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After being shortlisted for Best Small Business of the Year the Naked Marketing team decided to make an evening of it. All of the team got dolled up in there glad rags and headed to the Royal Norfolk Showground ready to enjoy the glitz and glamour of our first Eastern Daily Press Business Awards.

The EDP Business Awards have been showcasing the very best of Norfolk’s businesses for over 20 years and is regarded highly within the region.

The Small Business of the Year category, sponsored by Norfolk Chamber of Commerce is open to all businesses with an annual turnover of less than £1million and businesses should be able to demonstrate a passion to grow a sustainable business, underpinned by a strong financial performance through strong leadership.

It is fair to say we were thrilled to be a finalist alongside R A Brown Heating Services and Credo Asset Finance. As the evening progressed the team became more and more relaxed fuelled by great food and wine. Whereas I think it is fair to say that as the evening progressed Directors Ben and David became more and more tense as the award category got nearer and nearer.

When Naked Marketing were announced as the winners in this category it is fair to say the whole Naked team were over the moon. Ben and David were delighted to accept the ridiculously heavy trophy from Ian Hacon president of the Norfolk Chamber before a few light hearted questions were fired their way by the evenings compare Stuart White.

After a quick foray back stage to have photographs taken with the sponsors a much more relaxed Ben and David returned to their table in time to enjoy the final award of the evening, overall Best Business of the Year sponsored by Barclays the three finalists due to be announced on the evening.

Their faces were a picture as Naked Marketing was announced as a finalist in this most prestigious of all the categories. Ben and David found themselves on the stage sandwiched between two power houses of Norfolk business in Blue Sky Leisure and Pasta Foods. This award was won by Blue Sky Leisure but for all of team Naked it was just fantastic to be in the spotlight and felt almost as good as winning.

Andrew Thompson & Associates (AT&A) Insurance Brokers has now formally adopted the Alan Boswell Insurance Brokers (ABIB) name. The change follows our acquisition of AT&A in April 2025 and marks the beginning of a more cohesive brand presence for the Ipswich office within one of the UK’s leading independent insurance and financial services groups. 

The move further integrates AT&A’s strong client service proposition into the Group’s multi-faceted offering while retaining the same people, expertise, and local focus that clients already rely on.

Andrew Thompson, who continues to lead the Ipswich operation, said: “Joining Alan Boswell’s last year has strengthened our ability to support clients with greater reach and services. Shifting to the ABIB brand reflects our shared ambition to build on AT&A’s foundations and invest further in the communities we serve. Our clients will see the same familiar faces, supported by the strength and scale of the larger group.”

With over 450 staff and offices across Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Norwich, Peterborough, Boston, and Grimsby, the Group continues to expand its offering across the region. In 2025, Alan Boswell Group was named Insurance Broker of the Year at The British Insurance Awards and Large Business of the Year at the Eastern Daily Press Business Awards. 

The brand will be introduced across client communications, digital channels, the Ipswich office, and Ipswich business community in the coming weeks. Clients will continue to receive the same independent advice and personal service, now backed by the increased market presence and capabilities of the Group. 

Refrigerental’, the brand-new dedicated temperature controlled vehicle rental operation from leading independent vehicle hire company Burnt Tree, made a triumphant debut at this years’ leading industry specific trade show, TCS&D 2013 in Peterborough.

Visitors to the stand were attracted not only by the offer of free ‘Refrigerental’ branded tubs of ice cream but also by the news of the launch by Burnt Tree of its comprehensive range of brand-new, state-of-the-art temperature controlled rental vehicles, ranging from car derived vans and panel vans, right up to 18tonne and 26tonne rigid trucks, covering both single and multi-temperature applications.

Burnt Tree’s Contract Hire Director Mark Howell said, “Following an extensive and detailed market appraisal, we felt that there was a major opportunity for Burnt Tree to expand its vehicle rental business into the temperature controlled market sector. The overwhelmingly positive reaction of visitors to the stand proved that we are on the right road with Refrigerental and we left the 2 day show with substantial new customer interest in our refrigerated vehicle rental business proposition.”

All the refrigerated vans and trucks in the Refrigerental fleet are brand-new 63 plate models, covering vehicle sizes from small vans up to 26tonne rigids, and as Mark Howell explains, “We have carefully chosen a comprehensive range of vehicle types and models to give customers the optimum choice of vehicles covering the majority of temperature controlled applications from chill to heavy chill and deep frozen. Refrigerental vans and trucks are available with a choice of single and multi-temperature refrigeration systems, and each vehicle uniquely features Silent refrigeration kits fitted as standard, making them ideal for typical noise sensitive urban deliveries.”

