Sir Norman Lamb Coalition for Young People Celebrates 5 Years
When the Sir Norman Lamb Coalition for Young People was launched in late 2020, Norfolk was still in the grip of the pandemic. Youth organisations were stretched, mental health needs were rising and many young people had lost access to the spaces and relationships that kept them grounded. Sir Norman Lamb approached the Norfolk Community Foundation with a simple ask: bring providers together, share learning, support what already works and ensure young people have access to safe, trusted places and people.
Five years on, the Coalition is recognised as a major force for collaboration, insight and practical support in Norfolk. As we look forward to what the next five years will bring, this retrospective looks back at how far the network has come and how it continues to shape opportunities for young people across Norfolk.
2020 — Coming together in a crisis
Sir Norman Lamb first approached the Foundation in 2019, opening a find targeted at young people’s mental health. The Coalition began in November 2020, emerging from work to understand the mental health pressures faced by young people during Covid. Nearly 40 organisations came together at launch, united by a shared aim: to support open access youth services, champion innovation in work with young people who face additional barriers and create a space for collaboration. From the start, the Coalition envisioned itself as more than just a transformational fund: it was to be a commitment to working as a sector, together, to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
2021 — First grants and independent evaluation
Early 2021 saw the first round of Coalition grants. The focus was firmly on protecting essential youth provision at a time when many services risked closure. Coalition members helped to shape the fund, ensuring it was fit for their purposes. By spring, more than £140,000 of support had already been invested, including training and learning opportunities for member organisations. Furthermore, an independent evaluation was commissioned to analyse the impact of the fund and Coalition, with the aim of strengthening future decision-making. This year set the tone for the Coalition’s approach: fund what matters, measure the outcomes, and learn from experience.
2022 — Two years in: scaling up and system recognition
By its second anniversary, the Coalition had grown in scale and influence. More than 50 member organisations were engaged and over 10,000 young people had benefited from funded activities. Independent evaluation showed strong outcomes. The vast majority of young people (over 90%) reported improved wellbeing. Projects had delivered almost 15,000 hours of support at a low cost per head, making the case for community-based help at an early stage. The Coalition also became a trusted partner for commissioners and other funders who saw its ability to gather insights and coordinate efforts countywide effectively and efficiently.
2023 — Partnerships and youth voice
At the three-year mark, the Coalition had enabled over £1 million-worth of grants, training and support for its members since launch. A key development was the growth of collaborative funds, including work with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and health system partners. This year also saw the strengthening of youth voice. Young people joined grant panels, took part in site visits and used their lived experience to shape priorities. Their involvement made decision-making more grounded and more accountable to the communities the Coalition serves.
2024 — Listening to young people’s priorities
In year four, the Coalition made youth voice central to its work. Young people took part in focus groups across Norfolk, sharing their experiences of safety, belonging and access to opportunities. Their priorities were clear: more youth spaces, feeling safe in their local areas and affordable activities and trips. These insights directly shaped the design of the Sir Norman Lamb Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for 2025, with dedicated support for open access and targeted youth spaces, safety interventions and expanded activity offers. The Coalition’s role as a base for community insight meant funding and programme design increasingly responded to what young people themselves said mattered most.
In 2024, recognising the importance of the Coalition and the ever-growing need for youth mental health support, we launched our Youth Mental Health mission.
Youth Mental Health Mission
In 2024, we launched our six Missions. Our Youth Mental Health mission brings together the strands of our work that support young people’s mental health.
Business Backing Mental Health
Handelsbanken’s Norfolk branch has been actively involved with the Community Foundation for several years, and in recent years have been focusing their efforts on supporting mental health initiatives. Handelsbanken raised over £33,000 at their charity ball last year, which they invested in community initiatives this year with help from Norfolk Community Foundation.
Creative Fundraising
Fundraising events don’t have to follow the same format! Then-High Sheriff of Norfolk Krishna Sethia hosted a Call my Wine Bluff evening, showing that creativity can go a long way in raising funds! Over £100,00 was raised in benefit of our Sir Norman Lamb Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund.
Understanding Youth Loneliness
The Coalition’s community insight role helped catalyse Project Connect, a collaborative research and innovation initiative that investigated youth loneliness and guided practical solutions with young people leading the way. Project Connect shows how the Coalition’s evidence and networks are being used to shape policy and local innovation.
Reducing Antisocial Behaviour
The SPACE fund brought together Norfolk Community Foundation, the OPCC, Norfolk County Council and Youth Advisory Boards to expand positive activity offers for young people and to reduce antisocial behaviour. This partnership model enabled projects like Not About The Bike to expand their hours and staff capacity, giving young people more opportunities to engage and helping to reduce antisocial behaviour.
“We have grown to around 60 organisations across Norfolk, which shows the incredible work happening in our communities. The coalition has made a real impact, not only through the funding that allows organisations to do things they otherwise could not, but also by building relationships and collaboration. There’s a sense of being stronger together, and I think that it’s felt by a lot of members of the coalition.”
2025 – Looking to the future
What began as a single fund and simple ask to bring youth organisations together has grown into a collaborative movement with a shared purpose, trusted relationships and a commitment to understanding what young people need to thrive.
Five years of learning show that when youth organisations are supported to work together, young people benefit. With 5 years of success behind us, we asked Coalition members what they wanted to see from the Coalition going forward.
What’s clear is that mental health remains a challenge for young people, with members reporting a rise in anxiety and the growing need for additional support around SEND across our Norfolk communities.
