Future Projects was setup by two volunteers who were fed up about the lack of opportunities, education, skills and services in their local community – The NR5 area of Norwich, one of the most disadvantaged areas in the UK.
Originally called The NR5 Project, they created services around their communities’ needs, in youth work, education, media, advice and guidance. Through its community-focussed ethos, the charity began to have a transformative impact in the communities it served, drawing in more and more support to become one of the leading local charities in Norfolk.
Despite our work, lack of investment and withdrawal of services from disadvantaged communities has meant limited meaningful change for these areas. Even today:
45,600 Norfolk households are experiencing fuel poverty
A family is in fuel poverty when they simply cannot afford to keep themselves adequately warm.
Norwich has areas of severe deprivation
57% of people in our local ward (Wensum) are among the most deprived for education and skills in the UK. When our charity started, the local school was ranked the 2nd worst in the country.
34% of children in Norwich are living in poverty
34% of children in Norwich live in households with incomes lower than 60% of the UK average.
Today, our ethos is as it has always been: to listen to and understand our communities, creating services which help them to overcome the challenges they face and move toward independent, safe and happy lives.
We support thousands of people across Norfolk each year, through our three core services: Future Support, Education and Radio.