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Britain’s last fire extinguisher manufacturer has signed a major export deal with India – as other fire companies import from there and China.

Britannia Fire is now exporting its pioneering service-free P50 – the first non-metal extinguisher made from the same material as bulletproof vests – to India’s leading fire safety company for distribution across India.

It has already shipped 4000 units as part of a five-year deal worth more than £1million, giving New Delhi-based Aska International exclusive rights to the award-winning P50.

Britannia Fire general manager Andy Spence said: “”When every other fire extinguisher manufacturer is importing from India and China, it feels good to be doing it the other way and flying the flag for quality British-made products and innovation in these countries.”

India joins a list of more than 10 other countries the Norfolk-based company has export deals with for its 100 per cent recyclable extinguisher, which has a 20-year lifespan and a 10-year guarantee.

Its export agreement with Dubai was signed at Britannia Fire’s House of Commons reception for blue chip companies and fire and rescue authorities in March.

Its portfolio of metal fire extinguishers, also made at its Ashwellthorpe factory, where more than 30 people are employed, all over the world, including Japan, Nigeria, Oman and Kuwait.

Aska Equipment, India’s largest manufacturer of fire extinguishing products and a pioneer in the field of specialised fire safety systems and disaster management products, was attracted to the P50 because of its innovation, Mr Spence said.

“It is multi-use as well as super-efficient so there is just the need for one extinguisher, eliminating decision paralysis in the face of a fire about which of the different fire extinguishers to use. Just grab the P50.”

Mr Spence met Aska, a market leader in Disaster Management, in Dubai in January 2014 at the Intersec exhibition.

“Aska is a family business that has been going for many years and very attracted by innovation. They visited our factory and we are visiting them and will be exhibiting with them in October.”

The first 40ft container of 4000 units has already left the Ashwellthorpe factory and will double the number of units every year.

The ‘green’ P50 doesn’t require the costly annual servicing of traditional extinguishers – just a simple in-house three-step check, offering significant cost savings to companies, he said.

It has attracted the endorsement of the government’s former chief fire and rescue adviser Sir Ken Knight, who praised it for offering significant savings for British industry” by taking costs out of maintenance while maintaining all the “effectiveness of portable fire fighting.”

The P50 needs refilling every 10 years rather than five and takes out costs of servicing, spares, and replacements.

Developed by Norfolk businessman and inventor Roger Carr, managing director of Britannia Fire, the P50 has already been installed for multi-site organisations, including Thames Valley Police, Anglian Water and university campuses across the country, offering huge annual savings.

Britannia Fire is in talks with major blue chip companies and household names across the country after hosting a reception at the House of Commons. Supermarket chains the size of Sainsbury’s would save about £6m over 10 years by swapping traditional metal extinguishers for the P50 in all branches, Mr Spence said.

The company has just launched a new F-class fat fire version of the P50 for restaurant kitchens, fish and chip shops and fast-food outlets.

It plans to launch its 4kg and 2kg versions in early autumn

Flomotion Studio launch a new range of creative height adjustable sit-stand desks that offer a healthier way of working.

Launch: Thursday 17th March 2016 from 5.30 – 7.30pm St Andrews House (City College Building, opposite Bridewell Alley) St Andrews Street,Norwich,NR2 4TP

Heavily involved in the new start up family business and helping to deliver the message on sit-stand working, is a young entrepreneur and product designer from Norwich.

Amber Sayers, who shares an open plan studio space in the Norwich Lanes, helped form the company Flomotion Studio last year with her parents, Bev Grice and Floyd Sayers. She has joint responsibility for design, and research and development within the business. A year spent designing a sit-stand desk for her final year A-level project, researching the office environment and the serious health issues surrounding a sedentary way of working, combined with her parents sourcing the right frame supplier, meant everything fell into place – it was the perfect timing for them to start the business.

Amber Sayers from Flomotion ‘I see this a great opportunity to design new products and work with exciting new materials on something that has such a positive benefit for users. I’m very interested in design and creative business enterprise and as a fledgling entrepreneur want to run my own business one day. I have been offered a place to study industrial design and technology at Brunel in September, but could put this back a year, depending on how the business develops.’

