Norfolk based charity BUILD provides social, leisure and learning opportunities to young people and adults with disabilities, and has done so since 1967. To meet the challenges of changes in public sector funding, and a decrease in charitable income, it is planning a series of community based fundraising activities this year and is looking for commercial partners.
An opportunity exists for a partner to support a group of UEA Medical Students planning a five a side football match which will last for over 43 hours in September 2013 to re-write the Guinness World Record. Underlying sponsorship is required to fund the requirements (set by Guinness) to film the action, and fund referees and appropriately qualified time-keeper’s fees, as well as the welfare support systems required for such an endurance activity.
Sponsors will have the opportunity to be associated with the record attempt, the pre-event media launch and marketing activity, and the post event reception, as well as accessing BUILD’s employee shadowing programme which provides muitual staff development opportunities.
The sum of around £2,500 is being sought to underwrite the event, so that all money raised by the players and supporters can go directly to the charity, and its beneficiaries.
If you are interested in further discussions about this, or other opportunities for partnership working with BUILD Charity, please call the Chief Executive, James Kearns on 01603 618029 or e mail james.kearns@buildcharity.co.uk.
The finalists of the Great Yarmouth Spirit of Enterprise Awardshave beenofficially announced and we are very excited to share with you that we have been short listed for Great Business to Business Service Award.
The Great Business to Business Service Award has been sponsored by Bateman Groundworks Ltd. It is open to businesses that can demonstrate exceptionally high standards of service or have implemented working practices to improve their service to other businesses that has resulted in consistently strong sales and exports. The award is for businesses that can demonstrate that they have identified areas of weakness and then worked to improve these areas; or that they have consistently promoted a culture or approach that promotes excellent service.
Commenting on the news Matt Buck, Head of Customer Experience said “It was fantastic to learn that we are finalists in the category of Great Business to Business Customer Service in the Spirit of Enterprise Awards. Awards are so much more than a decoration for the company mantle-piece! Amongst many benefits, they are an independent approval for the hard work of an organisation and it’s people; they serve as a marker of what we expect of our organisation, and what others can expect of us; they boost the spirit of the team delivering the award winning performance and spur the team to achieve more.
“Our investment and work within the realm of customer service has been extensive and is not about to stop, with some important projects underway in 2013 that we hope to be able to announce shortly. We obviously hope to win the award category overall, but ultimately the most important thing is that we continue to strive to place great service at the heart of our organisation.
“The judges for the category are from a very successful business working with large public and private sector clients. They absolutely know what great business to business customer service means and winning the award would therefore be a fantastic recognition of our efforts. Fingers crossed please!”
There are two further finalists for this category including Albies Taxis and Prevent Fire Limited.
About the awards
Now in its sixth year the prestigious awards ceremony takes place on 15th March 2013 at The Zest Rooms, Potters Leisure Resort.
The Awards evening is a high-profile celebration of all that’s outstanding in business and enterprise in the Borough of Great Yarmouth, focusing on and recognising the achievements through innovation, entrepreneurial thinking and sheer determination of businesses of all sizes and from every sector.
The official award supplement will be published in the Great Yarmouth Mercury on 1st March 2013.
As The View from The Shard, the visitor attraction at the top of the tallest building in Western Europe opened to the public at 9am on Friday 1st February, the team at Norwich-based outsource contact centre, OpenContact, were in party mood as they joined in with the launch celebrations.
OpenContact were appointed to handle the telephone booking and customer service enquiries by The View from the Shard back in July 2012, and have been taking advance bookings since the building’s inauguration. Telephone enquiries have doubled month on month for the contact centre, and last week was the busiest yet, as publicity gained momentum in advance of Friday morning’s grand opening.
OpenContact’s Managing Director, Fiona Temple, said “All of our team have now visited The View from the Shard during January, which means they can now talk to customers in a knowledgeable and enthusiastic way, having experienced it for themselves.”
