History: NEAD Past & Present

The Third World Centre, est. 1973

Norfolk Education & Action for Development (NEAD) has its origins in the Third World Centre, set up in Norwich in 1973. The first development education centre in Britain, it was registered as a charity on 4 January 1973 and was based in one room at 18 The Close. The aim was to increase public awareness of the causes and consequences of world poverty.

The Centre was conceived by Dr Charles Elliot (a lecturer at the School of Development Studies, later Director of Christian Aid and Dean of Trinity College, Cambridge). The first Trustees were chaired by Dick Seabrook (Lord Mayor of Norwich), with Dean Alan Webster, Dorothy Bartholomew (head of Norwich High School) and others. David Roberts represented the Christian Aid Commission and was secretary to the Trustees for the next 21 years.

The Third World Centre carried out research which uncovered needs for development education in both the formal and informal sectors, more than enough to justify the project; and the initiative soon acquired a national reputation. Oxfam and Third World First mounted conferences on local development education, at which representatives of the Third World Centre provided input. In due course a National Association of Development Education Centres (NADEC — now DEA, Development Education Association) was founded to share the experiences of many and varied local centres.

The need for NEAD

Though the Centre’s volunteers initiated One World Week in Norwich and mounted significant events from time to time, they could only respond to other requests as far as time and resources permitted.

In 1985, Chantal Finney and Alistair Smith approached the Third World Centre with a proposal to set up a more proactive and structured programme of education. With the backing of the Centre, they secured new funding from Oxfam and Christian Aid, and were employed on a part-time basis from July 1985. NEAD was launched that September as a project of the Centre, aiming to provide information to schools and community groups on both development and environmental issues.

Finding a home

Between 1973 and 1985, the Third World Centre outgrew various premises and shifted four times. In 1987, NEAD/Third World Centre, Norfolk Friends of the Earth, Global Exchange, Rio-Mazan (an environmental project) and One World Films moved into 38 Exchange Street and established the Development and Environment Centre. Global Exchange ran the shop from 1987 until 1992, when NEAD took it over to promote fair trade.

EEC & EU funding, new projects

In 1989, funding was obtained from the EEC for Farmers’ Link — a 3-year project under the NEAD umbrella. Later that year, further funding was obtained to broaden NEAD’s work in schools, which up to this point had been focused mainly on the humanities. Sandy Betlem was employed part-time, and during 1991 he took on full responsibility for schools work, while Chantal concentrated on adult and community education.

At the end of 1991, Farmers’ Link separated from NEAD. It was a big project, and clearly had a future of its own. Other groups — Banana Link and Food Link — have since grown out of Farmers’ Link. This freed NEAD to apply to the EEC for funding for new work, and Shopping For A Better World (SFABW) was launched in 1992 and ran until 2001. The national network — Labour Behind the Label (LBL) — which had been jointly co-ordinated by SFABW and Women Working Worldwide (WWW, based in Manchester) was set up at the conclusion of SFABW as an independent organisation, although it is still based in Exchange Street with NEAD.

NEAD today

NEAD has continued to grow and, still based at 38 Exchange Street in Norwich, has expanded to all floors of the building, with other organisations and individuals sharing the premises. NEAD is part of a regional network, the East Anglian Development Education Network (EADEN), having been a major player in developing regional work with the other two DECs in East Anglia — the Harambee Centre in Cambridge and DEEL in Colchester, with LEA Advisory staff and ITE institutions in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex, among others.

NEAD is linked to over 40 other Development Education Centres in Britain and Ireland through the Development Education Association (DEA). Membership of the DEA is also open to any organisation or individual interested or involved in Development Education.

NEAD
38 Exchange Street
Norwich
NR2 1AX
UK

Tel +44 (0)1603 610993
Fax +44 (0)1603 625004


Lat N 52° 630317
Lon E 1° 293642

NEAD is registered in England & Wales:

Full contact details, including staff email addresses, a map and opening hours can be found on our Contact page.