Denton a village in South Norfolk, England

The Millennium in Denton

Denton residents took the celebrations for the arrival of the Millennium Year 2000 very seriously. A small group was set up to co-ordinate activities, everybody was invited to join in and a very good time was had by all.

This page records some of the highlights.

The Magic Moment

On New Year's Eve the normal party at the village hall was given an extra boost with a torchlight procession through the village to a bonfire lit to celebrate the arrival of the new millennium.

Church Celebrations

The bells of St Mary's welcomed the new year on January 1st and a special Service of Light followed on the 2nd.

"The Millenium Bug"

The annual February production by DVC was given a special theme with a suitably named review. The sketches were all loosely linked to the "bug" theme.

(The real "Millenium Bug" was the anticipated problems with computer programs which would result with the new 2000 date format. In practice it failed to materialise to any significant extent.)

The review of the show in the Parish News included the comment "a memorable evening's entertainment".

Photographic Exhibition

In March an exhibition of "Denton through the Ages" was mounted in the hall and film produced for VE day in Norfolk screened.

Village Festival

In May a weekend was set aside for a range of festival activities. These included a craft exhibition in the hall, a concert in the church and a display of new, specially produced, banners in the chapel.

The Ball

What started life as a simple dance turned into a much grander affair - a Village Ball. A marquee outside the hall provided room for a dancefloor and band and a licence extension ensured that the bar could stay open late. As usual, the cooks of the village produced an excellent meal.

The dress code was "Posh frocks" and everybody, over 200 people, turned up suitably attired. A disco took over when the band were exhausted and dancing continued into the small hours. It really was a "night to remember". (The event was such a success that a Summer Ball has become an annual event in the village.)

The Fete and Sports Day

On the 1st July a Millennium Fete and Sports Day was held on the playing field. As well as the normal fun and games associated with such an event, one of the highlights was the taking, by Denton's resident photographer, Ken Ashton, of a special group photo which included nearly 70% of village residents.

Beating the Bounds

An organised mass ramble in September circumnavigated the village following the parish boundary wherever possible.

The Book of Denton

A bid under the Millennium Festival Awards Programme produced a grant of over £3,000 to fund the production of what was intended to be a snapshot of the village in millennium year.

Every household was provided with a free disposable camera and encouraged to produce photographs of typical village life. This meant that the small group of organisers putting the book together had to sort through 128 contributions (out of 157 households) and over 3,000 photographs. It was a massive task but they did an excellent job.

The result was a beautifully presented 120 page volume with a colour cover containing more than 400 pictures. These cover a wide range of everyday activities, most of the year's events and virtually all the inhabitants.

One copy of the book was given, free of charge, to every house and further copies were offered for sale.

The Village Ledger

A second publication, produced by another small team, invited residents to provide written information about themselves, their family backgrounds and their homes. This produced a wide variety of responses, some quite brief, some very detailed with family histories and anecdotes. A gift for future village genealogists.

All the contributions were stored together in a leather jacketed tome. Further relevant material from the year: copies of the Parish News, the DVC programme, the electoral register, etc. were added. The volume is held in the village as another millennium snapshot.

For further details contact Jenny Crohill Tel: 01986 788146.

The Millennium Wood

As well as planting a new wood, full details of Rogerson's Wood appear elsewhere, the year was celebrated by the burial of a stainless-steel time capsule within it. Details appear on a Separate Page.
The wood's creation was perhaps the most permanent contribution to the marking of the millennium in Denton. It is hoped that it will give pleasure to village residents for at least another thousand years.

One Other Thing

One other significant development during the year was the decision, by the Parish Council, to sponsor this Website. Luckily one local resident, Matt Squirrell, had the skills needed to provide the structure. Others provided the initial content and the rest, as they say, is history.

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