After the success on or first free kids Activity day, we are back again but bigger! We have lots going on this time so there will be enough to keep the kids entertained while you parents can sit back and relax! We have – Bird Box building and Painting (Limited Supply), A brilliant Face painter by @missafacepainting, A puppet show at 2pm, our famous unicorn colouring and a Pump Badge design competition (Winner will win 4 cans of beer, a pizza and will be used for an upcoming special beer).
Please book a table and get here early, it got very busy very quick!
Digital marketing refers to the type of promotion for your business that is done in the online environment. If you have a website, a blog, a social media account for your business or send emails to your customers, you are already doing digital marketing.
The job is to find out what you are doing and how you are doing it, and then to make some minor (or occasionally major) changes to make your efforts more successful. We have decades of experience in house in the digital marketing field, and specialist knowledge in all areas of online promotion to help you achieve your dreams.
Digital marketing involves:
SEO: Your lovely flashy website is worth nothing to you if people can’t find it. With our SEO services, we can get you to page one of Google for the most relevant search terms for your company, helping more people find you and getting more traffic to your website. Social media: Are you on Facebook? What about Twitter? Should you be using Pinterest, Instagram or LinkedIn? What about Tumblr, Foursquare and Reddit? The number and complexity of social networking platforms can be daunting to say the least. In order to increase the efficiency of your time spent socially marketing your brand, you need input from experts like us.Website design and development: Whether you need a brand new website for a new business or product, or want to revamp your existing web presence, our web designers can help. We offer affordable starter packages for new businesses including hosting, and also have the capabilities to build huge ecommerce websites featuring thousands of products.Email marketing: Email is still one of the most powerful ways to reach out to your customers. Get it right, and you’ll develop brand loyalty, customer referrals and ultimately, more sales. But get it wrong and you could be doomed to the ‘junk’ folder forever. Talk to us about our email marketing to get it right first time, and every time.Branding: From logo designto a complete branding strategy for your business, our professional business consultants can help uncover the colours and images that best represent your brand. Building a brand is so much more than just a logo, so let us help you create something you’ll be proud of forever.
With all of these techniques combined digital marketing can put your business out there in order to sell your product and represent what you stand for businesswise.
The drop in session will provide an opportunity for businesses looking to start, diversify, grow or network with other businesses. Various organisations will be on hand during the morning to provide the latest information and advice for your business.
The Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk’s property team will inform you about properties and plots now available on the King’s Lynn Enterprise Park.
New Anglia Growth Hub can help your business access a range of support services from hundreds of sources. The hub’s service is free and impartial, and can help you access grants (including Go Digital), finance, international trade support and other specialist advice – all from a single point of contact.
College of West Anglia, BOOST, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and FSB will be there to offer their services and support.
Obtaining your forklift licence is necessary for you if you are looking to further your career within this industry. It is the mark of someone who can not only drive a forklift but drive it safely, efficiently and in a professional manner.
Once your RTITB Forklift Operation Certificate is attained, you have it for life, with no expiration date (although the; National Operators Registration Scheme records this training does).
The Need to Refresh Your Certificate
Refreshing an already attained forklift certificate is a good way to maintain safe working practises and eliminate accumulated bad practices that may have been accumulating over a period of time since the last training took place.
Some certificate holders may only be occasional operatives, by refreshing and updating an existing licence will ensure skill fade does not creep in over time.
Most reputable companies will insist newly appointed operators, who already have an RTITB Forklift Licence, take a refresher course to demonstrate they are a safe and competent operator. This can also form part of a familiarisation course to ensure they a competent to operate unfamiliar equipment in a new environment.
A scheduled training regime will ensure a safety culture is adopted throughout the company, along with maintaining a high level of competencies and the ‘Approved Code of Practice’ for forklift operations. The benefit of regular training will ensure accidents are reduced and in the main eliminated.
As an employer why is it important?
As an employer you have a duty to ensure your staff are suitably trained. The decision to retrain and refresh is the responsibility of the employer as stated in the Health & Safety At Work Act (1974) and Regulation 9 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (1998) which states that; ‘adequate information, instruction and training’ is provided for all employees.
In addition to the published guidance further information can be found in the Approved Code of Practice for Rider Operated Lift Trucks (L117), which has special legal status in that if you are prosecuted for a breach of Health and Safety Law, and it is proved that you did not follow the relevant provisions of the code, you will need to demonstrate that you have complied with the duty or law in some other way, or a court may find you at fault.
