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TaxAssist holds bespoke event to engage and support the staff of franchisees

Knowing that happy staff who feel engaged and supported are key to the success of a practice, TaxAssist Accountants recently held its first staff regional meeting at Hampton Manor Hotel in Solihull. This event was delivered by Senior Managers Richard Washington, Richard Chatten-Hague and Jo Nockels on the back of the recent franchisee regional meetings with similar content but tailored specifically for staff.

Richard Chatten-Hague, Senior Business Development Manager, said: “It was great to be a part of this productive and enjoyable, inaugural event.

“We know how vital a role staff play in the running of a practice, and so we felt it was important to hold a bespoke meeting to showcase the vast support on offer, keep them up to date with technical and business development initiatives and to provide them with a platform for views and ideas.

“We are hopeful that holding events such as these will help with staff engagement, development and retention. We received excellent feedback from all who attended, and we will be looking to hold this event again next year.”

TaxAssist takes its commitment to staff development very seriously and runs a two-year diploma course for senior practice staff designed to nurture management and leadership skills. It also produces regular webinars and business development, technical and software training days for staff to attend.

Many franchisees in the network are also recognised as ICAEW accredited trainers, helping to attract and retain talented individuals by offering the ACA qualification.

A list of current staff vacancies can be found here.  

East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) is very excited to invite you to the inaugural EACH Gala Dinner at the Natural History Museum on Wednesday, 30th November 2016.

The dinner will be hosted by EACH and Sir Martyn Lewis and will take place in the beautiful setting of the Hintze Hall at the heart of the Natural History Museum. It will be attended by more than 350 guests from East Anglia, London and around the world, including many of our supporters, a number of our ambassadors and patrons, and a host of celebrity guests and will include a surprise performance Ed Sheeran and will attract global press coverage.

EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. Our family centred approach includes specialist nursing care, symptom management support, short breaks, wellbeing activities, therapies and counselling; all meeting the individual needs of the child, young person and family. Due to high demand and restricted facilities in Norfolk, we have launched a fundraising appeal to deliver a new purpose-built hospice, called .

Since its launch in November 2014, supported by our Royal Patron, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, has secured £3.5 million with a further £6.5 million needed to make this much-needed facility a reality. We hope the Gala Dinner will bring in £500,000 for . We rely on donations for the majority of income, with your help we can transform the lives of children, young people and families. Your support is vital.

We have a variety of sponsorship, advertisement and table packages that can be tailored to what you need including using the your logo and advert in the EACH Gala Dinner brochure and on our website.

If you are interested please contact sophie.mayes@each.org.uk or call 01953 666768.

On Friday 20 June, Fendercare Marine opened the doors of its Great Yarmouth base to showcase its expansion of lifting products and services over the last two years.

The Fendercare Marine Equipment and Lifting Services Open Day was attended by a wide array of existing and new customers, as well as members of the local Great Yarmouth community. The guests were treated to displays of marine equipment products, lifting equipment, rope splicing demonstrations, working at height equipment and load monitoring. During the day, Fendercare Marine MD, Eric Plane, presented a donation cheque to the RNLI which was followed by a rescue demonstration from the Gorleston RNLI team.

Fendercare Marine Equipment and Lifting Services, based on Breydon Road, Great Yarmouth first opened in July 2012 to provide shoreside support to the wind farm vessels. Since then it has doubled its warehouse capability to offer onshore crane inspection and testing; mechanical and electrical lifting equipment; hydraulic equipment and winches; lifting tackle and load/stress monitoring equipment with many products available for sale or hire. These products and services are available to the renewable industry, the offshore oil and gas sector together with onshore industrial sectors, creating a truly unique and versatile energy and lifting support base. As part of the expansion, Fendercare Marine also sublet new office space and provided a specially made Inspection Warehouse for their technician teams to Viking Life-Saving Equipment Ltd – a market leader in maritime and fire safety.

Fendercare Marine Equipment and Lifting Services Sales Manager, Richard Howes commented “We are delighted to have welcomed so many people to our Open Day. Our guests were surprised by the sheer volume and scope of products and services we can offer and it has been a great opportunity to showcase everything we can do. We are proud to have an extremely knowledgeable team of technical experts and today was also about sharing this professional expertise with our customers.”

