Home Who We Are What We Do How To Donate Press Contact Us Gallery Latest News Documentary   (It's a large QuickTime Movie, so you could download to watch later, but we've set the window to pop-up so you can leave it loading in the background and view it later ...)	Visit by Scottish Police 27/06/2008 The SOS bus was visited by police representatives from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Strathclyde Police on a fact finding venture. According to the Edinburgh Police representative the visit provided a useful insight into the workings of the project and the volunteers enthusiasm for the project was infectious! .............................................................................................................................................................................................. From SOS to MBE 14/06/2008 Colin Lang the pioneer of the SOS Bus project is today the proud recipient of an MBE in the queens birthday honours list, for services to the police and to young people in Norwich. Colin Lang said "I'm over the moon. Just to be nominated is an honour in itself. I still can't believe it. But it's important to say that throughout my service in the police force I have been part of a team. I owe an awful lot to the people I have worked with, and who have made the SOS Bus project successful. Without the support of the volunteers who give up their time there would be no SOS Bus". See article in press. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. SOS Bus team members attend reception at Buckingham Palace 20/05/2008 Two members of the SOS Bus team, Kevin Mercer and Darren Kilpatrick, attended a reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday 20th May 2008 for all those involved with the Queens Award for Voluntary Service. (See picture in gallery) .............................................................................................................................................................................................. SOS bus wins Prime Ministers Praise 09/05/2008 The Prime Minister Gordon Brown praised the work of the SOS Bus in Norwich after appearing on ITV's This Morning Show. The PM rang Colin Lang of the OPEN Youth Trust in order to discuss the work of the bus before his interview on the show. (See news article in Press) .............................................................................................................................................................................................. SOS Bus featured on This Morning Show 08/05/2008 The SOS Bus is featured on ITV's This Morning Show in their 'Local Heroes' slot: 'Presented by actress Sally Lindsay, we meet the unsung men and women in our community; who tirelessly work day in day out to change our lives for the better. From the grandmother who’s single-handedly cleaned up her council estate, to the 40 volunteers of the SOS bus that take on the troubled and the down right troublesome on our city streets.' .............................................................................................................................................................................................. SOS Bus project recieves civic awards 07/05/2008 The SOS Bus project is the proud recipient of two civic awards from the Mayors office of Norwich. Members of the team received a certificate for 'Civic award for voluntary service in Norwich' and 'The Sherriff's civic award for the voluntary organisation contributing most to the life of the city of Norwich' at an award ceremony on 7th May 2008 held at City Hall. This is another recognition of the significant and valuable service the SOS Bus provides and of the work that all the volunteers do. Everyone on the team has been a part of these awards, a huge thank you to you all. (see news article in press) .............................................................................................................................................................................................. SOS Bus moves to new home 04/04/2008 The SOS bus has a new home! The SOS bus has moved to the underground car park at the Castle Mall in Norwich and this will be it's new home during the week. The project is most grateful to the team at Castle Mall for providing us with a new parking site. The SOS Buses site of operation will remain unchanged on Prince of Wales Road. (News article in Press) .............................................................................................................................................................................................. New SOS bus campaign 03/03/2008 The project is launching a campaign to raise money for a new vehicle. The current SOS Bus is over 20 years old and has seen good service but now a new bus is badly needed in order for the project to continue delivering it's life saving service. If you would like to support us in any way please see 'How to donate'. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. NNLVA and Evening News Going Out Awards 13/01/2008 The Norwich and Norfolk Licensed Victuallers Association (NNLVA) and the Evening News Going Out Awards were held on the 13th January 2008 at Mercys Nightclub in Norwich. The SOS Bus was the proud winner in the 'Outstanding Contribution to the Licensed Trade' category. The Operations Manager Natasher Walker said "We are thrilled to bits to be recognised in this way. We have a lot of volunteers and their work is very important. Without their sterling efforts we would not have got this award". .............................................................................................................................................................................................. SOS Bus conference success 19/10/2007 The first SOS Bus conference was an enjoyable and informative event for all concerened. Members from the other SOS Bus projects and repesentatives from local and national councils and police met and spent the day gathering information and exchanging ideas. Comments from the day ranged from 'Very good and useful conference' to 'excellent chance to learn from other projects' and 'Enthusiastic teams and great food for thought'. It is intended for one of the other SOS Bus project to host another conference next year. Watch this space! (Picture from conference in gallery) .............................................................................................................................................................................................. SOS Bus conference 18/10/2007 The SOS Bus project will be holding it's first conference in Norwich on October 18th 2007. This will be an opportunity for the other SOS Bus projects running - Belfast, Blackburn, Newquey, Southend and Torquey - to get together, exchange information and celebrate our successes. Delegates from the police and council have been invited from around the country. