Historic community gathers to celebrate the future

The community of 'Beorh Apetune' in South Norfolk will be toasting four millennia of settlement and progress when they gather on Friday to launch their blueprint for the future.

Residents of the village, better known to everyone as Bergh Apton, will gather at 7.30pm in the Village Hall to unveil a Parish Plan, which has been described by South Norfolk Council as "highly impressive".

Up to 100 people are expected to pack the hall. This from a village where the community spirit is hailed in the Plan as "superb" and where parish council meetings regularly attract high numbers on key issues. Indeed, the Parish Plan follows hot on the heels of 'The Book of Bergh Apton', by Geoffrey Kelly (published by Halsgrove 2005) - a local bestseller which has topped 600 copies sold so far.

The inspiration and driving force behind the Plan is local parish Councillor Derek Blake. He also took many of the 79 colour photographs that chronicle on every page the astonishing variety of rural life in this untypical English village.

Councillor Blake, who represents Chedgrave and Thurton as a district councillor on South Norfolk Council, said:

"This plan is about a vibrant community at home with itself. Everyone feels that they have a genuine ownership of it and a role to play in Bergh Apton's future. To give just one example, we sent 187 questionnaires to every one of our village homes, and we got back 177 complete with responses. That is frankly extraordinary for surveys, and a remarkable tribute to a people proud of their past and confident about the future."

The 50-page plan features on its cover the village sign, a colourful and intricate depiction of Bergh Apton life since the first century, while inside, on pages 16 and 17, the story of the sign is explained in 14 snapshots. There are also sections on community, environment, transport, housing, health and social care, crime and community safety, local services, social organisations and adult education, education and youth, as well as a list of organisations and clubs.

Said Councillor Blake:

"We are proud of our history, but this is very much a living, breathing document packed with of stories of real people and places, a unique record of our ordinary and extraordinary lives. We have been given a chance to set down where we want to go with our village, and you could say we have grabbed it with both hands."

At the back of the plan are five pages of actions to improve public transport, school facilities, to expand conservation areas, involve more people in conservation work, encourage recycling, tackle fly-tippers, survey the need for more affordable housing, support the village shop - known among residents as the "Harrods of the East" - improve reporting of crime, involve young people and much more.

"Most people know of us through the hugely successful Bergh Apton sculpture trail, which last year attracted some 10,000 visitors. What this Plan gives us is a blueprint for a successful future, where everyone has played a key role in shaping that future. I represent other communities in this area, and no doubt they will be following Bergh Apton's example."

South Norfolk Council's Community Development Officer Georgina Cole works with many villages on their Parish Plans. She said:

"The people of Bergh Apton deserve congratulations for producing a highly impressive Parish Plan. It's a great example to other communities around South Norfolk and shows what can happen when you get local people involved in community activities and in thinking constructively about the future."

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