The recommendation is that if you work at a desk you should alternate from a sitting to standing position regularly and spend a minimum of two hours on your feet at work, building up to an ideal four hours – movement throughout the day is key! Today, the average office worker sits for about 10 hours. Medical researchers have long warned thatprolonged sitting is dangerous,associated with a significantly higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and depression, as well as muscle and joint problems.

Flomotion are on a mission to help get Norfolk businesses moving. Height adjustable, sit-stand desks can play an important part in improving your health and well-being at work and their desks are as ergonomic, creative and flexible as they are functional and stylish. At the press of a button you can adjust your Flomotion desk in seconds, to the optimum working height for you, it couldn’t be easier.

As part of their commitment to customers, they provide lots of support and relevant information to help get them moving, including a free app as a reminder to stand, online stretching and exercise videos to do at your desk as well as a printed wall poster and downloadable info-graphics.

Trial a Flomotion sit-stand desk and experience the power of movement for yourself. Sign up for a free trial today. Or attend the launch event on Thursday 17th March and enter into the prize drawer to win a frame for your workspace.

This was my first year attending Nor(Dev)con: and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. The conference was held across three days, with the first day being full of workshops and the final two days hosting talks and presentations from a variety of speakers.

Nor(Dev)con: was set up a little differently this year, with the inclusion of more business sessions and talks which were brought in by popular demand, as well as tech sessions and talks and I think that it worked very well. There was a wide variety of sessions to go to and the majority of them were very engaging and interesting.

My favourite talk by far was presented by Dom Davis who talked about “Fake it until you make it” and gave a very engaging and well planned out presentation. He talked a little about ‘imposter syndrome’, which is where you feel like you are in imposter in a situation you are in and then went on to talk about people’s perceptions of other people and how one person may perceive him to be a confident speaker with excellent presentation skills, but in reality he perceives himself to be an anxious public speaker who must plan out and rehearse his presentation so that nothing is left to chance. He proved his point when he used voice commands to enable an assistance system in a game, but then explained that it was all staged for effect to give a better presentation and to leave nothing to chance. Faking it, until he made it.

The tech talks were brilliant throughout the day, with lots of tips and insights into the world of technology, but I also thoroughly enjoyed the inclusion of business talks as well. I went to a session that was run by Matthew Draycott and he covered the topic of building a ‘Growth Business’. I thought that this was a great session because it gave a lot of insight into the world of business, how you might wish to grow your business and the strategies you can use to build a long-term, successful business. It covered things that I wouldn’t have thought of myself and gave me useful tips for the future if one day I decide to start my own business.

Nor(Dev)con: 2016 was the most successful conference so far, with over 400 people turning up on Friday and around 250 people on Saturday. No small feat at all, but what I really liked was the wide variation in age groups that came along to both days of the conference. We saw people ranging in age from high-school students to those who have been running their own businesses for a long time and who were experts in their field. It was great to see a crowd of tech and business enthusiasts coming together at the many sessions that the conference had to offer.

Being my first ever conference, I am greatly looking forward to Nor(Dev)con: 2017 and am sure that it will be just as good, if not better, than this year’s.

For more information on the Nor(Dev)con: lineup, as well as information on all of the speakers, go to https://www.nordevcon.com/

by Lewis Leeds

A business that grew out of research laboratories at Norwich’s world-renowned John Innes Centre, has become a global force in the battle against infectious diseases and cancer.

Inspiralis supplies vital products and services to businesses and academics working at the forefront of drug discovery and antibiotic development. It is one of a number of innovative new businesses that have prospered within the supportive environment of the Norwich Research Park.

Founded in 2008 to service the needs of professionals working in specialist areas of biochemistry, Inspiralis’ customer base spans the globe – and it is widely recognised as the number one topoisomerase company in the world.

“A key element of our business is to supply the necessary tools and materials to develop and screen novel anti-infective and anti-cancer compounds,” said founder director Dr Nicolas Burton.

“The overseas demand for our services from research groups working in the pharmaceutical industry and academia around the world is so great that today 90% of our products are exported.”

Inspiralis has continued to go from strength to strength, recently expanding into new premises at the Innovation Centre.

