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Networking Live

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MENTA Networking is open to all business sectors, we are NOT a membership organisation and we welcome all sectors at our networking events.

We focus on networking with a friendly welcome guaranteed.

Our lockdown networking sessions reach a large audience and we hope you will join us on our Facebook page for this live broadcast.

Just search for mentabusiness on Facebook and the stream will appear at the due starting time.

We have networking in/on…

* Woodbridge

* Bury St Edmunds

* Haverhill

* Norwich

* Online via Facebook Live

The face-to-face events at venues open from 9.30 am and finish at 11.30 am.

Online events are from 9.30am to 10am.

Energy efficient lighting installed at Greater Anglia rail stations

Greater Anglia is installing LED lighting at six stations to help tackle its carbon footprint and reduce the impact on the environment.

The new lighting, which has been installed on platforms, on concourses and in car parks, is more energy efficient and will make stations look and feel brighter and more pleasant.

Old wiring has been replaced and new LED lighting installed at Trimley, Great Bentley and Brimsdown stations and at Brampton, Attleborough and Mistley station car parks.

Since 2018, Greater Anglia has replaced lighting with LED lights at 110 stations across its network.

Simone Bailey, Greater Anglia Asset Management Director, said: “We do all we can do reduce our impact on the environment and this is the latest scheme to tackle our carbon footprint.

“We aim to install LED lighting at all of the stations we manage. This will help save energy, create a more pleasant atmosphere for our customers and improve safety and security.”

Greater Anglia has been working to reduce its impact on the environment, reducing carbon emissions by over 25,000 tonnes over the last two years with a series of energy and carbon reduction measures.

Other green initiatives include introducing new more energy-efficient trains, cutting waste, increasing recycling, working with partners and communities on projects to improve sustainability and biodiversity at stations, offering free water refill points at stations, installing electric car charging points, increasing recycling and creating more cycle parking spaces.

The company has also installed wireless energy management systems at selected rail stations to ensure heating and lighting are used efficiently, and taken steps to reduce water consumption.

BIPC – Reset. Restart: Workshop – Generating new business ideas

Our Reset. Restart programme is here to help you transform, future-proof or grow your business through the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond

About this Event

We know this is a difficult time for small businesses and business owners. That’s why we’ve developed a free dedicated programme of business support that can be accessed remotely, wherever you are. Reset. Restart is open to all business owners, especially those in the first years of trading.

Alongside the national Reset. Restart programme run by the British Library Business & IP Centre, we are offering a series of free local 1-to-1 support sessions, workshops and networking events – all delivered by MENTA

Generating new business ideas

Whether you are thinking of a completely new business idea, diversifying your existing business or simply taking things in a new direction this workshop will help you generate ideas, key considerations, risk factors and next steps.

This is one of a series of five workshops – you’ll find details of the others on our main Eventbrite page.

For further information about any of our events, please contact us at bipcnorfolk@norfolk.gov.uk or telephone 01603 774708

“The Nook is a stunning place and this is an opportunity to showcase it, as well as raising awareness and perhaps changing perceptions” – families have the chance to enjoy an Easter egg-stravaganza

Choc it out!

A children’s hospice is giving the public an opportunity to explore its stunning grounds during a day of Easter fun.

East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) is welcoming visitors to The Nook, in Framingham Earl, on Saturday, 1^st April.

There will be arts and crafts and an egg hunt, plus a tombola, raffle and refreshments.

The fun day, taking place between 10am and 2pm, is the first community event to be held at The Nook since it was opened by EACH Patron The Princess of Wales – then The Duchess of Cambridge – in November 2019.

“It’s very exciting and we can’t wait to welcome the public to our beautiful hospice,” said EACH Community Fundraiser Ellie Miller, who has jointly organised the event with colleague Megan Kemp.

“It hasn’t been possible until now, because of the pandemic, but is going to be a fun-filled day for the whole family.

“Although the public won’t have access to the care floor, they’ll be able to see and enjoy our grounds and I’m sure they’ll be impressed.

“The Nook is a stunning place and this is an opportunity to showcase it, as well as raising awareness and perhaps changing perceptions.

