A new survey has revealed pride is at a low ebb in East Anglia with people feeling a lack of community spirit.

The data showed 42% of people in East Anglia are proud of their neighbourhood, just 20% said community spirit is strong and 45% would like to see more events bringing people together.

But one place where community spirit shines is Great Barton, which was crowned 2013 Village of the Year.

Mick Brabrook, from Great Barton, said: “Villages are unique because they are self-reliant and you do things for yourself. That brings forth that sense of community spirit and if you are part of a larger community it’s much more difficult.”

Rachel Woolliscroft, of building firm Wates, which carried out the survey of 2,000 people, said: “Ask people if they’re proud to be British and many will say yes, but dig a bit deeper and ask if they’re proud of their neighbourhood or the area where they live and the results are quite depressing.

“There are many intangible factors which contribute to ‘pride’.

“But interestingly, our respondents really focused on having more opportunities for people to come together or work collectively on projects which contribute towards the greater good as having the most impact on how they feel about their neighbourhood.”