Norwich Lanes | News Archive

 22/08/2008 | The Birdcage's Bank Holiday Festival

The funky boutique pub at the heart of Norwich Lanes, The Birdcage, is holding a special Bank Holiday Festival, this weekend, 22nd - 25th August 2008.

Each day is dedicated to a different sense and the bar has gone all-out to offer its customers a fantasticly varied weekend line-up of events:

- Friday 22nd August - DANCE - Electro-Indie DJ sets from Guerilla Disco, Anonymous John, and Buck Wild. Drinks offers and a late licence.
- Saturday 23rd August - SHOP - The bar becomes an indoor market for the day and in the evening Norwich Lanes shops battle it out at the turntables in a DJ-Off
- Sunday 24th August - LISTEN - The Ball Room is covered with grass and cushions and filled with acoustic music, jazz, poetry, and magic!
- Monday 25th August - SEE - The Birdcage becomes an art gallery for the day featring up-and-coming artists.

The Birdcage is located on St Gregory's Green in Norwich Lanes.

 01/08/08 |Belly Dancing And Tantric Yoga At Sahara House - 14th August 2008

One of Norwich Lanes newest members, Sahara House, will be hosting a Belly Dancing, Henna Tattoos, and Tantric Yoga Night in August.

The special event will be held at Sahara House, 47 St Benedict's Street, Norwich on 14th August between 6pm - 8pm.

Descirbed as "a night to indulge your senses and leave you feeling gorgeous", the evening will include a talk and demonstration from a Tantric Yoga instructor, Henna Tattoos, a fun introduction to Belly Dancing with live drumming and Egyptian delicacies.

Guests can also try on the marvellous clothing and jewellery stocked by Sahara House. All purchases on the night will receive a 10% discount.

To book a space pop into Sahara House, or contact Azza Hafes on 01603 621166 or email azza@saharahouse.co.uk.

 25/07/08 |GO Elephants! in Norwich Lanes

Throughout August you can see a colourful herd of elephants in Norwich Lanes and throughout Norwich city centre.

The unusual outdoor exhibition is an urban art project called GO Elephants! The project aims to support wildlife and children’s charities whilst engaging local artists and also enriching and benefiting the people of Norwich and its visitors.

There are 53 elephants, each around 4ft tall, positioned in and around the streets of Norwich. Artists, students and community groups from across Norfolk have participated in the painting of these dazzling elephants, adding their personal touch and unique styles.

In September all the elephants will be auctioned to raise money for two charities: the wildlife charity ‘The Born Free Foundation’ (www.bornfree.org.uk/) and CLIC Sargent (www.clicsargent.org.uk), a charity supporting children and young people with cancer.
 
For full details about GO Elephants! and locations of all 53 elephants, visit www.goelephants.co.uk or click here to download the GO Elephants! map and trail PDF.

Many of the elephants are situated within Norwich Lanes locations, including St Benedict’s Street, Guildhall Hill, St John Maddermarket, St Andrew’s Plain, and London Street.

The exhibition runs until 31st August 2008.

 17/07/08 | Nua Lifestyle Celebrates 1st Anniversary in Norwich Lanes

Nua Lifestyle, a boutique adult store on St Andrew's Street, is celebrating its first birthday in Norwich Lanes throughout the day on Saturday 19th July 2008.

Every purchase on the day will receive a free goody bag and the 20th customer will recieve a free Nua Lifestyle t-shirt!

There will also be a competition raffle held during the day with exciting prizes worth over £50 to be won. Tickets cost only £1 and 50% of all raffle sales will go towards 'The Fighback Trust'.

Nua Lifestyle has a fun and straightforward approach to adult toy shopping and is passionate about making it easier for people to find what they are looking for. 

For more information pop into Nua Lifestyle at 2 St Andrews Street in Norwich Lanes, click here call 01603 667493, email norwichstore@nualifestyle.com, or visit www.nualifestyle.com.

12/06/08 | Bags O' Fun Lined Up For Party Shop's 1st Anniversary

Independent party and magic shop, Bags O' Fun, is celebrating its first birthday in Norwich Lanes with a raft of celebrations.