“People may hear the word ‘hospice’ and conjure up images of a scary, depressing, hospital-like environment.

“In reality, nothing could be further from the truth and this is a perfect way to highlight that, while having lots of Easter fun.”

The public can come and go as they please and do not need to book tickets, although they can register their interest via a special Facebook page.

The Easter arts and crafts will be free but the egg hunt, which will be taking place in the gardens and courtyard, costs £3.

There will also be live music from Norwich-based steel pan band Spangle.

The majority of the eggs have been kindly donated by NIQ Brandbank, Tesco, the Cambridge office of Ensors chartered accountants, Wolseley Plumbing and Heating and Nationwide Building Society, in St Stephens Street, Norwich.

Image provided by EACH

Norfolk Knowledge Hub – An Introduction to Business Builder

Join us as we explore the Business Builder tools on the Norfolk Knowledge Hub

About this Event

What is Business Builder?

Business Builder is a digital tool designed to give you the right support, at the right time for you and your business.

Whether you are looking to validate an idea, find new customers, or explore the funding options available to you, there is support available online 24/7, including;

Digital modules

Taking you through the essential building blocks to help you and your business move forward, completing exercises, templates and questions to implement the learning into your business.

Online community

We understand the power of a collaborative community so from day one we will connect you with a Facebook community of 100’s of peers to support you through your entrepreneurial journey.

Wrap around events

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know -well, we think it’s a bit of both!

Through a series of digital events, we’ll aim to surround you with the right people and knowledge that could take your business from good to great.

What is Norfolk Knowledge Hub?

The Norfolk Knowledge Hub, crafted in collaboration with Norfolk County Council, is your free to view 24/7 virtual business support and learning portal.

Why?

Get the support and inspiration you need to succeed by accessing online learning, knowledge sharing events, peer to peer learning, thought leadership, information and ideas all designed to help support you and your business.

Who?

Whether you are a sole trader, part of a larger organisation, or are an individual wanting to get ahead in business – you can access information on key issues, from learning how to adapt and successfully recover from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, to understanding and navigating Brexit and other key challenges. Updating you and your organisation’s skills and discovering new opportunities.

Full Mix Marketing Recruiting for Two Roles

We’re looking for two talented and enthusiastic individuals to join our supportive and professional team and help us deliver the highly effective marketing businesses need to grow.

Both roles can be part-time or full-time depending on the candidate and are based in Norwich.

The first is a Marketing Executive – with great written skills – to help deliver PR, social media and other content. More details here: https://fullmixmarketing.co.uk/news/marketing-executive-content-social-pr/

The second is a Graphic & Website Designer to help create effective websites and stunning design for digital and print. More details here: https://fullmixmarketing.co.uk/news/graphic-website-designer/

Full Mix Marketing is a result-focused marketing agency delivering all the strategic, digital and creative marketing businesses need. As a full-service agency, we provide both individual elements and act as some clients’ entire marketing department. We’ve developed a reputation for delivering great marketing for clients in sectors including technology, manufacturing, B2B services and travel.

50 PLUS Choices – Supporting the over 50’s

Our 50 PLUS: Choices (Fuller Working Lives) programme aims to help employers to support their workforce from mid-life. It will raise awareness of the benefits of older workers, their skills and experience and help to improve line management education to ensure employees do not need to leave the workforce before they wish to.

The programme, being delivered with the Department for Work and Pensions, will:

Develop the business case for older workers, Improve line management on why these employees might exit the workforce prematurely and providing tools to engage older workers in conversation.

It will also include how employers should support their employees to financially plan for the future and to look after their health & wellbeing.

Join us on the 23 March 2.30pm – 3.30pm to understand more about supporting your 50+ workforce.

The hour long session will cover

An overview of the programme – Natasha Waller, Skills Manager New Anglia LEP
Financial support – Alan Nicholls, Money and Pension Service
Healthy living – Katie Tierney Active Norfolk
National Careers Service on how you can support the over 50’s in your workforce – Joanne Giles

Leadership & Life Chat – The best of Kevin Kruse’s secrets to success PART 1

Back in 2016, renowned entrepreneur and New York Times Best Seller, Kevin Kruse, published a blog that peaked Mark’s interest, and here we are seven years later, digging through the best bits of his article, ’15 Surprising Things Productive People Do Differently’. His points are still as relevant now as they were then.

