Bishop to open refurbished drop-in

The Bishop will unveil a new plaque on the wall outside the new entrance at 11am on Wednesday 21st December.

The drop in- facility - called the ‘sitting room' - has been refurbished with monies awarded to the Magdalene Group from The Big Lottery. It has been refurbished in a very modern, contemporary style.

Manager of the Magdalene Group, Suzi Heybourne said, "The aim of the ‘sitting room' is to offer a safe and supportive place, offering a hot nutritional meal, a meeting place, listening and friendship. It is open three afternoons each week.

"Last year we undertook an exercise where the women were asked how they would like the drop-in to run and we captured their thoughts in our new Charter which is displayed in the drop-in.

"It is in drop-in that we really have opportunities to engage with the women as we try to build trusting relationships and offer support to help them manage their difficult everyday lives. It is also a resource from which we can offer the necessary advice and guidance to access a range of other agencies such as housing,debt management, and health and well-being services. It is also a facility where we arrange to meet with the women outside of drop-in, to meet for coffee or attend particular appointments."

The Magdalene Group is a Norfolk charity with a Christian ethos, made up of paid staff and volunteers. It was formed in 1992 in response to concerns about the number of people working in prostitution on the streets.