Chamber member Cintra Translations has purchased language services agency First Edition, fuelling the companies’ own growth by supporting their clients’ success here and in export markets.
Announcing Cambridge-based Cintra’s purchase of First Edition early in February, Cintra CEO Jerry Froggett, said: “Quality is in the DNA of both companies. We have in common a consistent emphasis on quality and trust that has earned both companies many loyal clients here and internationally.
“Now with First Edition on board, Cintra is exceptionally well-placed to offer a wider range of translation and interpreting services to the many diverse Norfolk businesses operating here in what is one of Europe’s fastest growing and most dynamic regions. We look forward to considerable growth in our market share.”
First Edition Translations Director, Sheila Waller, who owned and ran the company from 1997, will play a key role in realising that vision for growth. She commented: “Our shared commitment to quality and integrity is fundamental to our plans for the future.”
The companies will continue to trade as Cintra Translation and First Edition Translations respectively with no immediate plans for a change of business entity.
Why choose a Flomotion height adjustable sit-stand desk.
So, you’ve decided to buy a height adjustable, sit-stand desk. You search online and a host of suppliers come up. How do you choose from the many sit-stand desks available on the market?
We’ve set out some of the reasons why we think we’re different and why you should choose one of our sit-stand desks.
Switch between standing and sitting effortlessly
A Flomotion sit-stand desk allows you to effortlessly switch between sitting and standing. At the touch of a button you can adjust the height of the desk – take your finger off the button and the desk will stop at your chosen height.
Five year warranty
It took us over a year to source what we think are the best height adjustable desk frames on the market. Combining stylish Danish design with the latest technology our desk frames all come with a five year warranty and a choice of three colours, black, white and grey.
Handmade desk tops
We’ve created desk tops from pine railway sleepers, vintage oak, recycled floorboards and antique pine reclaimed from 100 year old French railway carriages to name a few. Don’t worry, if you work in a more traditional office environment, we also offer laminate and veneer desk tops too.
Made to order sit-stand desk
If you’re looking for a desk with specific features, you can choose to have a bespoke, handmade desk top created just for you! The Hi-Rise was a commissioned piece that includes storage draws and two hidden compartments featuring Iroko wood sliding screens.
Any image or design
As creative people we love coming up with new designs but we also enjoy collaborating with local artists, designers and illustrators to design and produce a variety of inspiring designs printed on our birch ply desk tops. We can also custom print desk tops, if you can imagine it, we can create it, a unique desk top just for you!
Free two week trial
We offer a free two week trial and are pretty confident that once you’ve tried one of our desks you will want to keep it!
The trial includes free delivery and set up plus lots of information and advice on how to ergonomically optimise your workspace and maximise the benefits of using a height adjustable, sit-stand desk. Set up of the desk can normally be done within the hour.
Affordability – fit a frame to your existing desk top
If you have a desk or table that you really want to keep, we can fit one of our frames to your existing workstation. This is the most affordable option available and only costs £499. Information regarding interest free payments, available on request.
Health, well being and productivity
There are many benefits of working at a sit-stand desk. Research has shown that people who adopt a sit-stand approach to work tend to be much healthier than those who sit for long periods. Sit-stand working improves productivity and concentration, reduces the risk of type two diabetes, cardiovascular disease, increases blood flow, and improves posture. Standing at your desk burns 50 more calories an hour than sitting. If you stand for only four hours a day for five days, you’ll burn 1,000 calories. Over a year this adds up to approximately 52,000 extra calories!
Under development
Exciting new designs that are under development include a desk with an easel/drawing board feature and a lightbox desk. We’re also looking into the feasibility of a polished concrete desk top and exploring new ecological materials like boards made from straw and tomato vines and polished pulp.
Sit-stand working free stuff
As part of our commitment to customers we also offer a free app that reminds you to sit and stand throughout the day. Printed material on exercise and stretching routines are included as well as free downloads on exercise, health, fitness and well being. Our website will also be updated regularly with the latest health information and well-being research.
Please give us a call on 01603 490054 to book your free trial or to discuss your requirements.
A Norfolk based photography company will be focusing their attention on a new aim this year as they pledge their support for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) nook appeal.
