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Monday, 30 March 2020

Some of you may be wondering how the current crisis is affecting Probate.   

Here’s what we know: 

• Our People section of the MHA Larking Gowen website 

  Cindy Chaplin 

During the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis it is important apprentices are kept informed and not kept in the dark. Apprentices are part of our future, bringing fresh innovative ideas to businesses across the UK and beyond. 

To ensure this does not happen the Government is providing a package of support. This will help employers retain and support their staff including apprentices.

Please visit our website to find out how you can support apprentices during the COVID-19 crisis.

How we are supporting you and your apprentices

Learning and enrolments are now being undertaken remotely in order to support our wonderful apprentices, learners and employers. We will also be conducting face-to-face online appointments and online training and support We are open and available and will remain in continuous discussions with employers, who are fully supportive of our response and want to keep business as usual for our learners as far as possible. We thank our employers for their support at this time. Our aim remains to deliver high-quality training and to ensure that our learners are not disadvantaged and are able to continue their studies in these challenging times. 

You can contact Steadfast Training Ltd on info@steadfasttraining.co.uk for any further information, or contact your Trainer or Account Manager directly  

Keep Kind and Keep Safe

Remember all the Government advice during the current situation.

One of the world’s top portrait photographers Rankin was in Sheringham, Cromer and Norwich this week filming a documentary for the BBC and Mustard TV.  He’s presenting a programme about the Sheringham’s famous photographer Olive Edis.  As part of the film Rankin was shooting scenes in Edis’s old studio in South Street where he was using her original camera to take pictures of Lord of the Rings star Bernard Hill.

“Olive took photographs in her studio using only natural light and it’s quite a challenge using her camera that’s over a century old to emulate her style,” said Rankin. “Olive was a pioneer of portrait photography and one of only a handful of female photographers making their mark in a male world.  Her work is hugely inspiring for what I do today.”

Olive’s photography spanned the social spectrum but her work is largely forgotten today.

“She was equally at home taking portraits of Princes as she was recording ordinary working people like her evocative studies of fishermen. She had an innate ability to put anybody who sat for her at their ease. Her fame a hundred years ago was second to none and our film aims to bring her story to a wider audience,” said director Clive Dunn.

“Olive’s place in the history of photography has been overlooked but thanks to a recent exhibition of her work at Norwich Castle and the forthcoming TV film, this renewed attention will help reinforce her reputation,” added the film’s producer Charlie Gauvain.

Being made by Norwich production company Eye Film, Fishermen to Kings – the forgotten photographs of Olive Edis will be shown on BBC 1 and Mustard TV later in the year and you’ll have to wait until then to discover how Rankin’s portrait of Bernard Hill turned out.

For further information please contact: Producer, charlie@eyefilm.co.uk

When someone types in “[your service] near me” — who shows up?

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We are delighted to be working with the leading LGBT+ wedding guide: G Wedding Directory

The G Wedding Directory website, which provides the ultimate wedding guide information for same sex couples planning their big day, includes real life wedding features, wedding tips and trends, and a directory of gay friendly wedding suppliers.

The Norfolk Mead is listed under gay friendly wedding venues in East Anglia.

James Holliday, owner of the Norfolk Mead commented: “We are proud to welcome all couples to get married in our stunning Norfolk wedding venue. We can host your civil ceremony or civil partnership in our beautiful venue spaces The Georgian Room and The Garden Room. We are specialists in diversity and an inclusive approach and welcome guests from the LGBT+ community.”

G Wedding Directory also commented: “We are extremely happy to welcome; The Norfolk Mead as a diverse and inclusive venue onto our directory, and are excited to be working alongside them in order to provide a wonderful and beautiful venue for our LGBTQ+ audience in East Anglia!”

View our listing on G Wedding Directory or find out more about our wedding venue The Garden Room on our dedicated Weddings page. Call Francesca and Victoria on 01603 737 531 to book a tour or request our Wedding brochure. 

Group Commercial Director Daren Moore has written to Rishi Sunak requesting he reconsider key elements of the government’s support and intervention packages. 