East Anglian business Alan Boswell Group has announced that it raised more than £6,000 in one weekend for Big C thanks an ongoing relationship with the Norfolk Province of Freemasons – and its employees’ participation in a wide range of fundraising events.

On Friday 23rd September a cheque for £1,625 was presented to Big C following a fundraising initiative by the Norfolk Province of Freemasons, which saw their members pay to park at Alan Boswell Group’s head office during Norwich City FC home games.

The idea was spearheaded by Robert Price MBE on behalf of the Freemasons, who has been managing the initiative for more than six years.

“The relationship began in 2010, when The Grand Lodge of England granted us the opportunity to raise funds for our chosen charities,” Robert explains. “A chance conversation revealed that Alan was open to using the car park on match days to raise money and it went from there.

“This season our beneficiary is Alan Boswell’s Charity of the Year, Big-C. We’re thrilled to make a donation to a local cause and would like to thank Alan Boswell Group for its generosity.”

Says Big C Director of Income Generation and Communications, Clive Evans: “We’re grateful to Alan Boswell Group and the Freemasons for their support. Working with other organisations is a great way to maximise everyone’s efforts and drive extra interest, ensuring Big C can continue to provide support in the future as well as today.”

Alan Boswell Group Marketing Manager Lee Boswell further comments: “The generous donation from the Freemasons was received at the beginning of a bumper weekend of fundraising activity and we’re delighted to have an ongoing relationship with the organisation.

“Every member of staff at Alan Boswell Group has been challenged to raise £100 for charity this year, and over the course of the weekend our employees raised a further £6,000 by taking part in the Bullards Tour de Norfolk bike ride and huge charity raffle. We’re grateful to our relationships with local organisations – and everyone that’s helped us to maximise our efforts.”

If you would like to donate to Alan Boswell Group’s fundraising efforts visit https://abg.bz/ABGCotY

Leeway is taking part in Big Give’s Women and Girls match
fund campaign, and we need your support!

From the 8^th-15^th October, we are
taking part in Big Give’s annual crowdfunding campaign to raise money to
support the important work of Leeway’s Healthy Relationship service.

During this time, all money raised by supporters will be
doubled by Big Give, helping participating organisations to have an even
greater impact across their local communities.

We are raising money to support our Healthy Relationship
service, which works with children and young people across Norfolk, raising
awareness around domestic abuse and healthy relationships so they can flourish.

Your support will help us to reach more young people across
Norfolk, as well as expanding the resources that we are able to provide to
young people and professionals that work with them.

Why is this important?

We believe education around healthy relationships is
important as it helps to break the cycle of domestic abuse, supporting young
people to understand what they should expect as they start to form new
relationships, as well as identifying trusted adults they can reach out to for
support, when they are worried or concerned about their partners behaviour.

Our service also works with young people to challenge some
of the attitudes and views that they may see on social media, which can shape
their opinions on what constitutes a healthy relationship.

Research conducted by the Independent found that 8 in 10
teenage boys had watched content by the influencer Andrew Tate, who has
described himself as “absolutely a misogynist.”

Further studies have shown that young people – particularly
boys – have been heavily influenced by Tate’s content. Without being
challenged, these views can become normalised or deemed acceptable.

GirlGuiding UK also shone a light on this issue, with their
recent study showing that 1 in 10 girls aged 11-16 have missed school to avoid
sexual harassment.

We believe that educating young people and challenging
misogynistic views can help them to have a better understanding around healthy
relationships and why they are important.

Supporting Our Campaign

When the campaign goes live at midday on Wednesday 8^th
October, you can donate to support us on our Big Give page. This is then live
until midday on Wednesday 15^th October, when all funds raised are
doubled by Big Give.

Businesses and organisations can also support the campaign
by donating to our Big Give page.

Leeway will be sharing social media posts about the
campaign throughout the week and any shares or reposts are hugely appreciated,
helping us to get as much support as possible!

What our service users said…

“My leeway worker was
absolutely amazing from the first time I met her. She has helped me through the
no doubt toughest time of my life and was by my side through out all of it, she
is the kindest person I know thank you Leeway I would not be where I am today
without you.”

