An anthem celebrating the spirit of the county’s people and its diverse countryside has been written and performed to commemorate this year’s Norfolk Day.

The song, entitled Call This Place Your Own (We Are Norfolk), has been released to coincide with the annual event which took place on Tuesday, July 27.

It touches on themes of friendship, strength and finding your home in Norfolk, encouraging everyone to remember all that the county has to offer.

Alison Bell, head of the Norfolk Music Hub (NMH) which is part of Norfolk County Council (NCC), said: “After a long hard year, we wanted to create an anthem which celebrated our county and its people.

“There are so many great stories of the incredible ways in which people have gone above and beyond for each other over the last year, and that’s what makes Norfolk such an incredible place to call home.”

A virtual choir event took place on Norfolk Day to teach people across the county to sing along together. Hosted by NMH, the event saw young people across the county join together to record a special version of the song.

Emily Barden, who wrote the song alongside children and staff at Langham Primary and Norwich Academy, added: "Working alongside a group of young musicians on Zoom and visiting two primary schools in the county, I workshopped ideas based around themes of home, landscape, history and the future, all linked by the overarching theme of what it means to be able to call Norfolk your home.

“There were so many great ideas, both lyrically and melodically, the hardest job for me was to streamline them all into a coherent and complete piece.

“I hope the song represents the feelings and experiences of those who live here.”

Finally, John Fisher, NCC cabinet member for children’s services, explained why it is so important to celebrate all things Norfolk.

“This anthem is a great rallying call for all of us. It reflects the difficult times that we’ve all faced since the start of the pandemic, but also how we’ve come together to find a way through.”