Page 14 - Town & Around - May 2024

14 Town & Around May 2024 Tel: 01485 540620 email: editor@townandaround.net
Breast cancer survivor to run Sandringham half-marathon for Breast of Friends

orty-nine-year-old Karen Richardson,
also known as Heacham’s runner in
Fpink, is running for Breast of Friends
who are raising money towards the Breast
Unit Development Fund to provide equipment
vital for early detection and treatment of
breast cancer for both men and women in west
Norfolk, plus the ongoing chemotherapy
treatment provided by the unit at the Queen
Elizabeth Hospital.
Now fit and well Karen’s training includes
running ten miles every day (you’ll spot her
running in her trademark pink jacket) and
workouts at the Knight’s Hill gym – all this as Charity and raised £1300 and on 16th June
well as her day job with patients at the QEH she’ll be lacing up her trainers for her third
and in the community. half-marathon at the Run Sandringham event
No stranger to fundraising events some where she hopes to top £1000 for the charity
readers will have seen Karen modelling for which is so important to her.
local fashion store Allez Chic and before the
half-marathon she is helping another charity She has set up a JustGiving Crowdfund-
in Norwich on 6th June, modelling at John ing Page and donations can be made at
Lewis. Little Lifts are also a breast cancer https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfund-
charity who give lovely boxes for ing/karen-richardson-
radiotherapy and chemotherapy patients.
In 2019 Karen ran for the Firefighters PR?utm_id=2&utm_term=wxZEyZ56P
Blue Wave peaceful protest about pollution in the Gaywood River
lue fabric representing clear water was carried through the
walks by eighteen members of the King's Lynn Chapter of
BExtinction Rebellion on March 30th.

Julia Irving, who led the blue wave, said “Our protest was sparked
off by a recent incident of oil and other waste going into the Gaywood
Following the news from the Environment Agency that sewage
spilled into Gaywood River for 1651 hours in 2023, the group came River.
"We were shocked and outraged to see this going on.
together in the Walks to express their shock and sadness in an "We wanted to make sure that people living in King's Lynn were
innovative fashion. aware of the pollution in the Gaywood River and invite them to
Yards of blue fabric were used to represent the beautiful clear water
which should be flowing through the stretch of Gaywood River which become guardians of the river and report issues to the Environment
Agency.”
meanders through the walks. Volunteers from XR formed a procession The Gaywood River is a tale of two chalk streams. Upstream is in
with the flowing blue fabric around the stretch of the river, while others good health, it has crystal clear water and flourishing plant life. While
talked to curious passers by and handed out flyers.
downstream is another matter; the water is murky, plants are dying off
and there is algae overgrowth. All signs of very poor river health.
A spokesperson for XR said: "The river used to be crystal clear water
and teeming with life, you could even watch brown trout swimming
in the stream at The Walks but now the river is murky, lifeless, and
filled with fungus which suggests it’s being polluted along its length.
"We are asking local people to keep a close eye and report any
pollution in the river they see to the Environment Agency on their free
24hr incident hotline at 0800 80 70 60.
"The Environment Agency has failed to prevent the ongoing
pollution in the years we have been campaigning on this, we are calling
for the Agency to finally act to protect the health of the river.
"They need to name and shame, and prosecute the perpetrators of
pollution."