Following the flurry of recent announcements from the Government on new initiatives to support small businesses and the self-employed, the TaxAssist Accountants Support Centre team has been working flat out to offer help and guidance to its network of accountants and their 76,000 clients.

While many clients will welcome the measures announced so far, large sections of the business community have been overlooked, without the help and funding they need.

In order to address this, Daren Moore has written a letter to the Chancellor to request that he reconsider a number of key issues missing from the recent announcements.

“Whilst we support many of the measures announced to date, we are concerned that large sections of the business community are suffering and that these measures will not provide the help and funding they need,” explained Daren. “We are already seeing our clients under stress and we risk seeing many thousands of small businesses fail without prompt action.”

Daren outlined four key issues that TaxAssist’s clients and its franchisees would like to see urgently addressed including:

• Sole/small company directors and their ineligibility to be furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
• The proposal to look at three years for averaging purposes, leaving those who commenced trading since 5th April 2019 financially stranded
• The unfairness of the £50,000 trading profit threshold
• The need for emergency funding to speed up the flow of money

Daren added: “As a proud and ethical franchisor we will take every available opportunity to use our voice to highlight the needs and concerns of our core clients – small businesses – the ‘lifeblood’ of the UK economy. In these difficult times, we need to support and protect them in any way we can, now, to ensure that the sector remains intact and fully functioning when the recovery does come.”

A copy of the letter that was sent to Rishi Sunak can be viewed here.

One of the world’s top portrait photographers Rankin was in Sheringham, Cromer and Norwich this week filming a documentary for the BBC and Mustard TV.  He’s presenting a programme about the Sheringham’s famous photographer Olive Edis.  As part of the film Rankin was shooting scenes in Edis’s old studio in South Street where he was using her original camera to take pictures of Lord of the Rings star Bernard Hill.

“Olive took photographs in her studio using only natural light and it’s quite a challenge using her camera that’s over a century old to emulate her style,” said Rankin. “Olive was a pioneer of portrait photography and one of only a handful of female photographers making their mark in a male world.  Her work is hugely inspiring for what I do today.”

Olive’s photography spanned the social spectrum but her work is largely forgotten today.

“She was equally at home taking portraits of Princes as she was recording ordinary working people like her evocative studies of fishermen. She had an innate ability to put anybody who sat for her at their ease. Her fame a hundred years ago was second to none and our film aims to bring her story to a wider audience,” said director Clive Dunn.

“Olive’s place in the history of photography has been overlooked but thanks to a recent exhibition of her work at Norwich Castle and the forthcoming TV film, this renewed attention will help reinforce her reputation,” added the film’s producer Charlie Gauvain.

Being made by Norwich production company Eye Film, Fishermen to Kings – the forgotten photographs of Olive Edis will be shown on BBC 1 and Mustard TV later in the year and you’ll have to wait until then to discover how Rankin’s portrait of Bernard Hill turned out.

For further information please contact: Producer, charlie@eyefilm.co.uk

Pure has always been strongly committed to supporting local charities and to date, the professional recruitment specialists have raised over £120k for 24 charities in the region. This year the Norwich office has pledged to support The Big C by participating in the charity’s own key events and by organising its own fundraising, donations and volunteering activities.

Joseph O’Sullivan, Manager of Pure’s Norwich Office, said: “As part of our values as an organisation, we believe in supporting and taking part in the communities that surround us. The Big C is an exceptional charity, based on our doorstep, and one we are incredibly proud to support. Our first key fundraising event will be our annual quiz night in April. We’ve been running our annual charity quiz nights for seven years and they always prove popular. It’s a fun filled battle of the brains in which organisations get to pit their wits against each other in aid of a good cause. They are incredibly successful in raising funds and, with help from local businesses taking part, we are hoping to raise £2,000 during this fun evening.”

The Big C provides drop in support and information centres across Norfolk and Waveney. These are used by thousands of people affected by cancer every year and provide valuable information about diagnosis, treatments, side effects and recovery. The support also includes trained staff who can provide emotional help, support and complementary therapies.

