Let your mum put her feet up and have a well earned rest and take her out for a special treat this Mothering Sunday. SIMON PARKIN suggests a few places to take her and spoil her.

FASHIONABLY NOSTALGIC

This year Mother's Day coincides with Norwich Fashion Week. There are plenty of events to treat youtr mum to all week but on the day itself why not take her along to Norwich Cathedral as it hosts the Old Hollywood Vintage Show The day will see the Cloisters turned into an undercover market with Norfolk vintage boutiques, designers and makers selling their wares and make-up and hair stylists helping visitors create retro-inspired looks. In the evening the Hostry will be turned into an old Hollywood style catwalk show where guests will be treated to a vintage fashion show. Owner of Blue Skies Vintage Events Karen James-Welton says that the day aims to highlight the growing vintage scene in Norwich. 'This year it is all about old Hollywood glamour and the fair and catwalk show aims to highlight this by featuring fashion from a wide range of boutiques, designers and stylists. The day will also produce a few surprises with a Norwich fashion label launch and vintage-inspired art and design exhibitions. The fair runs between 12pm-4.30pm, catwalk show at 7pm.

SPRING FLOWERS

If your mum likes flowers you'd be 'daff-t' to miss a special Mothering Sunday opening of Hoveton Hall Gardens. The 20-acre Broads attraction has more then 100 different varieties of daffodils creating an extravagant spring display. The gardens are open from 10.30am until 5pm and all mums who visit will get a special gift. Hoveton's head horticulturalist Stewart Wright believes they've got the best collection of daffodils in Norfolk, and one of the best in the UK. So here's your chance to find out. Entry £7, £3.50 children, under-4s free. Ticket price includes a special gift for all mums. Gardens are open from 10.30am to 5.00pm. More details 01603 782558, www.hovetonhallgardens.co.uk. Elsewhere the gardens of Blickling Hall are a must-see for garden loving mums, especially as the daffodils start to make an appearance. Many people's favourite season, look out for early spring primroses, crocus, hellebores, azaleas and lots more besides.

MESSING ABOUT IN BOATS

What could be a more peaceful way to treat your mum than a trip on the Broads enjoying the wildlife and scenery (even if you will have a wrap up warm)? Broads Tours offers special Mothering Sunday trips. Leaving from the bridge in Wroxham you can enjoy a great day afloat aboard the double-decker boat. The skipper will give a live commentary; he will explain the origin of the Norfolk Broads, point out the abundance of wildlife and other points of interest along the way.It's something all the family will enjoy and every mums accompanied by her child or children will receive a complimentary glass of wine too. Trips will run at 11.30am and 2pm and last an hour and a half. Fares £8, £6.50 children, under-5s free. More details: 01603 782207, www.broads.co.uk

FAMILY WALK

You will also enjoy time well spent on a walk with mum at Sheringham Park. Climb to the top of the viewing towers to experience breathtaking views of this beautiful Norfolk landscape. Coastal views, flowering plants from all over the world, magnificent trees and a wide variety of wildlife can all be seen. More details: www.nationaltrust.org.uk. Or join the Mother's Day Walk at 11am with Ian Guest, Head Gardener at Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden. Explore Oxburgh Hall Garden open in aid of the National Gardens Scheme, take a walk on the Norfolk coast, wander along one of the trails in Thetford Forest Park, or just stroll round Whitlingham Broad. Don't forget to book lunch somewhere special too…

ALL ABOARD…

Take mum on a relaxing journey through the Norfolk countryside aboard the Bure Valley Railway Railway special VIP Mother's Day Express. Departing Wroxham Station at 11am you'll get a complimentary drink on arrival at Aylsham, a two-course set lunch at the Whistlestop Café, and there is a gift for every mother, followed by the return journey. Places £22, £11 children. Spaces are limited so pre-booking is essential on 01263 733858. Alternately you can just enjoy a steam train ride starting from either Aylsham or Wroxham. Return fares £12, £6.50 children, under-5s free. More details: www.bvrw.co.uk

VINTAGE GIFTS

Want to treat your mother to a unique gift? Try the Norwich Original Fleamarket, at St Andrew's Hall, which attracts dealers from all over East Anglia offering a diverse range of antiques, collectables and vintage. Helen Leith, the owner of organisers the Fleamarket, said: 'We have all sorts of original gifts appropriate for the most important ladies in our lives - our mums! How about a beautiful piece of antique jewellery? Maybe she hankers after a 1960s Kelly handbag?' It takes place tomorrow, 9am-4pm, entry £1, under-18s free. More details: www.cloistersfair.com.

AFTERNOON TEA

Afternoon tea was originally the brainchild of the Duchess of Bedford who was Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Victoria. For mums that love a spot of afternoon indulgence what better place than the glorious surroundings of Norwich Assembly House. Annoyingly they're closed on Sundays, but go a day early as from 2pm, the indulgent afternoon tea delivered by Norwich's well known patisserie chef Julia Hetherton is a 'must do' for those who appreciate the finer things in life! Alternatively on Sunday itself try in the palatial surroundings of Lord Lothian's Study at Blickling (booking essential on 0844 8004308), a great spot to enjoy freshly prepared cream teas and naughty-but-nice cakes.

FLUFFY NEW MUMS

Sit on the bales of hay, get your bottle of warm milk at the ready and watch as the baby lambs are led to the bottles and guzzle away at lambing season continues at Wroxham Barns. This is a hands-on experience not to be missed and it takes place on the farm three times a day. Lamb feeding takes place at 11am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm and some feeding times can be busy so children (ages 2+) might have to share holding a bottle. Open10am-5pm, farm admission £5.75, under-2s free. More details: 01603 783911, www.wroxhambarns.co.uk