Community Hero: City v Blackburn Rovers

Jon Norman, Club chaplain and senior pastor at Soul Church, and Lewis Blois, Norwich’s Academy chaplain, are taking on seven marathons in seven days to raise funds for a new church building.

Funds raised will go towards Soul Church’s new facilities on Heartsease Lane in Norwich, creating a bigger home for the Soul Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that provides a helping hand to those who are most in need within Norwich, the surrounding areas and internationally.

The Foundation provides food, clothing, education, mentoring and practical support to homeless and vulnerable men, women and children – support they may not receive from anyone else.

Jon told canaries.co.uk: “Seven in Seven is a way to get people motivated and a lot of people from the church and community have said if I can do seven marathons then they can at least run one.

“It’s also about encouraging people to come up with seven things they can do in seven days, so we’ve got some people at the church who are knitting and cooking and someone who is doing seven paintings in seven days to auction them off.”

The pair set off on Easter Monday with routes for the challenge so far including running from Cromer to Sea Pauling, Marriott’s Way and completing 40 laps around Colney Training Centre alongside Sporting Director, Stuart Webber. The pair will finish their challenge tomorrow with a run from Soul Church to their Heartsease Lane Site five times.

Jon added: “The support we have received from the general public and our partners, through digital platforms and our fundraising pages have been incredible. This is spurring us on and we’re so thankful to everyone."

To find out more and sponsor Jon and Lewis on their run, CLICK HERE.

Please give a big Carrow Road welcome this evening to Jon and Lewis as they bring out the match ball ahead of our game against Blackburn Rovers.

At every Sky Bet Championship home match this season, Norwich City has invited a deserving community-minded individual(s) to be their ‘Community Hero’ and place the match ball on to a special plinth prior to kick off.

Charlotte Foster, Communications Executive at Norwich City, said: "It has been a pleasure to welcome so many deserving people as our Community Heroes throughout the season. This year we also marked the NHS' 70th birthday by recognising staff from our local health service to highlight their vital roles in our community. 

"As the season comes to a close, we would still love to hear from anyone who would like to nominate a Community Hero for next season, and fans are encouraged to get in touch in the usual way."

Whether the individual works in the emergency services or the armed forces, is a carer or charity champion, a super fan or a regional sporting hero, the initiative celebrates their contribution to the local community. If there is anyone you think deserves special recognition for their community efforts or personal achievements, please visit the Community Hero page HERE.