The Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association has a history of supporting and raising funds for local charities. We found out more about three of the charities that will benefit from the Royal Norfolk Show 2019.

Eastern Daily Press: Star Throwers supports people with cancer and their carers Picture: Star ThrowersStar Throwers supports people with cancer and their carers Picture: Star Throwers (Image: Archant)

St Edmunds Society

St Edmunds Society, also known as St-Eds, is a vocational learning hub that supports children and young people in Norfolk who have been socially excluded because of poor educational attainment or behavioural issues. St-Eds helps them to attain new skills and qualifications in order to become employable and empowered.

"Many young people experience difficulties throughout the present education system," explains CEO Lorraine Bliss MBE. "We believe that every young person deserves a chance irrespective of ability."

In honour of its work, St-Eds has been chosen as this year's President's Charity, which will help to support upcoming work, including launching a Welfare Support Outreach Service for schools, parents and families, plus a high street presence with a guidance drop-in shop to match candidates to employees and traineeships. It will also offer maths and English tuition to parents to help them engage with their children's learning.

Eastern Daily Press: BBC Radio Norfolk presenter Chrissie Jackson (third from left), patron of Home-Start Norfolk, with Dr Sarah Taigel, Helen Brown, Ray McCune, Fiona Hall and Tanya O'Leary Picture: Mark BullimoreBBC Radio Norfolk presenter Chrissie Jackson (third from left), patron of Home-Start Norfolk, with Dr Sarah Taigel, Helen Brown, Ray McCune, Fiona Hall and Tanya O'Leary Picture: Mark Bullimore (Image: Mark Bullimore Photography 2018)

Last year Lorraine received an MBE in honour of her tireless work in Norfolk since the 1980s. "I feel very privileged to have been able to work for St-Eds for 29 years," she says.

You can find St-Eds at Stand 69, Avenue 4. For more information about how you can get involved, visit: www.st-eds.org

Star Throwers

Star Throwers is a local cancer support charity dedicated to holistically supporting people with cancer and their carers, from diagnosis through to life after cancer. It empowers and informs people about their treatment options, and offers a lymphoedema service, complimentary therapies, gentle exercise groups, nutrition workshops and counselling.

This year, the Star Throwers stand gives visitors the chance to try the free therapies the charity offers - including massage and reflexology. Staff and volunteers will also be on hand to discuss the cancer information and nutritional advice services.

"We hope that more people will hear about Star Throwers and our work," explains marketing and fundraising manager Victoria Pigg. "We still get people who say they wish they'd known about Star Throwers earlier in their cancer journey - hopefully we can raise more awareness and help more people affected."

Star Throwers was founded in 2008 by Dr Henry Mannings, who worked on the oncology units at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital and the James Paget Hospital, looking after patients receiving chemotherapy, radiotherapy and palliative care. He saw that following diagnosis cancer patients felt they had nowhere to go or required advice on further management of their cancer.

Since then, Star Throwers has supported over 2,000 people with one-to-one and group support information and therapies. In 2018 the charity delivered 359 cancer information and advice sessions and 784 complementary therapies.

You can find Star Throwers at Stand 149, President Walk. For more information, visit: www.starthrowers.org.uk

Home-Start Norfolk

Home-Start Norfolk is a small charity providing support to parents of children aged 0-5 years, with whatever challenges life throws at them. Through a network of volunteers Home-Start Norfolk provides regular, practical and essential support to hundreds of parents and carers throughout Norfolk.

"Home-Start supports and enables parents to give their children the best possible start in life," explains Helen Brown, funding manager. Two-hour, weekly visits from a Home-Start volunteer gives parents and carers who are struggling to cope someone to talk to and lean on for support. They help to address a wide range of needs that may be limiting the parents' ability to cope with the challenges of parenthood.

Home-Start Norfolk is currently undergoing a recruitment drive for new volunteers for its Lottery-funded project Right From the Start, which promotes good maternal mental health and attachment for mums and children aged 0-2 years. Home-Start's volunteers are indispensible, Helen explains: "They're usually parents themselves, from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences, and we pride ourselves on the excellent training package which increases their skills and knowledge and builds confidence."

You can find Home-Start Norfolk at Stand 236, Avenue 8. For more information about its services and volunteering opportunities, visit: www.homestartnorfolk.org