Did you knowthat under current legislation,employers are legally responsible for employees safety whilst driving for work – even if they are using their own car? You could face prosecution and huge fines if an employee is involved in a crash – whether they caused it or not.
Norfolk County Council can help you meet your legal responsibilities. We offer cost effective seminars and workshops for small to medium sized companies in a relaxed, friendly environment. Sessions can betailored to your business needs and we also offer a consultancy service to help youwrite your driving for work policy.
LSI’s Crome Court project was winner of the Design through Innovation Category at the East of England RICS Awards. LSI Partners Trevor Price and David Andrews and Associate Mirja Mainwaring, alongside representatives from UEA, Aecom and Ramboll, collected the Award at the RICS East of England Awards Dinner in Bury St Edmunds on the 6th May. Crome Court was also a runner up in the Infrastructure category and was shortlisted for Project of the Year and will now go through to the National RICS Awards in London later this year, often referred to as the ‘Property Oscars’.
The Judges commented that “Crome Court creates a new focal point within the residential quarter of the campus. It achieves extremely high standards of sustainability and is designed and built to reduce the carbon footprint significantly. Innovation comes through the design enhanced by the application of technology and construction methods.”
Partner Trevor Price said that Crome Court proves it is possible to create a distinctive, attractive and highly sustainable building within a tight budget and programme;”We’re absolutely delighted to have won the Design through Innovation RICS Award category. Crome Court is a great example of how we can design sustainable attractive buildings that are also highly efficient and offer great value for money. The University is delighted that the sustainability standards exceeded the brief, and can look forward to reduced energy and running costs in comparison with other residences.”
Martin Lovatt, Estates Project Manager at UEA commented “There is no doubt that the innovation and design of Crome Court has made a significant contribution to the character and appearance of this section of the campus and the surrounding area.At the beginning of the project, we sat down with LSI and spent an afternoon around the table to ask lots of very quick what if questions, to see what the implications were for the life cycle costing. What we actually found was a sweet spot where the life cycle costing and the capital cost of those materials were in line with each other. Our U value targets became secondary to finding what actually the best value for the building was. We estimated that in that afternoon around the table we saved £750,000…a good afternoon’s work!”
Norse Commercial Services is once again sponsoring Danny Nobbs in his bid to be part of the British Paralympic team going to Rio in September 2016.
Danny, who changed discipline two years ago when his Shot Put category was dropped from the Paralympic programme, is now working his way up the Javelin event ratings.
“Looking back at the 2014 season, it was a steep learning curve,” Danny said. “It was my first full season since switching disciplines to the javelin and I had achieved both personal goals I had set for myself; to claim the British Record, and to be selected for Team GB at the Europeans. A good start, but as with every athlete, you always want more!”
“In April I joined a squad of athletes and coaches at a training camp in Monte Gordo, Portugal, thanks to funding from Norse. They’ve also helped me buy a new Nordic Indra javelin which has been a tremendous help. Until this point, I had always thrown with javelins which I had been given or those provided in the competition, but this new one rivals the best out there.”
Danny says that he has plenty still to work on, and six more IPC-sanctioned events to go before the team is selected for the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, but he’s hoping for a great summer.
He is now 5th place in the world rankings; “Four places lower than I aim to be,” he comments.
Norse Sales Director Geoff Tucker said, “Danny has always been a great ambassador for sport in general, and a real role model for budding Paralympians in particular. We are delighted to be able to support him in his new chosen discipline; everyone at Norse wishes him well and we will keenly be following his progress.”
We are thrilled to announce that the new website for Educating Matters is now live. Tudor Lodge Consultants have been working with Educating Matters since January to develop the new look and feel of their website. Educating Matters was started by Rachel Vecht in 2001 and offers parenting classes and seminars in the home or workplace. Ideal for busy working parents with lots of childen, the lunch-time or after-work sessionsprovide parents with techniques and ways to make the most of their time with their children and help them manage things like homework, sibling rivalry and bullying. The classes have been so popular that Rachel has been asked to speak in major organisations across the UK including Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan.
What we did for Educating Matters
If you look at the images on your right, you will see the difference between the new and old website.We were passionate about bringing more colour to the Educating Matters website and more visual elements. As a result, we workedwith a video production company to created an animated gif which loops every 15 seconds. So as you enter the website, it plays this type of video and you can see exactly the type of thing that Educating Matters offers. For prospective clients, they get an idea of what the company offers immediately and can visualise this taking place in their offices.