Dr Sally Ann Forsyth, chief executive officer at Norwich Research Park said:

“Norwich Research Park provides a great environment for start-up science based businesses. The flexible accommodation and offer of shared equipment makes it the ideal location for companies, particularly at the early stages of their development when access to affordable scientific facilities and free business support is so important to their growth.”

“We provide the necessary tools and materials to develop and screen novel anti-infective and anti-cancer compounds,” said Dr Burton. “We supply enzymes such as topoisomerases (that regulate the overwinding or underwinding of DNA) and ligases (that act as catalysts in chemical reactions in which molecules are linked together). Also plasmids (DNAs capable of independent replication) and other DNA- and RNA-modifying proteins. We also provide substrates and kits for analysis, along with the enzymes from a range of organisms and a variety of mutants.”

Inspiralis developed from the John Innes Centre laboratory of Professor Tony Maxwell – a world leader in the field of topoisomerase research.

It still maintains strong links with Professor Maxwell’s lab, including sponsoring a student there. It also sponsors students within the school of biological sciences at the University of East Anglia.

“We have made good use of the greater space and enhanced office facilities created by the move into our own premises, expanding our supply of high-quality research products and screening services worldwide,” he said.

The founding directors are Tony Maxwell, Nicolas Burton and Alison Howells. They were joined by Tony Blake in 2010. Investors include Iceni Seedcorn Fund and Plant Bioscience Ltd represented on the board by Dr Martin Stocks.

Picture Caption: L-R Dr Sally Ann Forsyth, Chief Executive Officer Norwich Research Park with Inspiralis directors Alison Howells and Dr Nicolas Burton.

We are proud to announce that we have successfully placed our 200th Scion into employment, a major milestone for our award-winning Scion Scheme. Launched in 2017 to address a shortage of technical talent, the Scion Scheme has become a cornerstone of our commitment to promoting opportunity and social mobility within the tech sector. 

Earlier this year, Netmatters was honoured to receive a King’s Award for Enterprise for Promoting Opportunity 2025, formally hosting the ceremony last month.  As one of only 197 organisations nationally to achieve this prestigious recognition, the King’s Award celebrates our dedication to helping individuals access meaningful careers, especially those who may have faced barriers entering the industry. 

James, our Managing Director, reflects on this milestone: 

“We are delighted to have achieved our 200th successful placement of a Scion. Hearing stories of how lives have been changed through this program makes us very proud and motivated to take this further.” 

The Scion Scheme was developed to bridge a significant skills gap in the East of England and create an accessible pathway into tech for individuals who might not otherwise have the opportunity. The scheme targets those who are unemployed, long-term unemployed, or from low-income backgrounds. Scions undergo a comprehensive training program combining hands-on software development experience with theoretical learning and soft skills development. Graduates are then supported in securing suitable roles, ensuring that training translates into meaningful employment. 

Kayleigh Hall celebrates the milestone, saying: 

“Reaching 200 individuals in employment is an incredible milestone for everyone involved in the course. Helping people move into careers they’re passionate about, rather than just jobs, is truly inspiring. Here’s to the next 200!” 

A Transformative Achievement 

Reaching 200 placements underscores the success of a program that prioritises not just skill development, but life-changing opportunity. Each Scion represents a story of confidence gained, potential realised, and barriers overcome. 

At Netmatters, we remain committed to expanding the reach of the Scion Scheme, nurturing talent, and opening doors to careers that make a genuine difference. With 200 Scions now successfully placed, the journey continues—transforming lives and inspiring others to follow in the footsteps of our graduates. 

“Why am I sharing the most valuable skill I’ve learned in Sales & Marketing?”

By Nial Adams, The PUSH Academy

Back in 1999 I started to learn something that would prove to be the most important business skill I now possess.

In fact, it’s just about the most important thing I’ve learned, ever…

Ethical Influence and the Power of Persuasion.

Why?

Because it underpins all aspects of Sales & Marketing, it’s the juice that drives the results you’re looking for.

And yet it’s a subject that so many people have never really been exposed to, or learned how to use effectively.

My own Mentor explained to me like this –

“Nial, when you get this, really get this, at a deep and emotional level there is only one question left… your integrity.”

I’ll be honest, at that time I didn’t really get it, or at least I didn’t really understand just how important this knowledge was to become to me.

Today it represents a huge part of my skill and experience, it helps my clients and I’m proud of the reputation I’ve gained as a result.

