ANY regular readers out there will know I've been banging on a bit about the scruffy appearance of the town.
So it was pleasing to see an army of volunteers in bright yellow safety jackets walking the streets and verges with recyclable plastic bags at the ready.
It was no coincidence these good people were doing their bit for the town on the final weeken
d of Volunteers Week. And it should also be noted they were all members of the Kick Start Fakenham group set up in February by local girl Rachel Seretny.
The amount of rubbish collected in just a couple of hours was staggering.
More than twenty big bags crammed full of all the usual dross plus a few surprises like a discarded road sign and a tent. A tent? Whatever next.
It could be argued that such a blitz on the town is not something which should be left to the ordinary citizen.
But Rachel and her gang – there’s now a membership over 400 for the group which she started on Facebook – would never describe themselves as ordinary.
They are passionate about the place where most of them grew up and were educated and are determined to help see it through a difficult period. If that means getting down and dirty to litter pick and help brighten up appearances, so be it.
There’s a lot more to come from Kick Start and with Rachel at the helm you can be sure the force will not only be with her but also the team she has inspired.
l The local county council election here was contested by three candidates representing the three main parties. David Callaby, the sitting member, was re-elected and will continue to serve the community from his base in the town. Congratulations to him.
As usual, the turnout was fairly low with just 35.5 per cent of those eligible to vote bothering to do so.
I always find this extremely disappointing. I suspect a whole generation – largely the under forties – has become disenchanted with politics and no longer cherishes their enfranchisement. If they ever did.
Growing up in the post-war era we were never allowed to forget the importance of the democratic process and the responsibility on us all to cast our vote.
That obligation is no longer deeply ingrained. “I can’t be bothered” is the more familiar response at election time. Or “it won’t make any difference anyway”.
Politicians at the centre may be getting a bad press but at local level the stamp of party is much less significant than the individual’s commitment to serve his or her community.
Gather all the recent winners together and quiz them on this and I’m sure they’d agree.
l Mayors may come and mayors may go but the chain on their shoulders continues to endure.
For a brief period it seemed that with just one link remaining on Fakenham’s mayoral chain the current incumbent, Mike Coates, might be the to have his name inscribed.
But then a citizen popped up and offered to pay for six new links.
Not all are in favour of it, but the majority of councillors are keen to retain this symbol of office and for now the regalia goes on.
