In 1969, a group of young church-goers in Norwich formed a committee to encourage people in the city to volunteer and support older people, disabled people and anyone else who needed assistance. In those days they called it Norwich Organisation for Active Help (NOAH); these days we call it Voluntary Norfolk.

Voluntary Norfolk takes enormous pride in what has been achieved in the last 40 years, but the organisation that started in a single room in Duke Street in 1969 now looks very different. Although we are proud of our past, we need to look to the future if we are to continue to make a difference to the lives of people in Norfolk.

As the years have gone by and new challenges and opportunities have presented themselves, so Voluntary Norfolk has grown and changed to meet them. Voluntary Norfolk is now the key volunteering organisation in Norfolk recruiting, training and supporting volunteers but, crucially, we are also one of the largest voluntary sector infrastructure organisations in the country with a growing national reputation – something that could never have been imagined 40 years ago.

As we have adapted to the growing needs of the sector and the services that we offer have expanded, so it has become less easy to explain what we do in just a few sentences. In 1969 we could say “we are an organisation that encourages the young to help vulnerable people in the community by volunteering.” Nowadays, thanks to our expanded range of volunteering services, the support we provide to voluntary organisations and our extensive partnership working, even a website like this can barely do justice to all our activities.

Voluntary Norfolk's Milestones 1969-2011 (Word document)

It was to give voluntary organisations and statutory partners a better understanding of our various roles that, in 2008, we decided to put together a DVD that gave an overview of some of the work that we do. In the course of making it, almost by accident, we realised that almost everything we do can be placed in one of three broad categories – what we have now come to call “The Three Vs” – Volunteering, Voluntary Organisations and Voice.

If you would like to support us either by volunteering, making a donation, offering sponsorship or in some other way, please get in touch:

• Supporting Voluntary Norfolk as a volunteer
• Support Voluntary Norfolk as your chosen charity and help raise funds, please contact the Communications Team
• Support Voluntary Norfolk through sponsorship or in another way, please contact Business Development