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Visit by Northern Ireland SOS Bus Project 02/03/2007 After Colin Lang's visit to Belfast to give a presentation on the Norwich project a contingent from Northern Ireland came and visited the SOS Bus whilst on shift. Belfast is well on the way to having it's own project in place. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Visit by Richard Jewson, HM Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk 19/01/2007 The SOS Bus was honoured with a visit by the Lord Lieutenant Richard Jewson, who is the Queens representative in Norfolk. During an hours visit he toured the bus and first aid centre, spoke with the team and commented that the bus was 'an excellent project'. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Lord Mayor visit 25/11/2006 The SOS Bus project was honoured with a visit from the Lord Mayor of Norwich Felicity Hartley. During her half hour stay she was given a tour of the bus and met the team on shift for the night. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Evening News Press Ball 24/11/2006 The Evening News Snow Ball was attended by over 200 guests from national and local businesses raising £13,200 on the night - £2000 more than last year. A huge thank you to the Evening News and to all attendees for their support. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. SOS Ball success 08/11/2006 The SOS Ball at Dunston Hall was a great success with an evening of music, dancing, food and wine which was greatly enjoyed by all. Over £3000 was raised for the project. A huge thank you to the ladies who organised this event, Horner Auctioneers for providing an auctioneer for the night and all supporters and attendees. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Lancashire Police second visit 18/08/2006 Lancashire police paid a second visit to the SOS Bus and spent a night with the team whilst the bus was operational. They are looking at setting up their own project to cater to the needs of the Blackburn area. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Torbay bus project 07/07/2006 The Torbay project will be launched with its own bus on Friday 7th July 2006, and will be running every weekend until mid September. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. SOS First aid centre hit by vandal attack 23/05/2006 The SOS First Aid Centre was targeted by vandals over the weekend. The perpetrators - who have not been identified - turned over furniture, damaged units in the kitchen and stole first aid equipment, quantities of which were left strewn in the road. This incident though, produced an outpouring of generosity from local benefactors. The Samaritans, The Richard Barrington Trust and Anglia Television all offered funds to buy new equipment. We greatly appreciate your help and support. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Gala SOS Ball at Dunston Hall 17/05/2006 Another gala ball in aid of the SOS Bus will be held at Dunston Hall on Saturday 9th September 2006, 7.30pm for 8.00pm to 1am, ticket prices are £39.50 with tables of ten avaialble. The evening will be black tie and include welcome drinks, a three course meal, live music and disco and a fundraising auction and raffle. If you feel you could support this event in any way or would like to attend, please contact Sarah Seymour on 01953 451456 or sarah@the shrublands.sfnet.co.uk for more information. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. The Evening News Press 'Snow Ball' 16/05/2006 The Evening News will be holding another fundraising ball for the SOS Bus on Friday 24th November 2006 at Sprowston Manor Hall entitled the 'Snow Ball'. If you would like more information or would like to book a ticket or table please contact: Lois Beaumont at Entire Affair on 020 8429 7520 or email: lois.beaumontl@entireaffair.com. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Evening News Pancake race 28/02/2006 The annual Evening News pancake race was run at the Castle Mall, with proceeds going to the SOS Bus project this year. Four members of the SOS Bus took part and tackled the tricky art of running whilst tossing a pancake at the same time! The event was eventually won by digital printers 'Off the Wall'. Our thanks to everyone who took part. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Visit from West Suffolk 11/02/2006 Two representatives from West Suffolk - an officer from substance misuse and Youth and Community Development - visited the bus with a view to setting up a similar project in their locality. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Presentation to Belfast 24/01/2006 A one day presentation was given to a group in Belfast who are well on their way to setting up their own SOS bus project with a double decker bus. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Earl of Wessex visit to OPEN Youth Trust 12/01/2006 The Trust was honoured with a vist by the Earl of Wessex whilst he was visiting Norwich. During the visit he met with two members of the SOS Bus team and was introduced to the project. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. SOS bus moves to new site 10/12/2005 The SOS Bus has moved to its new site outside NatWest bank on Prince of Wales Street. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Evening News Press Ball raises £11,000 for SOS Bus 18/11/2005 The Evening News have donated the proceedings from their annual press ball to the SOS Bus. Three hundred people attended the black and white themed event at Sprowston Manor Hall which raised £11,000 on the night. The event was sponsored by Norwich Union and many local companies including OTW imaging and Colourprint made donations to the bus. Thank you to everyone involved! Article in press .............................................................................................................................................................................................. RAF Coltishall re-branding of support vehicle 07/11/2005 Once again the project offers a huge 'thank you' to RAF Coltishall for the re-branding of the project support vehicle to match the SOS Bus. An excellent job has been done by the team in the paintshop.Thank you! Picture to follow. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. RAF Coltishall Family Fun Day 17/09/2005 The SOS Bus attended the RAF Coltishall family fun day on Saturday 17th September 2005. See picture in gallery. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Lord Mayors Procession 2005 12/07/2005 The support vehicle attended the Lord Mayors Procession, as the theme of the event was 'The Elements' the vehicle was decorated with balloon rainbows. The event was enjoyed by everyone who attended. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. BBC - 'Should I worry about....?' 