If you’ve ever attended any of my Seminars or Training Events you’ll know that I’m often referencing the work of Prof Robert Cialdini and his seminal work on Influence and Persuasion.

Learning this stuff completely changed my approach to marketing and selling. The results were instant and have been long-lasting.

Lots of people have asked me when am I going to run an event that really gets into this topic and, most of all, how it can be used; effectively and ethically.

Well, it’s here…

Next month I’ll be running the first seminar event on Influential Sales & Marketing. And honestly, I’ve not been this excited for some time!

Ashley, I want you to be there to find out what all the fuss is about and how this can change your results too.

I’m going to lift the lid on this topic and share with you exactly how this works and why.

Of course, seats are going to be strictly limited and it’s going to be a ‘sell-out’ event for sure. But then you’d expect me to say that, right? 😉

So if you’re looking for that elusive gold-dust that makes the magic happen…

I really want you to join me on the 7th July, in Norwich. And I promise you it will be worth it!

There’s an Early Bird Offer live now and by claiming your Enterprise Training Credits you can save up to 75% on the Standard Ticket price and bring a guest with you for free.

So if you’re interested, or even mildly curious, then check out the link below where you’ll get all the information you need and grab your sponsored seat(s) now.

I hope to see you there, you can book here.

Nial

PS. And like everything I do there’s a 100% Money-Back Guarantee on this event; so the only way you can lose out is by not attending!

PPS. If you can think of anyone else that would find this valuable please accept my invitation to share this message.

SEO isn’t magic—it’s strategy, and we’ve got a formula that works! We recently worked with a well-known holiday lodge company that wanted to boost their visibility online. The goal? Get their website ranking on Page 1 of Google for the keywords their customers were searching for.

🔑 Our Strategy:

– Keyword Research: We identified the search terms their target audience was actually using to find holiday lodges.

– On-Page Optimisation: We fine-tuned their website content to match those keywords seamlessly (without keyword stuffing).

– Technical SEO: From improving site speed to fixing backend issues, we made their website Google-friendly.

– Off-Page SEO: We built high-quality backlinks to boost their authority and trustworthiness in the eyes of search engines.

🚀 The Results?

They’re now on Page 1 of Google for 6 competitive keywords, bringing in targeted traffic and potential customers directly to their site.

💡 Want to see results like this for your business?

Our proven SEO strategies are designed to help businesses just like yours get found online. If you’re ready to stop being invisible and start driving real results, DM us or visit our website today.

Let’s make your business the go-to in your industry!

https://smashmarketing.co.uk/affordable-monthly-seo/

KLM UK Engineering have been supporting UTCN students with a core project as part of their year 12 studies. The project is designed to introduce students to industry and solving problems in a business environment. The winning team visited KLMUKE and presented its findings to the senior management team & had a tour of the facilities. The winning team ‘Crash Bang Wallop’ – Will Porter, Willow Woodmin, Brandon Jeakings and Ben Allen, are pictured below with Arjan Meijer, Luke Frost and their tutor Max Molenaar.

As part of our quest to develop enterprise across the region, Swarm is pleased to launch new bite sized workshops across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex which aredesigned to introduce employeesinto developing enterprising attitudes in the workplace and learning to measure their own impact across the business.

Developed by Swarm Enterprise in conjunction with leading business author and entrepreneur Robert Ashton,the aim of the day is to enable each delegates to look for more ways to they can deliver impact that can influence the growth of both the organisation and their own careers.

Chris Perry Swarm Group Managing director comments ” many of our business who have had a Swarm Enterprise apprentice have asked if we could do something for their existing staff as there is a real need for making employees more accountable inmeasuring the impact they have on the bottom line and becoming more entrepreneurial in the way they work. This one day taster session helps those who may not have the time to dedicate to a longer course but wantto understand how they can start to develop the enterprisingskills and attitude tomaximise their futureimpact and career”.

The workshops will be delivered by leading business author Robert Ashton and in conjunction with Carl Long ,Swarm Enterprise Trainer.

For more information on the workshop click here.https://norfolkchamber.co.uk/events/member-training/new-one-day-workshop-developing-enterprising-attitudes

Ends

Today (Tuesday 8 March) is International Women’s Day, a chance to not only celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women worldwide but also to support this year’s theme by pledging to play a part in reducing gender inequality.

