Community group announces Fakenham tourist hub closure plan
A community group which runs Fakenham's tourist information hub has announced the facility will close next month.
Officials from the Active Fakenham organisation say they have been left with no choice but to shut the hub in the Market Place and have called on council leaders to fill the gap.
But the district council says it does not intend to fund a new facility, though it maintains it is working to support the sector.
Active Fakenham has run the facility, which it says was intended as a "stop-gap", together with related social media accounts, since 2016.
Initially, they linked up with Sweets’n’Things before partnering with SewSweet to offer advice to local people and visitors alike.
Richard Crook, of Active Fakenham, said this morning that the decision was "very sad" and had been forced by "a range of unfortunate circumstances."
He added: “We have been running this on goodwill and with the support of local businesses for no ongoing cost to taxpayers for over four years.
"We had a small grant of £2,500 in 2016 to help set up the centre and have provided a six day a week service following the closure of the Fakenham Tourist Information Centre previously run by North Norfolk District council followed by a seasonal replacement run by Fakenham Area Partnership”
"We also run a related website, a Facebook Group, a Facebook page and a Twitter account. We will be looking at viability of these and will definitely be closing the Twitter account immediately.
"It is my view that this service should be run by the Local Authority and that Fakenham is an important North Norfolk town with an increasing number of visitors.
"We had always intended to run this service as a stop gap, and I hope that the relevant authorities will step in and set up an alternative.”
North Norfolk District Council said in a statement this afternoon: "The Council is saddened to hear the news of the Fakenham Tourist Information Hub, managed by Fakenham Active.
"While we have no plans to create or fund additional tourist information centres, we are embracing new effective and efficient ways of working with our tourism businesses and are confident that the future of tourist information in North Norfolk is growing positively with new digital trends.
"We continue to operate the North Norfolk Visitors Centre, which supports tourism across the whole district and work closely with online tourism partners such as Visit North Norfolk and Visit East Anglia to maximise North Norfolk’s digital presence and promote the benefits of the District ahead of visitor arrival.
"The providers of facilities, attractions and accommodation work closely with our partners so that prospective visitors know what the district has to offer and can make their holiday choice from their living rooms, allowing them to know what they want to do and see before arriving."
