Norfolk Freemans’ donation boosts Home-Start
Norfolk Freemasons have stepped in with a £9,050 donation to boost Civic Charity funds, to help address the increased demand for family support caused by the pandemic.
The grant has been given to Home-Start Norfolk a local independent charity supporting the health and wellbeing of families with young children in Norwich and across Norfolk. The charity, set up in 2004, provides vital support to families who are facing tough times by matching trained volunteers to work alongside parents, addressing a range of challenges that can impact them giving their children the best start in life.
Home-Start Norfolk was chosen by the Lord Mayor of Norwich, Councillor Kevin Maguire, and the Sheriff of Norwich, Caroline Jarrold, as Civic Charity for the year 2021-22, as they recognised the value of Home-Start Norfolk’s work in having the greatest impact on children’s early years when a supportive and nurturing environment is so crucial to children’s health and wellbeing.
“We are extremely grateful to the Norfolk Freemasons for their generous donation to Civic Charity funds. It has been a real honour to work with the Lord Mayor and Sheriff of Norwich during their civic year and they have helped raise awareness of our work. We have seen a huge increase in demand for family support recently with so many parents struggling to cope with the wide-ranging impact of the pandemic.” explained Helen Brown, Home-Start Norfolk’s Development Manager. “We were so delighted to be introduced to Stephen from Norfolk Freemasons, who offered to help with our appeal.”
Head of Norfolk Freemasons, Stephen Allen said:
“Norfolk Freemasons were delighted to be able to assist Home-Start Norfolk, via the Lord Mayor and Sheriff of Norwich’s Civic Charity, with the funding to ensure they could continue their vital role in our community”.
Home-Start Norfolk’s Family Support Model
Families seeking Home-Start Norfolk’s support ask for help with a range of challenges – including poor mental health and wellbeing, physical health problems, a disability or additional needs, family breakdown, bereavement, or financial difficulties.
Families are matched with a trained volunteer to provide up to 6 months of weekly home-visiting support interventions, addressing challenging issues and tackling barriers that are preventing parents and their young children from thriving. Support is tailored to each family’s specific needs which may include – a listening ear to help with post-natal depression, accompanying to medical appointments, help with managing household bills and budgets, healthy eating advice, preparing children for nursery or school, signposting to other complementary services. Many families are affected by several complex issues, becoming completely overwhelmed.
Further information, cases studies and referral information are available at Home-Start Norfolk’s website. https://www.homestartnorfolk.org