In 2023, NCW set out to open the doors to Dragon Hall wider than ever before by introducing free visitor hours and experiences, expanded opportunities to get involved and new volunteering activities combining creative writing and heritage.
Today, we share successes and lessons from this past year of ‘Stepping Into Dragon Hall’, which was made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
‘Free – so great for financial accessibility. Super friendly and informative staff. Very welcoming. Amazing building. My daughter loved it!’
The project aimed to enable new and expanded audiences to explore the heritage of NCW’s home, Dragon Hall, a Grade I-listed medieval trading hall in Norwich. It took place from August 2023 to November 2024.
We were interested in working with communities and visitors to test new ways that people could experience – and contribute to – the stories of Dragon Hall, King Street and beyond. This entailed participation in research, storytelling, creative writing, volunteering, hands-on making, and more.
Key achievements:
- 1,942 free visits.
- 84% of visitors and participants were new to NCW.
- and 26% have come back since!
- 85% said they feel more connected to the community around them.
- 50+ new volunteers, with 92% motivated to do more creative things in future.
This report summarises what visitors and participants said about their experience, what NCW’s team learnt from this project, and how it has shaped our next steps and future ambitions to use storytelling, creative writing and Dragon Hall to help make our neighbourhood, city and region a better place to live, work and visit.
Whether you are a writer, involved in the arts and education, community groups or simply care about Norwich and it’s people, we hope you find this report engaging and enlightening.
‘Has given me so much more confidence and given a new social aspect to my life that was lacking before’
Our supporters
Stepping Into Dragon Hall was made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players. With further support from: The Linbury Trust, The Geoffrey Watling Charity, Norwich Freemen’s Charity and more.
Providing these opportunities free to users is extremely valuable and appreciated – we would have difficulty attending otherwise.
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