One of our teachers has more than doubled her fundraising target to help the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Michelle Ryan took part in the recent 10k GEAR run in King’s Lynn, and was supported by pupils and colleagues at Clenchwarton Primary School,  where she has taught for 24 years.

Her initial target of £300 raised on the online JustGiving sponsorship page has been completely smashed and currently stands at £785 - more than 260 per cent of her self-set target.

A group of young runners from her school, a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, also took part in GEAR and completed the mini-event before cheering Mrs Ryan on for her longer run.

The air ambulance was chosen after an incident near the school in 2023 when a life was saved because of the prompt medical action of staff and the arrival of the distinctive helicopter to take the patient to a specialist hospital where they survived.

Although Mrs Ryan had taken part in the GEAR event before, it had been several years and she trained hard for the event, juggling work, family and training to make sure she could complete the course.

Children in her Year 4 class are currently working towards their EAAA Challenge badge and recently raised £134.20 from a cake sale they held at the school.

Mrs Ryan’s fundraising page is still open on the JustGiving website, and can be found here.

Young photographers from a WNAT school came together to showcase their talents at an exhibition held over the May Bank Holiday weekend at St Faith’s Church in King’s Lynn.

Forty students from Springwood High School joined pupils from primary schools in the area to display their work at the five-day event, which ran from Thursday 1 to Monday 5 May, and took as its theme ‘New Life’.

“This was an exhibition with St Faith’s and the schools in the Diocese,” said Lee Eveson, who is Head of Art and Photography at Springwood, and organised the show with the help of Revd Kyla Sorensen, and staff from the participating primaries.

“The theme ‘New Life’ was chosen due to the fact that we were close to Easter.”

The Springwood photographers ranged from Key Stages 2 to 5, with each contributing a piece to the exhibition.

“Seeing 40 different individual photographs, which showed a personal response to the theme of New Life, was really interesting, and we had some very different interpretations,” continued Mr Eveson, who is himself an award-winning artist.

“I am always amazed by the intelligence and creativity of all of our students.”

The event was followed by a visit to Springwood by Revd Sorensen to present the Rector’s Award for her favourite ‘New Life’ photograph, which went to A Level student Martha Johnson.

It was the first time that the school had staged an exhibition at St Faith’s, but there are plans to make it a regular fixture.

“We are thinking biannually,” added Mr Eveson. “We will also be taking students down to the church later in the year to do plein air drawing, which I think will be a great experience for them.

“It is not only a beautiful building which draws visitors from across the world to see its paintings and stained-glass windows, but a vibrant and growing community of people led by an inspirational rector who I have very much enjoyed working with.”

The anniversary of VE Day was particularly poignant to a student at Smithdon High School who helped create a special display in the school library.

The teenager has grown-up with stories of his great-grandfather who flew a bomber in World War II.

“I have heard all his amazing stories from my grandad, including one about how he got frostbite in both legs. I’d already been really interested in the world wars since primary school when I first found some books about them. But hearing those family stories made it feel more real to me. That’s what really sparked my interest in World War II history, especially the planes,” said Charles Werner-Smith.

Set-up with help from librarian Marie Taylor, memorabilia on show at the school included items borrowed from the Norfolk County Council Library Service, which ranged from wartime propaganda posters to celebration pictures taken 80 years ago.

“Charles has a keen interest in World War II, especially the planes. He wanted to commemorate VE Day and approached me with the idea of creating a small display in the library,” she said.

There was also a mini street party with sausage rolls, cake, lemonade and music from Dame Vera Lynn which gave students the chance to step back in time and reflect on the day, and what had happened during the war years.

A group of students also joined the town’s official event held at the war memorial, known as the Cenotaph, this morning (8) when the commemorative flag was raised. Saturday sees a Gala Day at the Town Hall from 2.30pm. A street party is being held on Sunday from noon after a parade and service.

Students at Marshland High School who also serve in the Uniformed Services were proudly front and centre of VE Day commemorations.

The school held a series of events to mark the historic anniversary and staff were also asked to share their family stories from the Second World War to bring the experiences to life and closer to home for everyone.

“Stories have included a nan who narrowly avoided an air raid bomb in King’s Lynn, and a granddad who was shot in the hip and spent the rest of his life with the bullet inside him,” said History Teacher Lydia Beatty.

“I grew up listening to stories of wartime and the Blitz from my grandparents. Sadly, for the next generation this isn’t going to be possible, so it’s important that we continue to mark these days so the significance of those who fought is never lost,” she added.

The stories have been shared with students, and they were also encouraged to speak to their own family members to see if there were any stories from the war.

How VE Day unfolded and what its impact was at the time was part of lessons during the anniversary, and students listened to some music of the time, including Vera Lynn, to mark a different point throughout the day, which culminated with a two-minute silence to reflect on those who lost their lives.

A budding writer from a WNAT school was celebrating after her creative talents saw her poem ‘Wonderful Water’ win third place in a regional writing contest.

Isla Thompson, who is in Year 4 at Gaywood Primary, beat off competition from more than 100 pupils from ten schools in the region to become one of the winners of this year’s Rotary Young Writer.

“The children had to produce a handwritten or typed piece of writing in a genre of their choice, entitled ‘Wonderful Water’, which was this year’s theme,” explained Year 4 Class Teacher Chloe Sneath.

“The written entry could be fiction or non-fiction, as long as the piece related to the theme.”

“I introduced the theme of the writing, and shared the competition rules with the children for what their entries could be,” she continued.

“We discussed the different ideas that the children had for their writing, before they completed their writing independently at home.

“This year’s theme encouraged them to think outside the box, while the freedom to choose their own genre allowed each child to explore and refine their individual writing style.”

The entries were judged by a Rotary Club Panel, and Rotarian Hilary Farrell then visited Gaywood to award certificates to all the Year 4 pupils who took part, as well as to present Isla with her prize.

“I feel proud and happy about how well I did in the competition,” said the young poet. “Poetry is my favourite kind of writing.”

“These competitions play a valuable role in giving children the opportunity to showcase their creativity through writing,” added Mrs Sneath. “They provide a platform for young writers to flourish and express their unique talents.

“The excitement amongst the children was clear – they were thrilled to be involved and to have this chance to shine.

“Participating in the competition sparked genuine engagement with their writing, helping them develop a vital life skill.”