Based in Bridewell Alley, Bags O’ Fun was opened last summer by former Caiseter Holiday Park children’s entertainer and entrepreneur, Paul Jackson.

A magician and balloon-modelling entertainer will be in-store this Saturday (12th July) and a 12ft inflatable clown called ‘Bagsy’ will be appearing around Norwich city centre during the day giving away balloons and button badges to families.

All customers will receive a 15% discount in-store throughout the weekend (11th – 13th July) and families will be able to make-up personalised button badges for free to take away.

For more info about Bags O' Fun click here, call Bags O'  Fun on 01603 633655 or log on to www.bagsofun.co.uk.

 12/06/08 | Howard Lee Wins Fight to Return to UK and Norwich Lanes

It gives us great pleasure to report that Howard Lee recently won his fight to return to the UK.

Howard Lee is a leading light in Norwich Lanes and it was a great shock when he was refused re-entry to the UK last year. Members of Norwich Lanes signed a petition with over 1,000 names on it and we also posted a statement of support on this website.

We wish Howard and his wife Fiona all the happiness in the world for their renewed future together and look forward to seeing Howard back in Norwich Lanes soon. 

 09/06/08 | Norwich Lanes Summer Event A Bumper Success

Norwich Lanes' first Family Summer Event held in partnership with St Benedict's Street Association was a bumper success.

Thousands of people turned out on Sunday 8th June to enjoy the sunshine and take part in the events that were put on throughout the day.

Live music, dance classes, food stalls, busking sites, and clown shows for the kids helped to make the day a roaring success.

See Pictures and Video from the day at the Photo Galleries.
 
 06/06/08 | Norwich Lanes Family Summer Event This Sunday, 8th June.

Norwich Lanes and St Benedict’s Street Association have teamed up to put on their best ever free Summer celebration, on Sunday 8th June 2008.

Norwich Lanes activities will focus on St Gregory’s Green, the hub of Norwich Lanes, and include: a special ‘Claim to Fame’ busking area with performers programmed in all day; balloon giveaways; and a food stall run by Norwich Lanes restaurant, Steers American Diner.

For more information, see the News Release.

 12/05/08 | Upcoming Events at St Gregory's Centre for Arts, Education and Communty

From a Wine Tasting on Friday 16th May to the centre's Summer Fete on 8th June, there's lots going on at St Gregory's this Summer.

For more information contact Rosamunde, Curator at St Gregory's or see the News Release.

 09/05/08 | Search for Buskers for Summer Event

Norwich Lanes are currently looking for acoustic performers to put on 45-minute busking acts on their ‘Claim to Fame in Norwich Lanes’ busking area throughout the day.

All types of acts will be considered, but must not require amplification or power.

Anyone interested should contact Norwich Lanes at claimtofame@norwichlanes.co.uk or see the News Release.

 01/05/08 | Norwich Lanes Support For Howard Lee

A founding member of Norwich Lanes is fighting for his right to return to the UK following a refusal to let him re-enter the country.

Norwich Lanes is very grateful to everything Howard Lee has done for the organisation over recent years and wishes him sucess in his quest to re-enter the UK

For the Official Statment of support from Norwich Lanes, see the News Release.

 29/04/08 | Maddermarket Theatre's Masqurade Ball

The Maddermarket Theatre is holding a charity Masqurade Ball at St Andrew's Hall on Saturday 31st May.

See Norwich Lanes Events section below for more details.

 09/04/08 | School Disco Day At Soho Hip

On Saturday 12th, one of Norwich Lanes' funkiest fashion and accessory stores will be having a School Disco theme day.

See Norwich Lanes Events section below for more details.

 04/04/08 | New Website For Norwich Lanes

A new website has been launched by Norwich Lanes, to help people find out more about the popular independent shopping and socialising area in the heart of Norwich and plan their visit.

The website offers a window into the winding historic alleyways which make up Norwich Lanes and all members of Norwich Lanes Traders Association have their own page on the site to promote their individual businesses.