So in addition to more colour and visual elements, we created a site that was easier to navigate and is fully responsive on both mobile and tablet too.
We also worked on the Search Engine Optimisation for the website, because this is our speciality. We started by doing thorough keyword research and sitting with the founder Rachel to determine the most target keywords and what we couldrank for such as parenting courses and work life benefit.
So we created individual landing pages which are easily accessible on the header or footer of the website and each has a page filled with relevant content, Youtube videos and images. In addition to the content, we added trust signals to the site including links to the recent news articles, clients, case studies and testimonials. We also incorporated social media buttons on each page and a Google map to show that Educating Matters is a business with a real location.
We look forward tocontinuing to work with Educating Matters to add more contextually relevant content and buildclean and reputable links from authoritative websites.
Having established themselves delivering CIPD and ILM qualifications across East Anglia, Blue Sky Professional Development are pleased to announce their approval to deliver Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) programmes at a new location in Essex.
Kate Woods, Director of Blue Sky, reported that enquiries from HR professionals across East Anglia have steadily increased with much more interest from Suffolk and Essex than in previous years so they have decided to expand their services.
All Blue Sky students benefit from the support of experienced tutors at group workshops and now they will have a choice of attending these and tutorials at either our existing Norwich base or our new venues in Colchester.
Blue Sky are delighted to be delivering CIPD programmes at all levels: Advanced, Intermediate and Foundation from Weston Homes Community Stadium, home of Colchester United FC, and the North Colchester Business Centre. Both these venues are just off the A12 giving easy access to clients traveling from Ipswich, Chelmsford and Southend, as well Colchester itself.
Blue Sky are looking to start their new programmes from Colchester in the Autumn and are running course briefing session for prospective students throughout the summer.
If you would like more information or would like to book onto a briefing session please contact Beth or Kate office@blueskypd.co.uk
We are really pleased to have been involved in the making of this programme on Channel 5. Heat Pumps: Are they really worth it?
The film makers visited our showroom and followed one of our installation teams who completed a retrofit install of an Ariston air source heat pump.
We felt like it was a balanced programme, which covered many of the questions those who want to install an air source heat pump ask.
If you are interested in installing a heat pump, then the episode is available to stream on My5, we recommend taking a look and if you want to talk about your project specifically to give us a call on 01603 898904.
Norse Commercial services recently added the latest all-electric van to its fleet.
The Nissan E- NV200 Acenta Rapid will be used by the company’s Transport Division for collection and delivery within Norwich and surrounding areas.
Norse’s Group Transport Manager John Mellor said; “We already operate a number of electric vehicles in our grounds maintenance department, and this latest technology all-electric van will add to the green credentials of the Norse Fleet. We constantly monitor performance and cost and we plan to use more vehicles of this type in the future, on contracts within the City of Norwich and indeed other suitablelocations in the UK where Norse has a presence.”
According to the manufacturer the vehicle has a distance of 106 miles per charge and can be charged overnight or on a rapid four hour charge at specific sites. It has a Zero Co2 gm/km and a carbon footprint of zero tonnes, compared with a similar diesel van with a Co2 rating of 115 gm/Km and a carbon footprint of 10.65 tonnes.
“Norse is committed to environmental sustainability wherever possible,” John Mellor added, “and the introduction of this latest vehicle to our fleet will make a significant contribution. Going by the Abor Environmental Alliance figures, for each similar vehicle we would have to plant approximately 10 trees, each livingfor forty years, to absorb this level carbon.”
Based on 15,000 miles per annum, the company believes it will realise a minimum cost saving of £2500 over afive-year vehicle life, for this class of all-electrical vehicle.
We are delighted to announce that footballing legend Grant Holt popped by to our Norwich office recently, to meet the team, film some videos and promote all things CPL!
The news comes as Contract Personnel is proud to announce that we will continue our valued partnership with Norwich City Football Club for the 2025–26 season, marking our 10th consecutive year of our involvement with the club.
Grant filmed some videos to help promote the work of CPL, along with answering some calls from our candidates, some light-hearted sketches and then spent time meeting our team and posing for photos.