Organisations are being asked to make a #PledgeForParity in which they commit to helping achieve gender parity more quickly. This could be through helping women and girls achieve their ambitions, calling for gender-balanced leadership, respecting and valuing differences, developing more inclusive and flexible cultures or rooting out workplace bias. The theme has been chosen in response to findings from the World Economic Forum which has predicted that it will currently take another 117 years for the gender gap to close entirely, if more is not done to address the issue.

How can Pure help businesses make a #PledgeForParity?

Here at Pure we are strong advocates of achieving gender equality in the work place. This is because evidence shows that organisations with an equal gender balance at senior levels have a more collaborative and creative approach to problem solving, make better decisions, and are more considerate on how business issues will impact on their people, as well as the bottom line.

We’ve already worked with People & Performance to create our Women’s Leadership Programme. This has been designed specifically for women to develop their authentic leadership skills and for organisations to create a balanced talent pipeline, with the ultimate aim of achieving inclusive leadership at Executive or Board level.

Our aim is to inspire organisations to create rewarding work environments where any barriers to progression are removed and everyone is able to work in a way that makes them feel productive and engaged. Because this programme has a dual approach of developing both participants and their organisations, it will actively help to address the following three key gender parity accelerators identified in ‘Women. Fast Forward: The time for gender parity is now’ report:

Illuminate the path to leadership by making career opportunities more visible to women Speed up culture change with progressive corporate policy, such as paternity leave and flexible working Build supportive environments and work to eliminate conscious and unconscious bias

We are about to launch the second intake for 2016 of this successful programme with courses due to start in April. It is the ideal way for organisations make a #PledgeForParity this International Women’s Day. It is not only a commitment to helping aspiring female professionals to develop their careers and become more effective leaders, but also to developing a more inclusive culture in the organisation by actively mentoring delegates.

If you are interest in taking part as a delegate or sponsor, please contact Lucy Plumb on lucy.plumb@prs.uk.com or visit our Women in Leadership page for more information.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” – Captain Kirk, Wrath of Khan 1982.

From a Norfolk Developers, Naked Element and a personal point of view NorDevCon 2016 was a huge success. We had the largest number of attendees we’ve ever had by a significant margin. The Thursday workshops attracted a total of about thirty people, Friday saw over 400 and there were about 250 on Saturday. Surely the best of times.

In his presentation, “Silicon Broad: Bridges not Valleys” Jon Bradford, former MD of TechStars, said that nor(DEV):con needed to move to a new, larger venue and be 800 people next year. It’s true that in terms of numbers nor(DEV):con has come a long way from the 160 people who attended its first incarnation, SyncConf.

Our current venue is almost certainly the only option for the five track conference format we use. However, with 400 people in the main auditorium the sponsors and lunch area gets a little tight. The other four rooms we use have capacities of 120, 100, 40 and 18. When you take an average that’s 80 people in each room. Immediately it’s obvious that an even distribution of people wouldn’t work. Of course, people don’t usually distribute themselves evenly. It’s difficult to know which sessions are going to be the most popular, so knowing where to put which speakers is difficult and ultimately, we get it wrong sometimes.

While it’s fantastic that the conference is so popular, there are times when delegates can’t get to see the speakers they want because a room is full and almost every time there’s another room with only a handful of people in it. The worst of times.

So what to do about it? There are a number of options.

I’ve already identified that another venue isn’t really an option.

We could ask people to specify which sessions they would like to attend in advance and place the speakers accordingly. This would take quite a bit more organisation and is difficult as the programme is often changing right up until the day.

We could restrict the number of people on any one day to about 350, that would go some way towards relieving the overcrowding.

We’ve spent a long time scaling vertically (increasing the number of people on one day). We could consider scaling horizontally (more days, with less people each day) and perhaps dropping the smallest conference room. The issue with this is people having to spend more time away from work, which, given the eco system of small companies in Norfolk, isn’t likely to be popular.

This is usually where I would present the ideal solution, drawn from a consideration of all the options. However, this is one of those problems which requires a lot more thought and discussion with experienced individuals. The discussions and head scratching continue.

Words: Paul Grenyer