You may have seen Sue Lambert Trust in the media recently, speaking out about the drastic funding cuts we are facing. We want to reassure you: we are still here, and we remain open. But we are navigating one of the toughest periods in our 40-year history.
All hope is not lost
In February, we received devastating news that one of our primary funders, the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner, would be cutting our future funding by 73%. This leaves us facing a £140,000 funding black hole, with no financial reserves to fall back on.
The decision was a shock, especially at a time when the need for our services has never been greater.
- 1 in 12 people in Norfolk will experience sexual abuse, rape, or sexual violence in their lifetime
- We receive contact from up to 95 new people every month seeking specialist counselling – 95 people from Norfolk self-referring to us at their lowest moments.
Sue Lambert Trust is the leading specialist provider of therapeutic support for survivors in Norfolk. For the more than 600 people we support each year, we are often the only place they can turn. We are a place that offers the opportunity for survivors to feel safe, feel heard, to heal, and to start to have hope again for their future.
But this PCC funding cut has forced deeply painful decisions. To protect the long‑term future of the charity and continue supporting existing clients safely, we now only have the capacity to see just 10 new clients a month. This means up to 85 survivors every month will be unable to access our support.
Turning people away is the last thing we ever want to do. Yet without adequate funding, we simply cannot expand our counselling spaces.
Still, hope remains at the heart of everything we do.
We have been overwhelmed by your messages of support following recent media coverage. This media coverage, reaching hundreds of thousands with our message, was only made possible thanks to the incredible bravery of two of our Trustees, Donna‑Louise and Amanda – both publicly sharing their lived experiences of abuse, on TV and on radio, explaining how our services helped them heal. Their voices, heard on ITV News and BBC Radio Norfolk, have been powerful reminders of why this support matters.
Behind the scenes, our CEO and Trustees continue to press local MPs and the PCC for answers. Survivors in Norfolk deserve better, and we will keep asking for change.
To our clients, supporters, and community: all hope is not lost. We are determined to keep going, and we are so grateful you are with us and for the support you have already shown.
Our supporters continue to show us and our clients that they stand with us
How you can help right now
If you’d like to act and stand with survivors in Norfolk too, you can:
Sign and share the supporter‑led petition
Petition · Stop the Norfolk PCC reducing funding to Sue Lambert Trust – Norwich, United Kingdom · Change.org
Donate or become a regular giver
Donate | Sue Lambert Trust
Leave a gift in your Will
Leave a gift – change a life | Sue Lambert Trust
Fundraise for Sue Lambert Trust
Join our fundraising events – Start Fundraising | Sue Lambert Trust including a charity abseil at The Forum in Norwich, tandem skydive and the Blickling half marathon.
Keep talking about our work and sharing our message across social media
Thank you for standing with us.
All hope is not lost.
We will continue to speak up for survivors and to call for robust long-term funding for our specialist victim support services.
The overwhelming response to this recent news coverage reassures us that we have a strong community around us who will continue to speak out too.
There’s a long way to go – but with your help, we hold on to hope.
Thank you.