Swaffham wins top community award

A MID Norfolk town has been commended with a special award for involving the whole of the community in its 10-year town plan.

A MID Norfolk town has been commended with a special award for involving the whole of the community in its 10-year town plan.

Action for Market Towns named Swaffham winners of the Partnership and Strategic Working category for the relationship between Swaffham Town Council, the Iceni Partnership, and the general public in the creation of the Advance Swaffham initiative.

The award was received at a presentation event hosted by the Iceni Partnership at the Swaffham Assembly Rooms on Thursday, June 17.

It comes only a year after Swaffham won the Action for Market Towns's East of England regional prize for the youth groups, Youthie and Youthie Plus.

Chairman of the Town Partnership Committee, David Wickerson, said: 'This award is a real tribute to both our offices and our huge contingent of Swaffham volunteers that make the project a huge success.'

The Advance Swaffham strategy is designed to improve the town's future by setting out more than 100 goals.

It is hoped it will help achieve financial support by showing funding bodies exactly why they need money and how projects fit into the wider town plan.

Richard Bishop, town clerk for Swaffham Town Council, said: 'The structure we have put in place for the Advance Swaffham plan is unique for a town of our size.'

'We are making substantial progress, but like any market town we have financial constraints. Our biggest asset is our group of volunteers that are behind our Advance Swaffham process.'

Swaffham has also been nominated for a prize in the category of a town more than 5,000 in this year's EDP Pride in Norfolk Community Awards.