The Rider Haggard Society is campaigning for a recognised ‘RIDER HAGGARD COUNTRY’ to be set up in Norfolk, the following is their correspondence that seems to be going unnoticed by Norfolk County Council:

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Norfolk County Council
County Hall
Martineau Lane
Norwich
Norfolk
NR1 2DH

26 January 2009

Dear Sir/Madam

RIDER HAGGARD COUNTRY

On 23 June 2008, I emailed the Norfolk County Council asking if there were any plans to create a “Rider Haggard Country” in the county of Haggard’s birth, Norfolk. Disappointingly, I received no reply whatsoever, and further emails from me sent to the NCC on 7 July 2008 and 20 August 2008 produced similar results. I had expected better than that from the Council.

To simplify matters, I reproduce my email below.

Dear Norfolk Council

As you will know, Sir Henry Rider Haggard was one of Norfolk’s most beloved and industrious sons. To be brief, he wrote many novels, including “King Solomon’s Mines”, and “She”, and the classic work on farming “A Farmer’s Year,” based around his farm at Ditchingham. Between writing novels, he did much work on farming and the countryside, for which he was knighted.

I am writing to ask if there are any plans to create a “Rider Haggard Country” in Norfolk. The Brontes and Thomas Hardy are strongly promoted in their counties, and I feel that Haggard should be given similar treatment in Norfolk. He was born in Bradenham and lived in Ditchingham.

Haggard has been given recognition at local level. Bradenham has a portrait of him on its village sign, Ditchingham’s pyramid shaped village sign recalls Haggard, and the South Norfolk Council published a walk round Bedingham and Hedenham: Haggard’s portrait appeared on the notice board to a wood trail here. Even Wartnaby in Leicestershire mentions Haggard in its parish guide, and Canada has a glacier name after him!

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

I am now asking you if you would kindly reply to my question.

I look forward to hearing from you soon. A copy of this letter is being sent with a press release to various publications in Norfolk and Suffolk. I have the support of Rider Haggard’s descendants who live in Bungay.

Yours faithfully

Shirley M Addy
Publicity Officer
Rider Haggard Society
www.riderhaggardsociety.org.uk
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For further information about the Rider Haggard Society, visit www.riderhaggardsociety.org.uk