Tickets for the opening weekend – Friday 1st, Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd February – were sold out for the “multi-sensory experience to 244m (800ft) above one of the greatest cities on earth”. The view at level 69, offers unrivalled 360 degree views of London to a distance of 40 miles, and on level 72 there is an open-air platform where guests are exposed to the elements, and can experience the sounds of the city below.
OpenContact had a launch party for the team at their Roundtree Way headquarters in Norwich on Friday morning to celebrate the opening and to reward the hard work the team have put in to develop an excellent partnership with their client. Fiona said “We are extremely proud to be representing such an iconic attraction, and are delighted to be working in partnership with the team from The View, who see us as an extension of their organisation and an integral part of their operation. This is exactly what we always aim for in developing relationships with clients. It helps guarantee success, with customers receiving the high quality service they expect from our clients’ brands.”
The upturn in business from The View from the Shard comes just as OpenContact acquire 3 new Norwich-based virtual receptionist clients for whom they provide a message taking service, as well as commencing work for a holiday park based in Devon. Welcome Family Holiday Park appointed OpenContact to handle their booking and customer service calls from the beginning of January, resulting in a bumper start to the new year. Fiona goes on to say “This has been a very strong start to 2013, and with some very exciting prospects in the pipeline, I’m very confident we are going to have a great year, creating more jobs and moving forward with our technology investment programme.”
Norfolk Trailers are the sole distributors for Ifor Williams Trailers in the Norfolk area, based at Hellesdon Business Park to the North of Norwich City Centre.
Credo Asset Finance are pleased to be awarded there finance company of choice when it comes to providing finance.With so many Horseboxes and Trailer owners within the Norfolk region I`m sure that there are many people who are looking for an upgrade or a replacement.
With New Horseboxes from £89pm and Trailers from £79pm it pays to upgrade now!
Please call either Mike Berridge at Norfolk trailers , Giles Berridge at Barnwell Trailers (Peterborough) or Nick Ruffle at Aggreco (Suffolk) and mention Julian @ Credo.
This is just another example of where Credo helps businesses to sell there products in an affordable way to there customers.
If you have a product that you are looking to sell please contact Julian Pilkington @ Credo on 01603 703180 for more details.
Many people are unaware of the implications of dying unexpectedly without having made a Will. The most common reasons people tend to give for not having a Will are either that they haven’t ‘got round to it’ or that they feel they haven’t got anything of value to leave behind.
Local law firm, Ashton KCJ has launched a Wills Week campaign,which will run from 25 February – 1 March 2013. The week long campaign aims to raise funds for three local charities, nominated by staff at the firm: the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH), Headway – the brain injury charity – and Norwich based cancer charity, Big C.
For each Will prepared during Wills Week, Ashton KCJ will donate £100* to one of the three charities. The initiative will run across the firm’s seven offices, including the Norwich office.
Alan Brown, Partner at Ashton KCJ said: “The implications of not making a Will are that the law will decide how your estate will be distributed and who should care for your dependents. Making a Will is a simple process and it lets your family know that you have thought about their future. It can also avoid the confusion and emotional strain which can be placed on loved ones when someone has not made their wishes known.”
“As well as emphasising the importance of making a Will, our Wills Week scheme will raise vital funds for three worthwhile causes. The simple gesture of making a Will can make a real and lasting difference to the lives of local people.”
* Each £100 donation is worth £125 to the charity when they claim Gift Aid.
About EACH EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. The charity needs to raise more than £5.75 million in public donations each year to deliver its services.
About Headway With branches across East Anglia, Headway provides a range of services, advice and support to people with an acquired brain injury, and their family and carers.
About Big C Big C supports people affected by cancer and works across Norfolk and Waveney by providing equipment in hospitals and across rural areas, nurses, world-class research and support groups and services through two Big C centres.
To mark White Ribbon Day on 25th November,
Leeway has launched a campaign to raise awareness of domestic abuse and is
encouraging businesses and organisations to get involved!
