LORNA MARSH A Norfolk hotel which is set to see 10 babies born to staff in less than two years literally does have something in the water - after 12 ducklings born in the fountain swelled the baby boom.

LORNA MARSH

A Norfolk hotel which is set to see 10 babies born to staff in less than two years literally does have something in the water - after 12 ducklings born in the fountain swelled the baby boom.

Storks have been busy at Dunston Hall, just outside Norwich, with five of its workers currently expecting babies in addition to five happy arrivals since the beginning of last year.

Two of the new arrivals came just two weeks apart, two expectant mums are due around the same date, with a further one within a fortnight of them, and yet two more babies have due dates separated by just eight days.

The workers have been baffled by the coincidences but there are suspicions a certain office chair is to blame, leaving remaining staff either hopeful or nervous.

Leisure receptionist Mandy Mitchell-Hawes started the patter of tiny feet when her daughter Rosie was born 16 months ago and, as if the current bounty was not enough, she is now expecting her second child. She said even taken over the last six years there has been a baby born annually.

Stuart Mason, who is now 10 months old, was next to arrive to general manager's PA Joanne then five months later Erin Hill followed, daughter to wedding sales co-ordinator Sarah.

Noah Hunt was born just nine weeks ago to restaurant team leader Natasha closely followed by seven-week-old Eve Briggs, daughter of Golf and Leisure operations manager Peter and his wife Leza.

As well as Mrs Mitchell-Hawes who is expecting a sibling for Rosie in less than eight weeks, two staff members both have six weeks to wait and two more are due in October.

Head mechanic Steve Crisp is expecting his first baby with wife Danielle on May 24 around the time that Andrea Lincoln the hotel's assistant revenue manager has her due date.

Human resources manager Zoe Challis is due on October 4 and lastly - at least for the time being - is marketing support Karen Utting who is expecting on October 12.

She said she only took a month to conceive adding: “I must have sat in the chair at some point.”

But one new mum who was unlikely to have used the magic chair situated in the sales office was the hotel's adopted duck who has just had 12 ducklings in the fountain proving that the boom even extends to the its wildlife.

Tracey Watt, sales development manager at the hotel, said: “I am not in development as much as the rest of them. It is even more of a coincidence because the hotel has just built 41 new bedrooms so as it is expanding so are our staff.

“It is nothing we can not handle, we are really pleased for them all, and it is nice to see that they have all come back or are due to do so, it means it must be a good place for them to work.”