I have been thinking about the various village and other groups I am involved in organising or a member of. Whilst groups such as Hethersett Sports Association are in a kind of hibernation, others are more of a concern.
Groups like the Hethersett Dementia Support Group and the Heart of Hethersett Bereavement Group. These were both thriving and giving support to vulnerable people, but neither has met since March and, even when lockdown is lifted, it will take some time to get them up and running again.
These and many others keep vital parts of our village going and the same can be said of groups and support organisations that exist in villages, towns and cities throughout the UK and indeed the world.
Both the Bereavement and Dementia Group helped to support vulnerable people. Let's hope it won't be too long before we can re-start them.
Two other groups I belong to have been able to survive in a much more comfortable way. The Le Paradis Commemoration Group and Le Paradis Memorial Appeal Trustees have been able to meet online. It is still hoped to officially launch the memorial to the 97 soldiers massacred in Le Paradis in May 1940. If you want to read more about the massacre go to www.leparadismassacre.com.
The Memorial will be placed in one of the bays round the back of Norwich Cathedral in the Cathedral Close. It will be a very proud moment for all our many sponsors and supporters when the Memorial is at last unveiled. We have also been able to do a limited amount of work on the website during lockdown although a number of interviews and meetings have had to be postponed.
Similarly the Norfolk Family History Society of which I am a trustee has managed to keep going, although our Headquarters in Norwich have been shut for sometime. Thankfully our website has remained active and I have been able to keep the members' quarterly magazine going. If you are interested in Norfolk genealogy and family history and would like to join the society, full membership details are available on our website which you can access on the link below.
Norfolk Family History Society (norfolkfhs.org.uk)
January is a good time to join as it will give you 15 months for the usual 12 - advert over.
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In November I undertook a month's worth of Steward Strolls with the aim of walking 100 miles. I actually achieved 137.7 miles. So I need another challenge and this time I'm looking to walk 150 miles between yesterday and the end of January. I kicked off yesterday with a 3.4 mile walk. The problem is the fields are far too muddy at the moment, so most of the walking will have to be carried out on paths.