Women protesting state pension inequality enlisted the help of Wymondham's town crier on a visit to the market town on Saturday.

About a dozen women from the Pension Action in Norfolk group (PAIN), which is affiliated to the national WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaign, spent the morning at Wymondham's farmers' market, gathering more than 200 signatures on a petition for Norfolk MPs.

The women also chatted to shoppers in a bid to raise awareness of pension age increases that have left many 1950s-born women struggling financially and physically as they wait up to six extra years for their state pension.

Town crier Pete Green announced their arrival at the market with a hearty: 'Oyez, oyez!'

Annette James, from Wymondham, who organised the event, said she was delighted with the response they had received from shoppers.

She said: 'Today is all about raising awareness among the 40,000 or so women in Norfolk who are affected by the state pension age raise, which was introduced with too steep a timetable and hardly any notification.

'We are still meeting women who are unaware of the changes and receive a very worrying shock when they learn they will not retire at 60.'

The group agrees agree that men and women's retirement ages should be equalised and are not campaigning for the retirement age to revert to 60.

However, they do want to see fair transitional arrangements brought in to assist those who were given little or no notice by successive governments about the retirement age equalisation and have had their retirement plans shattered.

The group is already planning gatherings in Dereham and Aylsham next year.

For more information visit their website www.pensionactionnorfolk.wixsite.com/pain

Do you have a story about something happening in Wymondham? Email reporter Stuart Anderson at stuart.anderson@archant.co.uk