Since it is going to brighten up this weekend and be nice and warm we thought it might be nice to offer one last chance to get away before the Winter sets in… come and stay with us this weekend for just £50 a room for 2 people sharing! Call us to book before 8pm tonight to get this amazing deal! Call now on 01603 741161 or email enquiries@brookhotel.co.uk Last Minute Cheap Hotel Deal for Norwich Norfolk

There will be lots of special offers and hotel deals available throughout October so keep your eyes on our latest News!

Petans are running a schools competition to design a new livery for our helicopter. We would like an aspiring graphic designer / artist from a local school to give it a fresh new look! In return we are offering the winning student a summer design internship and cash prizes to the schools with the top three entries.

Petans is a registered charity and one of our aims is to invest our time and resources into education and skills. We are undertaking this project to raise awareness amongst school children of the oil and gas and wider energy sector in Norfolk and Suffolk. We feel it is important that local children are aware of what industries are on their doorstep and the opportunities that are available to them for future careers. We would like the competition and internship to provide a platform for an aspiring young graphic designer to develop a portfolio for their future career.

We are inviting selected schools to fill the first 4 places, with the 5th place being offered as part of a competition at “Choose your future” on 28th November at the Norfolk Showground.

We are delighted to announce that from 1 November 2013 Cole & Co Solicitors will join forces with Leathes Prior Solicitors.

This is very exciting for Leathes Prior and by welcoming the Cole & Co team the firm will add strength in depth to its Conveyancing and Private Client teams enabling the firm to offer an improved range of legal services to its clients. For the clients of the former firm of Cole & Co, not only will they know that they are still able to call on the services of those who they have dealt with at Cole & Co over many years, they will also benefit from access to a wider range of services whether through the firm’s Commercial & Corporate, Dispute Resolution, Employment, Family or Corporate Recovery teams.

Leathes Prior will operate from its 3 offices; the existing Cole & Co office in Tombland will house the firm’s centre for the Conveyancing team, the existing Leathes Prior office in Tombland will remain its Commercial & Corporate office and all other teams will operate from Leathes Prior premises in the Cathedral Close.

Mike Barlow Managing Partner of Leathes Prior said:

The Partners and staff of Leathes Prior are very pleased to welcome David Clarke and his team into the fold. I am sure that the clients of our combined firms will very much benefit from this exciting venture which reflects the confidence that the firm has in the strength of the legal sector and the economic outlook for the region.

David Clarke, Partner, formerly of Cole & Co, adds:

I and the staff of Cole & Co are delighted to have joined forces with Leathes Prior. Not only will this further strengthen our highly regarded and successful conveyancing and private client teams, but it will also allow our clients access to Leathes Prior’s renowned expertise in a wide range of legal services. It is a ‘perfect fit’ for both firms.

Our first Christmas Party took place at the weekend and it was a great success! Lots of lovely people, delicious food, a tipple or two and dancing the night away.

We have had really great feedback coming in all weekend which is great!

The next big event with your last chance to get tickets this week is An Evening of Soul & Motown here at BEST WESTERN Brook Hotel, Norwich £25 per person includes 3 course evening meal and an evening of entertainment with live singing from Ady Diamond and DJ sets from Platinum Sounds Friday 6th December from 7pm to Midnight A great opportunity to get together with family, friends and work colleagues for a really great night!

Call the hotel to book on 01603 741161

Norwich-based business telecoms company, Comms Supply, has launched ‘Bid for the Box’: a chance for businesses to take part in an email auction to win the use of a corporate box at Norwich City Football Club for the match on 18 January 2014, when Norwich faces Hull.

Former Norwich City player, and professional boxer, Leon McKenzie will be the winning bidder’s special guest in the box: making it a truly unique prize. All proceeds from the auction – which is open until 4 December – will go to Norfolk charity The Benjamin Foundation.

The ‘Bid for the Box’ auction is the first event in a year-long charity partnership between Comms Supply and The Benjamin Foundation. The EDP Future50 company has pledged to raise at least £5,000 for the charity over the next 12 months, to support its work with children, young people and families.

Recently shortlisted in the EDP Business Awards One to Watch category, Comms Supply launched in early 2012, providing customers across East Anglia – and beyond – with a range of business telecoms services: from basic phone or broadband line rental to complete systems.

Karl Alderton, the managing director of Comms Supply, explained the thinking behind the company’s new relationship with The Benjamin Foundation. “When I launched Comms Supply almost two years ago, I knew I wanted to ensure that we contributed to our community wherever possible. Our team has taken part in various fundraising and community-focused activities over the last 18 months but we’ve now decided to take a more focused approach.

