‘It’s so easy to take part’ - more than 70 houses taking part in Norwich yard sale trail

A Norwich resident is looking to channel the spirit of Amsterdam by bringing the western part of the city together for a yard sale trail.

Kim Weston already has a strong sense of camaraderie with other residents on Havelock Road, Norwich, with street-wide yard sales and Easter egg hunts the norm over the past few years, but she is now expanding her neighbourly reach by including the entire NR2 postcode in a day on June 9 inspired by the age-old Dutch flea markets.

Ms Weston and her team are tapping into the powers of the digital age to get residents involved, and have created a Google map where those looking to sell their unwanted goods can indicate where they are holding their yard sale.

So far 70 houses have signed up, with the area around Havelock Road unsurprisingly one of the most popular areas - but streets as far afield as George Borrow Road on the other side of the ring road have also got involved.

The ultimate goal is to have at least 100 houses taking part.

Ms Weston said: 'It is so easy to take part. It can be as simple as putting a few things outside your house and you can find out about the houses taking part on the map.'

She doesn't want to stop there, though, with the event ambitiously called the 'NR2+ Yard Sale Trail'.

The event was inspired by Ms Weston's recent trip down to the Eden Project in October of last year, who themselves are organising a national community get together called The Big Lunch.

Mrs Weston said: 'I was invited as someone who wanted to develop their community and find out what I could do to promote my immediate area.

'I came up with the idea of doing a yard sale in Norwich. We've had a couple of meetings to organise things since and everyone has really been trying to spread the word.'

Many homeowners are selling the yard sale staples of books and children's toys - with others offering homemade cakes and handmade lino prints.

For the Havelock Road resident, the aim of the street sale was not just to improve community cohesiveness but also to help people declutter their lives.

Ms Weston said: 'I wanted to get people to come together but it's also about decluttering and streamlining your life.'

'So far people here are really buying into this.'

People interested in taking part can request to join the public FB group called 'NR2 Yard Sale Trail' or by emailing Kim Weston at havelockroadcommunity@gmail.com.