It is best practice to consider a gap of between three to five years, depending on the truck type, tasks, environment and frequency of work/risks. Some companies identify this as an issue and provide refresher training more often than this.
Workers may also need refresher training if:
There has been an unsafe incident or ‘near miss’
Awareness of dangerous driving
Operatives becoming disabled
If you would like more information about our Forklift Training Courses please give us a call on 01508 218721 or contact us via e-mail at enquiries@shieldhealthandsafety.co.uk
This Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) Level 3 Award course is designed for businesses who need to ensure they are compliant with the Health and Safety at Work Act and have trained first aiders in the workplace.
The course is approved and accredited by Highfield Qualifications and is suitable for employees with designated first aid responsibilities, as well as business owners, managers, and supervisors.
Delivered over one full day, the training covers essential emergency first aid skills, including assessing an incident, CPR, use of an AED, recovery position, choking, seizures, bleeding, shock, minor injuries, and anaphylaxis awareness. The course includes both practical and written assessment, and successful candidates will receive a certificate valid for three years
With a reported one third of the electorate unsure whether to vote to leave or remain in the EU on 23 June, and the other two thirds split relatively equally between the two camps, a British exit (Brexit) now seems a real possibility. But, what will it mean for trademark and design rights?
Will EU TMs continue to cover the UK? At present, there is no documentation or comment from the UK’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) on the potential impact on trademarks and designs in the event of an exit vote in the referendum. However, it is reasonable to expect that if the UK does leave the EU, it will no longer be part of the European trademark (EU TM) or registered design (EU Design) systems.
That said, the withdrawal from the EU TM and Design systems will not occur immediately: Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty stipulates a two-year withdrawal and negotiation period (which can be extended). It is yet to be seen whether the UK would need to legislate for successor rights as part of that withdrawal (i.e. some form of conversion of EU rights into UK law) or if UK proprietors would be required to re-register EU rights at the UK IPO.
Nonetheless, companies would be advised to review their current filings and management/renewals strategy to ensure their rights continue to be protected at both EU and UK level post-Brexit. We would advise taking the following steps:
Prioritise registrations: Review your current EU TM (and Design) portfolio and prioritise rights for action/protection (e.g. between primary, secondary and tertiary registrations)
Pull out duplicate rights: Identify those EU rights that overlap with existing UK registrations (as separate protection should already exist)
Weed out waste: Use the opportunity to identify those rights or classes that are no longer relevant, so as to save cost and streamline the portfolio
Ringfence core rights: Also use the time to review primary/key rights to ensure that they are up-to-date and adequately protected
Consider associated effects: For example, implications for existing licensing agreements, injunctions/disputes or anti-counterfeiting strategies (as the UK may no longer be subject to the EU principles on the free movement of goods)
Should you convert your EU TMs to UK applications? If an EU TM has been filed and the trademark is used only in the UK, then the right could be vulnerable to cancellation actions (for non-use) if the five-year grace period has passed. It is already possible to convert such EU TMs to UK rights, however, it’s important to note that such conversions will leave companies without EU TM protection and could, therefore, require them to file additional applications to ensure protection in Europe if they plan to use their mark there moving forward.
Conversely, when the UK portion of a EU TM, which is used only outside the UK, is converted into a national registration, the UK registration would similarly be vulnerable to cancellation actions (for non-use).
Seniority claims would also need to be reviewed. When the EU TM system was implemented, there was a system by which national rights could ‘live’ within the EU right and the national right allowed to lapse. Where this has occurred in respect of UK rights, it would need to be discussed whether these rights could be re-activated in some way.
Will it impact enforcement strategies? There will be some impact on the enforcement of rights if the UK exits the EU, as the UK would no longer have a EU TM court. While the impact is likely to be quite minimal, any pan-EU injunctions/ or decisions could be vulnerable to change or amendment.
What about imports? An exit from Europe could also have an impact when it comes to the transportation of goods between the UK and the EU. The considerations preventing the partitioning of the internal market would no longer apply if the UK leaves the European Economic Area (EEA). Consequently, EU TMs and Designs could be used to prevent imports into the EU from the UK, as exhaustion rules would no longer apply (currently, a trademark owner cannot object to the further dealing of goods it has placed on the market within the EEA). Likewise, UK rights would not be exhausted by sales elsewhere in Europe and could be used to prevent parallel imports into the UK from the EU.