Pure’s Norwich Quiz Night in aid of The Big C takes place on Thursday 13 April from 6pm at Sprowston Manor Hotel. Teams consist of 4 players and costs £40 per team with all proceeds being donated to the charity. To book a team place visit www.prs.uk.com or email April Gotts on april.gotts@prs.uk.com

A trade’s person or small business won’t do well if their business acumen isn’t up to scratch. Understanding how to gain and keep happy customers, how to keep the cash flowing for work done and keeping the tax man happy are important to ensure a business is to succeed.

Genix, Norfolk’s business support organisation understands the importance of local businesses, the self-employed and start-ups having access to free business advice and subsidised courses. It’s crucial that people gain the knowledge and information which is key to growing a business and is why Genix provide s their services in North Norfolk as well as in Norwic

Alex Till, chief executive of Genix, a not-for -profit organisation said, “Helping people improve their business knowledge can make a huge difference to both their business decisions and their confidence.  I’m pleased we’re holding half day sessions covering both book keeping and understanding accounts in Fakenham and Cromer. We recently held a marketing course which attendees found very useful.”

Genix’s trainers are friendly and experts in their field, and aim to run their courses as informally as possible. By using venues in North Norfolk saves people having to spend time getting into Norwich.

The organisation are also planning a free session for people thinking of being their own boss, to be held in North Walsham during April.

For details and dates regarding Genix’s free advice sessions and business skills courses go to www.genix.org.uk or email info@genix.org.uk

Leanne @genix.org.uk  www.genix.org.uk  07496713103

Businesses processing personal data need to keep protection of customer and employee data at the front of continuity planning as they tackle the coronavirus threat.

The increased risk of data security lapses

Staff are likely to be working remotely or under different circumstances which could make customer information more vulnerable to data breaches with cyber-criminals ratcheting up their fraudulent scams. Alongside, data relating to employee health during the pandemic may be subject to special security requirements.  

Businesses are implementing contingency planning with staff working from home and using domestic internet and possibly personal devices to access cloud-based software and systems, making it more important than ever to keep data safe and secure.  

While data protection law doesn’t stand in the way of homeworking, or the use of personal devices, it demands even greater attention to security measures as the ones that you use in the office will need to be tailored to suit these new circumstances.

The human element is often the reason for most data breaches and without direct supervision and colleagues to consult, these may be more likely to happen. Certainly, there are reports of a steep rise in attempted cyber fraud, with many more phishing emails, malware and social engineering, where fraudsters dupe staff into revealing information or making money transfers. 

Handling data belonging to affected people

The other major threat to data security during the crisis is the handling of individual information about staff and visitors, which might include who has travelled to high risk areas, symptoms, test results and when self-isolation has taken place. This is personal data protected by GDPR, but where it concerns health it may be specially categorised data under Article 9 of GDPR, which requires further grounds for processing this kind of data.

Employers will most likely want to rely on the ground in Article 9(2)(b) (“employment, social security and social protection”) to process special category data about their employees. In the UK the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 says that companies must take steps to look after the health, safety and welfare of staff. This means that it is reasonable, and normal, for businesses to collect certain information as part of their general duty to their staff. There is a clear limit to what employers can collect however, just as the new guidance https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19 from the government makes clear that they expect most employers to collect data about coronavirus just for the purposes of assisting their staff, rather than making plans or a strategy for dealing with it, which are to be left to the NHS. There may be other grounds that businesses can rely on – these will depend on the circumstances and the likely impact of doing so.

Employers should also still be very mindful of the overarching data minimisation principle; that they should only collect what is strictly needed for the task in hand. This means applying limits to what they ask and not having a ‘one size fits all’ approach, since what may be relevant for one person could be irrelevant for another, and collecting that irrelevant information would infringe the minimisation principle.

The ICO has published guidance https://www.ashtonslegal.co.uk/your-business/gdpr-and-data-protection/

This information is correct at 10.30am on 25 March 2020.

