The SOS Bus in Norwich has become an independent charity run entirely by volunteers. For more than 23 years, the SOS Bus has been a staple of Norwich's nightlife, providing vital support to those in need. The service aims to ensure that Norwich's nighttime community is "safe, healthy, empowered, and protected".
The volunteers carry out a range of activities including supporting those in distress, helping people plan their safe journey home, providing medical care, and offering water, flip-flops and phone charging facilities. These efforts help reduce non-urgent demand on the city's emergency services. Changes to the funding for the service last financial year meant that a new way had to be found for Norwich’s SOS Bus to continue (Image: Submitted) Changes to the service's funding in the last financial year necessitated the move to an independent, volunteer-led charity.
The most pressing strategy now is to build financial sustainability to secure the future of the service. In the 2023-2024 year, the service had 38 volunteers who collectively gave more than 3,000 hours of their time over 94 shifts. Their efforts helped prevent 51 emergency department visits and 170 ambulance callouts.
The service assisted more than 2,919 people last year. However, the service's ability to operate and help people is currently restricted by tight finances. For more than 23 years the SOS Bus has been a fixture of the night-time economy in Norwich (Image: Submitted) Belinda Buxton, the operationa.