“My Leeway worker was
extremely understanding and helped me through my issues in relationships and
learning how to be more healthy.”

“My leeway worker was
excellent, she tailored the sessions to my needs and together we managed to
find all of the keys problems I was having and why I was having them. She was
also very engaging and helped me to understand why the problems were present too.” 

Students from across Norfolk and Suffolk will be given the opportunity to speak directly with employers and education and training providers regarding their future career options, apprenticeships and training courses at an event focussed on bridging the skills gap within the expanding and exciting energy industry later this month.

Taking place on Wednesday 27th November in the new £11.4m Energy Skills Centre at East Coast College, Skills for Energy 2019 aims to inspire ambition and aspiration in the next generation of energy professionals with interactive STEM-based activities including virtual reality experiences, robot and ROV control, nautical chart treasure hunt, engine building and weld testing.

Gemma Head, Skills for Energy Programme Manager at EEEGR, said: “This event is now in its fourth year and each year, it has gained greater interest from industry exhibitors and students alike. We are really pleased to be able to host this event again within the region, highlighting the scale of the opportunities which lay ahead for the next generation of energy industry employees”

Sponsored by OPITO, the global skills organisation for the energy industry, and supported by the ECITB, the Skills for Energy event is just one of the elements of the East of England Energy Group’s (EEEGR) Skills for Energy Programme which aims to ensure the ongoing diversity and volume of skilled individuals for the current and future wellbeing of the energy sector. Working closely with industry as well as education and training providers, Skills for Energy helps individuals and companies benefit from the many opportunities the unique and varied energy sector in the East of England offers.

Jill Glennie, External Affairs Director at OPITO said: “The energy industry continues to develop and progress at pace using new technology and innovation to enhance delivery; introducing new roles and ways of working. The industry requires a multi-skilled, technology-enabled workforce to continue to drive the digital agenda.

“OPITO is proud to sponsor and support EEEGR and the Skills for Energy programme. The annual event provides a fantastic schedule of activities, bringing the energy sector to life for attendees who will gain a clearer picture of the opportunities our sector holds for them.”

With over 450 secondary school and higher education students set to attend and more than 30 companies exhibiting including ScottishPower Renewables, EDF Energy, 3sun Group, James Fisher Marine Services, UEA, OPITO, Gardline, Orsted, ECITB and Vattenfall, Skills for Energy 2019 looks set to be an unmissable event for students looking to pursue a career in the region’s growing energy industry.

It is estimated that up to 35% of properties in the UK could be unlettable by 1st April 2018 if action is not taken to improve the property’s energy efficiency rating. The Energy Act 2011 contains a provision for minimum energy standards, andfrom 1st April 2018 it willbe unlawful for a landlord to lease a non-domestic property with an EPC Rating of less than ‘E’.

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is required before a property is marketed for sale or rent in the UK. An EPC gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient).

It is not just those properties that are currently rated F/G that will be impacted by these new regulations. EPCs have a validity of 10 years. A property with an EPC from 2008 may last through threebuilding regulations updates before the owner is legally required to produce another. In which time, the EPC could have dropped by a whole three rating bands. It is possible for a ‘C’ rated building to decline dangerously close to, or below, the ‘E’ threshold by 2018.

As building regulations continue to set more challenging minimum efficiency standards for the building fabric and services, those buildings with inherent problems with the building construction will find it increasingly difficult to achieve compliance. As such, early action is key to keep the costs of compliance low and maintain rental income.

Properties with an EPC Rating of F/G may still be marketed post 2018. However, the prospective tenant and landlord must agree on measures to improve the efficiency of the building prior to the lease being granted. This provides an additional level of risk to landlords, with tenants potentially being able to demand that more expensive works are carried out at the landlord’s expense.

From 2018, only new tenancies and renewals will be affected. However, from 1st April 2023 all existing tenancies will be subject to Minimum Energy Performance Standards, with F&G rated building phased out of British building stock. This could lead to landlords losing tenants, and tenants business operations being heavily disrupted as they look for new premises.

