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Hethersett came in for lavish praise from a key member of the London Olympics 2012 organising committee during his tour of the village on the eve of our Open Weekend.

Sir Keith Mills, deputy chair of the London 2012 organising committee and the man who did so much to obtain the 2012 Olympics for London made a whistle stop tour of the village on Friday 23rd July to meet children, members of the public and key figures in our open weekend.

Sir Keith began his day at the Village Hall where he was welcomed by Daniel Cox, leader of Norfolk County Council and Fred Watkins, chair of Hethersett Parish Council. He also had the opportunity to chat to Hethersett parish councillors and members of the Hethersett "Olympic" committee.

Next stop was Hethersett Junior School where pupils had put on a programme of sports under the leadership of Head Teacher Andy Whittle. Whilst there Sir Keith undertook interviews with both the printed Media, local radio and Anglia and BBC Television. For reports on this see our special Media section by clicking here.

After a quick lunch it was off the Hethersett Woodside School to meet the children and Head Teacher Helen Lamb on her last working day before her retirement.

Sir Keith then visited Hethersett Memorial Playng Field where he was welcomed by Elizabeth Meakings, chair of the playing field committee. His final two stops were at Hethersett Library where he chatted to staff and the public and finally St Remigius Church where he was welcomed by the Rev Di Lammas.

Sir Keith has played a huge part in bringing the Olympics to our shores and in 2006 was knighted for his services to sport. Throughout his stay he took a keen interest in sport, leisure and facilities in the village.

Sir Keith singled out Hethersett for his visit because the village had organised more public events per head of its population than anywhere else in the UK.

"This part of the country is leading the rest of the country. There's more projects, more enthusiasm here than anywhere else," he said.

Katie Huane, regional project manager for London 2012 said: "Hethersett is the place to start because they have managed to bring the whole community together in order to plan for this weekend. It's absolutely amazing to see from the schools to the parish council to the library."