We are seeing enforced or elected isolation with one’s spouse having a negative effect on the relationship of some married couples. Evidence from China suggests that divorce rates have risen significantly as a direct result of couples spending much more time in each other’s company than otherwise would have been the case.

Undoubtedly, couples can plan to use this new found time together constructively but where there are already significant fractures in the relationship, the added pressure of constant time together might well prove the tipping point which pushes the marriage over the edge.

Police sources have confirmed that they anticipate an increase in domestic violence whilst this pandemic persists which will result in added pressure on the Courts, Women’s Aid and other organisations whose advice and assistance is sought. It is important that whatever the circumstances anyone who experiences any form of domestic violence reports these issues immediately to the Police, seeks legal advice and obtains emotional and practical support. For many it will be the final nail in the marital coffin. So what should you do if you sense that the marriage is now sliding into an abyss?

Those affected need honest and no nonsense advice from an experienced lawyer who can help them chart a course through this difficult period and advise them on any immediate and urgent steps that need to be taken in order to safeguard themselves or their assets. They have to have access to initial free legal advice in order that they can be helped to understand the options that they have, explore the assistance that might be available, understand their rights and decide what form of action best suits their circumstances.

Baroness Shackleton and other divorce experts have, in the light of the pandemic, said that they anticipate increasing numbers of divorces in this country and the need to obtain appropriate and experienced advice will rise.

It is important that any advice sought comes from a source that is very experienced in dealing with all the complexities that divorce situations produce – from lawyers that have many years of experience in helping people through the stress and difficulties of divorce and are able to guide people to achieve a secure financial future. The professional ability that Ashtons are able to bring to bear on a case means that our clients often come to seek our advice not only from East Anglia but also from many other parts of the country and internationally.

If you are starting to think that your marriage may not endure for what may be a significant period of enforced or elected isolation, then please do get in touch with our family team on 0800 915 6037 or go to https://www.ashtonslegal.co.uk/your-life/family-law-solicitors/. We will arrange a completely confidential and no cost telephone discussion with you so that the ending of your marriage might well be the start of a new, secure and happier life.

Stephen Williams, Partner.

This information is correct at 12.30pm on 26 March 2020.

Well these are unparalleled times never seen or experienced before. We are seeing clients mobilizing working from home who had never anticipated they would have the need to do so.

We have seen clients with businesses freezes and conversely clients who have boomed. We have a government hell bent on supporting business and the economy, but uncertainty still around what that looks and feels like.

And as a result of that many of our clients have turned off the tap in relation to their recruitment activities. The fact that what we are experiencing is brand new means no one knows recovery rates, no one knows when the air will be clear and normality will return…? And we get that, 100%. But that doesn’t mean we will stop being there for you.

Doesn’t mean we will stop chatting to you. Doesn’t mean we will stop offering you our advise, both on things recruitment related, and indeed not. The core thing is for everyone to support each other and for us all to do our bit for each other.

The thing that we can say, from what we have experienced over the past couple of weeks is that our clients who are continuing their recruitment efforts are benefitting from really great candidates who want to be considered.

The market is still buoyant. People are still open-minded to making a move, even more so where the company can showcase their capability to support and offer a certain level of structure in these uncertain times. Likewise, they are understanding of start dates which may not be in the immediate future. For the right move, they are open to wait.

We are seeing job seekers entering the market, through no fault of their own. Job seekers with excellent skills and experience. Job seekers who under “usual circumstances”, you may not ordinarily see within the marketplace. If your business is able to, this could be a fantastic time to secure super people with great skills to join you. Or to meet them, create a dialogue and then keep in touch for when things move forwards.

We’ve been able to support businesses with new technology and guidance in relation to conducting interviews remotely. We’ve supported businesses who are recognizing opportunities within the current climate.

We’re offering specialized payment terms for clients to ensure we can support their cash flow, which is going to be so key and integral to all businesses right now. We are and will continue to do everything we can to help you.

Our brilliant team are working remotely, as are Ruth and I and we are on hand to answer any of your questions and continue to support you in every way possible. So please, do not be shy in reaching out. We are here for you.