Norwich City Community Sports Foundation

The Norwich City Community Sports Foundation recieved a grant of £45,000 from Norfolk Freemasons and the Masonic Charitable Foundation.

Local children at risk of gang involvement and school exclusion will receive help and support through sport thanks to Norfolk Freemasons
17th May 2023
Hundreds of local children will be helped to avoid youth crime, gang involvement and exclusion from school, thanks to a grant of £45,000 from Norfolk Freemasons to the Norwich City Community Sports Foundation.
The Foundation’s Onside Project uses the power of sport and physical activity to break the cycle of violent youth crime, reducing poor mental wellbeing and risk of school exclusions, and to also bring families closer together.
Over the last three years the Foundation has worked with over 200 children and their families, and during the next three years they will work with a further 360 children and approximately 120 families, thanks to the Freemasons’ grant.
The onside project was developed in partnership with Norfolk County Council Children’s Services (NCCCS), Youth Offending Teams and Norfolk Police in 2019. It is delivered as an early intervention with the aim of tackling the issues in early years which has the potential to lead into more violent adult behaviour and other associated behaviours. Foundation staff work alongside NCCCS case workers, meet the family, and deliver interventions that include physical activity as the main ‘hook’, which develop into learning skills such as communication and teamwork. The charity also run behavioural and educational exercises, including awareness of drugs/alcohol, violence and gangs, nutrition, mental wellbeing, and additional maths and English support. The new funding from Norfolk Freemasons will help them expand from their core work in Norwich and Great Yarmouth to include Thetford and Dereham

The grant from Norfolk Freemasons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by Freemasons, their families and friends, from across England and Wales.
Toby Nickerson, the Foundation’s Community Development Manager, said:
“We’re extremely thankful to Norfolk Freemasons for their generous grant, which will allow us to continue supporting some of the county’s most disadvantaged children and families through our one-to-one delivery with our skilled Youth Worker’s”.
Stephen Allen from Norfolk Freemasons, said:“I’m very pleased we’ve been able to help Norwich City Community Sports Foundation with their hugely valuable project to break the cycle of violent youth offending and gang involvement. They will help children by improving their mental health and reducing their chances of being excluded from school while at the same time helping the whole community by reducing overall crime.”