12/07/2005 The SOS Bus will be featured in the programme 'Should I worry about....?' on BBC1 on Thursday 11th August 2005. The theme of the programme being alcohol. A BBC crew visited the bus on 5th February and March to film footage. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. RAF Coltishall re-branding of SOS Bus 11/07/2005 RAF Coltishall have offered to undertake maintenance work - replacing corroded body panels and subsequent respraying -of the SOS bus as a gift to the project. This will save many thousands of pounds. See the press section for the relevant newspaper clipping.We owe you a huge debt of thanks. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Evening News Sponsorship 04/06/2005 Our local Evening News have agreed to sponsor the project for £25,000 for the next three years. Part of the SOS Bus will be given over to Evening News branding. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Queens Award Winner! 02/06/2005 The SOS Bus project is one of only two winners of the Queens Award for Voluntary Service 2005 in the Norfolk area. This award is the equivalent of an MBE for the project. This is an amazing achievement by all involved in the project and congratulations go to the team. You should all be very proud of yourselves! .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Torquay project 18/05/2005 A member of the team gave a presentation to the Torquay Council Strategic Team, with a view to them setting up a similar project. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Northants police 18/05/2005 Northants police visited the bus on a factfinding mission. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. New lead agency 01/04/2005 The Open Youth Trust have taken on the role of lead agency for the project. Our thanks go to Proclaimers International who have undertaken the role for the last two and half years. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Chelmsford visit 04/02/2005 Representatives from Chelmsford Christian Life Centre, police and local authority visited the bus. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Prior of St John 28/01/2005 Lord Jenkins the Prior of St John Ambulance visited the bus with his wife. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Cambridgeshire Police 08/01/2005 A contingent from Cambridgeshire police visited the SOS Bus. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Southend project continues 02/11/2004 The Southend project now have their own bus which is being refitted and livery applied. They intend to be operational in spring 2005. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Best Practice 11/10/2004 The Civic Trust have included the SOS Bus in their 'Best Practice' document. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Queens Award Nomination 20/08/2004 The SOS Bus project has been nominated for the Queens Award for voluntary service 2005. The award is made annually and recognises and rewards excellence in voluntary activities carried out by groups in the community. The award is given in recognition of outstanding achievement by groups who volunteer their own time to enchance and improve the quality of life and opportunity for individuals or other groups in the community. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Lord Mayors Procession 2004 10/07/2004 The support vehicle was entered into the Lord Mayors Procession with the theme being 'Fantasy'. A good time was had by all who attended. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Dartford police 09/07/2004 Two repesentatives of Dartford police visited the bus. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Newquay project 09/07/2004 Newquay ran their own pilot project the 'Streetsafe' bus for nine weeks from 9th July - 4th September 2004. They will be running the bus again next summer. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Visit by High Sherriff 05/05/2004 The High Sherriff of Norfolk - Sir Jeremy Bagge - visited the SOS Bus. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Lowestoft pilot project 24/04/2004 Lowestoft are setting up a six week pilot project similar to the SOS Bus. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Leicester project 16/04/2004 Leicester St John Ambulance are running a six week pilot project. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Lancashire police 27/02/2004 Lancashire police and representatives from the medical services visited the bus on a factfinding mission. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Visit by Charles Hendry Shadow Minister for Young People 24/10/2003 Charles Hendry MP visited the project on a fact finding mission and met with the Chief Executive of the YMCA John Drake. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Duxford Showbus event 28/09/2003 The SOS Bus attended the showbus event at Duxford, but sadly did not win any prizes in the 'foreign buses in the UK' section! .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Lord Mayors Procession 2003 12/07/2003 The support vehicle was entered in the Lord Mayors Procession - unfortunately buses are not allowed - as the theme was 'Heroes and Villians' the vehicle was decorated with balloon 'SOS Angels'. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Leicestershire Police 16/04/2003 A contingent from Leicestershire police came on the bus on an exploratory visit. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Second Southend Visit 12/03/2003 Two members took the SOS Bus to Southend on another supportive visit to rally agreement on the start of their own project. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Visit to Southend 03/12/2002 The SOS Bus was taken to Southend and members of the team gave a presentation to local police and council members. Southend are looking to set up a similar project. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Essex Police visit bus 09/09/2002 A contingent from Essex police visited the SOS Bus on a fact finding mission, with a view to setting up a similar project in their area. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Civic Reception 14/03/2002 The Mayor of Norwich hosted a civic reception at city hall as a celebration of the SOS Buses achievements in its first year. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. Labour Party Conference 01/10/2001 The SOS Bus attended the Labour Party Conference and was visited by David Blunkett MP. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. SOS Bus launch! 27/04/2001 The SOS Bus took to the streets on this date and saw 85 people in its first full month of operation. ..............................................................................................................................................................................................
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