Exemptions to the rule

Buildings that do not require an EPC:

• Places of worship, temporary buildings, building with

Six new franchisees plus one new staff member have recently graduated from the TaxAssist Accountants training course.

Leonard Woodbridge (partner at Paignton), Raza Syed (Southall), Balaji Krishnamurthy (Bury West), Samir Gosrani (New Malden), Michael Sidon (staff member at Chiswick), Daniel Wu (Welling) and Mark Dhillon (partner at Shepherds Bush) are the latest to join the TaxAssist Accountants network.

Daniel Wu worked for 11 years in the Big 4 accountancy firms before deciding that he needed to make a positive change in his life.

“I wanted to get out of corporate life, do something local and be part of my community,” explained Daniel.

“I searched for opportunities on the internet and nothing appealed to me until I came across TaxAssist Accountants. I decided to attend a Discovery Day in December 2017 to find out more. On the day, I was pleasantly surprised that people at the support center were genuinely warm, welcoming and friendly. There was no hard sell about the business model. They were open, honest and transparent. I had the impression that TaxAssist is like a family run business where there is encouragement to grow and be successful. I knew that I had found the right place. There was no doubt that I wanted to join and start my business with TAA in a shop front.

“I did my research and gathered feedback from the existing franchisees. Every one of them that I spoke to was friendly and helpful. It was very apparent that they enjoyed working in their TaxAssist businesses and there were no regrets.”

Leonard Woodbridge decided to work for himself in 2005, building up a small client base and sub-contracting to a few Chartered firms.

“After several years being extremely busy and not having much opportunity to think about it, I realised this business model was working very well for the firms I was sub-contracting to, but not so well for myself,” explained Leonard. “I was spending the majority of my time servicing clients for other firms, who were becoming more demanding.  Spending the majority of my time out at clients also meant there wasn’t much time to build my own client base.

“I was aware of how time consuming it was to keep up to date with the work, legislative, technical changes and systems as well as undertaking marketing.  Hence, rather intrigued, I came along to the Discovery Day in May this year.  I really enjoy meeting people and helping them but I wanted somebody to help me with the operational side of things, this would enable me to develop and grow the business.  The TaxAssist model fitted perfectly and thanks to the support office, this has already proved to be the right move for me as I go forward in the next stage of my journey!”.

Karl Sandall, Chief Executive Director at The TaxAssist Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome another fantastic group of franchisees and staff to the network and look forward to helping and supporting them with all aspects of the running of their practices.

“This year has been very successful in terms of recruitment. We are currently running our last course of 2019 and we already have interest in our first course of 2020 which starts in February.”

If you would like more information about becoming part of the TaxAssist Accountants network, please call our Franchise Recruitment Manager Nikki Haythorne on 0800 0188297.  

Our Winter Sale is on! For all customers booking Forklift training dates during the Months of December 2019 & January 2020, there will be a 10% discount applied. Plus our training guarantee still applies. For further information or to book a course, contact our office on 01692 407600 or email; contact@shepherdshsltd.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

An introduction to Lone Workers Over 20% of the British workforce are considered lone workers. From care workers to estate agents, lorry drivers to farmers, lone workers face unique risks with little to no oversight. If you employ anyone who works on their own, including part time workers, contractors and freelancers, you may have legislative responsibilities over their wellbeing. How Safepoint Works The Safepoint lone worker solution is comprised of a user-friendly app (for iOS and Android), and a robust guardian portal (available on all modern browsers). With the Safepoint solution, organisations can monitor their workers’ safety, wherever they are. Through the Safepoint app, workers can create ‘tasks’. During the task, the worker’s location (along with other vital safety information) is monitored in real time and shared with the guardian portal. The Safepoint portal allows an organisation’s ‘guardians’ to quickly and easily view the location and status of their entire lone working team. Should a worker require help, they can easily use Safepoint to trigger a silent alarm. An alarm will also be called if the worker does not check in as safe by the end of their task. Once an alarm is triggered, the worker’s assigned guardians will be immediately notified and they can use the Safepoint portal to see their worker’s location -as well as other vital safety information. Guardians can use this information to make swift, informed decisions. Partnership with What3words What3words is a brilliantly simple way to describe location. It has divided the world up into a grid of 3m squares that can each be identified by three simple words. So, for instance, the Safepoint HQ can be found at ///calm.gives.comet. When Safepoint heard about What3words, they knew it could be an invaluable tool in keeping lone workers safe. For a company using Safepoint, responding quickly to an emergency alarm could mean the difference between life and death. Safepoint’s partnership with What3words makes it easier to relay location information to the emergency services and first responders. The Takeaway Safepoint was conceived as a boldly innovative lone working solution. This means, reliable, user-friendly software with transparent, contract-free pricing. Now, by partnering with What3words, Safepoint hopes to continue that tradition of innovation and user-focus. What’smore, Safepoint hopes to save lives, and help workers feel safer wherever they are.   An embeddable public video demonstration of the partnership in action can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xcIewLRP8c&feature=emb_title

