, organised women’s groups, assisted the homeless from the vicarage of Lowestoft St Margaret's. As Richenda Gurney, she was born at Bramerton, Norwich on 5 August 1782, the sixth of the twelve children of John Gurney (10 November 1749–28 October 1809), a banker, of Earlham Hall, Norwich, and his wife Catherine Bell (18 November 1754-17 November 1792), daughter of Daniel Bell and Catherine Barclay.

ACHIEVEMENTS: Our FIRST female MP   
Born in 1982 she is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lowestoft since 2024. She was a member of Islington Borough Council from 2010 to 2013. Born in 1982 she is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lowestoft since 2024. She was a member of Islington Borough Council from 2010 to 2013.     

ACHIEVEMENTS: played a significant role in the spread of education, Christianity, and healthcare in Ibadan, leaving a lasting legacy in Nigeria. Anna Hinderer (nee Martin) was born in 1827. After her mother’s death when Anna was five, she lived with her grandfather and aunt until the age of twelve, when she moved to Lowestoft. In Lowestoft, she resided at the vicarage 13 High Street, working as a secretary to Reverend Francis Cunningham and his wife, Richenda.

ACHIEVEMENTS: development of assisted reproductive technologies

She was born on March 1, 1905, in Lowestoft, England. Her upbringing in Lowestoft provided the groundwork for her subsequent contributions to reproductive medicine. Upon completing her medical education, she co-founded one of the pioneering fertility clinics in England during the 1930s, spearheading donor insemination practices. Her work has had a profound and enduring impact on the field of reproductive health.

ACHIEVEMENTS: first woman to serve as a justice of the peace in Lowestoft. In 1921, she was among the pioneering women appointed to this esteemed position. Margery was a driving force within the Association of Women Magistrates and made substantial contributions to the justice system.  (1874–1958)

CREDIT: Lowestoft heritage 

ACHIEVEMENTS: CEO of Access Community Trust  
Over the last nine years, She has developed the organisation from a small localised charity supporting the Homeless, to a Sunday Times Top100 Employer with a team of over 150 people. The entire workforce serve to support those at risk of social isolation across four core themes: Health and Wellbeing, Education, Community Social Enterprises and supported Accommodation. 

Achievements: A celebrated British mezzo-soprano known for her warm and plush voice, particularly in Baroque repertoire. She has performed at prestigious venues worldwide, collaborating with renowned conductors and excelling in both Baroque and later musical styles. Born in Lowestoft, Diana is also a critically acclaimed recitalist, known for her innovative programs that integrate music with extended narration.

ACHIEVEMENTS:  winner of first national talent contest The Voice UK  

Born in Lowestoft on December 14, 1983, is an English pop singer who gained fame for winning the inaugural season of The Voice UK on June 2, 2012. Following her victory, she released her debut solo single, “Run to You,” on June 3, 2012.

CREDIT: Wikipedia 

ACHIEVEMENTS: A UEFA A and FA Youth Award Coach specialising in the development of female football players. She is the founder of P1 P2 Coaching, an organisation dedicated to understanding, supporting, and developing players to maximize their potential.

In her coaching career, Paige has held several notable positions, including:

Midlands & East Region Talent Technical Coach

FA WSL U21 Assistant Coach & Operations

County FA and Community Trust Female Lead

ACHIEVEMENTS: Ensured that vital wartime communications remained operational. Dorothy Ann Daphne Dallimer, born on December 1, 1889, in Lowestoft, was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) during World War II. As an Assistant Supervisor, Class II, at the Lowestoft Post Office, she displayed remarkable bravery and unwavering dedication by ensuring efficient telephone services despite the perilous air raids of 1941. Her courageous actions ensured that vital communications remained operational during these critical times.   

ACHIEVEMENTS: established Balliol College, one of the oldest colleges at the University of Oxford

(c. 1210-1290) She was one of the great women of the Late Medieval period. She became Lord of the Manor of both Lothingland and Lowestoft in 1228, doing a large swap of her family lands in Cheshire, with Henry III, for many royal manors in various parts of England. This, because the King wanted a buffer zone against the Welsh. She would never have visited Lowestoft, but collected the annual rents due from Lowestoft tenants via the manor’s steward.

ACHIEVEMENTS: A fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, remarkable contributions to astronomy  

Fiammetta Wilson FRAS (born Helen Frances Worthington in Lowestoft; 19 July 1864 – 21 July 1920) was a British astronomer elected a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1916

ACHIEVEMENTS: A reminder of the injustices of their time

During the first half 17th century the denizens of the  ancient coastal town of Lowestoft in Suffolk, England, witnessed many upheavals their lives.  Plague, fire, civil strife, a rapid decline in the local fishing industry and an expensive law-suit with the neighbouring town of Great Yarmouth all left their mark on this small community of under 2,000 souls.

Centuries of Ongoing Change

Denmark Road, Flensburgh Street and Tonning Street: three closely connected roads near the shopping-centre and railway station of the Suffolk coastal town of Lowestoft (the UK’s most easterly community). What possible connection can there be between this trio, the most southerly located of the Scandinavian countries and two towns in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein?

We look forward to welcoming you :-)

Our Next book  

Get the book from: Moral of The Story Bookshop

ACHIEVEMENTS: her generosity and philanthropic work 
Lady Pleasance Smith (née Reeve; 11 May 1773 – 3 February 1877) was an English letter writer, literary editor, and centenarian. Smith lived to the age of 103, becoming well known in later life on account of her advanced years.

.. but definitely nerdy lol

It would be great when providing an online primary source if you could link directly to the relevant phrase/sentence within a long external page. Well it seems you CAN!

