ROTARY CLUB - NORWICH CENTENARY PROJECT - CUPPA CARE BUS
To commemorate the first one hundred years, the club has initiated a long-term project that focuses upon ‘preventing and reducing social isolation and loneliness in Norfolk’ - whether caused through poverty, disability, age, gender, lack of accessible local support and information services, geographical remoteness or poor transport, or other needs.
To achieve this, the Rotary Club of Norwich has developed a working partnership with a number of well-known and established local charities - Hear for Norfolk (Norfolk Deaf Association), Vision Norfolk (NNAB), Age UK Norwich, Norfolk LGBT+ Project, Norfolk Citizens Advice Bureau, Norfolk & Waveney Mind (mental health), and Age UK Norfolk - whose work is aimed at supporting various groups of beneficiaries across the county, providing specialist support, information and advice. However, a common objective that all partners in this project share is the prevention and reduction of loneliness and isolation experienced by people in Norfolk.
The above charities bring a vast number of years (a total of over 500 years) of experience and specialist expertise in supporting vulnerable people in Norfolk, including delivering their services from mobile facilities and reaching out to many hard-to-reach communities. Our project embraces the common ambitions and objectives of all the organisations participating, leverages the expertise and skills of these charitable organisations, and the project, philanthropic, and fundraising expertise of the Rotary community, championed by our club - the Rotary Club of Norwich.
The participating organisations have agreed that based on existing evidence of need, the challenges imposed by the current pandemic, and due to the rurality and demographics of Norfolk, an outreach mobile multi-agency support facility, capable of reaching people in their local community and involving the local ‘infrastructure’, will be the most effective and efficient way of identifying and reaching people who experience loneliness and/or find themselves isolated from their families, friends and neighbourhood.
The above charities bring a vast number of years (a total of over 500 years) of experience and specialist expertise in supporting vulnerable people in Norfolk, including delivering their services from mobile facilities and reaching out to many hard-to-reach communities. Our project embraces the common ambitions and objectives of all the organisations participating, leverages the expertise and skills of these charitable organisations, and the project, philanthropic, and fundraising expertise of the Rotary community, championed by our club - the Rotary Club of Norwich.
The participating organisations have agreed that based on existing evidence of need, the challenges imposed by the current pandemic, and due to the rurality and demographics of Norfolk, an outreach mobile multi-agency support facility, capable of reaching people in their local community and involving the local ‘infrastructure’, will be the most effective and efficient way of identifying and reaching people who experience loneliness and/or find themselves isolated from their families, friends and neighbourhood.
We have purchased a vehicle, which is being converted into a purpose-built mobile facility, a “Cuppa Care” bus, equipped with a range of information and facilities for making refreshments, from which members of staff and volunteers can engage with the local communities, provide appropriate support, information, and advice and, above all, companionship (over a friendly cuppa) – all aimed at reducing loneliness and isolation.
Each organisation that has signed up to the project has agreed to provide staff and volunteers from their respective organisations to support and deliver the project thus keeping staff costs low but the potential benefit for the organisations involved and those accessing the service high. Project Partners will supply their specialist knowledge, staff and volunteers to ensure the mobile unit is staffed by a range of people with specialist knowledge in their areas (older people, sensory loss, welfare, mental health etc) that are able to address the causes of loneliness, build rapport and trust with those visiting the service – as well as offering information, advice or signposting to other relevant support services if necessary.
When operational, the service will be delivered by a part time Co-ordinator, an Assistant/Driver, and the staff and volunteers from Partner organisations. The Co-ordinator will be responsible for identifying the visit locations, making connections with the local infrastructure and organisations in the localities we plan to visit and for securing revenue funds required to cover the operational costs. We anticipate that the annual operational cost will be relatively low due to the central management, as opposed to a wider and much larger infrastructure within each Partner organisation, and due to the ‘in-kind’ contributions from all Partners in the form of allocating staff and volunteers to the project.
Whilst the project is initiated in Norwich, we plan to take the “Cuppa Care” bus to various locations across Norfolk, therefore making the service accessible and available to our urban and rural communities. We have already successfully begun piloting the Cuppa Care service (using a borrowed bus) in a variety of locations across Norfolk to refine our service, develop the operating model, and validate the need.
This is an ambitious and long-term project and we are seeking practical assistance and financial support from Rotary Clubs, businesses, public sector organisations, Trusts & Foundations and individuals to make our vision a reality.
The project cost has two elements: capital costs and operational costs. Capital costs include the purchase, conversion and installation of necessary equipment, estimated at £51,000. The annual operational costs are projected to be £49,721. Please see appendix 1 for an image of the proposed vehicle and the conversion.
To date the Rotary Club of Norwich has raised £750 towards the capital costs and as the Project Lead, and as current President of the Rotary Club of Norwich, I have submitted a number of funding applications to Trusts and Foundations.
However, we still have far to go to achieve our ambitions, therefore with this I am seeking your financial assistance toward the capital costs of this project. Any contributions will be greatly appreciated.
Please contact me on 07821 340717 or e-mail aliona.derrett@prospectconsultancy.org.uk to help progress this project for the benefit of the Norfolk community.
With a very big thank you in anticipation.
Aliona Derrett, President - Rotary Club of Norwich
Each organisation that has signed up to the project has agreed to provide staff and volunteers from their respective organisations to support and deliver the project thus keeping staff costs low but the potential benefit for the organisations involved and those accessing the service high. Project Partners will supply their specialist knowledge, staff and volunteers to ensure the mobile unit is staffed by a range of people with specialist knowledge in their areas (older people, sensory loss, welfare, mental health etc) that are able to address the causes of loneliness, build rapport and trust with those visiting the service – as well as offering information, advice or signposting to other relevant support services if necessary.
When operational, the service will be delivered by a part time Co-ordinator, an Assistant/Driver, and the staff and volunteers from Partner organisations. The Co-ordinator will be responsible for identifying the visit locations, making connections with the local infrastructure and organisations in the localities we plan to visit and for securing revenue funds required to cover the operational costs. We anticipate that the annual operational cost will be relatively low due to the central management, as opposed to a wider and much larger infrastructure within each Partner organisation, and due to the ‘in-kind’ contributions from all Partners in the form of allocating staff and volunteers to the project.
Whilst the project is initiated in Norwich, we plan to take the “Cuppa Care” bus to various locations across Norfolk, therefore making the service accessible and available to our urban and rural communities. We have already successfully begun piloting the Cuppa Care service (using a borrowed bus) in a variety of locations across Norfolk to refine our service, develop the operating model, and validate the need.
This is an ambitious and long-term project and we are seeking practical assistance and financial support from Rotary Clubs, businesses, public sector organisations, Trusts & Foundations and individuals to make our vision a reality.
The project cost has two elements: capital costs and operational costs. Capital costs include the purchase, conversion and installation of necessary equipment, estimated at £51,000. The annual operational costs are projected to be £49,721. Please see appendix 1 for an image of the proposed vehicle and the conversion.
To date the Rotary Club of Norwich has raised £750 towards the capital costs and as the Project Lead, and as current President of the Rotary Club of Norwich, I have submitted a number of funding applications to Trusts and Foundations.
However, we still have far to go to achieve our ambitions, therefore with this I am seeking your financial assistance toward the capital costs of this project. Any contributions will be greatly appreciated.
Please contact me on 07821 340717 or e-mail aliona.derrett@prospectconsultancy.org.uk to help progress this project for the benefit of the Norfolk community.
With a very big thank you in anticipation.
Aliona Derrett, President - Rotary Club of Norwich