Portuguese Thetford

Growth Point Status

Thetford was awarded Growth point Status under the UK Government's Growth Point Initiative in the summer of 2006. This development has arrived no doubt, largely as a result of the migration boom in Thetford. The Growth Point Initiative is designed to aid "Prospective homeowners and local communities who want more sustainable growth.".

According to the Breckland Council website – "The Growth Point initiative means that in the period to 2021 and beyond, Thetford and the surrounding area will become one of the fastest growing areas in the East of England. The Growth Point master-plan will guide decision making and help deliver accelerated housing and employment which will make the Thetford area a truly regional centre.".

Plans include the delivery of another 5,500 houses, a prediction of another 6,000 jobs in the Breckland area, the regenreation of the Waterfront area of Thetford, more provision for young people, etc. Although funding hasn't been announced, the UK Government has allocated £40 Million for early bids.

Portuguese Consulate

A meeting was held in Thetford on the 3rd February 2005, to address the various problems of the Portuguese migrant community in East Anglia. Labour MEP Richard Howitt attended, along with Paulo Pereira of Daniella's, and Dr Rui Alvim de Faria, social affairs attaché at the Portuguese embassy. The possibility of opening a Portuguese Consulate in the area was discussed. It had previously been suggested that Norwich would be an ideal location for such a Consulate. However, Dr de Faria suggested that the community first needed to demonstrate its needs for a consulate, by organising its own Portuguese Associations.

Portuguese Associations have already been formed in both Thetford and Great Yarmouth. They intend to provide self-help services to their local communities, such as help with translation, filling of forms, housing and employment issues.

META - Multilingual and European Thetford Association

A number of attempts have been made in recent years at forming a Thetford Portuguese Association capable of delivering the above support to the local migrant community. However, they have had limited success. That was until META, the recently formed Multilingual and European Thetford Association. META does not only aim to cater for the Portuguese migrant community, but also for the newly arrived East European migrants. It has already had the support of a number of local agencies including Breckland Council, and particularly of the Keystone Trust who have supplied META with an office in Thetford. Volunteers including translators for Portuguese, Lithuanian, Polish and other languages are based there. Services include helping migrants (and local agencies) with forms, paperwork, and translations. They are a voluntary group with open membership. META can be reached at: META, The Limes, 32 Bridge Street, Thetford , Norfolk, IP24 3AG

A Profile of Migrant Workers in the Breckland Area

In August 2005, the report of a survey of migrant workers in the Thetford area was published under the above title. Either the summarised or full version can be downloaded in .pdf format from the Keystone Trust website.

The report on local migrant workers provided the following key findings:

Migrants into the area are polarised into two groupings - the Portuguese, and the CEEC migrants from the new EU member states in Eastern Europe.
Migrants who have arrived since January 2004 have significantly higher levels of educational achievement that the local population.
The majority of migrant workers have downgraded their employment significantly since arriving in the UK. Over 15% held managerial or professional positions in their home countries.
Some large employers claim that their businesses could not survive without migrant labour.
Agencies estimate that there are between 6,000 and 15,000 Portuguese nationals in the Breckland area.
Migrant workers in general have fairly high generic and soft skill levels. The young are more likely to have skills in English language and IT.
The survey suggests that 86% of the migrant workers expect to still be here in two years time. This figure was higher for Portuguese nationals than for CEEC migrants.
The most common CEEC migrants are Polish, then Lithuanian, followed by Latvian.
In January 2007 they will probably be joined by some migrants from Romania and Bulgaria, following EU enlargenment.

The Portuguese Community Needs Report

Between November 2004 and February 2005, a brief survey was carried out by the Keystone Trust, with the aim of providing a better understanding of the needs of the Portuguese-speaking community in the Thetford area. Fifty four migrants were interviewed, and asked a number of questions. The survey suggested that there was a strong desire for both more information, and to learn English language. It was felt that language difficulties are making many members of that community vunerable to exploitation. A desire for better housing was also mentioned. Dissatisfaction was also expressed by migrants, with their own community. It was suggested that there had not been enough help for new arrivals from migrants that had already settled in the area. There was also a need expressed, for a closer Portuguese consulate, and more social functions that involved families, and gave the chance for the Portuguese to share their culture with the wider community.

