Great Massingham: Thriving village at heart of new campaign

While others in the surrounding countryside struggle with the challenges of a second home boom driving locals away and hollowing out communities, Great Massingham has a different story to tell, as an increasingly vibrant and buzzing place.

In recent months, it has been lauded by both the Sunday Times and Daily Telegraph as among the best places to live in the UK.

Now, it is the focus of a new national advertising campaign to highlight its success and see if other villages might be able to learn its lessons.

The campaign is run by the Post Office, to demonstrate how its banking service provides villagers and local businesses with a lifeline after a slew of branch closures in nearby towns like Fakenham and Hunstanton.

But ask anyone else in Great Massingham (pop 963) what vital factor lies behind their success and they'll all say the same: It's all about the people.

People like Mark Eldridge, a former regional director with the Co-Op,  who has run Massingham Village Store and Post Office for almost five years with his wife Kerry.

From left Philip Ward, Mark Eldridge, Deborah Lambert and Eddie Evans outside Massingham Stores and Post Office (Image: Chris Bishop)

"We bought a holiday cottage here in 2017, like a lot of people do in these parts," he said. "We fell in love with the place."

When the village shop came up for sale the following year, they bought into the village and haven't looked back. A tearoom called the Cartshed soon followed.

"We saw the chance to invest in a communty hub," added Mr Eldridge, 47. 

A view of Great Massingham across the village pond (Image: Chris Bishop)

"I would describe it as a 365-day-a-year thing here, it's thriving 365 days of the year.

"The community makes it what it is, that's what we fell in love with.

"There's a village hall with loads of clubs, there's a tennis club, there's a bowling club, there are activities - there's always something going on."

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Philip Ward on the village green at Great Massingham (Image: Chris Bishop)

Village hall chairman Philip Ward, 69, who left his industry job 27 years ago to move to Massingham, said: "It's a hub village.

"We have a fantastic shop and cafe, the pub really works.

"We have a great community, people muck in and help each other out."

Deborah Lambert enjoys a cuppa at the Cartshed Tearoom in Great Massingham (Image: Chris Bishop)

Sitting outside the shop enjoying a cuppa earlier this week was Deborah Lambert, 58, who has lived in the village for 58 years and manages the village hall.

"We still have old-fashioned values, we rally together," she said.

"If anything needs doing people still believe in helping each other out."

Retired secretary Eddie Evans, 77, was buying strawberries at the store.

Eddie Evans stocks up on strawberries from Mark Eldridge at the village store (Image: Chris Bishop)

She moved to the village 25 years ago with her husband Dennis.

"We were looking for somewhere we could have our five cats, three dogs and park our motorhome," she said.

"Mark's done a wonderful job. And it's so good the village has still got a pub."

Across the village green, Mark Dobby is one of the four partners who run Dabbling Duck, named after the feathered inhabitants of the village's picturesque ponds.

Mark Dobby at the Dabbling Duck in Great Massingham (Image: Chris Bishop)

"It's still working village," he said. "It's got a really good sense of community."

Villagers outside Great Massingham Stores and Post Office (Image: Chris Bishop)

To promote the Post Office campaign, a signpost showing the distance to the nearest banks and supermarkets was set up outside the village store for a photoshoot this week.

Mr Ward was philosophical after the cameras had finished clicking away in the sunshine.

"We want to protect what we've got," he said. "You could actually call it the perfect village."

History of a 'perfect' village

The village sign at Great Massingham (Image: Chris Bishop)

You can trace the history of Great Massingham back to 5AD, when a group of Anglo Saxons moved in after the Romans baled out.

They were called the Maersings and the village became known as Maersingham - home of the Maersings - after them.

An Augustan priory was built in the 11th century, which Edward I is said to have visited in 1302.

The parish is listed in the Domesday Book, but St Mary's Church is not included as it was built around 100 years later.

A porch was later added and used as a school room, whose alumni included Sir Robert Walpole, who became the first prime minister in 1721.

The village was once home to blacksmiths, butchers, bakers, coffin makers and as many as five pubs.

During the Second World War, a large farm was commandeered for an airbase, from where Blenheims, Mosquitoes and Bostons flew.

More than 600 men lost their lives during its five years of operations.

Jeanne and Ant Robinson from the Massingham Historical Society, with some of the pictures that will feature in the exhibition at the church over the weekend of September 2/3 (Image: Chris Bishop)

Today, the village history society boasts more than 70 members.

It will be staging an exhibition featuring some of the 18,000 photographs in its collection at St Mary's church over the weekend of September 2/3 (10am - 4pm).

A village photographic competition is also being run, with £50 prizes to spend in the village store for the under-11, 11-16 and adult age groups.

The theme is 'what will be of interest to the village historical society in 50 years' time?'.