Kevin interviewed over 200 people who were considered highly productive, including billionaires, Olympians and straight-A students, and published his 15 secrets to productivity based on his findings.

Success can’t happen without productivity, so Mark and Becky break down their favourite secrets from the article, and how they can be applied to our everyday lives.

There’s so much good stuff in Kevin’s work, that this is the first of two episodes! Look out for part 2 coming soon…

GET IN TOUCH! We would love to hear your thoughts on today’s episode, email us at podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk.

We would also love it if you could rate us 5 STARS on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, this really helps people find us!

You can now watch us on YouTube! Click here

Thank you to our sponsors Larking Gowen, Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors – check out their website to see how they could help your business www.larking-gowen.co.uk

Show notes

Read Kevin’s article, originally published by Forbes magazine here

Book – 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management

Blog – 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Productivity

Book – Eat That Frog!: Get More of the Important Things Done Today

Listen here!

Spring Budget Blog – A MAD-HR Perspective

It was billed as the budget which was set to focus on ‘getting people working’.

For days prior to yesterday’s official Budget statement by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, pundits had talked about a symbolic theme of trying to encourage more people to stay in work, get others ‘back’ to employment, and to make those of us in the workplace, feel more rewarded for doing so.

On the face of it, and particularly from an HR perspective, this could surely only be beneficial to all.

Here at MAD-HR, we’ve been digging through the detail, and there are certainly some key points which we feel deserve great scrutiny, or at least ‘watch and wait’ by employers and people managers.

Let’s start with childcare.

An increase in free childcare, to cover one and two year-olds, is to come in to effect from NEXT April.

This shows great intent and a far better understanding of the challenges facing parents.

Increasingly, parents of working age have been saying how much pressure they feel under financially because of childcare provision – to the extent that some make the decision NOT to return to work.

As an employer, you’ll want to be mindful that the April 2024 date is just a starting point, with a phasing of introductions. All children over nine months old will be included in this measure by September 2025.

When thinking about which of your employees this becomes applicable for, note that it is in respect of any household where all adults work for more than 16 hours a week.

Sitting alongside this announcement is the news that funding for wraparound care for school-aged children is also to be increased. This means by September 2026, parents will be able to drop their children at school between 8am and 6pm.

Again, it’s a step which should hopefully make it far easier for your employees to fulfil their working day as they would wish to.

Next, we turn to health.

Poor health has long contributed in a significant way to the British economy.

The Budget revealed intentions to expand the pilot of an occupational health study for small businesses. It will consult on boosting UK occupational health in a number of ways, while at the same time looking to introduce a WorkWell programme aligning employment and health support.

Apprenticeships also featured as a topic of consideration and dissection for employers.

The government has announced that a new idea of ‘Returnerships’ will come in, to aid over 50s in learning new skills and returning to work.

This, alongside increasing the tax-free allowance people can save in their pension pot, may well be a helpful concept for improving the level of more mature workers staying in place or seeking roles with your business.

In summary, we like to believe this week’s Budget brings you, the employer and leader, great opportunity, hope and confirmation of intention.

Of course, what history tells us, is that the promising narrative is one thing – and now we must of course wait to see the delivery.

If the Budget and its various issues have raised any thoughts for you around areas of your employment processes and management of staff, please do take the opportunity to reach out to our team.

You can contact us by clicking here.

For a summary of the key elements from the Spring Budget – see here.

Image provided by MAD-HR

5 tips to support your employees’ mental health and spot the signs of presenteeism

Join Cathy Lawson, an independent Workplace Wellbeing Consultant, Trainer and Coach, and Richard Holmes, our Director of Wellbeing, as they discuss the findings of the research and offer advice on spotting the signs of presenteeism. They’ll also be providing you with 5 tips to help you support your employees’ mental health and understanding when someone may be struggling. The webinar is perfect for HR leaders and line managers, we hope to see you there!

