The Dunwich fire that has swept across the heathland neighbouring my house is both terrifying and tragic for the environment and the wildlife there, but it has ignited something other than tinderbox-dry brush. A Blitz spirit has emerged in our village. Yes, it’s a much-used cliche, but when it happens it is wonderfully life-affirming and so very British. 

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News spreads as quickly as flames. Once fire-fighters started evacuating around 200 people from campsites and caravan parks from the Suffolk coast around Dunwich, our village of Westleton sprung into life. The village hall, of which I’m a trustee, opened its doors on Wednesday night and around 80 evacuees turned up – some without transport (they had been given lifts by the emergency services), and others in pyjamas and barefooted.

They were housed that night, not on the floor of the hall but in the homes of locals who, via........

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