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Ambassadors off to a great start, with 47kg donated to the food bank

The first in person Ambassador event took place on the 26th of July 2022 at the newly refurbished East Point Pavilion. The flexible nature of the new space at the Pavilion allows for it to easily be transformed into an area available to use for events. The event provided the perfect opportunity for the Ambassadors to meet one another and network. The event saw over 50 people in attendance keen to hear about developments in Lowestoft.

Phil Aves, Lead Mental Health Ambassador, hosted the event and introduced the Ambassador programme.

Gabriella Fox, Project Officer at East Suffolk Council, provided an update to the Ambassadors on a recent feedback survey which had been undertaken and highlighted the results and next steps in response to the feedback. The event taking place physically is a direct result of the feedback received within the survey, which will see a hybrid approach to Ambassador events in the future.

Results from the feedback survey highlighted that the Ambassadors wanted to be more proactive in their roles. As part of this feedback, the event held a Food Bank collection, with 3 items that the local Food Bank are in need of rice, tinned fish, and soup. Showcasing the generosity of the community, our Ambassadors’ did not disappoint with their donations, managing between them to donate a staggering 47kg of food to the Food Bank.

The venue provided the perfect setting, facing the vista of the sea, to update the Ambassadors on the progress of the seafront vision. Richard Best, Project Manager at East Suffolk Council, provided an update on the seafront vision and the recently completed Lowestoft Seafront and High Street Heritage Action Zone Masterplan.

Genevieve Christie from First Light CIC updated the Ambassadors on the successes of this year’s festival, the operation of the East Point Pavilion.

Cllr Paul Ashdown and Danny Steel from the Lowestoft and Northern Parishes Community Partnership spoke about the work the community partnership has been undertaking and future plans to help tackle the priorities highlighted within the community.

One of the main projects is ‘Warm Rooms’, which will provide spaces in the winter for people who are struggling to heat their homes to be able to sit in the warm,  have tea and coffee, enjoy some social contact and get access to other kinds of support if they need it. There was an ask of the group to see if any support could be provided, either in terms of spaces or items to help heat the rooms or just simply tea and coffee.

A workshop session took place at the end of the event to gather the Ambassadors’ thoughts around 7 key themes including environment, poverty and vulnerability, business, health and wellbeing, culture and community, mental health, and education. Once the Ambassadors had highlighted concerns, they were given the opportunity to make a pledge of something they would do going forward to try and combat the issues highlighted within the 7 themes or to support the town.

You can click here to read all the pledges listed from the ambassador event. We hope to be able to add more as the programme grows.

If you would like to become a Lowestoft Ambassador you can find out more on the Ambassador webpage here

In case you missed the event…

 

 

Comments on the event:

“The event was truly inspiring and an absolute pleasure to be there, looking forward to promoting TheLeadingLight even more now, let’s go for it”

Jane Beales – Promotions & Brand Ambassador & Institute of Directors Ambassador for Corporate Relations & Business Sponsorship

“It’s a great way to find out about what projects are happening within the local area and a really easy way to engage with other ambassadors to network and connect whilst positively promoting Lowestoft and supporting its communities”

Matt Stebbings – Suffolk FA