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Community to celebratelife of Paine
By ADAM GRETTON

A Norfolk town is bracing itself for one of its busiest summers following
the launch of a programme of events to celebrate the achievements of its
most famous son.

Thousands of visitors are likely to flock to Thetford for a six-month
schedule of performances, speeches, displays, sporting and hands-on
activities to mark the bicentenary of the death of Thomas Paine.
The life of the radical author and activist, who was born and educated
in the south-west Norfolk town, will be celebrated in a series of events,
which will get into full flow with an 18th-century re-enactment and
heritage weekend in June.

Organisers of the Tom Paine 200 festival spoke of their excitement
after publishing a programme, which they hope will appeal to all ages.
John Weeks, celebrations co-ordinator, said the 100th
anniversary of Paine' death was marked by just one civic dinner in
1909. However, the more extensive programme for 2009 reflected the
wider significance of the Thetford man's contribution to the world we
know today.

"Paine 200 embraces the man, the place, and the age and aims to
provide an enjoyable and stimulating experience for all: whether the
committed expert travelled from afar or the casual visitor intrigued to find
out who and what all the fuss is about," he said.

Paine, the son of a Thetford corsetmaker, was born in 1737 and went on
to shape the American and French revolutions through his writings in
the best-selling pamphlets, Rights of Man, The Age of Reason, and
Common Sense.

During the bicentenary weekend from June 5 to 8, Thetford will take a
trip back to Georgian England with electioneering, street entertainment,
period music and dance, military recruitment and manoeuvres, games
and pastimes.

A summer of guided tours and Paine-orientated events, such as an
18th-century cricket match, and a series of free lectures in the autumn
lead up to performances of Citizen of the World, a specially commissioned
community play from East Anglian dramatist Mike Levy.

Highlights of the programme include lectures from Guardian
cartoonist Martin Rowson and from John Keane, author of the acclaimed
biography Tom Paine – a Political Life. Tony Benn and Roy Bailey will
give their radical anthology The Writing on the Wall in October.

Mr Weeks said there was still a chance for people to get involved in a
number of events, including as an authentically costumed re-enactor
for the opening ceremony and the Citizen of the World play.

It comes after more than £100,000 was raised for the festival following
funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Thetford Town Council,
Breckland Council, Norfolk County Council and the Thetford Society.

The Tom Paine 200 Celebrations brochure will be available from
Thetford Library, Ancient House Museum, and the Tourist
Information Centre at 2 New Horizons, Market Place, from today.

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