Camera specialists Wex Photographic, who run an online shop and have a showroom on Drayton High Road, Norwich, are the latest local company to sign up to the nook business network scheme, and have pledged to raise at least £10,000 over the term of the appeal.
EACH launched the nook appeal in November 2014. The appeal aims to raise £10 million to transform children’s palliative care across the county, which includes a new purpose-built hospice ‘the nook’ on a 5-acre woodland site in Framingham Earl just south of Norwich.
The nook business network asks for companies small, medium and large throughout Norfolk to commit to raising either £10,000, £15,000 or £25,000 over the duration of the appeal in return for a number of benefits and support that the charity will provide. More than 25 local companies have now pledged their support for the scheme.
WEX Photographic are already supporters of EACH and donated a camera with accessories worth over £450.00 to the charity’s current hospice in Quidenham in December 2015.
Louis Wahl, Chief Customer Officer at from Wex, says: ‘”As a Norfolk-based business, we understand why the work done through East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices is so important for affected families, and for the whole community. We are proud to support EACH and the Nook Appeal’.”
James Bacon, EACH Norfolk Corporate Fundraiser, said: “We’re delighted that WEX photographic have pledged their support for our business network and are committed to helping make our vision of a new hospice for local life-threatened children and their families a reality.
“We need the support of all sectors of the Norfolk community – individuals, schools, community groups and of course the business sector to achieve our fundraising target , so support from WEX is fantastic and we very much look forward to working with them.”
Anyone interested in finding out more about the nook appeal and the nook business network should visit: www.each.org.uk/the-nook or contact the Norfolk Fundraising Team on: 01953 666767, funding@each.org.uk.
iBoxit, a company based at Norwich Research Park, has been
named as the winner of the Business Innovation Award at the Broadland and South
Norfolk Business Awards 2025. iBoxit is a collaboration between entrepreneur
John Farley and the University of East Anglia (UEA) under the tutelage of Prof
Sheng Qi.
iBoxit is leading the charge to tackle the environmental
impact of expanded polystyrene. Through its innovative development of a new,
environmentally-sustainable packaging that uses an intricate mixture of
existing plastic and plant-based composite to replace the expanded polystyrene
boxes that are currently used to transport fish, it’s paving the way for a
future where polystyrene could be eliminated entirely.
Its solution not only helps reduce landfill waste and ocean
pollution but also supports the food industry and benefits the global food
chain.
It is estimated that 9.5bn expanded polystyrene boxes were
used in 2020 and this is expected to grow to 13.5bn by 2025. The majority of
boxes are single-use and not recyclable. The fishing industry worldwide
discards almost half the total consumption into the oceans, with the remainder
finding their way to landfill.
The new transportation box, which importantly, can be
integrated into existing worldwide transportation systems, has the same thermal
properties as expanded polystyrene boxes and stacks safely. It is fully
recyclable and reusable, with a shelf life of 10 years, offering a more
sustainable long-term solution for packaging and distribution.
The Broadland and South Norfolk Business Awards 2025
celebrate the exceptional vision, innovation and leadership of local
businesses. The winners were selected by the judging panel because they have
truly set new benchmarks for excellence.
John said, “We are really pleased to have had our work
recognised with this award. Norfolk really has got a reputation for innovative
thinking and with Norwich Research Park and the UEA on our doorstep it is vital
that we work together with the brilliant minds there to come up with
sustainable solutions that will improve the lives of many on our planet both
now and in the future. With iBoxit we aim to change the way a huge industry
approaches the transportation of fish and ultimately other foodstuffs.”
The 5 star Celtic Manor resort in Wales was the stunning venue for the TaxAssist Accountants Annual Conference and Gala Dinner held on the 18th April 2015. This is a special year for the Norwich based franchise, which this year celebrates its 20th Anniversary.
Franchisees, their partners, staff and specialist services providers gathered for an exhibition in the morning, followed by a productive and informative afternoon conference where the CEO provided a network update and announced that the franchise which has already expanded to the Republic of Ireland and Canada, will also be expanding to Australia.
