'Samuel Robins would, we are sure, have been delighted to know that his legacy is still improving the life chances of Norwich young people today.' Photo: courtesy of Robert Ashton
Home delivery: Robert Ashton is all over the shop
‘Each building in our Norwich campus is being used in ways appropriate to our Quaker testimonies.’
When Samuel Robins died in 1711, leaving his shop to his Quaker Meeting, he could not have imagined that 310 years later his gift would still be changing troubled young lives. His will stipulated that income from the shop should fund a Quaker apprentice. He wanted to give young people the best possible chance in life.
Times changed and by 1908 the shop was facing costly repairs. It was sold and the capital invested (back then the Charity Commission allowed greater flexibility in how the income was spent). But now part of the money has been used to convert a building that adjoins the Norwich Meeting House. It will provide five flats, to give vulnerable youngsters their first taste of living independently. The building now forms part of the endowment, so the capital remains intact for the future.
The building will be managed by The Benjamin Foundation, a local charity. It had been standing empty for a number of years and it cost more than a million pounds to convert it. Norwich City Council gave a generous grant and a local Quaker family charity chipped in.
As Matt Garrod, The Benjamin Foundation’s director of operations, explained: ‘Pottergate is our first central Norwich accommodation for those over eighteen, and meets a vital need to support young people on their road to independence, reducing the likelihood of homelessness. It is a great venue with easy access to local amenities, employment, education and training – important factors in building successful futures.’
The five flats are furnished, with communal social space. Residents will receive three hours of dedicated support each week from The Benjamin Foundation, which has over twenty-five years of experience in supporting young people.
‘It has taken us many years to bring 24 Pottergate back into use,’ said Norfolk & Waveney property clerk George Gawlinski, ‘and now each building in our Norwich campus is being used in ways appropriate to our Quaker testimonies. 26 Pottergate is now home to Norwich’s Credit Union, and No 28 is leased to the Salvation Army for a drop-in centre for those who find themselves homeless.’
The Norwich Meeting House was built in the 1820s, on the site of an earlier one built in 1679. The adjoining Pottergate buildings were acquired later in the nineteenth century and have housed many charities and community ventures. Before the pandemic struck, Norwich Meeting House was used by more than eighty voluntary and community groups, including Alcoholics Anonymous, Circles and Norwich Food Cycle, which collects surplus food in the city and serves cooked meals to people in poverty.
24 Pottergate will be handed over to The Benjamin Foundation in March, with the first young people moving in soon after. Samuel Robins would, we are sure, have been delighted to know that his legacy is still improving the life chances of Norwich young people today.
