The final five charities pitching to the public to raise money for their cause at the Dragon Hall event by The Funding Network(l to r) Carol Bundock of Nelson's Journey, Paddy Seligman of We Care, Toby Skipper of King Street Community Initiative, Jackie Thornton of Norwich City Community Sports Foundation and Darren Grice of The Garage Trust with Dr Frederick Mulder, chair and co-founder of The Funding Network.; Photo by Simon Finlay

It is normally in the Dragons Den that quaking entrepreneurs hoping for a financial lifeline from the notorious straight-talking high-flyers make their pitch.

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But last night it was at Dragon Hall in Norwich where five Norfolk charities made their case for cash raising £25,900.

At an event organised by The Funding Network and the Norfolk Community Foundation local philanthropists heard moving stories about the great work of five Norfolk charities before delving deep into their pockets to support the causes.

It is the first event of its kind to be held in Norfolk.

Jackie Higham who is a member of the The Funding Network in London, but lives in Norfolk, went to a similar evening in London and decided to organise one in the city with the Norfolk Community Foundation.

She said: “I am ecstatic. The audience are happy because they have heard a lot about the charities. There is a real buzz. We call it engaged giving because we can engage with every single charity here.”

A number of people including her friends, the foundations supporters and even people who had heard about the event and wanted to attend, all attended the event.

She said that she thought Norfolk was a very philanthropic place.

“We need to learn a lot more about what’s going on where we live. There is a lot of deprivation and there are a lot of education issues.”

She said the Dragon’s Den event would become an annual fixture after last night’s success.

The charities each had six minutes to present their case.

The charities bidding for generous benefactors were the social 
inclusion and education charity 
The Garage Trust, which helps around 2,500 disadvantaged young people aged eight to 25.

Nelson’s Journey, which works with bereaved children and their families.

The Norfolk Millennium Trust for Carers which aims to help elderly, infirm, sick and disabled people in Norfolk by providing financial and practical support for their carers.

The Kings Centre Community Initiative which runs a range of activities in the heart of Mile Cross.

The Norwich City Community Sports Foundation which provides a wide range of disability sports activities across Norfolk.

Dr Frederick Mulder, chairman and co-founder of The Funding Network, said: “I started it with three other friends because I always find that giving can be a lonely enterprise.

“We do most things with other people. We thought it would be good to give in the presence of other people.

“It seems like your money goes much further because you may not have that much but you can pool your money and you have more impact. You can also have the benefit of other people’s questions.”

He said that the panel were not as tough as the dragons on television.

annabelle.dickson@archant.co.uk