Syntax

[URL]#:~:text=[RELEVANT%20PHRASE]

So instead of 

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/25852/25852-h/25852-h.htm  > then telling people to scroll down 300 paragraphs and you will find relevant section. You can do this…

[UPDATED 17/12 disappointingly Post Office Ltd IS going ahead with the move] It has been brought to our attention as a community group (MECG) that the High Street post office (the most easterly post office) is about to be moved away 

While we intend to lodge our views before the consultation period ends on the 5th December, 2024 the community feel very strongly about it remaining where it is 

We have held meeting and gathered views from our local community and would ask for your support .. please see below:

Most Easterly Community Group

Be there or be bereft

Some  of the work exhibits are a collaboration between Brigitte Quennehen and Debbie Baker.

They met through their sons who are part of The Fools Moon local Band.

Debbie began working 8 years ago. They thought it would be good to explore working together.

The result can be seen at the Mayfly Café as well as some of their individual work.

It is hard to make sense of the lost buildings at the top of High Street when all that is left is a long stretch of grass. So we started with an 1893 map that had TWO buildings that are STILL here today Arnold House (4) and The Flint House (now called The Royal Falcon (26)). 

THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: For all of April 2025, I will have an exhibition of my work, art and photography, at The Mayfly Lowestoft. This is very exciting, as I've been thinking about staging an exhibition for a while now. Thanks to the lovely Piers Colby, it's all ahead Warp Factor 5. One of the first dates for your 2025 diary. :-)

Here's a peek into The Gallery room in The Mayfly, where the exhibition celebrating sculptor Laurence Edwards' 'The Walking Men' can be enjoyed until 31 October. Please drop in to see works by local artists Desmond Baldry, Robert Fairclough, Michael Gibbons, Sarah McCluskey and Aaron Rutter, among others. :-)

This is an exhibition of a printed monthly community newspaper, which was produced for more than eleven years in various back rooms, first issued in 1973. Some front covers are on display, but more importantly, you can browse original copies. Soon there will be a book, reflecting on its history and its relevance for today.

novel published, Silver Harvest, which is based on Lowestoft's history 1826-1956. The launch is at Waterstone's, Lowestoft, on Thursday, 5th September, 6.30 for 7.00

Plans are afoot to try and sensitively recreate this 100 year old wall advert. It will reflect and celebrate the restoration and revitalisation going on currently throughout Lowestoft but particularly on the historic High Street. 

 The property owner is supportive of the project so work is now underway to raise the £8,000 the project will require. 

 Any info about 'Football Tea' gratefully received, especially if it's historical evidence.

The Black Death arrived in Lowestoft devastating the population.The national accepted average for deaths in England is somewhere around 60%. Info on Lowestoft is very limited. 

Special thanks to PlantGrow for generously supporting this transformation 

The Mayfly, burgeoning coffee and cultural High Street hub, is turning some derelict land into, well, something else. A community garden? A mini-wildlife reserve? Butterfly haven? Part of a grand scheme to upgrade the whole of the cliff-face? It'll be up to those who get involved, said Piers Colby, le patron of The Mayfly and community catalyst.

On what had turned out to be  General Election Day, The Mayfly Garden Group welcomed Dr Ian Bedford and Dannny Suggit, Production Manager of PlantGrow Ltd

Great progress being made on community garden

Learn more https://gofund.me/aa2cd224

A Millenium Heritage project from 1999 has been restored and saved by LO&N. It can be viewed here and even has its audio files updated to a current (playable) mp3 format as can be seen/heard here  

https://22villages.manystories.org/

Imagine standing at the top of London Road North, looking north. It's dusk. You can hear a choir, its sound drifting towards you from the market place. 

Christmas lights begin to illuminate the street, some flickering a bit, suggesting oil-lamps and covered candles. It seems every window is aglow. Every shop is open, welcoming your business. You walk up the street. Some people are apparently ghosts of the past. Many others are dressed to promenade. There's a market. Between carols, a town crier is announcing the names of the many businesses in the street.

Milestones is resident at Hotel Hatfield, Esplanade, Lowestoft and opens its doors at 7pm on the first Sunday of every month with an admission price of usually £14

A march for better streetlighting. This is a community initiative by local residents to highlight the number of street lights not working and the length of time it has taken to repair/ replace 

Neighbours come together for a protest march... against broken street lights

Lowestoft Journal writes...For two years parts of the A47 in Lowestoft has been plunged into darkness.

Broken street lights have not been fixed by National Highways - despite numerous reports being raised by locals.

Now to highlight the issues a protest march of around one-and-a-half miles is set to take place in the coastal town.

A group of locals said the ongoing situation had become so bad that it was now "an accident waiting to happen."

Lowestoft Porcelain Factory, between 1757 and 1802, was in production for longer than any English soft-paste porcelain manufacturer other than Royal Worcester and Royal Crown Derby, producing domestic ware such as pots, teapots and jugs. Site roughly where Crown Brushes is now in Crown Street.

The term denes is an earlier version of dunes. It derives from OE dūn, meaning “a hill”, and became applied to coastal sandhills during the late medieval period – being first identified in a printed source dating from the year 1523. In Lowestoft’s case, any undulating effect may never have been very great as a result of tidal action and the effect of the wind, and the progressive development of scrub-growth of one kind and another would have moderated this even further.

On Saturday 3rd June 2023 disaster hit Lowestoft's High Street, but all is not doom and gloom.  

145, High Street suffered a crippling fire. At least two people were rescued by firefighters. Nine fire appliances of various types attended. Electricity was turned off for part of the High Street for a few hours. Not only did the flat-dwellers lose their homes, but High Street Furnishings lost their shop and store.  

The fire destroyed the top floor, and severe water damage affected the rest of the building. 

extract from Lowestoft Journal - Saturday 04 October 1913

see also our Lowestoft maritime timeline page