Not enough praise is given to people/organisations providing good service, but similarly not enough is said about poor service and today my blog unfortunately starts with the latter.
Each Christmas we try to organise something special for our two grandchildren. Last year we took them to see Santa on the North Norfolk Railway and had a super day. It was a relatively short journey from Sheringham to Weybourne but there were mince pies and sherry for the adults and juice and chocolate for the youngsters.
The display at Weybourne was excellent and the presents from Father Christmas were very good. We also won a number of raffle prizes.
This year we thought we would take them to the Enchanted Journey of Light spectacular at Thursford. Many years ago we used to go regularly to the Thursford Christmas entertainment which was always first class.
So we booked tickets for the Enchanted Journey for ourselves and the grandchildren for December 15th. When the Covid tiers were announced we were not sure whether to go ahead with the visit being unsure whether the grandchildren were in our Covid bubble and feeling that they weren't. So we turned to the Thursford website for advice and it was confusing or woolly to say the least and smacked of their abnegating any responsibility and leaving it up to individuals to decide.
After talking it through with our son and daughter-in-law, we felt it wouldn't be safe to take them but that the situation could change for a visit either later in the month before Christmas or after i.e in the dates when the Government are allowing families to get together over the Christmas period.
It seemed a simple matter to us to phone Thursford, cancel our tickets for the 15th and re-arrange for the 23rd as the website stated that tickets for this later date were available. It seemed a simple matter except for one problem - the total inflexibility and appalling customer service of Thursford.
Firstly we couldn't cancel the tickets - luckily we took out insurance for just such an eventuality but rebates had to come from an insurance protection cancellation website.
Secondly - we couldn't swap the tickets. This was obviously too difficult for them.
Thirdly - we couldn't have the new date because all the tickets were sold despite it saying on a laptop in front of us that tickets were still available. Spookily as we sat in front of the laptop this changed to a sold out sign.
Fourthly - when we went onto the insurance cancellation site it told us it was under maintenance.
I would have thought that, in these times of businesses struggling and desperate for custom, they should realise that it is people like us that will keep them going. Next year if everything is back to normal we will be returning to the North Norfolk Railway and not entertaining Thursford.
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Back to more pleasant things. A couple of weeks ago a friend informed me that Hethersett GP Nicky Morris is retiring. When this was announced on the Humbleyard Practice Facebook page there were over 30 immediate responses from grateful patients.
Comments were glowing and thoroughly deserved. We have a number of reasons which I won't go into for bring grateful to Nicky and her professionalism and caring attitude. GPs are just such an important part of community life and certainly leave a mark long after they are gone.
The name of Dr Stuart lives on in Hethersett and in those days daily surgeries were held in what is now a private house (I will return to this in a coming blog). There is a Stuart Close just off Henstead Road, named in his honour.
When we came to the village medical matters were much simpler. Hethersett surgery had three doctors - Signy, Beeby and Press. You were assigned to one and that was the doctor you saw. In our case it was Mike Beeby.
Dr Signy is still around. He is a keen collector of medical and other memorabilia and gives talks on this. Sadly Tony Press died a number of years ago. He was musical director of the annual Hethersett Pantomime for many years (the pantomime is a subject for another future blog). Tony bore a remarkable resemblance to opera singer Luciano Pavarotti as you might see from the pictures at the top of the page.
On the few and they were very few occasions that I went to see Tony I always fell into the same trap.
"How are you?" he inquired.
"Fine," I replied.
"What are you doing here then?" he laughed.
If I had to describe Tony Press I think I would use the word lugubrious.
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Today I wandered back across the fields to have another look at the 1,000 fledgling trees planted in the Beckhithe County Wildlife Site. They will certainly, in time, make a good barrier against nearby development and help to protect the wildlife.
My story about the planting appeared in yesterday's local newspapers. You can see a reproduction of the cutting below.
Technically yesterday was the last day of lockdown before we move into the tier system. That means the latest lockdown has lasted for 27 days. My aim was to walk 100 miles and I'm pleased to say that my total is just over 125 miles. I'm going to continue for the next four days to give me a 31-day total which to my mind is a complete month. So I could still get somewhere close to my re-assessed aim of 150 miles.
Yesterday was also the first day of the Advent window calendar trail in the village. You will see a photograph of the first display at the Clarity Colorimetry business in Buckingham Drive (the road where we lived when we first came to Hethersett).