towncouncil@diss.gov.uk

As we come to the end of another challenging year, we’d like to take this opportunity to show our appreciation and thank everyone who has helped to keep Diss’ unique community and spirit alive.

Thank you to everyone for supporting our independent shops and services. Buying locally really does make a difference to keep our town thriving.

Thank you to business owners who have adapted quickly to make shopping safe and enjoyable- well done on creating some fantastic festive window displays for all to enjoy!

Thank you to our dedicated weekly market traders who managed to bring back the buzz of the Friday Market and continue to provide our essential supplies.

Thank you to our staff and town councillors for your hard work and dedication – it’s been another busy year and every one of you have played your part in keeping Diss going!

So, what have we been up to in 2021? We’ve listened and acted on public feedback; we’ve looked after the Mere, we’ve improved Mere’s Mouth and opened the newly-refurbished toilets, we’ve cleaned the streets, we’ve provided a vaccination site space, we improved security and safety on our sites, we have added new play equipment to the Park, we restructured the Cemetery chapel roof and provided town events…

Although some of our larger town events were unable to go ahead this year, we worked hard to ensure some could still happen “safely and in line with government guidance.”

In June, we installed the Beacon of Hope in the park to act as a reminder of the strength, light and hope that is at the heart of the community. A special Beacon Lighting Ceremony took place and together, we remembered those we’d lost, honoured those who helped us through and encouraged hope for the future.

In September, we held our Annual Town Meeting at DYCC. Members of the public joined the Mayor, town, district and county councillors and representatives from local organisations to network, find out more about ongoing town projects and put questions to the panel. The evening ended with the presentation of our Honoured and Junior Good Citizen awards.

In November, we held a Remembrance Day parade and wreath-laying ceremony. It was heart-warming to see so many of you in attendance, paying tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom. Special thanks to everyone who took part. Together, we managed to keep the spirit and solemnity of Remembrance Day alive all across the town.

We were delighted to welcome back the much-loved Christmas Lights switch-on event last month. Despite strong winds and freezing rain, hundreds gathered at Diss Market Place to celebrate the countdown to Christmas. A huge thanks to the Christmas Lights Switch-On committee who have worked extremely hard since February to ensure this event went ahead safely while providing lots of festive fun for everyone.

Following a public consultation in August on installing new play equipment at Diss Park, we followed your recommendations and opted for an accessible design by Proludic that caters for children with additional needs. The design includes a ‘springer’ which is a brand new product and one of the first to be installed in the UK. The springer is suitable for wheelchair users and helps with motor, sensory and mental development. We’re excited to announce that this will be ready for use in the coming weeks!

The remaining new play equipment will be installed in the Spring – watch this space!

We continue to look forward with hope and optimism for our future. 

Happy New Year!