Paul Robinson Partnership, a long-established Chartered Architects practice, comprising a diverse and skilled team of architects, architectural technologists, building conservationists, and interior designers is reflecting on an incredible 45 years in business.

Founded back in October 1974, by Paul Robinson and Len Gooch, the then Gorleston based Practice quickly attracted a loyal customer base thanks to their ever-growing reputation for robust and cost-effective design services.

The Practice quickly saw expansion to new premises on King Street, Great Yarmouth and welcomed seasoned architect Peter Dean as a third partner, Peter bringing with him a wealth of experience and RIBA accreditation.

With business going well and the order book filled with National clients – an opportunity arose to relocate the team to the Vicarage next to St Nicholas church, in Gt Yarmouth.

The expansion continued with the addition of a fourth partner, Maynard Grout, who joined in 1988, adding to the Practice’s technical skills and National and International client base.

Reflecting on his time as Partner, Maynard said, “I’ve always pushed the Practice towards functional designs, and I am proud of our reputation.”

In 1998, the Practice was sadly rocked by tragedy with the untimely death of its partner Peter Dean in a road traffic accident. His high standards of professionalism and ethics, from which the company’s reputation is built upon, is still reflected in the Practice today.

In 2003 and 2008 respectively, founders Paul Robinson and Len Gooch enjoyed their much-deserved retirements, paving the way for a new chapter with Simon Nicholas and Bruce Hart becoming Partners shortly after.

Simon Nicholas joined the Practice as a junior architectural technician in 1981 and Bruce Hart as a senior architectural technician in 1988.

Both have worked their way through the ranks and remain Partners in the Practice to this day, with Simon credited as the longest-serving member of Paul Robinson Partnership having clocked up a very respectable 38 years’ service to date.

Maynard Grout stepped down in 2013; however, he still has active involvement from time to time and assists with specific surveying projects.

The Practice continues to have a diverse team, varying in skills and experience, led by the management team including Craig Liversidge, Steve Lucas and Andrew Smith.

During his impressive 23 years at the Practice, Andrew has honed his skills and expertise in the building conservation field. Within his role of Building Conservation Manager, and provides consultancy as standalone or as part of an overall service.

Simon Nicholas, PRP Partner, said “It is such a privilege to witness the incredible journey Paul Robinson Partnership has been on throughout the years. Architectural trends and markets have always influenced the business, but we have continued to deliver a range of stunning and award-winning designs for our clients throughout our 45 years.”

Following the consolidation of the Great Yarmouth and Norwich offices, after more than 40 years in Great Yarmouth, in 2017 the team moved to a new home at Octagon Business Park, Little Plumstead, Norwich.

Since its inception in 1974, Paul Robinson Partnership has completed circa 10,000 projects and worked with a diverse range of clients across multiple sectors.

Paul Robinson Partnership looks forward to many more successful years delivering design solutions which embody its clients’ visions.

www.paulrobinsonpartnership.co.uk

We hope you have seen publicity about Passport to Puppetry project for Norfolk Chamber members to pay £250 to sponsor access to theatre for youngsters in need of smaller whose family circumstances make it really difficult to pay for tickets. We are offering 10 lucky Chamber members free tickets to our private viewing of the show to an invited audience. Come along and find out why we believe so passionately that live Puppet Theatre and creative learning can both delight and inspire all children, and why it is so worthwhile making it easier to access for those who are otherwise variously excluded!