Love Norfolk

Love Norfolk Funding was awarded to support the running of Norfolk County Musical Festival 2024, an annual event which seeks to encourage and support amateur musicians in the county by giving them the opportunity to perform under concert conditions and receive feedback.

Norfolk County Music Festival is a long-standing local charity which runs a unique two-week music education event held each March, at which amateur singers and instrumentalists perform for an audience in a non-competitive setting and receive helpful feedback on how to develop their skills. The majority of attendees are children and young people from Norfolk schools.

Love Norfolk funding was awarded to support the running of the festival in March 2024 and purchase travel bursaries for children from schools in rural and coastal communities to attend. This support is crucial to smaller schools who are less likely to have a teacher with music training. The charity offers bursaries for choirs in particular, as they consider singing to be the most accessible form of musical performance, without the need for expensive instruments.

This year, 4,000 children took part in the festival across 5 venues in Norwich and had the opportunity to perform in front of a friendly audience, helping to raise aspirations and increase their confidence in a supportive environment. Over 40 school choirs sang at the festival this year, and the funding for travel bursaries helped 113 children to attend from rural and coastal areas who otherwise would not have been able to.

“Watching my child and his school, who had been given bursary funding to participate, performing so brilliantly for the first time. What an achievement.”

– Audience member

Thanks to Love Norfolk funding, BikeActive were able to purchase a specialist tandem trike for people with disabilities.

Based in South Norfolk, BikeActive are an all-ability cycling group for adults, children, and young people with disabilities. The group started with an adult cycling group in 2023 and has since grown in popularity, launching their junior group earlier this year. Thanks to Love Norfolk funding, BikeActive were able to purchase a specialist electric tandem trike for members of both the adult and junior groups who would otherwise be unable to cycle.

So far, the trike has been used to deliver 18 rides with the adult group and over 30 rides for children at young people during the Easter and Whitsun Norfolk school holidays, in addition to the 2-day SENDfest at Easton College. The trike has brought a sense of fun and joy to many visitors who the group are trying to encourage to exercise again, help with rehabilitation, or just get out riding a bike!

“It has enabled us to get so many more adults out cycling – many who were sure that their cycling days were over.”

– Participant

The Restoration Trust received a grant from Love Norfolk to run a series of Heritage for Wellbeing sessions in Great Yarmouth.

The Restoration Trust is a charity that works in partnership with heritage, arts and health and social care organisations to help people living with mental health challenges connect to others through engagement with heritage and creativity.

The Restoration Trust was awarded £5,000 to run fortnightly ‘Heritage for Wellbeing’ sessions in Great Yarmouth. These groups provide opportunities for people to explore local history, take part in activities, and enjoy new friendships. With the grant, The Restoration Trust delivered a programme of diverse activities ranging from historical tours and creative arts sessions to educational walks.

Central to this initiative was the Heritage Link Worker who connects individuals referred by social prescribing services to heritage-related activities in Great Yarmouth and Waveney, helping them to form deeper community connections and immerse themselves in the rich cultural tapestry of the area. A survey of participants found that 56% experienced improved well-being, 50% became more physically active, and 72% made new friends.

“I was referred to the project and the Great Yarmouth group by a social prescriber last year after my wife died started attending in November, just GY at first, but then in the new year, the other groups as well.

I have been retired from work for over 2 years and everyone I worked closely with has long left the area. My wife was severely disabled and I was her main carer, so we did not go out much and I spent most of my time in the house. My closest family is 120 miles away and whilst I do know a few people in the local area, they are not ‘socialising’ friends.

I am a reserved person, who does not easy join new groups, so it was good that the Heritage group was so welcoming, with everyone talking to everyone else and with no cliques. The group meetings are the only social events that I attend and all my other activities are done alone.

I feel that those meetings, once or twice a week, have been vital in providing a balance in my life and helping me adjust to life on my own after many years of marriage. I also believe that the groups have helped me be more open with people and to socialise more easily.”

– Participant

Dereham Aid Centre received a grant from Love Norfolk to enhance its play area with child-safe flooring and soft furniture.

Established in 2022 in response to the war in Ukraine, Dereham Aid Centre provides essential items to individuals and families in need such as clothing, household goods, and furniture, as well as access to professionals, English lessons, employment workshops, and emotional support sessions.

Funding from Love Norfolk enabled the purchase of child-safe flooring and soft furniture for the centre’s play area. The newly upgraded play area has been instrumental in providing a safe and comfortable environment for children, allowing parents to participate in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) lessons and other activities, focussing on their learning and personal development without worry.

“We have two young mums who use the centre. Both have given birth here in the UK. It’s amazing that they now both attend the centre and can relax over a drink while the two daughters of the same age play safely on the soft play. To see all of them so relaxed and happy is truely heart warming.”

– Participant