Community heroes recognised as Diss Honoured Citizens

This year’s Diss Honoured Citizens have been announced.

Richard Pither and Alan Franks were presented with their accolades at the annual town meeting of Diss Town Council last week.

Mr Pither was chosen for going above and beyond with his long-standing commitment to community work, which included leading roles in young farmers and the rugby club, being a Diss Town councillor, a Rotarian and founding the Diss Community Woodland Project that established Quaker Wood in 2010.

“I am very pleased and proud to be given this award,” he told the Diss Express. “When I came to Diss as a very young man, many years ago, I was told the people of Diss were a very conservative lot and it would take some time to be accepted.

“So it is nice that, after 60 years, I have a certificate to prove it. I am absolutely delighted.”

The 82-year-old arrived in Diss in 1963 as a young livestock auctioneer and trainee agricultural valuer.

It took him no time at all before he joined the young farmers and the rugby club, where he went on to take leading roles in both.

He subsequently practiced as a chartered building surveyor in the 1970s and sat on Diss Town Council.

Mr Pither joined Diss and District Rotary Club in 1997 and became club president in 2006.

He has been involved in many club projects and fundraising events and, during his presidential year, the club supported Mr Pither in founding the Diss Community Woodland Project that went on to establish Quaker Wood, which opened in 2010.

“I would like to say thank those who nominated me,” he said. “I am thrilled and honoured to have been recognised in this way.

“I am very proud to be a Rotarian and to get involved in the community of Diss however I can, and that will never change.”

Mr Franks’ contributions to Diss include supporting fundraising for The Corn Hall in 2013, organising the first Diss Cyclathon and raising more than £40,000 for charity.

“I am very pleased and a little surprised to have been given my award,” he said.

In 2013, Mr Franks joined others in collecting pledges from businesses and residents for the project of refurbishing The Corn Hall.

More than £120,000 was raised in match funding, enabling the project, which also included the Heritage Triangle, the wildlife garden and boardwalk, to be carried out.

In December 2015, he joined Fair Green Neighbourhood Association and set up the cyclathon practically single handed.

This put Diss on the map in 2016, when more than 500 cyclists took part in the event to raise money for charity. By 2019, Diss Cyclathon had raised over £10,000 for local charities.

Mr Franks was also instrumental in forming The Town Team and then Diss Community Trust (now Diss Heritage Trust) in 2018 to promote the economic wellbeing of the town.

After the former Beales department store closed, Mr Franks played a leading role in its transformation as No.8 Market Place.

Mr Franks said: “When you get shown the things you have done over the years, you realise how it has added up.

“So much has been done and we will continue to do what we can to make Diss an even better place to live.”

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