“The whole team sat down together to talk about what type of charity we would like to support and we all wanted to focus on children and young people. When we started to find out more about The Benjamin Foundation, on some level we could all identify with the work it does,” explains Karl.

Whilst The Benjamin Foundation provides a wide range of services across Norfolk, from homeless hostels for young people to affordable childcare, Comms Supply is particularly keen to support the Time4You service. Trained Benjamin Foundation support workers spend one on one time with children and teenagers in schools across the county.

“The Foundation helps young people make sense of really difficult situations and experiences; things like family break-up, bullying or abuse,” continues Karl. “With the support, care and kindness of the charity these young people are able to see a future and begin to be happy again. The average age of the Comms Supply team is only 25 so we can all remember how tough life can be when you’re experiencing hard times as a child: you feel you have no control and don’t really understand why things aren’t right. The Benjamin Foundation works hard to provide every single one of the people who use its services with hope, opportunity, stability and independence and we’re really committed to helping them.”

Over the next year the ten-strong team at Comms Supply will be embarking on a range of fundraising activities: from running marathons to baking cakes.

“We have purchased a corporate box at Norwich City Football club for the rest of this season,” continues Karl Alderton. “We’ll be auctioning this off for the Norwich v Hull game which takes place on 18th January and all the proceeds will go to The Benjamin Foundation. Local businesses, organisations or even groups of friends will be able to bid for the right to take over the box, which has space for 10 guests, and we’ll provide a hot buffet and generous bar tab. This package is worth at least £1300, but what makes it even more special is that Norwich City legend Leon McKenzie will join the party for the match.”

The Benjamin Foundation was founded after the tragic death of Ben Draper who was just 17. His parents, Richard and Vanessa Draper, wanted to celebrate his life in a way that would help other young people.

Richard Draper, founder and chief executive of The Benjamin Foundation, said; “We are so grateful that the team at Comms Supply have selected The Benjamin Foundation as their first ever charity of the year. As a young entrepreneur Karl has achieved a huge amount in the past two years through hard work, determination and tenacity: I know that many of the young people who use our services will find him a real inspiration.”

The online auction for use of the Comms Supply corporate box at Norwich City on 18th January 2014 will open at 8am on Wednesday 20 November 2013 and close at 8pm on Wednesday 4 December 2013. Comms Supply will be asking for bids to start at £400. Full details of the package and auction process can be found at www.commssupply.co.uk.

If you would like to get involved with the Comms Supply’s year of fundraising for The Benjamin Foundation, please visit www.commsupply.co.uk for more information or call Karl Alderton on 0333 2020 900.

For more information about The Benjamin Foundation visit www.benjaminfoundation.co.uk.

Specialised Management Services (SMS Ltd), a leading specialist in hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical control systems, is pleased to announce that they have been awarded Gold for “Delivering Quality Results” by the UK arm of Aker Solutions Subsea Business at their Supplier Performance Awards Dinner and Ceremony.

The event was held on 7th November 2013 at Pittodrie House Hotel in Aberdeenshire and the presentation was made by Aker Solutions Senior Manager for Procurement and Supply Chain in the UK, Robbie Hendry.

SMS was presented with the Gold award based on their continual high standard of customer service, project management, and consistent delivery of product excellence.

Dave Howlett, General Manager at SMS comments “This award is a tremendous recognition for the team at SMS and reinforces this client relationship we have developed over the past eight years.”

Dave continues by saying “This is only possible with the input of every department within the company and I would like to thank the hard working and dedicated employees at SMS. Their ethos extends not just to Aker Solutions but to all clients, thus ensuring we are consistently delivering the message that SMS is focused on safety, quality and customer satisfaction.”

Business leaders from across the region attended the first ever Best Employer, Eastern Region (BEER) Festival at Ickworth Park near Bury St Edmunds last Friday (November 15th). The event was organised by Pure Resourcing Solutions (Pure) specialist recruitment agency and eras ltd providers of psychometric testing and people development solutions.

Chief executives and managing directors were among delegates from Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk attending the unique event, to find out more about how employee engagement can benefit their business and staff, and to share knowledge with their peers.

Fitting in nicely with the festival’s title was one of the keynote speakers, Dr Andy Wood, Chief Executive Officer of Adnams. He revealed some of the company’s secrets to keeping staff involved and motivated. With 91% of the organisation’s staff feeling proud to work for the company and 94% saying they are clear on what is expected of them, delegates were lucky to learn from one of the region’s masters of employee engagement.

From building pride and passion among workers, to promise-keeping, respect and rewarding leadership values such as trust and building self-esteem in others, the head of the 400-strong business gave the audience plenty of food for thought.

