Anonymous donor gives £12,000 to homeless charity to buy double decker bus shelter

Harvey Lewis playing guitar on a Norwich street. His friend, Eric Hewson, has set up a charity in his name and hopes to bring a converted London bus to Norwich as a shelter for homeless people. (Image: Archant)

Eric Hewson, from Hellesdon, has been supporting rough sleepers for the past nine years. On Thursday nights he distributes food donated by local businesses around the city.

He had been fighting to raise £15,000 to turn a bus, currently owned by the Ark Project in London, into a shelter for those in need.

He has now received a donation of £12,000 from a member of the public who said they wished to remain anonymous, making the dream a reality.

Mr Hewson said: 'The donation means so much to me and also the community in Norwich who support the homeless as we can now buy the bus and have 10 homeless people off the streets seven nights a week.

'We be more than just a place to stay, offering support to get them in to full time housing and employment.'

Last year, Mr Hewson set up a charity named in honour of his friend, Harvey Lewis Truswell, a photographer and videographer who died in 2017.

A former student of City College Norwich and City Academy Norwich, Mr Truswell had worked with acts such as Rudimental, Major Lazer and Chase and Status.

Mr Hewson said: 'Harvey and I always talked about opening a shelter for the homeless and being able to do this in his memory is amazing.'

More than 200 of Mr Truswell's friends and family members paid tribute to him at Earlham park in April 2017 with a candle lit vigil.

He was found dead on April 27, 2017, at a flat in Normandie Tower, on Rouen Road, Norwich.

At the time his mother, Sara Truswell, said her son 'wanted to make a difference' to the world.

For more information or to donate go to www.gofundme.com/the-10-sleeper-homeless-bus-for-norwich

Do you have a Norwich story we should be writing about? Email marc.betts@archant.co.uk