Convent to close after more than 150 years of community work

Dragons’ Den is known for its ruthless and demanding stars, who cause budding business people to quail.

But a panel of “dragons” pulled together in South Norfolk is likely to be a little less terrifying.

For the group selected to hear pitches for a new use for a convent includes a bishop, a canon, two nuns and a local business leader.

The panel will decide who will run the All Hallows convent at the Dragons Den-style event before the current owners leave in May. The Ditchingham convent will close in May after 160 years of being home to a community of nuns.

The sisters are taking pitches to run the complex, with applications received from religious groups, possible new communities, and those who want to continue the convent’s work with vulnerable people.

All Hallows is closing because of an increasing workload for the community and the need to move three of the sisters into supported living.

The four remaining sisters are moving to a new church-bought mother house in central Bungay.

This means that the community has not been forced to sell the nine-acre All Hallows site, which includes a collection of houses, a chapel and gardens.

Bishop of Norwich the Rt Rev Graham James, Norwich Cathedral’s Canon Andrew Bryant, leaders of the community sisters Sheila and Elizabeth, and a yet-to-be-announced business leader will sit on the panel.

Canon Bryant said: “Maintaining a nine-acre site with just four sisters is tough. There is a sense of relief in the letting go and a renewed focus on their mission for the sisters.

“We are looking for two things: firstly, it genuinely does continue the reaching out to vulnerable groups; and secondly, it is viable and sustainable.

“The idea is to continue that work for another 150 years.”

He added: “The community will look at all the offers and invite those that they like to come along to an event where they will meet the leaders of All Hallows and pitch their ideas to us.

“We are very excited as what this allows is the site can remain a resource for the local church and we are really excited to see how it can be reimagined for the 21st century. What I can promise you is there won’t be a bishop sitting there with wads of cash and there will be nobody drumming their fingers.”