Mark Boggis

Richard and Patricia Morling of Lowestoft celebrated their platinum wedding anniversary with family and friends at the Parkhill Hotel in Oulton. Richard is the last owner of Morlings, the family music shop founded in 1892 that operated in Lowestoft for 120 years, survived wartime bombing and a major fire, and served musicians including Benjamin Britten and members of The Darkness. The couple have also been active in local organisations, Rotary and fundraising, including collecting foil for guide dogs.

Further talks are expected this summer about repairing the Corton promenade, which remains closed after storm damage caused falling-masonry risks. East Suffolk Council says the area’s coastal defences are at the end of their design life, have suffered significant damage and are no longer cost-effective to repair through routine maintenance. Fencing and warning signs have been improved, while the council’s Coastal Management and Adaptation Team continues monitoring the structural problems and maintaining public-safety measures.

Apprentices and former apprentices at Seatrium Offshore Renewable Services in Lowestoft argue that vocational qualifications and apprenticeships should receive the same recognition as university education. The company highlights apprentices’ progression into professional and senior roles, while employees describe the practical benefits of work-based learning and call for schools and colleges to provide clearer information about alternative career routes.

East Suffolk Council has approved ScottishPower Renewables’ £8m redevelopment of the former RJ Pryce site on Trinity Road, Lowestoft. The 5,000-square-metre facility will serve as an operational, office and warehouse base for the East Anglia Three offshore wind farm, supporting about 100 staff. The project will include an 11kV substation, flood defences, parking, cycle facilities and electric-vehicle charging infrastructure. The council said the scheme would regenerate a previously developed site, support Lowestoft’s offshore-energy sector and deliver economic benefits.

A revamped play park at Waveney Meadow in Beccles is scheduled to open on August 13 at 2:30 p.m. Beccles Town Council replaced redundant and outdated equipment after receiving approval from the Broads Authority. The opening event will include free face painting and an ice cream cart.

South Lowestoft Methodist Church in Kirkley, Lowestoft, which opened in 1963, closed after its congregation transferred to other nearby Methodist churches. The prominent 484-square-metre building, located near the promenade and beach within a conservation area, is being marketed by Auction House East Anglia at an online freehold auction with a guide price of £200,000 plus fees. The property includes worship, meeting, office and ancillary spaces and could be adapted for another use subject to planning permission.

Bungay Town Council is consulting residents on a request to remove the rarely used Route 81 bus shelter outside The Source bistro on Earsham Street. The request describes the shelter as an eyesore that occupies too much space and inconveniences pedestrians. Residents can complete a survey until August 31, with the council expected to decide on the shelter at a committee meeting in September.

The Boulevard, a revamped leisure venue in Nicholas Everitt Park at Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, has reopened under joint owners George Bejko-Cowlbeck, Scott Rose and Annie Elisha-Elliss. Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been invested in attractions including bumper boats, a driving school, a dinosaur-themed sand pit, crazy golf, an ice cream and gelato parlour, deckchairs and a coffee cart. The owners hold a 20-year lease and plan further redevelopment, including a possible Splash Pad, arcade reopening and themed events, while expanding staffing and developing the site through 2027 and 2028.