The Acting Witan of Mercia claims that the 'golden age' for the Midlands region came before William the Conquerer's invasion of 1066.

Jeff Kent, the Convener of the Acting Witan of Mercia, said society 1,000 years ago was more equal, environmentally sustainable, community-spirited and democratic at a grass roots level.

More than 2,000 people from the 20 counties which make up Mercia have already signed up as citizens of the historic kingdom, including 63 from Bucks.

The Witan is hosting a conference on Saturday March 20 in Stoke on Trent, called Visions of Mercia: The Midlands after Meltdown.

"What we are hoping for from the conference is to get an active cell of people going in Bucks and we very much want to get it going at a grass roots level," said Mr Kent.

"People are always saying this or that can't happen, but prior to the USSR going down you never heard anyone saying that would collapse. When it came to it, it did not take much for it to topple.

"The society we are putting forward will work because the historical model is there."

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