The Community Connection – December edition
Welcome to the very first issue of the new Community Connection, the e-newsletter from Active Fakenham.
I’m delighted to introduce this new e-newsletter from Active Fakenham — a space to celebrate everything that makes our town and the surrounding area such a vibrant, creative, and welcoming place to live and visit.
For over thirteen years, Active Fakenham has been about bringing people together — through events, activity, and shared creativity. None of it would happen without the enthusiasm of our amazing volunteers, local organisations, and supporters who give their time, energy, and ideas so generously.
Each month, Community Connection will keep you up to date with what’s going on in and around Fakenham — focusing on our upcoming festivals and community projects to opportunities to get involved, volunteer, or simply enjoy what’s happening locally.
Whether you’ve been part of Active Fakenham from the start or you’re just discovering us, this is your invitation to stay connected and take part in something positive.
Thank you for being part of our growing community — and for helping make Fakenham a wonderful place to live, work, and visit.
Warm regards,
Richard Crook
Chairperson & Project Manager.
Active Fakenham
What We Did in 2025
Active Fakenham, one of North Norfolk’s most successful volunteer-led community organisations, has published its 2025 Annual Report, celebrating a year of creativity, participation and community spirit across Fakenham and the surrounding area.
Despite having no paid staff and no core funding, Active Fakenham delivered a wide programme of low-cost, inclusive events enjoyed by thousands of residents and visitors.
Five Major Festivals, Powered by Volunteers
In 2025, Active Fakenham delivered five flagship festivals:
- Easter Sunday Runday – Festival of Running
- Riverside Festival, including the popular duck and cardboard raft races
- Fakenham Arts Festival
- Festival of Two Wheels – Ride North Norfolk
- Fakenham Film Festival
These events brought together over 200 volunteers, more than 60 venues, and hundreds of local businesses, families and visitors from Fakenham and across North Norfolk and beyond.
Chairperson Richard Crook said:
“Active Fakenham is built on goodwill, imagination and the belief that communities thrive when people come together. In 2025 we saw record participation, stronger partnerships and a real celebration of what makes Fakenham special.”
Record Digital Reach
Active Fakenham’s digital presence continued to grow in 2025:
- 127,000+ views in a single month across social media and the website
- 6,700+ members in the Love Fakenham Facebook group
- 839,000+ lifetime views across photo and video archives
These platforms play a key role in sharing local information, promoting events and keeping the community connected year-round. The new monthly Community Connection e-newsletter will build on this success.
Supporting Wellbeing and Local Groups
Alongside its festivals, Active Fakenham supported and organised a wide range of community and wellbeing initiatives, including:
- Producing and distributing the official Fakenham Town Guide
- Free or low-cost yoga and Pilates sessions
- Loaning equipment to other community groups
- Creating town maps, river walks and local resources
- Mentoring and working closely with schools, charities and voluntary groups
Funding and Partnerships
The 2025 programme was made possible thanks to generous support from:
- Dozens of local businesses and community partners
- Aldiss
- Grocott & Murfitt
- Fakenham Town Council Market Tolls Grant
- National Lottery Awards for All
Richard Crook added:
“We are hugely grateful to our funders, sponsors and especially our volunteers. Their support enables us to deliver professional-quality events on a shoestring budget.”
Looking Ahead to 2026
Plans for the year ahead include:
- Continuing all five major annual festivals
- Developing The Community Connection e-newsletter
- Expanding inclusive wellbeing events
- Growing partnerships, volunteers and digital engagement
Active Fakenham is currently seeking new sponsors and volunteers to support its 2026 prograhttps://www.activefakenham.org.uk/blog-and-newsmme.
See a short film of our 2025 festivals
Stronger Together
We don’t do this alone. Active Fakenham works side by side with brilliant local businesses and community groups to make great things happen.
Each month in The Community Connection, we’ll shine a light on one business and one community group, celebrating the partnerships that keep Fakenham active, connected and thriving.
Business Partner Spotlight
Aldiss & Active Fakenham – Working Together for Our Community
Aldiss has been part of Fakenham for generations, and supporting local initiatives is an important part of how we do business. Our partnership with Active Fakenham is a practical way for us to give back and stay involved in the community we serve every day.
Active Fakenham delivers events and activities that bring people into the town, encourage participation, and create opportunities for all ages.
By working together, we’re able to help strengthen these programmes and ensure they continue making a positive impact. From local sports events to family activities, we’re pleased to play a role in supporting initiatives that benefit residents and visitors alike.
This collaboration also reflects our commitment to being All About Your Home, not just through the products we offer, but through our involvement in the place we call home. Whether in-store or online, we aim to support the people who support us.
We value the work Active Fakenham does and look forward to continuing our involvement as they bring more events, energy, and opportunities to the town for 2026.
Community Partner Spotlight
Ryston Rachel’s Hedgehog Hotel
This year, Active Fakenham has been delighted to work with a wide range of local organisations. Here we feature Ryston Rachel’s Hedgehog Hotel. In future issues we will feature other partner organisations.
The Hedgehog Hotel joined us at the Riverside Festival and also supported our Cycling Festival in August, helping to bring wildlife awareness and enthusiasm to these popular community events.
Ryston Rachel’s Hedgehog Hotel is a self-funded hedgehog rescue with a strong network of volunteers and foster carers across Norfolk, including Fakenham and the surrounding area. Founded 13 years ago by Rachel Brown, the rescue works to Rescue, Rehabilitate and Release hedgehogs back into the wild.
Each year, Rachel and her dedicated team of volunteers care for over 500 hedgehogs, supporting them through every stage of recovery until they are ready to return safely to their natural habitat.
The team shared: “We are incredibly grateful to be invited to Active Fakenham events. They allow us not only to raise vital funds for food, medicines and veterinary care, but also to raise awareness of the challenges facing our native hedgehog.”
The group was also pleased to help run a feed station at the Ride Norfolk cycling event during the summer.
Above are three photographs of Peter, a hoglet whose mother died when he was just five days old. Peter was syringe-fed every two hours, day and night, and cared for in an incubator until he was strong enough to survive without artificial heat. The final photograph shows Peter on the day he was successfully released back into the wild.
Find Ryston Rachel’s Hedgehog Hotel on social media and their website.
Colin & Vanda Richards
On behalf of Ryston Rachel’s Hedgehog Hotel
Souvenir Bags
Pick up one of our eco-friendly, plastic free, biodegradable Jute bags.
Available from the Larder, Benbow’s and the Central Cinema Fakenham
Only £4.95
Season’s Greetings!
From everyone at Active Fakenham, thank you for your support throughout the year. Wishing you a happy, healthy festive season and an exciting year ahead.