The Pass The Ribbon campaign aims to get people to use
their online platforms to spread awareness of the White Ribbon movement and
what it stands for, normalising conversations around domestic abuse.
Leeway has produced an asset pack with resources such as
social media header graphics, template social media posts, email signatures,
and posters for people to display to show their support to the campaign.
By displaying these, you are helping us to challenge the
attitudes and behaviours that allow violence against women and girls to become
normalised, as well as raising awareness of domestic abuse.
It’s simple to get involved, simply visit our asset pack,
download the graphic you wish to share and display it on your social media
platforms for the 16-days of action.
You can also download and print our posters, which can be
displayed in workplaces or in your local community.
Whilst the campaign lasts for 16 days, domestic abuse is a
year-round issue, and there are many ways you can continue to support us
throughout the year!
What is White Ribbon Day?
White Ribbon Day, or the International Day for the
Elimination of Violence Against Women, is a worldwide day raising awareness of
all forms of violence against women.
On the 25th November and the 16-day action
period that follows, organisations around the world host events and campaigns
to raise awareness of issues such as domestic abuse and encourage supporters to
pledge their commitment to tackling violence against women.
It specifically calls for men and boys to speak out about
the issue of violence against women and girls, taking the pledge to do their
bit to challenge the behaviours and attitudes that allow violence against women
to become normalised.
The international theme of this year’s campaign is “We
Speak Up”, which specifically calls on men and boys to speak out and challenge
sexism.
Leeway’s campaign echoes the themes of the international
campaign, calling on individuals, organisations and businesses locally to do
their bit to raise awareness of domestic abuse and pass on the important
messages that the white ribbon stands for.
How to Support Leeway?
There are many ways to support our Pass The Ribbon
campaign, whether you wish to personally support or if your business or
organisation wishes to get involved.
Social media is a fantastic way of connecting communities
and spreading important messages to a wide audience, which is why we’ve created
assets such as profile pictures, cover photos, and template social media posts.
You can display these on your own profile to show your
support or share posts to any community groups that you are part of.
We have also included email signatures and posters that can
be displayed by businesses and organisations.
Lots of emails are sent by businesses on a daily basis, so
what better way to spread awareness and start conversations around the White
Ribbon and domestic abuse.
Why not display one of our posters in your workplace or in
your local community too? That information could be the catalyst that helps
someone to get the support that they need.
You can also help us to Pass the Ribbon by sharing our
social media posts, helping our important messages to reach even more people!
Many of you will have watched the ITVprogramme thisweek called ‘How to Save a Life’. The programme highlighted the possible causes of our country’s very poor cardiac arrest survival rates. Viewers wereasked to consider whether life-saving skills should be taught in schools and were shown a Norwegian school where mandatory training for students has been introduced and survival rates are higher.
At Norvic we believe equippingyoung peoplewith key essential skills is really important and we want to help make this a possibility. As a start we are producing some A4 posters that can be printed from our website. We hope that popping these up on the wall and perhaps running through them with your youngsters each week will be a good start.
The topics we have picked out include;
Asthma, anaphylaxis, fractures, bleeds and making an emergency call.
Do let us know your thoughts and if there is anything else that we can do.
Join us for our East Anglia Clean & Green Awards 2026 – the region’s premier celebration of sustainability excellence! On 26th March at Kesgrave Hall Ipswich where leaders, innovators and trailblazers from across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex will come together for an unforgettable evening honouring the organisations shaping the future of our industry. Why attend? Because this is where the sector meets. Where connections are made. Where excellence is recognised. Enjoy an elegant drinks reception with live music, followed by a sumptuous three‑course dinner paired with fine beverages. Our awards ceremony, hosted byDavid Whiteley, will spotlight the outstanding contributions driving real environmental progress across the region. And the night doesn’t end there — join us for our exclusive after‑party and networking, bringing together the brightest minds and biggest influencers in the sector. This is more than an awards night; it’s a rare opportunity to celebrate, connect, and elevate the clean and green energy community in style. Limited tickets and table packages are available now: www.cleanandgreenawards.co.uk
Steeles Law has launched its new website – take a look at: https://www.steeleslaw.co.uk/ to find out more about our services, our people and tokeep up-to-date with our news, events and publications.
