This week Norwich School pupils, alongside Mrs Hill and Mrs Stevenson, showed their support for the launch of the new Samaritans branch, Sams In The City, on Westlegate in Norwich city centre. Help was needed to paint the old retail unit and pupils were more than happy to lend a hand.

Here's what James Ellis from Samaritans had to say...

"Jacob, Rose, Jemima, Ava, Beth, Collette & Bea were all so brilliant. Mrs Hill and Mrs Stevenson were pretty handy too! As well as providing brilliant help with their paintbrushes and awesome painting skills, both Richard and I commented on the fact that is was also really enjoyable being with such a bunch of positive thoughtful young people. We had a great day and we hope they did too! We are really proud of the service that we provide at Norwich Samaritans to support those in distress and we were delighted to be able to also do a tour of our branch, as well as our new shop. We really appreciate the help and support - thank you all!"

Additionally, we have some words from pupils about their experiences of the day;

“This weekend some of the other members of the charities committee and I dedicated our Saturday to assist the Samaritans in painting their old shop on Westlegate so they are able to sell it and focus on their new branch that they’ve just opened. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience as not only was I giving back to the community but I was able to have fun along the way!” - Jacob Stevenson, L6

"Helped out by James, a member of the Samaritans team, Mrs Hill and Mrs Stevenson, we all got to work painting each of the walls white, as well as painting the front of the store outside. It was a brilliant, fun experience but also incredibly eye-opening, as we were taken to the Samaritans building in St Stevens Square where we were able to see the work that the volunteers do there everyday, and how much they help and support people around the country. Having seen both this and the new Samaritans shop, we were spurred on even more to complete the painting, knowing we were assisting such a good cause. After our work was done, we could all agree that we were all very proud to have been a part of helping out with the Samaritans, and have been undeniably inspired by the comfort they give to people across the country." - Colette Maxwell-Preston, L6

On Tuesday morning the school also held a collection for Samaritans, for pre-loved clothes and items to stock their new shop locations! The school community donated hundreds of items of clothing, books and toys to help refresh the charity's stock and we were able to deliver an almost full transit van's worth of bags to the charity on the day.