A local charity for the Borough of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk
When Life Gets Hard, We Help With the Essentials at Home
A cooker that works. A warm bed. Carpet on a cold floor. We pay for the everyday things people across the borough need but can’t afford, and we pay the supplier directly.
- Free to apply
- Paid straight to the supplier
- Decided by local trustees
- Registered charity 243864
What we can pay for
Things That Make a Lasting Difference at Home
The trustees look at every request on its own merits. These are the things we help with most often.
Cookers
A working oven and hob, so there’s a hot meal on the table.
Washing Machines and Dryers
Clean clothes and bedding, without the launderette bill.
Fridges and Freezers
Food kept fresh and safe, with less going to waste.
Beds and Bedding
A proper bed and warm bedding, for adults and children.
Carpets and Flooring
Warmer, safer floors in the rooms that matter most.
Furniture
The basics that turn an empty house into a home.
Heating and Utility Bills
Help when the cost of keeping warm is out of reach.
Moving Costs
Help with moving to a new home within the borough.
Something Else?
If it would make a real difference, ask. Every request is considered.
Ask the Secretary
We don’t give cash. If a grant is agreed, we pay the shop or supplier directly.
We can’t pay for things public funds should cover. We step in where there’s nowhere else to turn.
How it works
Four Steps From Asking for Help to Delivery
Talk to Someone Who Supports You
A social worker, housing officer, health visitor, GP, tenancy adviser, vicar or Citizens Advice adviser who knows your situation.
They Apply on Your Behalf
They complete our form with your household’s finances, a statement about your situation and a quote for each item.
Local Trustees Decide
The trustees meet in March, June, September and December. Urgent requests can be looked at in between.
We Pay the Supplier
Your support worker hears the outcome within a week of the meeting. If it’s a yes, we pay the supplier directly.
Trustee Meetings and Deadlines 2026
The deadline is usually the last day of the month before each meeting. If you’re not sure, check with the Secretary.
- March meetingApply by 28 FebruaryClosed
- June meetingApply by 31 MayClosed
- September meetingApply by 31 AugustClosed
- December meetingApply by 30 NovemberNext deadline
If you need help
You Don’t Have to Do This on Your Own
We can’t take applications straight from the public. Instead, a professional who knows your situation applies for you. It’s how the trustees make sure help goes where it’s needed most.
Who Can Apply for You
- Your social worker
- A housing officer or tenancy support adviser
- A health visitor or family practitioner
- Your GP
- Your vicar
- An adviser at Norfolk Citizens Advice
No one in mind? Norfolk Citizens Advice (opens in a new tab) can help you find support, and your GP surgery may know who to ask.
Could We Help? Three Quick Questions
Your answers stay on this page. Nothing is sent to us.
Answer the questions to see what to do next.
For support workers
Apply for Someone You Support
Incomplete applications are sent back, which can mean waiting for the next meeting. Run through this checklist and yours can go straight to the trustees.
Before You Send
0 of 7 ready
All seven done. Your application is ready to send.
Next deadline
Monday 30 November 2026
for the December 2026 meeting
24 days left
- Urgent? Say so in your email and explain why. Urgent requests can be considered between meetings.
- Prefer post? Email the Secretary first for the postal address.
Where to Get Quotes
These suppliers have been good value in the past. It isn’t a full list, and you can use others.
- Cookers, fridges and washing machines: Economy Cookers or Cooper & Elms.
- Carpets: the Derwent range, or similar, is good quality at a fair price. Local suppliers include Economy Flooring, Supreme Carpets, Olympic Carpets and Lynn Carpet Centre.
- Beds and bedroom furniture: St James Bed Centre, Norfolk Street, King’s Lynn.
- Good second-hand furniture: the British Heart Foundation shop on High Street, King’s Lynn.
We can only pay suppliers that accept cheque or bank transfer, so we can’t pay retailers such as Argos.
What Happens After You Apply
- The Secretary checks your application, may ask for more information, and tells you the date of the meeting.
- The trustees consider it at that meeting, or sooner if it’s urgent.
- You hear the outcome within one week of the meeting.
- If it’s a yes, we send you a cheque made out to the supplier, or pay the supplier by bank transfer.
Areas we cover
Do You Live in Our Area?
We help people who live in the Borough of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk: King’s Lynn, Downham Market, Hunstanton and 101 parishes in between, from Holme next the Sea to Hockwold cum Wilton.