Deanna Auker has joined the East of England Energy Group (EEEGR) as marketing manager, bringing with her a wealth of experience in marketing for national and international clients.
In a career spanning more than 13 years, Deanna has worked successfully and closely with international airlines KLM, Flybe and bmi in her role as commercial and marketing manager at Norwich International Airport, and has been responsible for the marketing strategies and all communications as marketing manager for M&H Plastics and The Castle Mall, Norwich.
Most recently Deanna led communications and events focused on a clinical restructure of more than 4,000 staff at the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. “I am really pleased to be joining EEEGR at such an exciting time for the organisation and the energy industry,” said Deanna.
“I am really looking forward to meeting existing stakeholders and establishing relationships with new ones. By using my knowledge and experience of marketing on a global scale I hope to present new opportunities for members and to help grow EEEGR, while building on the continued success already achieved by my new colleagues.”
EEEGR chief executive Simon Gray said: “I know all the team and directors will welcome Deanna to this exciting position which is so essential for the organisation’s future prospects. I’m sure her ability and experience will add even more to what our excellent EEEGR team has already achieved.”
Steeles Law’s employment team would be delighted to welcome you to our next employment law update briefing, which will be held on Thursday 21 March 2013 at St Andrews House, St Andrews Street, Norwich, NR2 4TP, 8.00am (for 8.30am start) to 10.00am.
The briefing will be delivered by qualified and experienced lawyers who specialise exclusively in employment law, with the emphasis on the practical implications of the law for your business. Delegates find these briefings a fantastic opportunity to keep up-to-date with the latest legal developments:
“An excellent update, a must attend for the HR professional. Very good value for money!”
“I find these briefings to be an essential part of keeping up-to-date with varying employment matters. You give real information and practical guidance to take away and apply. Thank you.”
Wide-ranging and radical reforms of employment legislation are due to take place during 2013 and beyond. The briefing will cover essential recent and forthcoming developments in employment law, including the following topics:
Termination of employment: Looking at new plans for pre-termination negotiations and “settlement agreements”, as well as changes to compensation awards for unfair dismissal and a review of some recent cases in this area.
Tribunal rules of procedure: A brief overview of major changes to the tribunal rules taking effect in April 2013 including the introduction later in the year of fees for lodging tribunal claims as well as plans for compulsory pre-claim conciliation.
Redundancy: Outlining changes to the rules on collective redundancy consultation due to take effect in April and some recent cases on redundancy dismissals.
Family-friendly rights: Looking ahead at plans for shared leave as well as extensions to flexible working and parental leave rights.
Working time: Reviewing the latest developments in relation to sickness absence and holiday, and plans for reform of the Working Time Regulations.
Employment status: Considering the impact of recent case law and looking at Government plans for the introduction of a new “employee-shareholder” status from April 2013.
TUPE: Outlining major proposals for reform of the existing TUPE Regulations and key case law developments in this area.
Religion and belief: Looking at recent high-profile decisions from the European Court of Human Rights and considering the potential impact for employers.
We can offer confirmation of attendance for CPD purposes for those delegates who require this.
Booking details
The briefing will start at 8.30am on Thursday 21 March 2013 (breakfast will be served from 8.00am) and will finish at approximately 10.00am, allowing you to attend with minimum disruption to your working day. Parking is available nearby at St Andrews car park.
The cost of the briefing is just £30 plus VAT per person and includes a buffet breakfast, which will be available before the briefing. If you book a place by 4 March 2013, you can book a second place at half price, for just £15 plus VAT.
If you would like to attend please contact Gemma Pendleton, Marketing Manager, with details of delegate name(s), job title, full company name and address, telephone and email contact details, and details of any dietary requirements.