Representatives from the British Franchise Association were speakers during the conference, and provided an overview of the history of the relationship between TaxAssist and the BFA. They announced at the conference that TaxAssist are finalists for the prestigious BFA franchisor of the year award again this year, having previously won the award back in 2010. Two franchisees have previously been finalists for the franchisee of the year award. The BFA were happy to endorse the TaxAssist model and later in the year the Franchisee Assisted Management Buyout, which is believed to be the first in the UK, will be held up as an example to other franchisors at their own Annual Conference.
The conference was rounded off by a black tie dinner, with top notch entertainment provided by Paul Daniels and Debbie McGhee who performed a magic show, followed by the amazing ABBA tribute group Bjorn Again. Over 480 guests were in attendance – the largest attendance yet – and rather than reward individual franchisees, the event was this year, focussed on celebrating the success of the network of almost 200 franchisees as a whole.
Karl Sandall CEO of TaxAssist comments “Absolutely delighted to witness such a fantastic turnout for our Annual Conference and celebration dinner. Our franchise network and all our partners are on top form and looking forward to our continued expansion and building of our brand worldwide. Our 60,000 small business clients are in good hands and I look forward to many more enjoying the TaxAssist service.”
Platinum sponsor Richard Simms comments “”From all at F A Simms & Partners we would like to congratulate TaxAssist on their 20th anniversary and another successful annual conference. We have worked closely with TaxAssist for many years now and it is such a pleasure to see them reach this milestone anniversary. We look forward to continue working with and supporting them for many more years to come.”
Sports for Schools run athlete-led physical activities events to inspire children to participate in more sport, raise money for PE equipment in schools (over £1.75m to date), and support GB and Olympic athletes financially. They partner school groups with athletes to motivate and encourage children to enjoy being active and boost confidence. The company’s current system was labour intensive and needed a smoother, more integrated booking system. Naked Element’s developer Matt Wells explained “staff had to schedule the time-table for the whole of the following term manually, relying on their knowledge of athlete & school locations and resolving any issues raised by changes in availability and double bookings etc. As the following term approached this would eventually lead to a very labour intensive, ‘big-bang’ scheduling activity.”
“Naked Element implemented a brand new event scheduling system to automate and improve what was originally a manpower intensive, spreadsheet based process. The new System provides a web interface that enables Sports for Schools Athletes and Sportivaters to manage their own availability and always gives them an up to date view of their future events.”
[Athlete Page Rachael Latham] “The majority of the functionality however is tailored for Sports for Schools staff. This enables them to view a list of the closest athletes/sportivaters to a given school (in real-time whilst they are on the phone to that school). Once they’ve selected the appropriate candidates it then indicates their availability and also shows when they are already scheduled on other events nearby to minimise travel time between events. The date can be selected and the athletes/sportivaters assigned at the same time.”
The project was not without its hurdles though! A flexible, two-way integration with the existing CRM was required, to enable staff to stay in control of their own data. “We took a pragmatic approach to solve this issue” Matt says “one that focused on the needs of the administrative staff. Rather than being prescriptive about when and what they were allowed to do, we gave them the tools to move data between the systems and ensured that they had a good understanding of how and when to use (and not to use) those tools.”
The software also required extensive use of 3rd party mapping and geocoding APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), which can prove costly. Naked Elements’ initial solution was to use Google APIs “but it soon became clear that the number of calls necessary to the APIs exceeded Google’s free usage quotas and even the entry level licensing costs were understandably much too expensive for our client.”
“We therefore ported the whole system to use some similar MapQuest APIs. However, this caused a number of issues because the postcode coverage of the MapQuest APIs was significantly poorer than those of Google. In the end we required a more complex technical solution under the hood which used the MapQuest APIs, but was capable of falling back on the Google APIs for postcodes that MapQuest struggled with.”
Michael Ledzon, director of Sports for Schools, was impressed by the speed at which Naked Element were able to determine what was required. He initially decided to work with Naked Element because he was aware of our background, education and experience. The requirements capture was “excellent and straightforward”, which was something that was important to Michael. The cycle of development was efficient too, in no small way due to the effective communication between Naked Element and Sports For Schools. “Naked Element was able to understand our requirements and beaver away – we never felt we had to chase for anything. They drove the project and made sure it all happened in a timely manner. I have been involved in projects that have been the opposite.”
