St Martins Housing Trust has been given Honorary Freedom of the City of Norwich, following more than 50 years’ service and support to people facing homelessness. The honour was awarded by Norwich City Council at a special meeting of council.
After starting out in a garage shed in the Cathedral Close half a century ago, St Martins has grown into an established charity which provides not only hundreds of beds and homes to those in need, but delivers education, training, psychological intervention and partnership work with other city organisations.
St Martins is now a key partner in delivering Norwich City Council’s rough sleeping strategy, which seeks to break the cycle of homelessness through prevention, intervention, recovery and systemic support.
Recent examples of innovative partnership work between the organisations include the Pathways service and Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub, providing holistic specialist support and accommodation for people sleeping rough.
In her speech, Councillor Gail Harris, deputy leader of Norwich City Council, said: “St Martins is a very special part of the city, employing some of the most dedicated, passionate, and professional people I have ever had the pleasure to work with.
“It has earned the love, respect and applaud of Norwich people, those who have used and benefitted from their services and all those in organisations which partner with it, including this council.”
Chair of trustees, Colin Bland said, “St Martins is honoured to receive Freedom of the City and it confirms our place in the hearts and minds of local people, including those we have supported by offering accommodation and care, and those who have supported us through donating, volunteering and advocating on our behalf.
“As a charity we care deeply about the people we provide services for, and always delight in the positive progress they make. This sentiment is shared by our team members, as well as other organisations we partner with. We are committed to finding solutions to the challenges we face and adapt our services to provide for the people of Norwich when they face times of difficulty.”
The Honorary Freedom of the City is a title given to a person or organisation in recognition of their contribution to Norwich. Previous recipients include Norwich City Football Club, Sir Robert and Lady Sainsbury and Arthur Miller.
To find out more about St Martins’ vital work in the city, visit www.stmartinshousing.org.uk
People are being invited to kick start the New Year by signing up to Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life in Norwich and King’s Lynn.
The charity’s much-loved events are returning to Norfolk and anyone who joins this January can claim 50 per cent off the entry fee, as part of a half-price sale, by using the code RFL23NY*.
This is the 30th year of Race for Life and participants will receive a special medal to mark the milestone.
Every year around 36,600 people are diagnosed with cancer in the East of England**. Money raised at Race for Life enables scientists to
Norfolk based discount retailer QD Group, has donated hundreds of chocolates and chocolate bars to the Social Supermarket run by Norwich social enterprise The Feed.
The Feed originally opened its social supermarket on Hall Road, Norwich, in the summer to provide food to people who were struggling to afford it. The supermarket offers a wide range of affordable groceries to help people eat well despite the increasing cost of living. It works with local food producers and suppliers to provide products at a lower cost than many other supermarkets. With Christmas just around the corner, QD has donated kilos and kilos of chocolate goodies for the supermarket to help ensure that everyone can enjoy a special treat during the festive season.
Andrea Auburn, Social Supermarket hub manager, said: “A big thank you to QD who donated a mountain of chocolate to The Feed’s Social Supermarket. Donations like these provide a much-needed treat for families at a time when money is tighter than ever. It’s lovely to see parents get advent calendars for their children, for instance, when grocery shopping could otherwise be a real source of stress right now.”
Local charity Alive UK, which aims to provide emergency support for people in crisis in Norfolk, has launched a gifts and treats appeal to give local children and parents a gift this Christmas.
The charity is asking people who would like to support the appeal to donate an unwrapped new gift, toy or chocolate treat, such as selection boxes, at a collection point by the sleigh on the lower ground floor of Chantry Place before Friday 16th December 2022. It is also looking for donations of wrapping paper.
The charity will deliver the unwrapped gifts and wrapping paper to the parents of children, so that they can enjoy wrapping the gifts themselves to give to their children. They will be given to families in desperate need in Norfolk.
A local young people’s charity is celebrating after winning a prestigious Reuse Network award. The accolade recognises the work of The Benjamin Foundation, in partnership with leading waste and resource management company, FCC Environment, to promote reuse and prevent waste, while creating social value and raising funds to support young people in Norfolk and Suffolk.
The charity was presented with the Reuse Network’s Innovative Project of the Year award at a ceremony last month to recognise and celebrate the success of the Norwich Reuse Drop Off Centre which opened in June 2022. The Innovative Project of the Year award recognises originality, inspired ideas and acknowledges those who have worked hard to implement them. The Benjamin Foundation has transformed the former local authority operated recycling centre on Swanton Road, Norwich to an innovative, first of its kind for the UK, reuse drive through and drop off centre, making reuse in Norwich more accessible and convenient than ever.
This festive period, you don’t need to look any further than Norwich Market for the perfect Christmas – from gifts to lunch on the big day, and there’ll be little activities for children too.
Councillor Adam Giles, cabinet member with responsibility for Norwich Market said: “Norwich Market is a special place all-year-round, but it has an extra sparkle at this time of year. There really is something for everyone and if you are able to support these small local businesses we look forward to welcoming you there this Christmas-time.”
Josh Worley, chair of Norwich Market Traders Association and co-owner of Water + Earth said: “Norwich Market is once again getting well into the festive spirit and hosting a number of events and activities in the lead-up to Christmas for everyone to take part in. For us traders, setting up Santa's Grotto, and the many events taking part within it, is our way of giving a little something back to the families who support our incredibly diverse group of independent traders, and help make our historic market the place to shop for ethical, thoughtful and locally-sourced gifts this Christmas.”