Community Chaplaincy Norfolk

09/06/2026

09/06/2026

A HUGE THANK YOU ...
Simon Gibson, who farmed near Newmarket, established the Trust in 1975 to provide grants for good causes in South Wales, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. Simon’s wealth was inherited via his great uncle, William James Tatem, who later became the first Lord Glanely, founder of the Atlantic Shipping and Trading Company.

08/06/2026

POSITIVE OUTCOMES
As this series has attempted to show, our mentors have a direct and significant impact in the lives of their clients. With hard work and determination from both mentor and client, CCN clients can – and do – achieve great things.
We track client success along several different metrics, including (but not limited to) employment, access to stable accommodation, confidence and empowerment, building new and positive relationships, and much more besides. Whilst it can be a long and difficult journey, many of our clients go on to achieve positive outcomes, supported by their mentors.
Our greatest strength as an organisation is that we are not a time limited service. We work with people for as long as they need and are in a place to receive help. Whether it be 5 weeks or 5 years, our clients can rely on having a mentor beside them, helping them to navigate through what is an often turbulent and confusing time.
We’ve seen our mentors and clients accomplish some truly fantastic things together. We’ve seen clients go on to find successful new careers, build healthy and happy homes. So far, our mentors have helped over 200 clients in their rehabilitation journey, and we hope to help many many more. But none of this is possible without our committed core of volunteer mentors.

If you want to be a part of the success story of CCN, and want to make a meaningful, demonstrable, and significant impact on the lives of people seeking to break the cycle of reoffending, get in touch. Contact our mentor co-ordinator, Jack, to sign up for our mentor training on the 27th June and 11th July, at [email protected]

07/06/2026

GOAL SETTING
When our mentors first start working with our clients, they’ll ask the client what it is that they want to work towards. Often, a client will give an answer like one of the one’s above. Although they are all fantastic goals, achieving those goals can be difficult – and may involve accomplishing many, smaller goals along the way.
One of the biggest parts of mentoring with CCN is to help a client strategize, creating a list of realistic and achievable goals in the pursuit of a long-term aim. This involves working backwards from the final ‘big goal’, and discerning what steps need to be taken in order to get there.
For example, many of our clients want to get a job and re-enter the workforce. But, after a prolonged period in prison, they may face difficulties finding a job. They might not have the necessary skills, or their criminal record may be off-putting to potential employers. After facing multiple rejections, they may feel frustrated, or defeated, and abandon the goal altogether, having made no real progress.
A volunteer mentor can help break down the goal “to get a job” into more manageable, and achievable, steps, by identifying the barriers in the way and what is needed to overcome them. Our example goal “to get a job” might be broken down into:
• Get employment skills and references by volunteering
• Re-write CV
• Sign up to a training course
• Get an interview outfit
• Learn to drive
All of which are more realistic and tangible than the initial goal ‘to get a job’.
A volunteer mentor also helps their client keep on track with their goals, and when things get tough, is there to point out how much progress they’ve made already. Strategizing and goal setting is an essential component of mentoring and can help to incrementally move our clients on to great things.
Come back tomorrow to find out about some of the positive outcomes clients with CCN have achieved.
If you have a strategic and goal orientated mindset, and want to help others accomplish goals in their lives, contact our mentor co-ordinator, Jack, to sign up for our mentor training on the 27th June and 11th July, at [email protected]

06/06/2026

DEALING WITH SET-BACKS
Things aren’t always straightforward, especially for those leaving prison. Often, there is unresolved trauma, substance issues, homelessness, and many other complicating factors that can make life on the outside difficult. Unfortunately, things can, and sometimes do, go wrong.
During mentoring training, we often talk about ‘the Vicious Cycle’. As part of our trauma-informed practice, we recognise that relapse oftentimes is an important part of a much longer story of recovery and rehabilitation and can offer valuable opportunities for reflection and growth.
Mentors provide a vital lifeline in this regard. When things go wrong, it is easy to forget all of the progress and positive achievements that have come before. It’s easy for someone to write themselves off as being incapable of change. Our volunteer mentors are there to remind our clients of all the progress they have made, even in spite of setbacks and challenges, and to help them recognise that they are both capable and deserving of change.
Unlike many other statutory services, we are not time limited. Our volunteer mentors will work with a client for as long as they want help, even if they get caught back up in the cycle of re-offending and end up back in prison. Having someone consistently in your corner can make a world of difference – to know that there is someone there with you, through the good times and the bad, who wants to see you succeed and won’t give up on you, can be incredibly powerful.
Our mentors help our clients to reflect on what went wrong, to take accountability and responsibility, and to create strategies for overcoming those same challenges in the future. Where needed, our mentors can also signpost clients to specialist services.
Come back tomorrow to find out how our mentors help clients to set positive goals for the future.
If you have the empathy and compassion to help prison leavers navigate these issues, contact our mentor co-ordinator, Jack, to sign up for our mentor training on the 27th June and 11th July, at [email protected]

05/06/2026

ATTENDING APPOINTMENTS
Leaving prison is overwhelming for a lot of people. Probation appointments. Doctors’ appointments. Appointments with Drugs and Alcohol services. Presenting to the local council. Job Centre. Universal Credit. There are often lots of different and conflicting demands made on someone when they first walk through the gates. Keeping track of it all can be too much – especially if you’re being released with no accommodation.
One of the key tasks of our volunteer mentors in this early part of the journey is to help our clients navigate all these conflicting demands, and to help our clients think through their decisions and prioritise what is important to them. This can take many forms, depending on the needs of the individual client. Some clients just need a little reminder if they have an important appointment that day. Some really appreciate having their mentor come to an appointment with them, for support and to advocate on their behalf. Others just need someone to help them understand and work through the paperwork and forms that are given to them in these appointments – licence conditions, accommodation plans, etc. – so that they know what they need to do next.
The ultimate goal for our mentors is to develop in self-reliance in our clients. They are not a personal assistant. Rather, they are there to help their clients develop the tools to eventually be able to take on these burdens by themselves.
So many people leaving prison fall down at this hurdle, either through unrealistic expectations (such as reporting to a probation office that’s miles away from their accommodation), or through not having the tools or space to organise their time properly. Helping clients to organise and attend appointments is a vital element of mentoring, and in keeping someone out of prison permanently.
Come back tomorrow to see how our mentors help our clients deal with setbacks, when things go wrong.
If you have the organisational skills to help a client navigate these challenges, contact our mentor co-ordinator, Jack, to sign up for our mentor training on the 27th June and 11th July, at [email protected]

04/06/2026

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04/06/2026

It's volunteers' week!
We are looking for people from all areas of life and from any faith or none ...