Thank you

Dear all

On Saturday May 3rd 2008 Aylsham officially became Norfolk's first plastic bag free town.

Just over 1,100 were handed out to residents which is almost half of the households in Aylsham. We hope to supply the other half via the schools and on our follow up day on May 17th. Please pass this info on to anyone who hasn't got one yet.

The best bit for me is that out of 1,100 people we spoke to only 1 person came to complain! On a more serious note, the vast majority of people were extremely pleased and proud to be involved in doing their bit for Aylsham and hoped that other towns in Norfolk would soon follow suit.

The next good news is that the specially designed bags are going to be delivered this week (better late than never) and will definitely be available for the 17th.

We hope to use Aylsham's success as a model for assisting other towns and villages to make the switch. As part of our ongoing commitment we plan to monitor how well householders and traders alike are getting on with being plastic bag free as well as offering traders and householders advice and support to help reduce other wastes and consumption of resources.

My colleagues and I would like to express our sincere thanks to all of you who have been involved in this pioneering campaign in Norfolk, it wouldn't have been possible without your input.

Many thanks, and keep up the good work!

Alun, Martina, Kate and Alder
Norfolk County Council