Make sure you are following Contract Personnel on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram as some of the videos have been released – with more to come!
At Contract Personnel, our goal is the same as it has been for the past 35 years – helping people find rewarding work and helping businesses find the right staff to succeed. Whether you’re a fan looking for your next role or a company looking to grow your team, we’re here to help.
We thank Grant for his time and all at Norwich City Football Club for making this happen.
If you are looking for work, or need help finding staff, speak to the team TODAY!
Steeles Lawis pleased toannounce a trio of staff promotions to Associate level.
Amy Taylor, a Solicitor specialising in wills and probate matters, joined the team in 2012, having qualified locally in 2008.
Gemma Hoskins, Marketing Manager at Steeles, who also leads on business development, similarly joined in 2012 and is the first non-lawyer to achieve the role of Associate.
Lindsey Crockett, a Commercial Solicitor, joined the firm in 2010 as a trainee, successfully working her way up the ranks to Associate level.
Stephen Drake, Managing Director at Steeles Law, commented: “At Steeles, we have always recognised the need to identify and develop talent within the firm. It is an essential tool in growing and evolving the business. Amy, Gemma and Lindsey have proven themselves to be committed members of staff, helping to inject fresh ideas and practices for the good of the wider team. We congratulate them and wish them continued success in their new roles”.
Swarm Apprenticeships and Orbit East are partnering to launch an exciting and unique new youth programme, giving almost 100 young people the chance to gain valuable training and employment opportunities.
Swarm Futures will be working with young people to build up their skills to ultimately provide opportunities through Enterprise Apprenticeships with local companies across Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Ipswich and Lowestoft. This initiative complements other programmes such as Norwich for Jobs.
Orbit East; part of Orbit Group which manages 38,000 homes nationally is estimated to have over 260 of Orbit’s young tenants at risk of not being in education, employment or training. This programme will provide the stepping stone for these people to move into fulfilling careers within the region.
Swarm Futures will involve training workshops and a post training support programme aimed at enhancing the younger generation’s employment, life and enterprise skills and helping them to identify relevant local opportunities. This will increase the chances of their applications being noticed and help them promote themselves well at interview.
Chris Perry, Managing Director of Swarm said, “We are really pleased to be able to work with Orbit East to create this innovative pre-employment support that combines our experience in recruiting apprentices for organisations across the region and our business and enterprise training to give young people a real chance to stand out from the crowd.” He goes on to say
“From my previous professional experience working at the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, I have been able to work with hundreds of employers in regards to investing in young people. During this time it was generally agreed that when recruiting for new employees they might shortlist on the basis of qualifications, but it is attitude, enthusiasm and applicable commercial awareness that gets young people noticed and ultimately a job. This is where I believe this programme will excel, making sure that young people participating in the programme appear on shortlists, confident and ready for interview.”
Sam Scharf, Head of Community Investment said: “We are excited to be working with Swarm, who clearly understand both the needs and desires of young people and of local businesses across the East. This will provide unique opportunities for young people across our communities to work in really meaningful roles, developing enterprise skills in local businesses they probably already know”.
To find out more or come along to the open events then you can find details on our website www.swarmfutures.org.uk
Reedham rail station will receive extra care and attention from community volunteers, as two new station adopters join the existing team.
Local residents, Catherine Ford and Colin Brown, are joining Mike Stoker, Mike Warner and Ann Thompson to help out at Reedham, and, as well as tending the station garden and seeking sponsorship from local business, they have big plans to bring one of the disused station waiting rooms back into use to tell the story of the Norwich – Great Yarmouth line, the first railway in Norfolk.
The team plans to start restoring the old waiting room on the Great Yarmouth / Lowestoft bound platform, which was built in the late Victorian era, later this summer. The room will be painted in LNER heritage colours and will be used to display old photographs, information and memorabilia about the railway line.
In the meantime the newly expanded team will concentrate on keeping the station gardens and car park in pristine condition.
Adopter, Mike Warner, has landscaped the gardens, stocked the leaflet racks with information, kept the station clean and tidy and tended the flowers for the past eight years. He has been assisted by Mike Stoker, who has connections with the station since childhood, for the past four years.
