The Hall, which hosts live entertainment and community events, was threatened with closure after council funding was cut, but now, fresh from their successful reopening of the outdoor pool, Beccles Lido Limited are set to bring their dedicated community spirit to bear.

Councillor Stephen Ardley, Conservative, told the BBC: “The lido group’s robust financial planning and proven ability to deliver grant funding places the long-term future of the hall in very safe hands.”

The Lido group issued a statement saying that it would “deliver a prime, quality, accessible and well maintained leisure service in Beccles for the benefit of all”.

With many community assets under threat due to lack of funding, voluntary groups are taking up the slack, helping to maintain unique facilities like Beccles’ Lido and now the Public Hall. To get in touch with Beccles Lido Limited and see if you can help, visit their site at www.beccleslido.com

Hawkins is busily putting the finishing touches on the Darkness’s third album, but in an interview with the Toronto Sun, he revealed that he has already written three songs for a musical currently titled The Collapse of the Lowestoft Fishing Industry.

Hawkins told the Toronto Sun: “The main character has lost his throat to cancer so you have to sing all the songs in a voicebox. Something I’ve always wanted to do is a musical but, you know, musical from beginning to end, not like a musical of our songs horned into a storyline.”

Sadly, Hawkins’ Lowestoft-themed musical has been firmly on the back-burner for a while now, with the singer admitting: “I’ve got about three of the songs for it and the storyline but that’s the stage it’s been at since 1995. Don’t know if I’ll ever get around to finishing it.”

With the Darkness’ third album nearing completion and predicted to be one of the year’s top sellers, Hawkins is unlikely to have the time to finish it any time soon, but – as the existence of an internationally successful rock band from Lowestoft proves – stranger things have happened.

But if you want to take your views and ideas to a wider audience, the BBC’s Any Questions programme offers you a chance to ask a question and influence the debate.

The programme will be recorded at Sir John Leman High School on Friday 2nd March 2012, and free tickets are still available. The debate is likely to be lively, so if you’ve got strong views, this is your chance to make yourself heard.

Presented by Jonathan Dimbleby, the Any Questions programme focuses on local and national politics, as well as media issues, and is a great way to get original ideas into the public discussion.

To get a free ticket for the recording, call 01502 713 223 or email pauline@sjlhs.suffolk.sch.uk

Great British Railway Journeys, presented by former MP Michael Portillo, sees the ex-politician travelling on some of the country’s most historic routes and exploring local communities.

Arriving in Beccles, Portillo delved into the town’s unique history, including a visit to a graveyard to uncover the grisly trade in corpses, sent to London by train for dissection. With a copy of Bradshaw’s trusty rail almanac, Portillo made a point of celebrating some of the unique features of this historic line, including the beautiful Reedham swing bridge.

Future episodes will see Portillo follow the Great Eastern line from East Anglia into London, but one thing’s for sure – nothing is going to rival the delights of Beccles.

Letting Agents have seen a recent increase in the demand for homes in Suffolk coast and have had to improve their service to cope with this. Lettings Software is a great help to letting agents in the local area. Beccles is a brilliant village for people looking to move to the Suffolk area, and a helping hand when selling homes is always welcomed from estate agents.

The Letting Agents Software helps agents automatically generate sales and marketing materials, portfolios as well as full communication integration to save potential buyers time and money.

Small companies all over Suffolk are looking at easier ways to run their business. Having a full software package is the perfect way to do this, as Letting Agents are already beginning to take advantage.

Beccles has a lot to offer when it comes to places to live in Suffolk. Its widely known as the best area for a Broads boating holiday. Set on the River Waveney and on the Norfolk and Suffolk county boarders, Beccles has lots to keep people of all ages entertained.

Its no wonder why so many people are making their breaks in Beccles permanent. Local Estate Agents in the area are using Estate Agency Software to deal with the influx of interest, producing marketing portfolios and managing properties that are being let and sold in Beccles.

Vera Lawrence, 93, and Bob Whittle, 84, tied the knot after a 33 year romance that began on the bowling green. Mr Whittle told the BBC that “I fell in love with ther the first day I saw her at the bowls hall – we knew instantly that we were a pair.”

Ms Lawrence was the one who decided to make the pair’s 33 year romance official. She told the BBC that “I think I proposed – I said ‘shall we get married and put things straight’, he said why not?”

The couple, who have a combined age of 177, are foregoing a honeymoon abroad, preferring instead to celebrate their marriage by staying in Beccles.