“The end product is very intuitive and clean and that’s been really good. They captured our requirements and turned it into something easy and useful. All the users love it and I’ve had other companies ask who we got our system from!” So when asked if he would recommend Naked Element?
Digital Marketing agency, Bigfork, have designed a new website for the leading East Anglian independent property group – Arnolds Keys. You can read the full website design case study on our website here.
Bigfork – we make websites stand out t:01603 513080
Norwich based training business finalist for National safety achievement award
Norwich based training provider Shield Health & Safety has beaten stiff competition to be shortlisted as a finalist for the RTITB Partner Achievement Award 2016.
Only 20 training providers from across the UK were selected as finalists out of nearly 450 eligible work place transport training companies. Shield Health & Safety was shortlisted following an assessment of several criteria such as business growth, feedback scores from trainees and results from their training audits.
“The RTITB Partner Achievement Awards 2016 were created to reward forklift truck training providers for their dedication to high quality training,” says Laura Nelson, Managing Director of RTITB, the UK’s leading workplace transport training accrediting body.
Craig Hillam from Shield Health & Safety says “Being shortlisted for the Partner Achievement Award has emphasised the determination the team at Shield has, in achieving a high standard when it comes to machine training. We are humbled by the fact that we have been trading for only a short time and yet have been recognised by our accrediting body, the RTITB in achieving this nomination. We look forward to celebrating with the other nominations soon.”
The results of the awards were announced at the finale of the RTITB Partner Conference held at The Mere Golf Resort in Knutsford, Cheshire. The winner of this prestigious award received a luxury, all-inclusive holiday for two to Barbados. The first runner up received £2000 worth of shopping vouchers and third prize got £1000 shopping voucher.
“The winners will gain recognition and acclaim from the industry,” says Laura. “However, we will also celebrate the hard work and commitment to quality training that all our RTITB partners provide.”
For more information on Shield Health & Safety please visit www.shieldhealthandsafety.co.uk. Alternatively, to find out more about RTITB training visit www.rtitb.co.uk or call them on +44(0)1952 520200
RTITB (formerly the Road Transport Industry Training Board) has been synonymous with high quality training in the transport, warehousing and logistics industries for over 50 years.
RTITB provides businesses with effective tools to train people and supports them to ensure the training is delivered correctly.
We believe passionately in the role that training plays in improving safety and increasing efficiency in the workplace. Some 175,000 professionals from these industries attended RTITB courses last year. The company accredits 600 sites across the UK and Ireland for the delivery of materials handling equipment training and manages the largest Driver CPC Periodic Training consortium in the UK. RTITB also operates dedicated services for transport, warehousing and logistics instructors including an instructor training academy, online shop and professional register.
National Employee Motivation Day takes place this week (Thursday 25 February) with the aim of inspiring organisations to put staff motivation at the forefront of business thinking. The key message of the day is that increased employee motivation has a powerful impact on a businesses’ bottom line and the economy overall. As strong advocates of employee engagement, of which employee motivation is a significant element, we wholeheartedly agree. Here’s just some of the key reasons why:
Higher revenues and GDP
This is the second year National Employee Motivation Day has taken place. It was originally created by Argos for Business in response to a 2015 survey which showed that over half of the UK’s employees regularly felt demotivated at work. But using the findings of a Kenexa study, Engage for Success has highlighted that if the UK were to increase its employee motivation and engagement levels to be in line with other European countries, such as the Netherlands, this could be associated with increased revenues and growth leading to a £25.8bn increase in GDP.
Improved productivity and performance
Motivated employees are more productive. They have more enthusiasm and drive to finish projects and play their part in making the business a success. They invest more of themselves in their work and strive to do better which results in higher quality work. They also work more efficiently and with greater levels of collaboration, creativity and commitment, all of which has a positive impact on the bottom line.
Better customer service and staff advocacy
Engaged employees will be stronger advocates of their organisations and help protect the employer from the reputational risks associated with poor service levels or product quality. The more motivated an employee is, the more likely they are to be customer focussed. They will have the patience and willingness to go the extra mile to deliver the best possible service, and a happy customer is a returning customer.