Last year, the adopters installed three bright murals on the disused station buildings depicting scenes of coast and countryside, reflecting the diverse landscape that the line runs through.
The murals, along with flower tubs, landscaping of the station garden areas and the decorating of boarding to look like station windows, create the feeling of a thriving and well-kept station and a pleasant atmosphere for passengers as they wait for trains.
Mike Warner commented, “We are really grateful to everyone who has donated plants which has helped us to create our extensive station gardens. We have a lot of plans for the station and will continue to work with Abellio Greater Anglia to bring about further improvements in the future.”
Plants and hedging have been donated by Broadland District Council, the Humpty Dumpty Brewery, Pettits Animal Adventure Park and NENTA Train Tours.
Abellio Greater Anglia’s Area Customer Service Manager, James Reeve, said, “I’d like to welcome the new team members at Reedham. The station continues to go from strength to strength thanks to this huge community effort and we are very grateful for all their hard work and creative ideas that have transformed the station.”
The ‘Adopt a Station’ scheme started in 2003 and enables individuals or groups to adopt their local railway station and contribute to its presentation and welfare for the benefit of the local community.
The voluntary scheme was originally created to improve lines of communication between the train operator and station users however, over the years it has grown to become much more, with station adopters now playing an active role in keeping stations looking good through inventive gardening projects, creative community art projects, taking part in station ‘health checks’ or being the eyes and ears of their station.
Over the years, station adopters have also played a key role in raising money for new initiatives, such as improved waiting facilities or planting beautiful station gardens.
Abellio Greater Anglia now has over 183 adopters at over 90 stations across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
With over five and a half million lamp posts currently in operation across the UK, modern and old alike, ensuring their integrity and safety is paramount. Local councils and housing authorities can be all too aware of the expense of replacing corroded lamp posts and the complaints that come with public lighting being out of action. In addition, corroded lamp posts can cause accidents if they become unstable. The ability to locate defects early and easily can increase the chances of repair, hence saving tax-payer money and enables consistent working street lighting which can improve road safety within communities along with the further benefits of reducing crime and create a more pleasant environment, in turn promoting security and well-being.
Lighting columns are most susceptible to corrosion at and slightly below ground level; water, road salt, other chlorides and oxygen from the air combine to make it a highly corrosive area and in such a limited space, testing can be difficult and often results in excavation. In fact, difficulties in accessing steel tubing in restricted areas can be true of many industries, such as the pipework and risers through bulkheads and deck plates on board ships or in offshore installations for example. A system deployable from the ground level can enable detection of these hard to reach areas therefore reducing downtimes of equipment and staff alike.
Our rugged and compact ColcheK can do just that. Using the normal access door of a lamp post, the probe is able to scan the critical area and give an instant reading of the percentage loss of wall thickness directly on to the meter, from 5% loss to a depth of up to 1 meter underground in fact. With the Isle of Mann TT (IOMTT) motorcycle races looming, in May our client, Douglas Borough Council, knew that the lighting columns in and around the course needed to be investigated thoroughly to ensure the safety of everyone attending and our in-house manufactured units would be able to quickly give them the information they required. As TVC are sponsoring young racer James Cowton at the IOMTT this year, it seemed to be the perfect time to combine our working relationships with the exciting build up to the bike’s arrival and the start of the event, along with seeing the ColcheK in action.
After days of testing and safety procedures on the part of the council and the TT itself being set up, it was time for the action to begin and what an exciting IOMTT it was this year! From Michael Dunlop switching from Milwaukee Yamaha to BMW during practices to John McGuiness storming to victory in the TT Senior race and earning his 23rd TT win. Team Mugen dominated the Zero bike race with John McGuiness taking the team to victory but the elusive 120mph record remains – with 119mph registered this year, it’s likely we will see Team Mugen next year as they attempt to set the 120mph record.
Our sponsored rider, James Cowton, had a good TT overall. James had stepped in for Team PRB Racing, headed by racer Rob Barber and his father, as Rob suffered a significant collar bone injury in May this year. James qualified for and competed in the Superbike, Supersport (Race 1 & 2), Lightweight and Senior races. He finished in the top half of the table for each one, racking up speeds of up to 123mph and with an outstanding performance in the Lightweight race in which he finished in 4th place, we can guarantee that this is one youngster to watch in the future.