We at Norwich Astronomical Society run an annual cycle of observing by members, public events and hosting visits by organised groups. Over the last two years the covid-19 pandemic has severely disrupted our ability to operate as we would like. Part of our cycle is our astronomical season which runs each year from the beginning of September to the end of April. It is during these months that the night sky is at its darkest, allowing us to take advantage of this in one of the places in South Norfolk with the minimum of light pollution.

Unlike many other astronomical societies in the UK we own our observatory site. This has obvious advantages but it does mean that we are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of our site, its buildings and the astronomical and other equipment that we possess. We take advantage of the period from May to August each year to carry out much of this necessary work, often by means of weekend work parties, staffed by member volunteers. We have also taken advantage of  the observatory closure period to carry out some upgrades to our facilities.