HRH Prince Richard tours newly-opened Norwich SOUL Church

The church building opened its doors to worshippers on March 2.

On March 13, HRH Prince Richard toured the new building and heard about the church's various community outreach programmes.

Accompanied by Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk Lady Dannatt, the Duke met David Kean of the architects Fielden & Mawson, who designed the impressive structure.

Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester met many people who use the facility (Image: SOUL Church)

The Duke also met church staff and volunteers, as well as representatives from The Clare School, a city school for differently-abled children which the church supports.

His itinerary included a visit to SOUL Nursery, where he observed the new 100-place childcare facilities.

Some of the children even presented him with a gift.

He also met representatives from outreach schemes including feeding the homeless, a job club, and a group assisting women dealing with pregnancy loss.

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While the Duke visited, the church’s established wellbeing group was having its weekly meeting.

This group offers community, meals, support and practical resources for individuals struggling with poor mental health, addiction issues, loneliness, isolation, and other challenges.

The Duke also engaged with members working in children’s services, the community café, and the social supermarket.

The Duke heard all about the outreach the church does within the community (Image: SOUL Church)

He received a gift from Ps Jon and Chantel Norman, the senior pastors at SOUL Church.

Ps Jon Norman said: “It was an honour and privilege to be able to share some of the work we do within the community and to highlight many of the support services and groups we offer.

"We’d love to welcome more people into our church home and we hope this visit will help make more people aware of what we offer and how we can help.”