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Free Resources from the Norwich Passion Play

PT Admin
March 30, 2023

Re-live the Norwich Passion Play this Easter in your church or school

Last Easter, thousands of people enjoyed an engaging and wide-ranging Passion Play on the streets of Norwich city centre.

“There was Mary Magdalene jumping up and down on a plinth on Hay Hill in Norwich – drawing an expectant crowd, Jesus riding on a bike up to Millennium Plain where he confronted the authorities and he shared a fish and chip last supper with his disciples,” said Keith Morris, chair of Celebrate Norfolk, which organised the play with Saltmine Theatre company and many local churches.

“We saw the agonies of the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus’ dramatic trial in front of the Forum and his crucifixion and death outside St Peter Mancroft Church. And the final joyous scenes inside the church where the disbelieving disciples saw Jesus come back from the dead in an amazing finale.”

Read on for links to free videos and resources for you to use to re-live the event!

 

You Tube clips to share

This Easter, the Celebrate Norfolk team has released a specially produced and edited 13-minute video. This captures all the key moments of the performance.

Keith said: “The video contains helpful sub-titles and a personal message from Freddy Goymer, who played the part of Jesus. It is an ideal resource to show at a church small groups or youth group, maybe even in a church service or school assembly.

They have also created four short video clips of less than one minute that can be shared on your social media channels, along with suggested captions. Please share the links with the person who posts on your church social media accounts, as this is a good way of sharing the Easter story and all the content is ready-made.

The video is freely available on YouTube at www.youtube.com/@celebratenorfolk

Free Resources

The team from Norwich have also produced short resource sheets which explain the background to the play. They also suggest some questions to get people thinking and discuss in small groups or with your family and friends. The free resource sheets can be downloaded from www.celebratenorfolk.co.uk or see the links below.

1. Norwich Passion Play Resources Sheet for School and Youth Settings

2. Norwich Passion Play Resources Sheet for small groups and churches

3. Norwich Passion Play Resources Sheet for using short video clip series on social media

Is fundraising like online dating?

Online dating is trying to find the right match among many differnet people. Fundraising for Passion Plays is similar to online dating in one respect: trying to find the right match for your Play among different trusts and funding charities. Finding this perfect match is the key to raising funds to tell the Easter story!

Once you find trusts and funders who are of a similar mindset and value the things you value, you are well on the way to a perfect match.

 

How do we find potential funders?

The Charity Commission’s Register of Charities allows you to search for free by using filters to narrow your search. (Remember, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate registers.)
Funding Central is another register that is free to access.
For a more expensive option, you can try the Directory of Social Change’s Funds Online website which is regularly updated.
Since Passion Plays bring many churches of all denominations together, your diocese can be a good source of information and signposting. For example, see the Diocese of Bristol and their list of funders here.  www.bristol.anglican.org/documents/diocesan-funding-guide/
The Christian Funders’ Forum is also a useful source.

 

How do we let funders know our project is a good match for them?

Now is the time to do some research and really think about compatibility with the funders you are researching.

You can research their online content, websites, and also Further information will be inread through their annual reports published on the Charity Commissions website (click ‘Documents’ tab). These annual reports will give useful imformation about projects they have previously funded.

A quick phone call can also be helpful in establishing contact and goodwill as you will be able to find out more about them and let them know what you do.

Remember here that one of the key elements is timing! Some funders have a set application process that requires you to apply before a deadline. Other funders have trustees’ meetings at set times during the year and those times are good to work with.

The timing of your project also matters. Some funders like to fund projects in the early stage of development, while others like to give funding when they see other funders have already contributed.

There is a lot to think about with fundraising! But Passion Plays are such unique projects that it can also be an enjoyable process. Many funders like to hear about large community arts events that tell the Easter story in fresh and inspiring ways. Not only do Passion Plays have large outdoor audiences across the UK each Easter, they are also unique spaces of community, skill-sharing, mentoring and investing in the lives of volunteers across all sections of society. They are more than a one-off performance and the impact spreads across the whole community for many months.

 

Where can I find more help with fundraising?

If you want more help with fundraising, we have plenty more tips and advice on our website here.

We have recorded sessions from previous Passion Trust Conferences including sessions looking at Finance & Fundraising, Administration and Practical Considerations, and Q&A sessions. You can see more information and watch short helpful videos on our website here.

You can also find lots of helpful tips and advice at The Benefact Trust here or click on the image below.

three bullet points with rows of text and images in blue bubbles with white icons for help with fundraising

 

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