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Christmas is a time for reflection, celebration and planning for the coming year. As you'll read below, we've had an amazing year, with much success upon which we can build in 2011. Additionally, I've been appointed to the Board of the Community Foundation Network. This is the national organisation with which all UK community foundations are linked. It's a great opportunity for me to champion Norfolk nationally, as well as bring back new ideas and good practice.
We've also recently surveyed both our donor and grant applicants. To continue to grow we need to continue to adapt and evolve. Your feedback together with your willingness to readily and frankly tell us what you think will help us increasingly enable the future we all want to see.
I look forward to working with you in 2011.
Happy Christmas
Graham Tuttle
Director
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The Surviving Winter Appeal
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Since 2005 the Foundation has worked hard to support the most vulnerable people in the county. A new appeal launched by the
Rt Reverend Graham James on behalf of the Foundation provides a unique way of doing this by enabling those who do not need their winter fuel payment to donate it to others.
You can donate as much or as little of your winter fuel payment to others in the county and this money will be used in two ways:
- In grants to local charities and groups with a record of looking after the old and vulnerable
- Payments to those who need the additional help to buy fuel, insulate their homes, eat properly and keep in touch with family and community through guidance from these local charities and groups.
You can find out more about our Surviving Winter Appeal on our website or you can download the leaflet here.
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In brief
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We'd like to send a warm vote of thanks to our outgoing Vice-Chairman Anne Sloman OBE, who has tirelessly supported the Foundation over the past six years since its inception.
We now have a new media resource available to help groups who have received a grant or have a funded project underway to secure coverage for their activity. If you'd like a copy please email us info@norfolkfoundation.com - we hope you'll find it useful.
The Foundation is also now on Facebook, so we'd love you to join our group by visiting the link here. This will also mean that through our news feed, we can keep you up to date with our news and flag up any forthcoming grant deadlines which we think might be of interest to you.
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Love Norfolk event - Norfolk's Big Society
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November saw the Foundation lead debate on the role of communities in Big Society and what it means for Norfolk. We were joined by Phillip Blond, director of the think tank Respublica and author of Red Tory. He explained that the Norfolk Community Foundation's philosophy of promoting small causes was exactly what Big Society was all about.
He said: "Community Foundations are a very important part of the solution. If you can get people to give locally to causes that matter to them that's hugely important. Through the Foundation, Norfolk is already an example of Big Society working well."
 The evening resulted in some very positive media coverage for the Foundation including two articles and a commentary piece in the Eastern Daily Press, radio interviews and a spot on BBC Look East Politics Show.
We also welcomed some of our grant recipients during the evening which served as a great reminder of the impact of our grant giving in Norfolk. One of these was Dawn Jackson, pictured with Foundation Director Graham Tuttle and Trustee and presenter Carol Bundock, who was also awarded an MBE for her work with Future Projects on the same day. News of the Norfolk Community Foundation's work also reached the national media just prior to this event with a Guardian feature outlining the effectiveness of the Grassroots Grants scheme in Norfolk.
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| Localgiving.com |
The Foundation already enables giving to local causes in a number of ways, but we'll be taking this a step further through the Localgiving.com initiative in 2011.
This will enable groups in Norfolk in need of funding to benefit from both the support of the Foundation and also their own communities, with a direct online link for donors to make it all really easy as an online payment. For donors wanting to make a smaller donation or choose the group they give it to, it will add a great level of interactivity.
If you'd like to find out how your group can be listed through the Foundation on the website and benefit please get in touch.
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Season's goodwill
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Finally we'd like to wish all our donors, recipients and supporters a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Over the Christmas season we know that there are several events taking place for the elderly, lonely and those in need which might not happen if Norfolk people were not so generous.The fact that all of this good work continues here in our communities really is something to celebrate.
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If you've found this interesting, please pass it on and help us help Norfolk even more. If you have any queries about the Foundation or would simply like to find out more please visit the website here, email us at info@norfolkfoundation.com or just give us a call on 01603 623958.
Sincerely, 
Graham Tuttle
Norfolk Community Foundation
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| Top photo credit: Ryan Watts Photography
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