Our latest piece of research investigates the impact of Covid to businesses and explores the state of mental health in the workplace, revealing wellbeing and productivity issues which may be invisible to business leaders.

As the effects of lockdown continue to impact the workforce, what more can businesses do to help their people cope? Join our free live webinar hosted by Adele Oakden, our National Health and Wellbeing Consultant, Cathy Lawson, an independent Workplace Wellbeing Consultant, Trainer and Coach, and Richard Holmes, our Director of Wellbeing, as we compare the findings of the research with real-life experiences and examples.

Perfect for HR leaders and line managers, you’ll receive advice and practical tips on how to build a supportive workplace culture so you can support your employees.

What you’ll learn:

– A look into the current state of workplace wellbeing

– What presenteeism is, and how you can spot the signs

– How you can build a supportive culture

– 5 tips to support your employees’ mental health and recognising the signs when someone may be struggling

– Alongside being able to ask our expert panel any of your questions, you will receive some free resources and takeaways.

Is centred leadership the key for women (& other) aspirational leaders?

As a female leader in business, I often find myself conflicted about how I want to reflect on International Women’s Day.

Do I shout from the rooftops about the amazing female team-members who are now part of MAD-HR and make me grateful every day that I am following this professional path?

Should I recount all the past experiences in which I have had to overcome discrimination or question the level of gender inequality in my career?

Or should I say nothing of International Women’s Day – because, perhaps, I should not feel there is a ‘need’ for a single day to mark out the accomplishments of women.

This year, I’ve chosen to take the opportunity to share with you about Centred Leadership, because, whether you be male or female, I absolutely believe it tells us so much about who can achieve and succeed in the world.

For those who haven’t stumbled across this great concept, I urge you to take a look at the findings of McKinsey and Company, and in particular, of the truly inspirational Joanna Barsh.

Joanna took it upon herself to interview many successful women leaders, and to create a model of understanding for why it is that certain people are able to ‘thrive’ professionally, and to become even more effective leaders.

Her model is a fascinating ‘coming together’ of five core elements, which, in her words, allow a leader to ‘become aware of the mindsets and beliefs that drive us… then practice skills which allow us to achieve that vision’.

These five ‘pieces of the pie’, are as follows:

Meaning – Finding and building from our purpose
Framing – Facing adversity with self-awareness, and shifting and adapting our behaviour
Connecting – Establishing trust and inspiring others to trust us more so we build community
Engaging – Owning who we are and taking risks
Managing Energy – Generating (and restoring) energy in self and others

I’m sure, like me, you can read those five key themes and see areas in which you have great strengths, and also, where you might need to work hard, every hour of every day, at maintaining your focus or resolve regardless of your gender.

Some of us are great at knowing our purpose and building trust, but we lack the element of risk-taking and standing tall for what we believe to be the right move.

Others might be brilliant at the chameleon-like approach of adapting behaviour in the face of adversity, but we’re not so good at building community.

If there’s a takeaway from this interesting research, I think it’s that we must all remember that individual skills and strengths work exceptionally well for us in different circumstances of our professional lives, but, glued together, we are able to find the consistent leader within us.

My team and I welcome working with both men and women who want to embrace their leadership roles and produce the best outcome for their business, so if you would like to discuss this more, please do get in touch with us at MAD-HR.

Image provided by MAD-HR

EACH Pier to Pier 2021

Join us on Saturday 17th July as we take on the challenge of walking from Great Yarmouth Pier to Cromer Pier! The 32 mile route will take 12 hours, ending with a lovely fish and chip dinner on Cromer Seafront. Don’t panic – there will also be rest stops with snacks provided! On completing the walk, you will receive a medal, certificate, photos and finisher t-shirt.

Tickets

Tickets are only £15 per person and we ask that you pledge to raise at least £150 per person in sponsorship to help provide care and support for children and young people with life-threatening conditions. *Please be aware you must be 18+ to take part in this challenge*

Please be assured we will make the event safe for everyone involved and in-line with the very latest government advice. We are confident the events will be able to go ahead however, if we are forced to postpone any events due to the impact of coronavirus, you will receive a full refund if you are unable to attend the new date. You can read through our Covid safety plans here, which we will continue to keep up to date.