Other speakers included Cathy Brown, employee engagement consultant from the Government-funded ‘Engage for Success’ initiative, who talked about the national picture, and Dominic Lowe, Managing Director of Kettle Foods, who spoke about the importance of leadership in inspiring the workforce.

Lynn Walters, Director of Pure, says: “Senior professionals from a diverse range of industries invested their time and ideas in a day at the BEER Festival. It was very rewarding to see senior business leaders under one roof having discussions that could lead to positive changes in our region. We know that businesses with an engaged workforce have 40% less staff turnover than those with lower levels of engagement and produce significantly higher profits. And based on delegates’ feedback and Twitter updates, people found the event genuinely useful and stimulating.”

Margaret Burnside, Director of People Development at eras ltd added “Many delegates felt very inspired and left the festival with plans to make big changes to improve the level of employee engagement. From small but significant changes, such as remembering to say thank you, to implementing employee forums and giving more responsibility to individuals to make changes, it is clear that there are going to be shifts in the way some businesses work as a result of the event.”

Also, a number of delegates took the opportunity to arrange visits to learn more about each other’s employee engagement activities.

In addition, all the proceeds from the event, which amounted to over £3,000, have been donated to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices and The Adnams Charity.

The festival will take place on alternate years and is part of the wider BEER initiative, which includes the survey, awards and year-round seminars. From March 2014 businesses in the region get the chance to take part in a free, confidential ‘Best Employer’ survey, which assesses employees’ views of their companies’ culture and values. The regional survey culminates in a series of seminars and awards in Sept 2014.

To find out more information about the festival and the BEER initiative, contact Anna Hill, Marketing Manager at Pure, on: 01223 209888 or Anna.Hill@prs.uk.com.

Thomson and First Choice announce more flights and attractive flight timings from Norwich International Airport

Thomson and First Choice have today, 26th November announced that they will be offering more choice, attractive flight times and more weekly flights for Norfolk and Suffolk sun seekers flying from Norwich International Airport.

The leading holiday company is continuing its commitment to the airport offering flights to key destinations for Summer 2014 such as Corfu, Dalaman (Turkey), Ibiza, Tunisia, Palma (Majorca) and Tenerife (which operates year round).

The big news for the region though, is that flight times are changing – meaning that customers who want to jet away to sunnier climes can now enjoy even more time in their destination with earlier outbound departures and later inbound flights. For example flights to Corfu for Summer 2014 leave at 06:00 on a Friday morning and return the following Friday at 22:45.

Paul Cooper, Airport Negotiations Manager for Thomson and First Choice, said:

“Bringing these new flight times and additional flights to Norfolk and Suffolk demonstrates our commitment to Norwich International Airport and to Thomson and First Choice customers living in the region. We know that the demand is there and we are delighted to be able to deliver what our customers tell us they want.

“Modernising our operations across the UK is a key part of our overall strategy and this move helps us to create an enhanced holiday experience for our customers.”

Andrew Bell, CEO of Norwich International, said: “We are delighted that Thomson and First Choice will be increasing the number of flights and offering improved flight times for our customers. This decision demonstrates their commitment to the airport and reflects the high level of demand from customers wishing to fly from Norwich”

Thomson offers seven night holidays to Corfu staying at the 5T Atlantica Gran Mediterraneo Resort and Spa Thomson Platinum Resort, on a half board basis from £606 per adult. Price is based on two people sharing a double room and includes flights departing from Norwich International Airport on the 16th May 2014. To find out more about this holiday or to book visit your local Thomson travel shop, thomson.co.uk or call 0871 230 2555.

”Asset Based Broker of the Year 2014”

Norfolk firm, B2B Cashflow Solutions has reached the Business Moneyfacts Awards finals for the 3rd consecutive year!

Having been shortlisted to the final six of the Business Moneyfacts Awards for 2012 and 2013 we are delighted to announce we have again been shortlisted to the final six in the category of ‘Best Asset Based Broker” throughout the UK for the 2014.

Nick, Ian, and I would like to thank all our customers, bank and accountant relationships, financial services organisations, and other professional partners for your support in helping us to achieve our ‘final 6’ status again.

We would also like to congratulate our team, the ‘B2B family’, for your immense contribution to our progress over the past 12 months. We add value together.

A very special thank you to all of you who voted for us during this process, and for the numerous testimonials we received to help take our nomination to the finals at The Lancaster London Hotel on 20th March 2014.

Naturally, as always, competition will be extremely high with most of the finalists being recognised ‘nationals’.

Win or lose, we will continue to build on this recognition to ensure our philosophy of ‘working with You, for You’ is delivered into our business community to help local businesses, our professional partners and their customers, grow with us.

Thanks and regards to all our friends throughout our local business community.