For many rural villages across the county, it is usual to find the 'good and the great' putting their efforts into running the local council.
But rather than organising next year's Christmas lights or booking a buffet for an upcoming community event, one such council faces a darker problem.
For the past three years, members of Hoveton Community Council (HCC) have become more concerned about being the target of unwanted attention from a 'satirical' Facebook page.
Calling themselves the Hoveton and Belaugh Bugle 'newspaper', the mysterious creator has been critiquing the council's actions since 2021 - although they say the mocking posts have strayed away from light-hearted jokes to harassment.
It has also spurred an offshoot spoof page, the Hoveton Hornet, which is continuing in a similar vein.
Members have likened the saga to being reminiscent of Netflix's hit show Baby Reindeer - comedian Richard Gadd's autobiographical account of his experience of being the victim of a stalker.
'IT SEEMS PERSONAL'
While most of the vitriol has been delivered on Facebook, one councillor who receives the brunt of the harrying - Kerry Walker - says the campaign against her has also moved offline.
She has been signed up to house valuations, window replacements, Reform political party newsletters and was even booked in for a psychiatric assessment at a London health clinic.
She believes the elusive suspect is trying to "play mind games" with her but is yet to pin down definitively who it could be.
The creation of the page itself may be an attempt to mock Mrs Walker's own Facebook news page, the Broads Bulletin, which keeps a community of 5,300 followers updated with local news.
"It feels like I have found myself in my own 'Baby Reindeer' story, or perhaps a baby muntjac," said Mrs Walker.
"It is just bizarre. Despite the adversity, I am so impressed by the way Hoveton continues to come together as a community.
"We have a fantastic cohort of councillors and volunteers who are invested in our village.
"I would rather not focus on the negative distractions but enjoy a community coming to life week after week, particularly at our village hall events."
MYSTERY PRANKSTER
The creator of the Hoveton and Belaugh Bugle has refused to reveal their identity.
They say they started the page in the summer of 2021 out of "boredom" and that "everybody wants to know" who they are.
The page describes itself as "specialist Edwardian curtain twitchers."
It currently has 147 followers and new posts are made frequently at a rate of about once or twice a week.
A Facebook user, going by Martin Reade, appears to be associated with the Bugle. They describe themselves as a "newshound" in their bio but they did not wish to comment.
The account has no Facebook 'friends' linked to it and the only Facebook page it has liked is Roys of Wroxham.
When contacted, the user said: "You need to contact the Bugle, I don't do press and keep my name out of your paper."
COUNCIL COMPLAINTS
Recently, North Norfolk District Council's (NNDC) monitoring officer received a complaint about the council, believed to be from the Bugle.
However, NNDC could not take it further due to being "unable to confirm the complainant's details."
The complaint centred around accusations that Mrs Walker had failed to declare an interest at a January meeting when a friend's bid for permission to operate a waterfowl and rescue stand at the Granary Staithe was approved.
Hoveton and Belaugh Bugle said: "HCC has ducked and dodged scrutiny over a clear breach of their own code of conduct.
"They had the opportunity to acknowledge and apologise at the time but instead councillors and the clerk took to social media to shoot the messenger with slurs and insults.
"Our questions were clear and factual, their response has been dishonest and hysterical, in equal measure."
Mrs Walker has refuted any wrongdoing, saying it was a collective decision and that she stands to gain no personal benefit from the project.
While the individual behind the Bugle remains unknown, Greg Eade, an accountant who runs Debit and Credit in Wroxham, has admitted to contributing to rival satire page Hoveton Hornet, although denies setting it up.
He says he does not know who runs the Bugle but he shares the same grudge against the parish council.
"It is the way some of them are operating and the way they attack anyone who disagrees with them," he said.
PAST PROBLEMS
It is not the first time Hoveton councillors have complained of being harassed by members of the public.
Martin Richmond, former chairman of the council, wrote an open letter in 2019 complaining of people making "baseless complaints" to NNDC, "planting derogatory stories" and "verbal abuse."
At the time, he told the EDP: "It has become what appears to be a concerted campaign to discredit the council. Some members of staff are really feeling under siege."
He later quit the council in 2021 due to working abroad for much of the year.
The situation seems similar to the one councillors find themselves in today but the ex-civil servant said he does not believe the previous perpetrators are linked to those behind the Bugle.
He says he has been blocked from the page himself so cannot see any of its posts.
It has also been suggested that the Facebook user Martin Reade may be an amalgamation of Mr Richmond and Mr Eade's name but both men continue to say they are not behind the account.
He said: "Given the time that has passed and the changes in membership, it seems unlikely that the current situation would be related to the issues we faced back then.
"The role of a parish councillor is often a thankless one. I wouldn’t take any mud-slinging you see online seriously, especially if it comes from fake or anonymous accounts."
For now, there is little HCC can do to stop being the target of the Facebook pages.
Russel Reeve, chair of HCC, said: "We are aware of the issue but for now we just try to correct any misinformation being spread.
"If people have genuine concerns about the council they are welcome to speak with us and we will respond directly to put the matter straight."
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