Lower turnover and absenteeism costs
Motivated employees are more committed and therefore more likely to stay with an organisation, increasing your employee retention figures, helping you keep hold of top talent and reducing the costs involved in recruiting and training new staff. Higher levels of employee engagement also impacts positively on levels of absenteeism as many sick days are not taken because an employee is unwell but because they feel undervalued, demotivated and disengaged.
Increased innovation
The more motivated employees are the more they will feel empowered to drive innovation. This needs to be fostered through the creation of a workplace culture in which they have the opportunity to put forward ideas which could be the key contributors to market differentiation and growth. Given the chance, motivated employees could provide creative solutions to improve the customer experience and boost profitability or offer inspired marketing ideas to help build the brand.
Boosted morale
By increasing employee motivation you will create a workforce which is proud to be a part of your organisation and which is inspired to do their best. They will care more about the future of their organisation and put in greater effort to helping meet its objectives. It only takes one de-motivated person to have a significant impact on the morale of an entire team, reducing this level of inspiration and effort in the business.
Do you know how motivated and engaged your employees are?
If you would like to find out more about how motivated your employees are then take a look at our Best Employers Eastern Region initiative which includes a completely free employee survey on a company’s culture and values, and the impact this has on engagement and the way in which people perform.
Vote before midnight on Sunday 28 February for Norfolk’s Rachel Duffield to be crowned the VisitEngland/ Daily Mirror Tourism Superstar 2016
We’re down to the last few days of voting in this year’s Tourism Superstar award, run by VisitEngland in conjunction with the Daily Mirror. Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse Learning Officer, Rachel Duffield, has been on the campaign trail now for the past six weeks, to bring back this prestigious award to the county.
Rachel, a.k.a. ‘Moaning Martha’, is one of 11 nominees across England and the only one from the East of England. She needs your vote to win the award. Please vote for Rachel / Martha here by midnight this Sunday, 28 February:
As ‘Moaning Martha’ she’s been entertaining and informing visitors to Gressenhall for the past seven years with grumbles and gossip about workhouse life – all in authentic Norfolk dialect. She’s even been on a workhouse diet for a month! You can meet Rachel/Martha in the nominees’ film at the link above, and in a series of very funny YouTube clips called ‘Woss in my baag’: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCutYGra0qZOtrpagOyEfFNA
You can tweet about Rachel’s nomination by using #TourismSuperstar and @moaning_martha
With tourism one of the major industries in Norfolk, it would be fitting for Rachel to win the award and to help publicise the fantastic tourism offer in the county.
Norwich based legal IT solutions firm, Tiger Eye, has announced a 12 month sponsorship of the tiger keepers at Banham Zoo in Norfolk, as part of celebrations to mark the company’s 10th anniversary.
Banham Zoo currently has two Siberian Tigers, also known as Amur tigers, which are the largest of all the big cats. It is thought that there are currently just 360 Siberian tiger in the wild.
Tiger Eye will provide support for the zoo’s team of cat keepers in their vital work with this endangered species. Banham Zoo’s tigers, Kuzma and Sveta, are part of an international breeding programme.
Managing director of Tiger Eye, Dave Wilson, said “Our company name provides an obvious connection to the tigers, but there is far more depth to our reason for wanting to support these incredible creatures. We have long admired the impressive work that The Zoological Society of East Anglia (ZSEA) undertakes at Banham and Africa Alive in Suffolk. As a local business, we were very keen to pledge support for their important tiger conservation programme, which is part of an international effort to hopefully enable these amazing animals to survive long into the future.”
Martin Goymour, CEO of ZSEA said “I’d like to offer my thanks to Tiger Eye for sponsoring the tigers at Banham Zoo. Without the support of companies like Tiger Eye, our vital work looking after the animals in our care and at conservation projects worldwide would be put at risk. With only 360 Siberian Tigers thought to remain in the wild, they are one of the world’s most endangered species. It’s thanks to Tiger Eye and all of our generous supporters that we are able to continue our work to help protect them.”
Founded in 2005, Tiger Eye uses cutting edge technology to provide advanced document management solutions for clients, in the legal, financial and professional services sectors. The company’s clients include Birketts LLP and Hammerson PLC. By streamlining a company’s digital assets, including data, emails, records, images and media, users on and off-site are able to have greater control over company information, meet stringent compliance regulations and improve business efficiencies.