A Norfolk community will be the talk of the town in Sweden today as the village prepares to promote its Viking history and seaside links.This colourful sign, pictured right, shows how Hemsby, near Yarmouth, will soon be using a smiling Viking warrior holding a bucket and spade to welcome visitors.

A Norfolk community will be the talk of the town in Sweden today as the village prepares to promote its Viking history and seaside links.

This colourful sign, pictured right, shows how Hemsby, near Yarmouth, will soon be using a smiling Viking warrior holding a bucket and spade to welcome visitors.

And it is hoped that next year a Scandinavian festival could be held in the village.

The logo, with its slogan “Hemsby and Newport 1,200 years of seaside fun”, was designed by marketing guru Simon Middleton as part of his forthcoming television series The Brand Effect.

Today, Mr Middleton will be speaking to European tourism experts at a conference in Stockholm about the benefits Hemsby will gain from its rebrand by drawing more tourists to the village.

Shop owners and traders claim the logo is to needed to boost Hemsby following the closure of its Pontins holiday camp earlier this year.

It is hoped that from next week the Viking logo will be put up in shops, businesses and on beer mats and postcards to give the village its own distinct identity.

Mr Middleton, 50 and who runs his Brand Strategy Guru company in London, said: “I am flattered that these European tourism leaders want to hear about my work with Hemsby.

“Branding a place, for tourism or for any other reason, is quite different from branding a product or a service. It is more subtle and more complex and the vitally important element is to be authentic.

“I hope traders will pick up the logo for themselves. We have created it so it is copyright free and can be used on postcards, shop windows, beer mats and all sorts of things.”

The launch of the logo will take place in front of business leaders at Norwich's Forum on June 25.