Our city, towns, villages and hamlets all have stories to tell and as time moves on they became more important than ever.
From September 11 to September 20 we can learn stories behind our people and places thanks to the wonderful Heritage Open Days taking place across Norfolk.
I would like to thank all the organisations and volunteers who take part because they have turned this into one of the biggest and best celebrations of local history in the land.
And the events are free.
The Forum Trust in Norwich funds the co-ordination and promotion of the open days as part of its charitable purpose, the programme is managed nationally by the National Trust with support from the People's Postcode Lottery.
A team effort which works a treat and puts on a whole host of talks, displays and events across the county which will appeal to people of all ages and from all walks of life.
For example:
The village of Great Ellingham, near Attleborough, in South Norfolk is celebrating its history by presenting Everyday Histories - Everyday People at the Crown public house over the weekend of September 12/13 from 11am to 4pm.
The exhibition is organised by the village historian Heather Etteridge and her friend Judy McDouall and will highlight life in the village in the 1930s and 1940s.
New displays have been created looking at local life and the "everyday" families living in Great Ellingham at the time.
There will be a transcription of the "1939 Register" detailing who was in the village at the time we went to war and when, like many other towns and villages, evacuees arrived.
In Great Ellingham they included a group of children with their teachers arrived from a school in London, joining other evacuees, and recollections by two of them, including Eileen O'Connor, will be on display.
There will also be a host of other displays looking at the Home Guard, the parish defence preparations and a list of "everyday" items for community use in the event of a German invasion which included 46 axes and 14 pairs of pyjamas.
The village had at least 57 members of the Home Guard and there will be a display featuring the memories of one of them, Claude Lebbell.
The important story of Deopham Green Airfield, built for the USAAF, will also be told and local metal detectionist Matt Hall will join Heather and Judy at the exhibition.
Matt has discovered many "dog-tags" and identity bracelets and repatriated many of them to the serviceman or their families.
Families are an integral part of the community.
Some of them will be part of the exhibition including the family of Joseph and Susanna Dye who celebrated their golden wedding while living in Hingham Road in 1941.
Researching the history of Great Ellingham's past inhabitants is Heather's passion and she creates articles around the people and places in the village.
"It is the day-to-day lives of past village people that give a sense of community, belonging and a connection," she says.
She has a freely available One-Place Study website greatellingham.org which has more than 600 articles including family and local histories, as well as plenty of images, illustrations and photographs.
For details of all the events taking place, you need tickets for some, during the Heritage Open Days visit the What's On page at norfolkheritageopendays.co.uk or contact the venue directly.
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