Most brand owners already know the importance of recording their trademarks with customs to enable them to identify and act against infringing products; however, the Brexit vote may be a good opportunity to review those strategies and to ensure that those trademarks are recorded with customs authorities in both the UK and EU. (Click here for advice on recording your trademarks with customs departments)
A right for Scotland? Nicola Sturgeon has indicated that there would be strong demand for a new referendum on independence if the UK were to exit the EU. This could pose greater uncertainty surrounding the national UK systems for trademarks, designs and patents.
A vote for Brexit could start the process of change in the way in which UK and European businesses protect their IP rights nationally and in the EU. If vote leave does emerge the victor in the debate, we will be in touch with additional advice and updates as the process is discussed and clarified. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any queries or concerns.
I was tempted to write this blog with instant reflections on the EU referendum result on Friday, as we were all absorbing the outcome. But a short pause gives one a bit of time for reflection, if not real distance.
When speaking to members on Friday, I noted that for many businesses, little has changed immediately, but so much could change in the months and years ahead. I still think that is fundamentally right.
In the short term, many firms will simply get on with business just as they always have. Both in broadcast and print, I am championing our faith in the resilience and adaptability of the Norfolk business community that we represent. Yes, many companies and sectors undoubtedly face important challenges around markets, exchange rates, margins and uncertainty in the coming weeks and months. Others will not, and could be emboldened if we can push successfully for stability, clarity and action on the big-ticket domestic economic decisions.
The medium term is where I see the greatest potential for some turbulence. Uncertainty around the terms of our actual exit from the EU and the terms of trade – both with Europe and globally – will be at its sharpest. Political challenges, such as the future of the United Kingdom, may also increase. Yet this gives us, as a Chamber network, crucial time to work with and support Chamber members and the Norfolk community they serve as we prepare for an unprecedented transition. We need to work together to make this happen.
The long term, ultimately, is what we make of it. We must ensure that medium-term uncertainty gives way to long-term success – both for Chamber member businesses and for the wider economy. We have a chance to shape a whole new UK approach to global trade, to which so many of our Chamber members are deeply and passionately committed. The Norfolk Chambers’ core function – connecting and supporting businesses locally and globally – will be more relevant than ever before.
So while we work through the immediate, practical consequences of the electorate’s choice, we will commit our time and energy to work together with partners in new ways to tackle the challenges and opportunities ahead – in the interests of our Chamber members, Norfolk businesses and their trading relationships across the world.
If you’ve always wanted a degree but left school without the qualifications needed to progress to university, we have a range of access courses to prepare you for higher education.
Book your Morning, 9:30am-11:30am, or early Evening, 4:30pm-6:30pm, slot below.
We also have a variety of nationally recognised qualifications and part-time courses to suit your lifestyle across our three campuses, as well as programmes to improve your English and Maths. Come along to our open event for ADULTS to discover more!
Speak to our teaching and student services staff about which courses would work best for you.
Speak to our Career Teams for information, advice and guidance.
Find out about financial and childcare support.
Meet some of our students and find out how it’s working for them.
Pre-booking an arrival time is essential.
We will be running a short presentation at 10:00am and 5:30pm which we strongly recommend you attend, as this will provide essential information about funding and tips about overcoming the barriers to coming back into education as an adult.
Join us for a coffee and cake, whilst discovering your choices!
Confusion, dismay, concern, speculation, jubilation……whichever side of the fence you are on, the fact is there now lies ahead a period of adjustment, uncertainty and concern. Regardless of what business you are in, this could be a good time to consider your customers’ motivations and decision making landscape.
The one common denominator amongst all voters is a feeling of being disenfranchised with the current status quo. But whether it’s on a global scale, a national scale or a local neighbourhood scale, each voter had their own reasons for voting the way they did.
It’s done. The fallout will be long and protracted. It may impact every person in the United Kingdom financially and personally. But every person in the United Kingdom will still have to purchase bread, buy services, choose education and select adequate care for their elderly.
Our day to day routines and procedures will still exist but they may all become a little more intense in the short term. Customers will start making more informed decisions and taking careful steps to ensure their economic stability.
This is the perfect platform for you to create a deeper relationship with your customer and provide some welcome assurance that you will continue to honour your agreements or transactions with them.
