Are you looking for a tailored, individual Diversity and Inclusion initiative to support your business strategy and objectives?
Do you want build and enhance your employee experience and create a platform for growth?
Please get in touch to arrange FREE consultation over a virtual coffee to explore your diversity and inclusion agenda and how we can support you on this essential journey: sarah@ignitepeoplesolutions.co.uk
With lots of everyday services moving online, from healthcare to shopping, access to technology is becoming vital to our day to day lives. But some in society face major challenges when trying to access the world online.
In the UK it’s estimated that 16.3 million adults lack core digital skills, and 1.9 million homes have no access to the internet – meaning there is a whole section of society which needs support to ensure they can access the opportunities presented by the digital world.
The digital divide has always existed but has become more evident in the last year as the Covid-19 pandemic forced big parts of our lives – including work, school, and socialising – to move online. As a result of this, now, more than ever, work is being done to tackle the issue. In order to bridge the divide, people need access to three key things: equipment, connectivity and skills.
Currently, charities up and down the country are working to ensure everyone has access to technology. CityFibre has worked to support this, partnering with charities including The Hive, a digital library which loans equipment to those that need it, and Donate Digital, which upgrades and redistributes donated equipment.
A device is just the beginning – a reliable internet connection is vital to accessing online services. CityFibre is investing up to £4 billion to bring the best connectivity – Full Fibre – within reach of up to eight million homes, 800,000 businesses and 400,000 public sector sites.
Working with councils and housing associations across the UK, including here in Norwich our whole city approach ensures that everyone has the same opportunity to access the network.
We are also working to ensure that people have the skills and confidence to use technology. CityFibre has supported various charities across the UK who work with the over 55s to help them develop the skills they need to get online. We are also supporting the next generation, working with coding workshops to help young people and their families develop technology skills.
Our Full Fibre networks also support the development of skills, as a reliable and fast connection ensures that people have a good experience online, encouraging them to explore technology and make full use of the opportunities it brings.
While the last year has made the digital divide more obvious than ever, it has also acted as a catalyst with more people working to tackle the problem both locally and nationally. There is still a lot to be done but working together we can all make a difference.
Our investment into community-wide Full Fibre networks is an important step in getting more people online, but there is lots we can do as individuals too. Don’t throw out your old technology – donate it to charity; and if you see someone struggling, support them to get online. This will make sure that as we move into a new, more digital world, no-one gets left behind.
To find out more or register an interest in the service go to cityfibre.com/east
Ann from Holt has terminal cancer but has hailed her local mobile cancer care unit as ‘transformational’ as she undergoes regular cancer treatment during the COVID pandemic. Ann needs to receive cancer treatment as part of her routine for the rest of her life and started using ‘Amara’ after being advised by an NHS nurse that it might improve her cancer experience.
Ann told us “I have been shielding for over a year now and had to undertake a 50 mile journey each time I needed treatment. At the time of the COVID variant, and as an at-risk, clinically vulnerable person, it was frightening going into the hospital and seeing warning signs everywhere.”
“This was a real ordeal for me as it took such a long time with travel, parking and waiting for my appointment. I would have to muster energy just to attend the appointment and it was terribly draining, along with the treatment itself.”
Ann adds, “I am so glad that I found out about Hope for Tomorrow; it really has transformed my life. I am now actually elated to go for treatment as I can be back home within the hour because of the 7-mile journey. It’s made a huge difference to my day. Hope for Tomorrow really has changed my life and attitude to treatment because I now have no additional fatigue and no stress.”
“I am living my best life, watching YouTube and history channels, and I also do voluntary work rehoming dogs. Despite the cancer and side effects, this is definitely my best decade.”
This week’s episode is based around a quote from the business icon that is, Dolly Parton “Find out who you are, and do it on purpose”. Becky makes the argument that attaching your personal values to your work, makes for clearer messaging within your business, from your reputation through to recruitment. Her and Mark debate the idea of not leaving business to chance, and how living and working consciously is important, and not having your core values as part of your business plan can be detrimental to its success.
