This is a rare opportunity to become the leader of a well-respected and much-loved local charity. The role requires a strong leader of people, someone with a wide corporate and commercial skill set, able to develop and implement robust strategic plans whilst also remaining in touch with the needs of local people affected by cancer.
If you feel up to the challenge, able to deliver on our vision and values and are confident in your ability to strengthen Big C with sound organisational and business principles, then the team would love to hear from you.
Tourism specialists, Julia White and Martin Sanders, chat about the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and other current economic strains on the sector. They discuss VAT, energy costs, staffing and what they’re seeing within their clients’ businesses, and explore how to relieve the pressure.
You can find Martin’s and Julia’s details on the Our People section of our website here – please reach out if you’d like to speak to our specialists.
See how our Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality team could help your business here.
GET IN TOUCH! If you have any questions on today’s episode, and would like us to get in touch, email us at podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk.
We’d also love it if you could rate us 5 STARS on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, this really helps people find us!
The EU is removing import duties on a wide range of products imported from Sri Lanka. Effective since 19 May, the initiative will see the full removal of duties on 66% of tariff lines, including textiles and fisheries products.
Made in response to reforms made by the Sri Lankan administration, the EU’s action is tied to what it characterises as rigorous monitoring of Sri Lanka’s commitment to sustainable development, human rights and good governance.
Sri Lanka has committed itself to effectively implementing 27 international conventions on issues including labour conditions and environmental protection, the European Commission noted.
The removal of import duties has been agreed as part of the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP+), which supports developing countries by fostering their economic development through increased trade with Europe.
An application for GSP+ was made by the Sri Lankan Government in July 2016. The country had previously benefitted from the scheme, but preferential treatment to Sri Lankan imports was stopped by the EU in 2010 over concerns about human rights violations.
The EU is Sri Lanka’s biggest export market. In 2016, total bilateral trade amounted to almost €4 billion, with EU imports from Sri Lanka totalling €2.6 billion (primarily textiles, rubber products and machinery).
EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said that granting GSP+ status to Sri Lanka is intended to provide an opportunity for further economic development, including creating more and better jobs for all Sri Lankans.
Sri Lanka joins eight other GSP+ beneficiaries: Armenia, Bolivia, Cape Verde, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Pakistan, Paraguay and the Philippines.
We have an announced the lucky winner of our competition to receive 2 x VIP Tickets to the Royal Norfolk Show, congratulations Jonnie Butcher from Desire Marketing.
Don’t forget Norfolk Chamber members can receive 10% off the price of Royal Norfolk Show tickets.
The Royal Norfolk Show is the county’s biggest event of the year. It attracts tens of thousands of visitors from all over the UK. It takes place on Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th June 2017 at The Royal Norfolk Showground.
To purchase your ticket and receive 10% discount click here and use the code RNS44.
Although most of our work involves visiting workplaces, where we set up in a small quiet area or meeting room, some requests are just a little different.
Hands On At Work was asked recently to provide some seated massage sessions for a client but it was slightly different to the usual request. Barclays were holding a Gen AI Hackathon event. What’s one of those? We must admit to having to check what that means! Basically, they hosted a 24 hour event across nine locations globally, which saw employees working through the night to brainstorm ideas of how AI would affect the world of banking.
We were on hand at their Radbrook Centre from 8am the following morning to soothe tired and aching bodies and minds with our back neck and shoulders and head massages. We were placed right in the middle of the event balloon arch, next to the huge count down screen, what a great atmosphere!
Our seated massage is ideally placed to bring fun and relaxation to events. We have another one in the next couple of weeks where it is essentially a two-day corporate event but as most of the staff are very young, the client wants to create a festival vibe. We will be in a marquee, playing chill out music, offering massage and yoga over the two days. Versatility is our middle name!
If you are thinking about organising an event or would like to have some massage or other wellbeing services at your workplace, get in touch. We don’t mind how wacky the ideas are, in fact we relish the challenge!
