Your Say: What's the best thing about Dereham?

With an enviable location in the heart of Norfolk, some fantastic historic attractions and exciting new possibilities at its green spaces, Dereham has a lot going for it. But what's the best thing about the town? Reporter Noah Vickers asked locals on Chapel Walk for their thoughts. 

Margaret Rushmore, 88, who is retired and has lived in Dereham almost all her life said: "The people are very friendly, and the shops we have are decent, though it’s pity we don't have more.

"We've got Bishop Bonner's Cottage, the church and the market." 

Gill Coggle, 66, retired and living in Toftwood, said: "I can get what more or less what I want from the shops in Dereham.

"People always sit and have a chat [on the benches that line Wright's Walk]." 

Sandra Evans, 76, retired and living in the nearby village of Lyng, said: "We've got the two pedestrian shopping centres on Wright’s Walk and Nelson Place, which are brilliant, because you don’t have to worry about traffic.

She added that the soon-to-arrive Ellenor Fenn Garden would be "a good thing" because the blue hoarding which has surrounded the space for 16 years "will all be gone".

Barbara Robinson, 81, retired and living in Dereham said: "It's got most of the shops that you need, you don't have to go very far.

Pointing at the under-construction Ellenor Fenn Garden, she added: "And now we're getting a little park, so that will be nice."

Her husband Tom, 82, added: "You've got your doctors fairly close, and a good bus service into Norwich of course, and to the hospital."

Pete Aldus, a 63-year-old support worker who also lives in the town and was off to get some sausage rolls from the local butchers said: “It’s not hustle and bustle, like Norwich. 

“It’s nice and quiet, and you can walk around without it being over-busy.”