We are a community for people, place and purpose under a shared roof in Norwich

Norwich Unity Hub was created in response to a growing need for affordable, flexible workspace for the VCSE sector in Norwich. We take under-used buildings and transform them into thriving places of community, collaboration, and shared purpose.

Our first venue is Carrow House, a unique site in Norwich, Norfolk. Formerly the home of the Colman family of Colman’s Mustard, the site includes a Grade II listed mansion, orangery and gardens, alongside an adjoining five-storey office building. In October 2024, Norwich City Council granted us a three-year meanwhile lease, allowing us to bring this remarkable space back into active use.

Since moving in, we have filled the building with 25 VCSE organisations and converted the top floor of the newer building into 28 artist studios, creating a diverse ecosystem of charities, social enterprises, and creatives under one roof. By carefully calculating the true running costs of the building per square metre, we charge organisations only for the space they use. To keep this affordable, we hire out rooms in the historic building, using this income to subsidise costs for our VCSE residents.

At the heart of Norwich Unity Hub is a membership model. All resident organisations are members, and anyone can join the wider Hub community for just £10 per month. Membership offers access to support with finding premises, discounted room hire, shared resources, networking and collaboration opportunities, promotion and visibility, and meaningful community engagement. We currently have 46 members and a waiting list for office space, demonstrating strong demand for what we provide.

We are now at a pivotal point: our systems are established, we are financially viable, and we are gathering data to evidence our social, economic and environmental impact. This will support our ambition to continue growth at Carrow House and replicate this model across other under-used buildings in Norwich.

Norwich Unity Hub is a community for people, place and purpose. By sharing space, we also share ideas, expertise, equipment and costs. We aim to protect and revive existing buildings and, where possible, retrofit them with sustainable features – creating shared spaces that work for the communities they serve.

We are Norwich Unity Hub.