Addressing the 2017 European Business Summit in Brussels, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström set out the state of play for the EU’s ambitious agenda of trade policy.
This includes working with partners including the USA, China, Canada and Japan as well as Latin America, southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
The Commissioner noted the benefits trade can bring including cheaper products and services, and the creation of new jobs. She called for an approach which responds to people’s concerns, with a trade policy which is transparent, based on values and which shapes globalisation.
With regard to the UK, Ms Malmström expressed her personal sadness at the Brexit vote.
“But we’ll have to respect it and get on with it,” she continued. “Negotiations will resume after the election. The first priority is to ensure it’s an orderly withdrawal.”
In her speech, the full text of which, is available at trade.ec.europa.eu, the Commissioner gave an overview of progress in the trade agreements currently under discussion.
She also took the opportunity to attack the rise of protectionism and populism, and stressed that trade must not lead to a race to the bottom, with each side undercutting on standards.
The Commissioner closed by calling for a strengthening of the open, rules-based global trade system. The EU, she said, is open for business.
If you’re considering entering the EDP Business Awards but you’re unsure about which category is right for you, or you would like advice on how to tell your business story, then this session is not to be missed.
Norfolk Chamber of Commerce are running a special one-off free training as part of their Chamber Sessions which are one-hour free training workshops at their Norwich office. How to write award winning entriesDate: Friday, 23 June, 2017 – 8:30am to 10:00 Venue: 9 Norwich Business Park, Whiting Road, Norwich, NR4 6DJ FREE TO ATTEND
The interactive workshop will feature top tips from PR expert Suzy Pettican from Reflection PR, revealing the secrets of how to construct a winning entry which stands out to the judges.What’s more, Anna Norman (Events Manager for EDP Business Awards) will be providing insights about meeting this year’s criteria and answering any questions you have about the judging process.
Entering the awards provides significant opportunities to reward, recognise and promote your business – so if you have an initiative to shout about, join us and improve your chances of success.
Three take aways from this session:
Know what category is right for your business to enter.
Discover how to make your entry stand out from the crowd.
Find out answers to EDP Business Awards myths.
To book your place on this free workshop click here.
EDP Business Awards 2017
The EDP Business Awards 2017 are open for entries. The deadline for submitting your entry to any of the twelve award catergories is Sunday 30 July. Finalists will be invited to the black-tie Awards Ceremony at the Norfolk Showground on Thursday 2 November 2017.
If the UK is to retain its position as a global trading hub, then the Freight Transport Association (FTA) believes that creation of increased airport capacity in the southeast of England is vital.
The leading membership association in the logistics sector, whose members account for around 70% of the UK’s imports and exports, made the comment in response to the Government’s Draft Airports National Policy Statement.
It called for a swift resolution to discussions over the construction of a third runway at Heathrow before the airport loses further prominence in global trading to its European neighbours, including Paris Charles de Gaulle and Schiphol.
Alex Veitch, the Association’s Head of Global Policy, said: “The FTA has consistently supported the construction of a third runway at Heathrow, in preference to Gatwick, as our members believe it will deliver greater economic benefits to the whole of the UK from what is the key logistics hub for the entire country.”
Cargo is currently sent to and from Heathrow to 185 destinations in 84 countries, he went on, and expansion work must start swiftly to protect the airport’s reputation as the UK leading air freight gateway.
According to the York Aviation Report, jointly commissioned by FTA and Transport for London (TfL) in 2015, failure to expand capacity at London’s airports would have a detrimental effect on future trading partnerships, hitting shippers in terms of time and cost as they attempt to get goods to market, both in the UK and overseas.
The FTA’s Sky-high Value report into the value of extending Heathrow’s capacity can be found here.
At Zip Water, we are proud of the employee benefits we offer our colleagues.
Accessed through a portal, colleagues can view all available employee benefits in one central location and then select their preferred options.
We believe there is something for everyone, from active discounts on gym memberships, nutrition, and sports clothing, to adventure days, spa breaks, and travel. We also offer significant savings on entry prices to many of the UK’s top attractions through the Merlin Entertainments group.
