Five charities have earned the chance to pitch their plea for cash at a Dragon's Den-style event to be held in Norwich later this year.

Following a rigorous selection procedure, five organisations have battled their way through to the final at Dragon Hall, on King Street, on May 19, where they will have the opportunity to persuade members of the audience to donate money to the worthy causes.

The five finalists hoping to make it a night to remember are; The Norfolk Millennium Trust for Carers, The Garage Trust, Nelson's Journey, the King's Centre Community Initiative and Norwich City Community Sports Foundation.

The event, a joint initiative between the Norfolk Community Foundation and the Funding Network, was the brainchild of Jackie Higham, a Norfolk member of The Funding Network, who was aware of the success of similar schemes in London.

She said: 'We've brought it to Norfolk and I just think its fantastic.

'I always come away from these warm and friendly events having learnt a lot.

'These events are really great fun, but it's also a great way of connecting donors with local voluntary and community groups which inspire them. For any donor it's a really good way of making sure your money goes to causes you identify with and feel have the most impact. It's a privilege to meet dedicated people working for social change and amazing to see what a relatively small amount of money can do to help bring about that change.'

The event will be a first for the city, but it is hoped it will become a regular feature in years to come – allowing many more charities from across Norwich and beyond the chance to cash in.

Graham Tuttle, director of the Norfolk Community Foundation, said: 'This is the first event of its kind in Norfolk where we've introduced a Dragon's Den style approach to charity work.

'It's a great opportunity for five charities to improve their profile, raise money on the night and hopefully create something that will run for a number of years to come in the city.'

The five organisations that have won through to the final are all worthy causes in their own right but are also very different.

Mr Tuttle said: 'We're really pleased by the variety of charities that have got through to the final – they support a wide range of causes and represent the county very well.

'We hope it will be a really great night for the county.

'Most groups are under increasing pressure to fundraise in more innovative ways and nearly all are happy to explain what they do and why. As many donors really like to know where there money is going this evening is a really enjoyable way of enabling both.'

If you would like to be one of the audience of Dragons willing to pledge to the charities presenting on the night, contact Norfolk Community Foundation at info@norfolkfoundation.com or call 01603 623958 to reserve a seat.

Are you organising an event for charity? Contact Peter Walsh on 01603 772436 or peter.walsh@archant.co.uk