Businesses in Great Yarmouth will soon be able to apply for grants to improve their frontages as part of efforts by the borough council to boost the town centre, external.

With online shopping and out-of-town malls, town centres need to give people a reason to visit and spend money, says Cllr Barry Coleman. 

Image source, Google

"Improving shopfronts, and in some cases restoring their historic character, is a great way to do that," he said.

Town centre manager Jonathan Newman says the Shopfront Improvement Scheme is an opportunity for businesses "to upgrade and refresh... to attract additional footfall while enhancing the overall appeal of the town centre".

Now back to our story yesterday on plans to smarten up one of Great Yarmouth's retail areas. 

The borough council has agreed to make £60,000 available to make the town centre more attractive, external to shoppers and investors, increasing footfall and trade.

Image source, Google

Under the Town Centre Shopfront Improvement Scheme, eligible applicants can ask for grants of up to £3,000 each to fund shopfront renovations. They must cover 25% of the total cost themselves.

Applications open on 1 December, closing on 31 March 2018 - or sooner if the funding is spent before this date. 

Norwich City stars Sebastien Bassong, Steven Naismith and Nathan Redmond visited a local school to help inspire children to live a more healthy and active lifestyle.

Services between Norwich, Ipswich, Colchester, Chelmsford and the capital should be back to normal:

Now's your chance to find out what a career in Norfolk's emergency services could offer you.

Pop along to Norwich City College from 13:00 today, to find out all you need to know at this recruitment information event run by Norfolk Constabulary.

If the fire service is more your thing,  book yourself a place at an "awareness session" - these two events are being held at Carrow fire station on 1 and 5 December. 

Norwich Evening News

Costessey man tells how life has changed since he suffered massive electric shock - today's Norwich Evening News, external: 

Image source, Archant

Network Rail engineers who were called to a points failure north of Manningtree station in Essex have repaired some damaged cable, and Greater Anglia say rail services to London are now returning to normal.

Phil Daley
BBC Radio Norfolk sport

Thetford Town boss Danny White is looking for an upset tonight as his Thurlow Nunn, external Premier side welcome King's Lynn Town in the Norfolk Senior Cup third round.

It'll be the first time the former Linnets' player goes head-to-head with his old club as a manager and the visitors, of the Evo-Stik Southern Premier, external, are two divisions above Thetford in the non-league football pyramid.

Image source, Thetford Town

"I'm really excited... obviously it's a really hard task to beat a team of their capabilities, but we're going to give it our best shot," said White.

The draw for the quarter-finals of the Norfolk Senior Cup will be made on BBC Radio Norfolk's Local Report after 18:30 this Friday.

Eastern Daily Press

The back page of today's Eastern Daily Press, external - columnists have their say on the future of Alex Neil:

Image source, Archant

Eastern Daily Press

The front page of today's Eastern Daily Press, external:

Image source, Archant

Train services on the Norwich to Cambridge line, external are returning to normal, although disruption is expected until 11:00.

A Network Rail team has removed the trees that had fallen onto lines between Wymondham and Norwich.

More than 1,000 people are backing a social media campaign to bring back one of Norfolk's best known radio presenters.

Rob Chandler was axed by Radio Norwich last week. The station is one of three owned by Anglian Radio, external, including The Beach and North Norfolk Radio.

Image source, Google

The company is merging the three stations and all will eventually share the same programmes coming from Norwich.

Changes are already happening, and we understand Radio Norwich's Rob Chandler was told he'd been taken off air after he'd finished his breakfast show.

Anglian Radio has been asked to comment, but we've not heard back from them.

Chandler was previously a presenter on Broadland and on BBC Radio Suffolk, where the Ipswich Town fan hosted a Saturday show of football memories.

Police are appealing for witnesses to a serious road traffic collision on the A10 between a black Vauxhall Corsa and a white Ford Tipper.

The vehicles were involved in a collision at around 14:40 at the junction with Watlington Road, on Friday, 18 November.

The driver of the Corsa was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, where she remains in a critical but stable condition.

There has been disruption on the main train line to London.

It was caused by a points failure at Manningtree, but things are getting better...

Konectbus, which provide the buses, external for Tesco's T1 and T2 service to take shoppers from the north of Norwich to the Blue Boar Lane Tesco superstore say they've approached the supermarket and have "tried to come up with an alternative cost-effective solution".

The bus service ends on Friday. 

A spokesman for Konectbus says the solution was "still to provide a service but at a lower cost".

It's being claimed that people are being left in the lurch now that Tesco is cutting two free buses services in Norwich.

The T1 and T2 services, external take shoppers from the north of the city to the superstore in Blue Boar Lane.

Image source, Google

Natasha Harpley, who's campaigning against the loss, says the first customers knew about the loss was when they were given a leaflet by the bus driver. 

Tesco confirms it has taken the decision to stop the bus service, and is working on alternative options for people. 

There's delays for Greater Anglia passengers, external travelling between Norwich and Cambridge - two trees are blocking both the lines between Wymondham and Norwich. 

Network Rail staff are expected on site at 09:30, with equipment to cut the trees up and clear the line.

Disruption is expected until 10:30.

Phil Daley
BBC Radio Norfolk sport

As it stands Wroxham's Ryman North match with Soham Town will go ahead despite heavy rain.

Dereham Town will aim to resolve their defensive woes when they host Witham Town.

The Magpies have thrown away three-goal leads in their last two league games.  

Caroline Kingdon
BBC Local Live

Their slogan of "Every little helps" is not applicable here - that's the view of Natasha Harpley who's fighting plans by Tesco to axe its free community bus service without consultation.

The T1 and T2 buses, external get shoppers in the north of Norwich to the Blue Boar Lane superstore in Sprowston, four miles from the city centre. But from Friday, they're being taken away.

Ms Harpley (pictured)says older and vulnerable people will be left in the lurch by the cut, as many don't want to use online services or even have access to the internet. 

The timing of it, just before Christmas and winter, is particularly bad.

Thanks to Andrew Sadler for this photo taken in Besthorpe, near Attleborough this morning.

A tree has come down opposite Silver Farm, blocking the road.

If you've a photo you'd like to share, you can send it to us on email.

Image source, Andrew Sadler