Moreover, we prioritise health and wellbeing with options to join a cycle-to-work scheme and even a health cash plan offering individual or family membership plans. We have a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme available 24/7, 365 days a year to support colleagues to deal with personal and professional problems affecting their home or work life, health, and general wellbeing. This is complemented by access to a health and fitness app that connects colleagues to trusted information and real-life human experts for free, personalised, and confidential support.
Colleagues can also take advantage of over 30,000 local and national discounts through an employee-only platform. Savings and discounts are spread across over 20 different categories from Electronics, Home & Garden, to Fashion, and even Groceries. Colleagues can save on everything from their weekly food shop to their next foreign holiday, with options to have a discount at the time of purchase or to save reward points to use on future purchases or even as cash back!
We have enhanced family-friendly policies and even offer the option to purchase additional holiday on top of our generous standard holiday entitlement.
Our people are our biggest asset, and we hope these benefits not only support our colleagues every day but also show that we care and are here to help when they need it most.
On Wednesday 7th June Norfolk Chamber held its first South Norfolk Business Breakfast, at Applewood Hall Banham. Over 60 Chamber members attended the popular networking morning, hosted by Events Manager, Philippa Bindley. The morning got underway with a popular networking icebreaker that that asked delegates to reveal their first or worst jobs, leading to interesting discussions about their career paths and working lives. After tucking into to a full English breakfast and getting to know other members in the room through a safari networking move, Matt Sykes, a Trainer at Mindspan delivered an insightful presentation about the challenges that sales professionals are experiencing in today’s marketplace. Matt warned delegates of common mistakes they may be making when trying to promote their businesses at networking events, such as talking excessively about their business selling points. He stated that: ‘People aren’t interested in what you do…they want the result and the benefit that comes with the service you provide.’You can watch the video of Matt’s presentation online here or access the presentation slides by clicking here. The morning ended with a final round of free networking and a last chance to exchange of business cards. The next South Norfolk Business Breakfast will take place on Thursday 26th October 2017
In an effort to avoid post-Brexit tariffs, a third of British businesses are looking for UK firms to replace EU suppliers. Meanwhile, nearly half of EU businesses working with UK suppliers are in the process of finding local replacements.
The figures are revealed in a new survey by the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), which found that 32% of UK businesses who work with suppliers on the continent are actively looking for alternative suppliers based in the UK.
For those trading with other Member States, UK-based suppliers are set to lose out as 45% of businesses currently using them seek non-UK replacements.
The survey of more than 2100 supply chain managers also found that 36% of UK businesses are intending to respond to Brexit by beating down supplier prices and that 11% of firms think that part of their operations may no longer be viable.
Although both UK and European supply chain managers agree that the main priority for the Brexit negotiations should be to keep tariffs and quotas to a minimum, those in the UK with responsibilities for brokering international deals believe there are serious obstacles to achieving that objective.
More than a third (39%) said they thought that the UK is in a weak position to negotiate and 36% cited lack of time as a major factor in achieving a good deal.
Even more worryingly, 33% of respondents believe that the UK has a dearth of supply chain expertise and knowledge to draw on.
Commenting for the CIPS, Gerry Walsh noted that both European and British businesses will be ready to reroute their supply chains in 2019 if trade negotiations fail – they are not wasting time to see what happens.
“The separation of the UK from Europe is already well underway even before formal negotiations have begun,” he added.
Notice is hereby given that the 120th Annual General Meeting of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce & Industry will be held at OPEN, 20 Bank Plain, Norwich on Friday 07 October 2016. Registration will be at 10.00am, for meeting commencement at 10:15am. Please see attached for all papers relevant to the meeting.
All members are welcome to attend the Norfolk Chamber AGM. We would ask that members wishing to attendcomplete the attached RSVP and return it by email to:nova.fairbank@norfolkchamber.co.uk to ensure that we can accommodate everyone.