Family Support
Mental Health and Well-being
Understanding ourselves, our needs and our struggles is extremely important to us at Nelson Infant School - for staff, children and families to know when to ask for support and for children to understand when they are struggling. We prioritise the well-being of our entire school community over and above everything else.
We work with the NHS Mental Health Support Team who have a case load of families they work with. They are trained in helping young people to take care of their mental health by recognising the impact of their difficult thoughts and feelings. They work directly with parents to implement interventions under their guidance and support.
Support through serious illness and/or bereavement
Here are also some links about supporting children with a parent with a terminal illness/cancer and/or bereavement:
Death through serious illness | Dealing with terminal illness | Winston's Wish (winstonswish.org)
Talking to children and teenagers about cancer | Macmillan Cancer Support
Free or pay what-you-can meals
We all know that food costs are rising rapidly and as a result, many families are really struggling. Together with our lovely colleagues at Norwich City Council and The Feed, we have put together a list of providers offering free or pay-what-you-can meals and food services for people in the Norwich area. Click here to see what is available by day of the week or check out the options below. If you are struggling with the rising cost of living, please talk to us at school - there is usually a way we can help.
Indoor hot meals
- Salvation Army, Pottergate ARC. Monday-Thursday til 3pm, Friday til 1pm. Verified rough sleepers welcome from 8am, all others 9am. Hot breakfast 90p-£2.40, free toast and free cakes/pastries, hot lunch, sandwiches.
- The Feed’s ‘Nourish’ service Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 5.30-7pm, Saturday/bank holiday 4-7pm. Pottergate ARC. Hot meals to eat in. By referral only for those without cooking facilities. Professionals can refer clients by emailing andrea@thefeed.org.uk.
- Nourish at King’s Community Church. Sunday, 1-4pm. King Street. Hot meals to eat in, laundry and shower facilities. By referral only for those without cooking facilities. Professionals can refer clients by emailing andrea@thefeed.org.uk.
- New Hope Christian Centre. Wednesday, 10am-2pm. 2 Martineau Lane, NR1 2HX. Light lunch. For more information, please call 01603 617905.
- St Stephen’s Church Café. Monday-Friday,10am-3pm, food served 11.30am-1pm. Meal and a drink for £1.00.
- Soul Foundation at St Stephens Church. Wednesday, 6-7.30pm.
- Food Cycle. Friday, 7-8pm. Quaker Meeting House, Upper Goat Lane, NR2 1EW. Takeaway meal and bag of food.
Well-being cafes
- Sprowston Methodist Church Renew Wellbeing café If you need a place where it’s OK not to be ok, where you can drink tea/coffee and chat, or just be quiet... Tuesday morning 9.30am - 12.30pm and Friday afternoon 1pm to 4pm.
- Morrisons Riverside wellbeing Café , 2nd Thursday of every month, all welcome.
Social supermarket
- The Feed’s supermarket is at 65 Hall Road, Norwich, NR1 3HL. It provides low cost and some free food and other essentials. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 10.00am – 3.00pm. Thursday 12.00-6.00pm. Details: https://thefeed.org.uk/our-projects/socsup
- The ENYP Social Supermarket located in the heart of Heigham Grove, Norwich. Members can buy fresh, frozen, dried, and tinned food, alongside toiletries and personal care items. Russell Street Community Centre, 53 Russell St, Norwich NR2 4QT. Monday 4–6pm, Wednesday 11am–1pm, and Friday 9–11am. Please contact: socialsupermarket@enyp.org.uk.
- SOUL Foundation social supermarket is a purpose-built facility on site at SOUL Church, Norwich. Officially opened on 11th April, the social supermarket is a membership-based community shop hosting a range of affordable fresh produce, long-life essentials, and household products.
SOUL church, 4 Mason Road, Norwich, NR6 6RF
Tuesday 12-7.30pm, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10am-4.30pm, Sunday 12-4.30pm. Hannah Lipton – hannah.lipton@soulchurch.com.
Outdoor hot meals
- The Norwich Soup Movement. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 7.30pm, opposite City Hall.
- The People’s Picnic. Tuesday, 7.30pm. Haymarket, Norwich.
- Anon Street Team. Sunday, 7pm. St Peter’s Street, opposite City Hall, Norwich.
Food parcels / deliveries
- Wymondham, Community Help Point. Tuesdays 12-1pm, Saturday 2-3pm. Our Lady and St Thomas of Canterbury RC Church, 1 Norwich Road, Wymondham, NR18 0SZ. Help Point Foodbank and food delivery, for more information please contact community@wymondhamchurch.org.uk.
- Society Alive Community Café, hot meals delivered on Thursdays. Please call 07832972166 to request. Please inform of any dietary requirements.
- The Phoenix Centre. Fridays, 11.30am-1pm. 132A Mile Cross Road, NR3 2LD. Food hamper, no questions asked. For more information, see Mile Cross Phoenix Children’s Project on Facebook. Perishables are put either outside or in Room 2 (with access from the back of the centre), and are available to anyone. Non perishables are made into food hampers and do need to booked in advance. This can be done by phone, email or via the Facebook page: fb.me/phoenixcentremx.
- Taverham, Thorpe Marriott and Drayton Community Food Bank provides food fortnightly, to those in the above community specifically, on a delivery only basis. No questions asked, no referrals needed. Those in need can self-refer by calling Sarah on 07921 120822 and giving us their name and address.
Community fridges
- Earlham Community Fridge, Monday-Thursday 10am-4pm. 168a Motum Rd, Norwich NR5 8EG.
- Silver Road Community Fridge, Saturdays 11-12.15. Silver Road Community Centre, Silver Road, NR3 4BT. Telephone 07786694325 or email jewills064@aol.com if you have any questions.
- Silver Parcels NR3 Foodbank Silver Road Community Centre, for NR3 Residents only. Thursday 10.30-12.15, Saturday 11-12.15. Silver Road Community Centre, Silver Road, NR3 4BT.
Other options
- The Feed Café, Pay It Forward hot drink scheme. Monday-Friday 8.30am-2pm. 78-80 Prince of Wales Road. Ask a member of staff for a free hot drink provided for by public donations, no questions asked.
- Namaste Village, Dosa on the Wall Scheme – Monday-Friday 5-9pm, Saturday-Sunday 12-9pm. Free Dosa meal, partly donated for by the public and partly by the business. Visit Namaste Village during opening times, take a voucher from the wall and collect your free Dosa meal. Namaste Village 130-139 Queens Road, Norwich, NR1 3PN.
- Healthy Start vouchers: If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food and milk. If you’re eligible, you’ll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. Learn more.
- KindaKafe, The Missing Kind, Pay it Forward Scheme, 21 Castle Meadow
Monday to Fridays, 10am to 5pm. Anyone in need can ask a member of staff for a free hot drink or meal provided for by public donations. Three uses a week. - Free school meals. These are universal for all children up to year 2. From year 3 onwards, eligibility is based on other benefits and you must apply directly. Learn more and apply here.