Community campaign brings ‘Prince’ to Reepham
The arrival of a GoGoSafari trail lion in Reepham’s Market Place marked the successful completion of a campaign started more than a year ago by the organisers of Reepham’s volunteer-run music festival.
Photo: John Tym
The RFestival team pledged an initial £2,000 to the campaign but called upon the local community to come up with the remaining £4,000 required to get the sculpture installed in the town.
Residents, businesses and local organisations from Reepham and the surrounding area rose to the occasion, with donations coming in via a JustGiving page, loose change buckets in shops and through local fundraising.
Brenda Gostling, music festival team member who co-ordinated the campaign, said: “This is a testament to the amazing community spirit we have in Reepham.
“We’ve had money in not just from our shops, pubs, cafés and other businesses, but also from the WI, local Lions Club, Reepham Town Council and – most importantly – from the wonderful people who live here.
“I believe we are the only community to have funded a sculpture in this year’s trail – and maybe in any of Break’s GoGo trails to date. I’m proud to have helped make it happen.”
Break, the charity running the GoGoSafari trail, became one of Reepham Festival’s charity partners in 2024 and will also benefit from this year’s event, which takes place on the weekend of 9–10 August.
Reepham’s GoGoSafari Lion is called Prince, named after the late musician, with a flowing purple mane (echoing the hit Purple Rain) and musical notes on his flanks.
His legs show him walking through Reepham hollyhocks – the town is currently filled with these graceful, colourful flowers, growing on the edges of its streets.
Prince can be found in Reepham’s Market Place at the front of the Bircham Centre, the town’s community hub, hosting a charity shop, library, community garden and various groups and activities.
Trail followers who collect the sculpture in the GoGoSafari app can earn a Reepham Reward: businesses in the Market Place showing the purple pawprint sign in their windows are offering special deals or discounts to those who have earned the reward.
There is also a RFestival 25 reward to be claimed, before 8 August.
See our earlier stories:
Left to right: Tina Pashley, Ian Kenvyn and Polly Brockis of the Bircham Centre pictured with Brenda Gostling and Mark Bridges from the Reepham Festival team that started the campaign to bring Prince to Reepham. Photo: John Tym