Now in it’s sixth year, Nextdoor’s Good Neighbour Awards are a celebration of neighbourliness and the good deeds performed everyday by neighbours around the UK. Big and small acts of kindness and generosity that make an impact on their neighbours and neighbourhoods for the better.
With almost 2000 nominations this year it was never going to be easy to pick one neighbourhood to be our 2024 Neighbourhood of the Year, but this year’s winner stood out as a shining example of what a community can achieve when they come together. Demonstrating that many small deeds, by many people can make a huge impact on the health and heart of a community.
The 2024 Good Neighbour Award for Neighbourhood of the Year is:
Stoke Ferry in King’s Lynn – West Norfolk
Nominated by Stoke Ferry neighbour Lyn Juniper-Solley who wrote:
I’d like too nominate Stoke Ferry, West Norfolk. Our community came together to save the last pub in our village and make it more than a pub. The Blue Bell is now a community hub with volunteers hosting over 60s meals, arts and craft clubs, networking events and more. It’s family and dog friendly, and has brought the community together. Neighbours in the village host sports events, family fun days, and help those feeling the pressure access grants. I’ve seen many selfless acts from my neighbours. It’s a beautiful, friendly, supportive, community and I’m very proud to live here. #2024GoodNeighbour
The Blue Bell Pub & Cafe in Stoke Ferry is a perfect example of community action. Reopening in June 2021 following the purchase by 400 of it’s neighbours; The Blue Bell has become the beating heart of the village. Bought, restored and run by a volunteer committee of local people, the Blue Bell Pub & Cafe is now a thriving hybrid business that reinvests it’s profits back into the community it serves.
A warm and inviting space; it has been lovingly rebuilt and restored by local trades people and members of the community to reflect their unique sense of place back at them. The bar itself is built from reclaimed wood that was used in another local pub that recently shuttered.