The official Norwich Lanes map is also included on the site as well as photo galleries featuring images of the area from past and present. Other additions to the new site include the latest news stories, event information, and a full search capability to help visitors find a particular shop, restaurant or bar in the area.

For more information, see the News Release.

 26/02/08 | Second Shop For Norwich Lanes Business

A thriving business in Norwich Lanes has opened a new shop in Lower Goat Lane, dispelling rumours that independent businesses are struggling due to competition from the city’s shopping centres.

The Rock Collection, a new alternative clothing store for young people, is the second Norwich Lanes shop for Mo and Murray Walker, owners of Black Lace in Dove Lane.

Opened within 11 days of picking up the keys at the end of January, The Rock Collection offers official music t-shirts, merchandise, alternative streetwear and footwear; much of which cannot be found elsewhere in the city. The shop also stocks highly sought-after alternative labels such as Iron Fist, Criminal Damage and Emily The Strange.

For more information, see the News Release.

 15/01/08 | Norwich Lanes Sweep the Board at Style Awards

A collection Norwich Lanes businesses have scooped the majority of awards at the recent Life Matters Independent Style Awards.

The awards, run by the Norwich Evening News, were voted on by the public in order to find the best independent shops and boutiques in the Fine City.

Eight of the 14 awards up for grabs were won by Norwich Lanes businesses illustrating the wealth of shopping and entertainment available in the city’s historic quarter.

Awards ranged from Best Fashion Shop to Best Deli and were announced recently in the evening newspaper.

To find out who won what, see the News Release.

 30/01/08 | Norwich Lanes Appoints Comms Expert

A communications expert has been appointed by Norwich Lanes to help spread the word about Norwich’s wonderful historic quarter.

Robin Phillips, from independent public relations and reputation consultancy, REP PR, has been working alongside Norwich Lanes in an advisory capacity for some months but has now been brought on board to handle internal, external communications and media relations.

“Everyone involved is so passionate about the area that it’s very infectious. We’ve got a lot planned and so my role will be to help co-ordinate internal communications and promote externally all of the wonderful things that Norwich Lanes is achieving,” said Mr Phillips.

For more information see the News Release.

 07/12/08 | Norwich Lanes Gear Up For Christmas

Norwich Lanes is the perfect place for Christmas shopping.

With a huge variety of independent businesses and a relaxed atmosphere, Norwich Lanes offers the perfect place to find something that little bit different. And with plenty of bars and restaurants for meeting up with friends and family during the process, Norwich Lanes helps to make the Christmas period fun and stress-free.

Norwich Lanes businesses have teamed up to give the area an enhanced feeling of festive cheer this Christmas.

Norwich Lanes members will be continuing the tradition of having mini-Christmas trees outside their shops, bars and restaurants; there will also be blue and white Christmas lights on many of the shops in the area. Most businesses will be open until 7pm each Thursday in December and between 11am and 4pm each Sunday to help shoppers make the most of Norwich Lanes.

For more information see the News Release.

 15/11/08 | New Flower Boxes For Norwich Lanes Shops

A group of shops and businesses within Norwich Lanes are displaying new flower boxes, thanks to the European Spatial Metro project, which was set up to help improve city centres all over Europe.

Many shops and houses within Norwich Lanes are already adorned with beautiful flower boxes, and others will now be joining suit thanks to the new scheme.

The flowers will be changed depending on the season and help to make Norwich Lanes an even more beautiful place to visit and spend time in.

 13/10/2007 | Norwich Lanes Unveil First Map

Norwich Lanes Traders Association has released the very first map of the Norwich Lanes area. The new map available free from shops and businesses in Norwich Lanes and illustrates the abundance of shopping and leisure activities that can be enjoyed in the city’s historic quarter.

The map is key and colour-coded to make it easy to access all the information about the fantastic Norwich Lanes, including shopping, entertainment, and dining.

Here are some early news stories and articles from Norwich Lanes:
 Norwich Lanes Update (Summer 2006)
 UEA Spring/Summer Fashion Show (2006)
 City Hotspots: The Style Awards 2005 (Dec 2005)
 St Benedicts Street Fair (2005)
 UK Campaign for Norwich Retail (2005)