Café Culture

bica Wherever the Portuguese settle, they open cafés. Café is perhaps a broad term for a range of different enterprises - cafés, café-bars, Portuguese pubs, restaurantes, delicatessens, corner-shops, stores - but what all types have in common is that they sell cups of coffee! The Portuguese take coffee seriously. You can buy a number of types of coffee drinks in a Portuguese café, but the most common is the simple bica - a very small, but very strong espresso coffee, served in a tiny cup, and usually served with a sachet of white sugar. Be careful with these bicas - they are very addictive.

The Portuguese also have a love of sweet things. No deli would be complete without an array of sweet buns, pasties, tarts and cakes on offer. Try the pasteis de nata - Portuguese sweet custard tarts. More wholesome food will be on offer - the cheese and ham sandwiches are very nice for example. While in the café have a look at the chouriços - Portuguese spicy sausages, and at the range of queijos (cheeses). Many delis will have freezers, where you can find a variety of frozen seafoods. And of course, none would be complete without a selection of bacalhau - slabs of dried, salted cod. Oh, there will usually be a daily delivery of pão (loafs of white bread) from a local Portuguese baker. Well worth buying one to take home.

Cafés and delis are a sign of investment by Portuguese migrants. For example, a number of closed down shops in Great Yarmouth have been re-opened by Portuguese, who are helping to inject a new life into run down parts of the town centre. There are Portuguese cafés, bars and delis now open in Thetford, Great Yarmouth, Peterborough,East Dereham, Swaffham, and Bury St Edmunds - where one opens, others seem to quickly follow. I have tried several in some of the above towns, and have always been treated with courtesy. Give them a go.

Learning Portuguese Language

The Portuguese migrant community are perfectly aware that they need to learn English if they are to stay here - and of the value of the English language globally. However, some locals are also using the opportunity to learn foreign languages themselves. The presence of a Portuguese community, with cafes, bars, etc - gives the local English the chance to learn a foreign language that they can use and practise here. Portuguese is actually a useful language to learn - here's why:

It is the third most commonly used European language in the World (after English and Spanish) - some 200 million native speakers - more than of French, German or Italian!
It is an official language in Brazil, Portugal, Mozambique, Madeira, Goa, the Azores Islands, Angola, East Timor, and Cape Verde.
There are Portuguese and Brazilian migrant communities all over the world. For example, it is the third most common language used in Canada. There is also a large and thriving Portuguese-speaking community in London.
Its no exaggeration to say that it is now the second language of Norfolk - with cafés in Thetford, Great Yarmouth, Swaffham, and East Dereham.
Along with French, Italian, Spanish, and Romanian - Portuguese belongs to the Romance group of languages that descend from the vulgar latins of the Roman Empire. Learn Portuguese, and its not a long leap to then also learn Spanish with which it shares much of its written vocabulary - three languages for the price of two and a bit!
You have visited this website - then you have internet access. For the above reasons, Portuguese is very present on the Internet - and you will have plenty of opportunities to use it online.

Incredibly, there appears to be a shortage of Portuguese language teachers in the area! Classes are arranged by the local education authorities, although they tend to be aimed only at beginners for 'holiday' Portuguese. Check at Tanner house in Thetford. Some local social agencies also sometimes host classes, so check at Breckland council, the Library, and the Keystone Trust to see if there is anything going. There are plenty of aids to help you on the way. Cabo TV (Portuguese satellite television) can be seen at Carolina's. Portuguese newspapers can be bought at Daniella's. Sign's, menus, and advertisments in Portuguese can be seen all over the town.