The Norwich story

The diocese has responsibility for a large amount of primary and secondary schools, educating 13,500 children.

The Diocese of Norwich is working with Imagine Norfolk Together, a joint venture between the Diocese and Church Urban Fund. It has bases in Great Yarmouth and Kings Lynn. It is also working with the STN Trust, a charity founded by St Thomas Church in Norwich. They both work locally in communities, responding to the needs of the most vulnerable.

Key features

Church based grass roots

Both STN Trust and Imagine Norfolk Together (INT) are church-based organisations. This means they have great links into the local community, as well as a grassroots base of volunteers who can get involved in projects. STN Trust currently has around 80 people volunteering with them on the projects that they run, including mentoring and befriending for vulnerable adults.

Hearing Hidden Voices

In October 2018, the Diocese held a Hidden Voices facilitators’ course in Norfolk, to train up people who would be leading Hidden Voices courses in their area. Half of the places were filled by representatives from Norfolk-based organisations, including the police, chaplaincy, Imagine Norfolk Together and STN Trust.

The process of mapping the local area and identifying who are the key players in the sector helped to build the foundation of the anti-slavery partnership, which launched the very next day.

Working in Partnership

STN Trust and Imagine Norfolk Together have worked closely together to create a Modern Slavery Partnership for Norfolk. Norfolk Anti-Slavery Network brings together different sectors such as law enforcement, charities, faith groups, local authorities, and other statutory agencies to help build relationships and promote co-working. It meets quarterly to learn from one another and share experiences.

Leading the way

The Diocese of Norwich has begun to lead the way in anti-slavery work. Following the Hidden Voices facilitators’ course in October 2018, a Hidden Voices course took place in Great Yarmouth in February 2019. This gathered a diverse range of contributors from local churches and social action projects and was one of the first grassroots-based Hidden Voices courses to take place. STN Trust has also created a Bible study programme ‘Breaking Chains’ all about the Christian response to modern slavery, helping their whole church to respond to the challenge.