As someone who lives and works in Norwich, I find it impossible to separate our present from the long shadows of our past. Whether in the winding medieval streets or the stories we tell, history is not something we simply remember here, it is something we live.

That is why I am proud to support the inaugural Norwich History Festival, taking place 17–25 July, with the theme ‘Rebels and Radicals’.

This city has always been a site of dissent and defiance from Kett’s Rebellion to Harriet Martineau, Elizabeth Fry, and Thomas Paine, Norwich has long produced individuals who have challenged power, fought for justice, and shaped national thought.

The festival, supported by UEA and the National Centre for Writing, will bring Norwich’s legacy to life with talks from historians, theatre, film, walks, exhibitions and family events across the city.

At the launch of the festival brochure last week, I spoke about how, in a world of disinformation and historical amnesia, the act of engaging with history openly and critically is itself a radical act. History reminds us how power works, how people resist it, and how change, though hard-won, is always possible.

In this climate, where knowledge, truth, and expertise are increasingly contested, public history has never mattered more. The Norwich History Festival is not just a celebration, it is a call to curiosity, to empathy, and to civic imagination.

Find out about the Norwich History Festival here.