A FOOD pantry based in a historic church in Norwich must find alternative accommodation by the end of the month, after its operators, St Giles Trust, decided not to renew the lease.
St Saviour’s, Magdalen Street, in Norwich, is managed by Norwich Historic Churches Trust (NHCT) on behalf of its owners, Norwich City Council. It was leased to the Trust for a community pantry and advice centre, which was opened in January 2024 by Delia Smith. The Trust says of its Pantry projects: “We provide affordable food alongside wraparound help that addresses the causes of hardship, from debt and benefits advice to skills development and mental health support. We know that food can be the first step to rebuilding confidence and stability.”
A statement from the interim chair of the NHCT, Chris McCarthy, to the Church Times last week, said that the Trust had been “a valued tenant” and had made “a positive contribution to the local community”. Its occupancy of the church on a short-term lease had been “a normal arrangement . . . designed to provide stability for occupiers while ensuring the proper long term care of a listed building”.
Over many months, Mr McCarthy continued, the NHCT had offered the Trust “every opportunity to engage in finalising the lease and addressed every concern they raised. . . Despite these reassurances, [they] informed us they no longer wished to proceed with the lease and would instead vacate the premises.”
A local BBC report quoted the Trust’s operations manager for poverty, Tracey Le Gallez, who suggested that the team was “navigating a very uncertain funding climate. . . It would have been irresponsible of us to commit to a long lease without a suitable break clause. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach a legal agreement on the lease terms. . . We simply could not risk being liable for any fines or legal issues that might arise from this.”
A spokesperson for St Giles Trust told the Church Times: “Due to the short-term nature of our funding for The Pantry, sadly we could not commit to the lease terms.
“We are currently seeking alternative suitable premises within Norwich to continue our award-winning Pantry provision which provides a crucial service for many people experiencing poverty in Norwich. If we have not found anywhere by 30 November, we very much regret to say that the service will cease operating. However, we are working extremely hard to avoid this scenario.”
Mr McCarthy said: “We regret St Giles’ decision, as we had hoped they would remain under a secure agreement protecting both their service and the building’s future. We understand the many challenges charities face and wish them well in continuing their valuable work elsewhere. NHCT remains committed to supporting organisations that bring life and purpose to Norwich’s historic churches for the benefit of the whole community.”