Bideford Heritage Day

I have been an enthusiastic member of Bideford 500, a local voluntary group researching and celebrating Bideford's history, for the last 2 years. In June I got the 2 day per week job as Project Development Worker for the group. This post came about through a Leader 4 grant which also financially assists the inaugural Heritage Day on 17th July. It's a very exciting position to have at an exciting time, when Bideford is really starting to grasp it's forgotten past. This past links it to our twin town of Manteo through the 1585 settlement of Roanoke Island under the leadership of Sir Richard Grenville, Bideford's Lord of the Manor.

Official twinning of Bideford and Manteo

The twinning of Bideford and Manteo will become official with the signing of a formal twinning charter in the Easter holidays this year. This will cement a connection that has existed since Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Richard Grenville first founded a colony on the site of Manteo in 1587. Here in Bideford Sadie Green and I are members of ‘Bideford 500’ a group dedicated to researching and celebrating Bideford’s unique history and heritage, specifically of the last 500 years, hence the name, although the town is more than twice this age. Whilst the delegation from Manteo are here, at the end of March, they will be invited to experience some of Bideford’s past by walking the Heritage Trail. This was devised through Bideford 500 and the Chamber of Commerce and you can follow the link here which takes you to some web pages all about Bideford 500 and the Heritage Trail.