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The Norfolk and Norwich Christian community website

3500 youngsters in Norfolk social action project

NewDayFencePaint2010: Next week will see around 3500 Christian youngsters from all over the UK converge on the streets of Norwich and Norfolk again for a week to take part in community-based social action projects.
 
The young people are part of the Newday event taking place at the Norfolk Showground between August 11–16. 

The Christian event will see around 6000 young people gather at the Showground for worship, teaching, music gigs and social action and will take place here each summer for the next few years. 
 
Some of the social action projects planned include: running skate parks, free car washes, holiday clubs for senior citizens, kids holiday clubs, cafes, fun days, litter picking, fence painting, garden tidying and rubbish clearance. These projects will take place in various areas of the city and county, including Poringland, Wymondham and Aylsham, working in collaboration with the Police and Councils in some areas. 
 
Last summer, as part of the same event, more than 3000 youngsters took part in various projects across Norfolk and Suffolk with great success. One such success was in Catton and Mile Cross where young people got involved in fence painting at residents homes (pictured above), garden and rubbish clearance, tidying and cleaning local parks and running a kids’ holiday club at the Norman Centre.
 
This project involved more than 400 young people being transported from the Showground into Catton and Mile Cross each day for four days, and the impact it had on the community was amazing.
 
Chloe Smith, MP for the area, came along to see what the young people were doing and even joined in the fence painting herself. She commented on the positive impact of young people volunteering in effective community work:
 
“It’s so good to see hundreds of young people out... here in Catton Grove and Mile Cross... doing fence painting, doing garden clearance, getting on with residents, residents’ own kids are joining people as well. I think it’s a really good day where everyone is getting along together and actually doing something really good for the community,” she said.
 
Over 150 homes in Mile Cross were visited by young people last year who cleared rubbish from 28 of them. It took 11 lorry loads to dispose of the rubbish, plus many van loads of green waste. 153 homes in Catton had their fences painted with help from locals (and Chloe Smith).
 
For further information, and a list of all Newday social action projects taking place this summer visit www.thisislife.org.uk
 

 


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