SUSTAINABILITY STATEMENT

At The Assembly House, we are passionate about creating a sustainable, thriving and responsible business that our customers and employees can be proud of. We believe businesses must do their part to ensure our local communities and the wider planet have a bright and better future. We are enthusiastic and committed to being environmentally conscious and love learning new ways to make a difference. This is part of our ethos of ‘improving a little every day’. We want to bring green initiatives to our heritage property and adjust the environment and facilities to incorporate eco-friendly elements that enhance, rather than detract, the guest experience. We are also passionate about playing an active role in the community we serve.

WASTE REDUCTION AND SINGLE-USE PLASTICS

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – we’re doing our part with even more to come! We’re already on our way to eliminating plastic straws, and with digital contracts, many of our menus, digital check-in and check-out solutions, to name a few, our paper consumption is now a fraction of where it used to be. When purchasing equipment, we consider its use and alternatives and buy the highest energy efficiency possible.

REDUCE, RE-USE, RECYCLE

Traditionally a large volume of food, packaging and non-food waste is produced by hospitality and hotel venues. Our focus is on creating a meaningful plan for reducing waste, eliminating single-use plastics and recycling everything we can. For example, we refill our toiletry bottles to reduce single-use plastic.

WATER CONSERVATION

As water becomes scarcer, we have committed to reducing our water consumption by implementing a number of water-saving technologies in bedrooms, kitchens and toilets across our properties. Among bathroom water-saving technologies, you’ll find aerated showerheads and dual-flush toilets.

CARBON FOOTPRINT

We’ve implemented a number of initiatives to limit our impact on the environment. Thousands upon thousands of lightbulbs (including in our famous chandeliers!) have been changed to light-emitting diode (LED) technology, offering a fraction of the energy consumption of a typical halogen. Importantly, all our development projects are designed with a focus on our environmental impact, including the installation of new plants and machinery with the highest energy efficiency standards.

SUSTAINABLE FOOD CHAIN

Our chefs design menus for our restaurants to take advantage of all the seasonal and local produce available where possible. Additionally, we act as a food hub for left-over food from supermarkets which is then used by our friends Norfolk Food and Beverage Buddies to feed those in urgent food need.

CHARITABLE WORK

The Assembly House is also deeply embedded within the local community. Both directors serve as governors of The Clare School, Norfolk's complex needs school, supporting children and young people with a wide range of additional needs and disabilities. Beyond this governance role, The Assembly House provides an annual Afternoon Tea experience for the school community and makes meeting and training facilities available for staff development and school activities.

For more than six years, our chefs have also prepared and delivered a weekly meal to a local hostel supporting women who have survived domestic abuse, alongside providing a full Christmas dinner each year. This long-term commitment reflects our belief that hospitality should extend beyond commercial operations and into meaningful support for those who need it most.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, The Assembly House acted as a community food hub, coordinating collections and deliveries for vulnerable residents and helping local organisations distribute food and essential supplies at a time of significant need.

Alongside this work, we support a wide range of local charities, cultural initiatives and events, including Norwich Pride, and actively seek opportunities to use our facilities, expertise and resources to benefit the wider community. We believe successful tourism businesses should contribute positively to the places and people around them, leaving a lasting impact beyond the visitor experience itself. We have also put on free events to support charities which help those affected by suicide and a young lady raising money for life-changing surgery to treat her Tourette’s Syndrome. We raised £10k for the Turkey/Syria earthquake disaster appeal and held a series of free cookery classes for people living with cancer. Our afternoon tea in 2023 saw us donate 50p per afternoon tea to Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity. We sponsor Norwich Pride's annual art show.

Another way we try to reduce our carbon footprint is by encouraging our staff members and guests to arrive by means of public transportation. Luckily, we’re excellently situated in the heart of Norwich, just a short walk from the bus and train stations.