See All 101 Parishes
Anmer, Bagthorpe with Barmer, Barton Bendish, Barwick, Bawsey, Bircham, Boughton, Brancaster, Burnham Market, Burnham Norton, Burnham Overy, Burnham Thorpe, Castle Acre, Castle Rising, Choseley, Clenchwarton, Congham, Crimplesham, Denver, Dersingham, Docking, Downham Market, Downham West, East Rudham, East Walton, East Winch, Emneth, Feltwell, Fincham, Flitcham with Appleton, Fordham, Fring, Gayton, Great Massingham, Grimston, Harpley, Heacham, Hilgay, Hillington, Hockwold cum Wilton, Holme next the Sea, Houghton, Hunstanton, Ingoldisthorpe, Leziate, Little Massingham, Marham, Marshland St James, Methwold, Middleton, Nordelph, North Creake, North Runcton, North Wootton, Northwold, Old Hunstanton, Outwell, Pentney, Ringstead, Roydon, Runcton Holme, Ryston, Sandringham, Sedgeford, Shernborne, Shouldham, Shouldham Thorpe, Snettisham, South Creake, South Wootton, Southery, Stanhoe, Stoke Ferry, Stow Bardolph, Stradsett, Syderstone, Terrington St Clement, Terrington St John, Thornham, Tilney All Saints, Tilney St Lawrence, Titchwell, Tottenhill, Upwell, Walpole, Walpole Cross Keys, Walpole Highway, Walsoken, Watlington, Welney, Wereham, West Acre, West Dereham, West Rudham, West Walton, West Winch, Wiggenhall St Germans, Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen, Wimbotsham, Wormegay, Wretton, and the town of King’s Lynn.
Who we are
A Local Charity, Run by Local People
The King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Charity was set up in 1986 to help people in the borough who are facing need, hardship or distress, or who are sick, disabled or recovering from illness.
Our trustees come from all walks of life and know the borough well. They include people appointed by the Borough Council and by Norfolk County Council’s social services.
- Helping since
- 1986
- Trustee meetings a year
- 4
- Spent from 2021 to 2025
- £93k
- To hear the outcome
- 1 week
Become a Trustee
Know the borough and want to make a difference? The trustees meet four times a year, and we’d like to hear from you.
Ask About Becoming a TrusteeHelp Us Keep Saying Yes
In four of the last five years we spent more than we received. Gifts, including gifts in wills, help us reach more people.
Ask About GivingCan I apply myself?
Not directly. Applications come from a professional support worker who knows your circumstances, such as a social worker, housing officer, health visitor, GP, vicar or Citizens Advice adviser. They explain your situation to the trustees and vouch for it, so the Charity’s money goes where it’s needed most.
Who can endorse an application?
An independent professional who knows your situation. That could be an assigned social worker, housing officer, health visitor, family practitioner or tenancy support adviser. If you don’t have one, your GP, your vicar or an adviser at Norfolk Citizens Advice (opens in a new tab) may be able to endorse it.
Do you give cash grants?
No. We pay for specific items, services or facilities. If a grant is agreed, we pay the supplier directly, by cheque or bank transfer, for the cost of the item.
What can you help with?
Recent help includes cookers, washing machines, dryers, fridges and fridge freezers, carpets and other flooring, furniture and bedding, heating and utility costs, and moving costs within the borough. The list isn’t fixed: the trustees favour things that will make a lasting, positive difference.
Why do I need a quote, and where should I get one?
We pay the supplier, not the applicant, so we need a quote for each item. Economy Cookers and Cooper & Elms have been reliable and good value for electrical goods. For carpets, the Derwent range or similar is good quality at a fair price, and carpet quotes must show the cost per square metre. We can only pay suppliers that accept cheque or bank transfer, so we can’t pay retailers such as Argos.
When do the trustees meet, and what’s the deadline?
Four times a year, in March, June, September and December. The deadline is usually the last day of the month before each meeting. Urgent requests can be considered between meetings, so contact the Secretary if it can’t wait.
How long until we hear?
The Secretary will let your support worker know when the trustees will consider the application, and may ask for more information first. The outcome is sent to your support worker within a week of the meeting.
Is there anything you can’t fund?
We can’t pay for things that should be met from public funds, and we can only help people who live in the Borough of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk.
How do you look after personal information?
Everything in an application is treated in strict confidence and used only to assess and administer it. Our privacy notice (PDF) (opens in a new tab) explains what we keep and for how long.
Talk to the Secretary
Questions about an application, becoming a trustee or anything else? Email is the quickest way to reach us.
info@kingslynnwncharitytrust.co.uk