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
You KNOW social media is important for your business. But who has the time to post every day, engage with followers, and keep up with trends? (Spoiler: most small biz owners don’t!)
The longer you leave it, the harder it gets. Your competitors are showing up, building trust, and driving sales—while your socials gather dust.
We take the stress off your plate! Smash Marketing creates engaging, results-driven content that attracts the right audience. No fluff, just real growth.
Monthly meetings, no long contracts, and a team that actually listens to what you need.
“I am not the most confident person. Like a lot of people, I suffer from imposter syndrome & would rather be at the back of a room blending into the wall. I was promoted to Director of Barkers Photo Fun Ltd earlier this year and have gone from dealing with the admin side and running our photo booths to starting to go out and network & promote the business further. Which is daunting & exciting at the same time!
First of all, my thanks to Caroline Ellis who heads up the Co.next programme for the Norfolk Chambers of Commerce. She had helped me, given me great advice and is a big supporter of personal development which is why she started the Co.next programme. The course I attended on Marketing hosted by Co.next and Yawn Marketing was amazing & I look forward to other courses she is putting on!
I went along to Coastal Co.nnect at Great Yarmouth Town Hall and got into conversation with the Marketing Manager from Aston Shaw Accountants who also recently joined the Norfolk Chambers of Commerce. Within a few minutes Zain had asked me what we do and right time and right place, they have now booked our booth for their company’s summer party – we can’t wait 🎉
I was always a bit dubious about networking, but I guess as one of my colleagues says: you may not get any business when you go to a networking event, but you will never get the business if you don’t go!
Oh – and a quick thank you to Beks Houston from Smash Marketing who did a talk about SEO and getting websites seen online. We will definitely be using some of the great tips!”
🌟 NEW OFFICE NEW LOGO! 🌟 We’re excited to share that we’ve officially moved into our new home at Connectivity House on Southtown Road! Staying local to the Great Yarmouth area was important to us, and this new space is the perfect fit. If you’re in the area, we’d love for you to pop in and say hello – come take a look around! A huge thank you to: 🎨This is Effectivefor the fantastic signage 🛠️Dean Macgregorat RD Carpets & Flooring Ltd for the flooring 💪Pink Groupteam for their incredible work 🖥️InTouch Systemsfor the networking and cabling 🏢Jaymes BrownatNorfolk & Suffolk Roller Shutterfor the security shutters 📷Craig Chadwickfor the logo design We couldn’t have done it without you all!
We are proud
to announce that we have won the prestigious ‘Medium-sized Apprenticeships
Employer of the Year (50-249 employees)’ award at the Apprenticeships Norfolk
Awards 2025.
The ceremony
took place on Wednesday, 12th February at Norwich City Football Club, where our
HR Director, Estee accepted the award on behalf of the company.
The
Apprenticeships Norfolk Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of
apprentices, managers, mentors, and businesses across the county. This year’s
event welcomed around 200 guests to honour the incredible contributions made to
apprenticeship programmes.
Estee
expressed her gratitude, stating: “We are thrilled to receive this award.
Apprenticeships are at the heart of our company’s growth and success. This
recognition is a testament to the hard work of our apprentices and the
dedication of our team in supporting and nurturing new talent in the
manufacturing and engineering industry.”
Apprenticeships
Norfolk highlighted the importance of the awards, saying: “Our annual
‘Apprenticeships Norfolk Awards 2025’ shone a light on the exceptional
achievements of apprentices, managers/mentors and businesses right across the
county – celebrating their successes with around 200 guests at Norwich City
Football Club.”
This
accolade reflects Warren’s commitment to providing high-quality apprenticeship
opportunities and supporting the next generation of skilled professionals in
the manufacturing and engineering sectors.
We are
immensely proud of this achievement and look forward to continuing our work to
create valuable opportunities for apprentices.
