Originally published in the North Norfolk News. Restored from the surviving column copy, with light typo corrections. Prices, predictions and opinions reflect the time. Unrelated passages have been omitted in this curated web edition.
The day is finally here, and A Level students will today find out whether the last year of work has paid off, and for some it will mean making some important decisions about university and college. Good luck to all A Level students who are receiving their results today, or now awaiting the postman to deliver them.
Last week I was looking for suggestions for things teenagers can do over the holidays in North Norfolk. The inbox suddenly became rather silent. Now this either means that last week you were all using the newspapers to protect you from the rain instead of reading it, or most likely, youâre struggling to find something to do over the holiday too. I was recently asked by a friend what there was to do in North Norfolk as she was visiting the area. Aside from the usual carnival, I think itâs very difficult to suggest things to see and do that will appeal to a teenager these days. Do you suggest the beaches, the walks around Sheringham and Holt Park, and places like Baconsthorpe Castle, only for teenagers to spend most of it texting or listening to their MP3 players? Or do you suggest the common teenage venues like the cinemas, fast-food restaurants and shops? With the UEA closed for the summer for the latest bands, it seems as if there are plenty of things to do for children, and adults, but for teenagers itâs another story â both for tourists and locals.
This week I read up on a guy called Edd Smith, a student at Reading University, who is looking at Chapelfield and whether itâs a success or not. His dissertation is titled – âHas Norwich City Council's decision to develop the Chapelfield shopping centre been justified?â To do this he needs your opinions. For me, I remember going to Chapelfield when it first opened and it was like seeing a toy as a child you couldnât buy. It looked amazing on the outside, but everything on the inside was far too expensive. There may be a variety of shops, but most are found elsewhere in the city, or just donât appeal to me. I only find myself being grateful of its H&M store as it has a menâs section. Thatâs something that the one in the Castle Mall does one season, and doesnât the other, causing a bit of embarrassment once or twice. If you want to help Edd out with his research, visit the website he has set up – www.norwichproject.co.uk – Iâll be interested to hear what answer he comes up with.
Iâll be back in two weeks, and for those that arenât technologically advanced enough to e-mail me, you can send in a comment about my column using the postal address featured on this letters page.