Bold Creatures has launched a studio this year to support brands and founders getting their message out there, consistently. Based in the city centre of Norwich.
If last year taught you anything, would it be how hard it is to keep consistent with your marketing and online outreach?
Maybe creating content wasn’t the strongest point of the year, maybe making time to get these done where all over the place, or simply, the strategy wasn’t clear.
I’m inviting you to try out a different approach this year, a more consistent way to nail it this year.
What it means for (some examples):
>> D2C brands: Come in or send your products to the studio and you’ll get a library of lifestyle or studio content you can use throughout the year. We can also theme those content for particular seasons or occasions (St valentines, holidays, halloween, etc…)
>> Consultants: Come in for half a day, we’ll generate a 90-day content library for your services or personal brand. Either as photoshoot and/or video content.
>> Founder’s Story: If your brand struggled with context as to why it exists in the first place, let’s get your story told right. A founder’s story is the best way to “humanise” your brand and build the emotional connection you want your customers to relate to, hence buying into your brand more than the cold hearted “buy now” call-to-action.
>> Alternatively, for anyone nervous about being on camera, I offer a 1-hour camera confident session and we’ll unlock some fears or misconceptions you may have. Because, if your brand could benefit from having you as the face of the brand, it’ll unlock more value than you think!
Exclusively for the Chamber Members, I’m offering a special discount, so if you’re interested, please email me: kami@boldcreatures.co and we’ll get cracking! 😀
Creative Media students at the College of West Anglia (CWA) were recently welcomed to an inspiring guest talk from Ian Harding, a talented stop motion animator based in King’s Lynn.
During his visit, Ian shared insights into his career within the animation industry, offering students a behind-the-scenes look at the creative and technical processes involved in stop motion animation. With experience spanning short films, advertising, and independent projects, Ian provided a valuable real-world perspective of working within the creative sector.
Ian spoke to students about his journey into animation, explaining how his passion for storytelling through stop motion began locally and how his roots in King’s Lynn continue to influence his work today. He highlighted the painstaking nature of the medium, bringing characters and ideas to life frame by frame through detailed models, sets and precise movement.
As part of the session, Ian showcased clips from projects he has worked on, giving students an insight into the level of creativity, patience and dedication required to succeed in animation. The talk also explored the balance between digital and physical creativity, encouraging students to experiment with a range of techniques and approaches.
Speaking about the importance of stop motion and the role it plays, Ian said: “Stop motion gives students a hands-on way to create something away from screens and apps, encouraging them to use their imagination and express their personalities through their work. Bringing characters to life with care and attention to detail helps keep this traditional form of animation alive, while giving the students the freedom to explore their creativity in a meaningful way.”
The visit forms part of the College of West Anglia’s commitment to enriching the student’s experience through industry engagement, helping learners gain insight into creative career pathways and develop skills aligned with the demands of the sector.
Kicking off with Paul McVeigh as guest speaker at the Royal Norwich.
Join us and our guest speaker, Norwich City Football Club
legend turned executive coach Paul McVeigh, as we discuss what it takes to
reach our elite performance potential
A great job at the heart of marketing in a busy company producing national TV commercials. You’ll help implement our marketing strategy, arrange campaigns, run a database, and organise other team-members (including the Directors!)
You’ll be researching leads online and by phone, and making full use of social media. Plus you’ll be part of a creative and amazingly friendly team.
You’ll have confidence, a creative imagination, strong planning and time-management abilities, plus good presentation and people skills. If you’ve experience in advertising or TV production, have marketing qualifications or a degree, so much the better. But as long as you can demonstrate these skills, your enthusiasm, and can sell yourself to us, we’d like to hear from you.
Send a CV, salary expectations and any supporting materials to: Francesca de Lacey, Director, JMS Group Ltd, Hethersett, Norwich, NR9 3DL or e-mail Francesca de Lacey.