We know that customer experience is destined to overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator this decade. With that in mind, creating a grounded and stable customer experience should take precedence now. Make it known that you value your customer and their views, whatever they may be. Every customer is different to you. In ‘Future Proof Your Business’ Patrick Dixon writes ‘seek out advice from experts, consultants, innovators – people who think very differently to you and others in your company’. Outsiders’ views will challenge your own views, allow you to step out of the bubble that is your own business which means you stay current and relevant. Your customers are valuable resources. Listen to them.
Of course, you will be considering the financial implications for your own business but your business is worthless without your customers. Take a step back and consider your customer journey. What are they seeking now?
We suggest there are a few things you should certainly NOT say to your customers this summer:
1. ‘You ticked WHICH box??????’ Keep your views to yourself. The easiest way to lose customers is to vocalize a view that does not match theirs.
2. ‘I don’t care about YOUR situation; our industry is unique.’ You do not stand alone and there will always be businesses in different situations to you. This is not the time to moan about how you may be more affected than most. There are winners and losers in every situation. Customers will be looking at how your handle your win or loss and what your strategies are going forward.
3. ‘Of course our pricing will change’. The UK is one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world. This will not change overnight or this month or this year! Reassure your customer that nothing will change (even if you suspect you may have to make changes in the long-term, do not worry your customer needlessly).
4. ‘We’ve changed our warranty terms’. Any whiff of instability on your behalf will surely result in your customer seeking out other options. You should really be doing everything possible to make sure your customers feel secure and that their relationship with you is permanent and ongoing.
5. ‘I’m studying to become an immigration agent’. Even if you anticipate there will be a mass exodus to countries on distant continents, your customer will not thank you if you announce your intention to leave your current business and cash in on industries that may experience a boom. It is a pointless and futile exercise to predict worst case scenarios. Focus, instead, on opportunities that may be hidden within your own business.
6. ‘We’re all doomed.’ We know that approximately 70% of buying decisions are made based upon how a customer feels he or she is being treated (McKinsey). A depressed, financially insecure customer will not really be amenable to ‘the upsell’. There has never been a better time to make your customer feel loved.
Like many aspects of economic and social life in the UK at the present time, there is a high degree of uncertainty surrounding the medium and long term picture of our employment law frameworks. However, in the short term at least, the situation is clear that the range of legal rights and obligations that are in place remain unchanged in the aftermath of the UK’s referendum vote to leave the European Union.
As long at the UK remains a member of the EU, EU law still applies to employers and employees alike and the principle of the free movement of labour also remains in place. Many questions will however need to be answered once the formal process to facilitate the UK’s ultimate “Brexit” from the European Union is concluded.
There will include:
Will workers from the UK who are currently living and working in other member states be able to remain there?
Will workers from other EU member states who are currently living and working in the UK be able to remain here?
Which parts, if any, of the UK’s range of statutory employment law protections and obligations will automatically cease once a full withdrawal from the EU is negotiated and put into effect?
What happens if the UK ends up with a “partial” Norway style arrangement whereby it stays in the single market?
Specifically after a full withdrawal, will the UK Government repeal laws that have attracted a varying level of unpopularity from employer groups including:
The maximum 48-hour working week.
How statutory holiday pay should be calculated.
The requirement for agency workers to be paid the same rate for the job as permanent staff once they have been in post 12 weeks.
The inclusion of commission and/or overtime in holiday pay calculations.
The lack of exemptions for small businesses in relation to family leave rights.
The other unknown at this stage is whether the existing legislative programme that was included in the recent Queens Speech will be modified in any way once the new Conservative Cabinet is in place. In theory, it should not be affected but, as we have seen over recent days, nothing is certain in the current climate.
We will endeavour to give accurate and informative progress reports on each of the above questions as things become clearer. What is clear is that a democratic referendum has taken place and that as result have been declared.
Just for the record, here are the votes of the UK Jury:
Total number eligible to vote in the referendum 46,470,990 (100%) Number who did not vote in the referendum 12,918,907 (27.80%) Number who actually voted in the referendum 33,551,983 (72.20%) Number who actually voted to remain in the EU 16,141,241 (34.73%( Number who actually voted to leave the EU 17,410,742 (37.47%)
Also, a recent Qdos website article on the new Trade Union Act confirmed that the following change to the law had received Royal Assent:
“To make a special provision in certain public services, including health, education, transport, border security and fire sectors, for the introduction of an additional minimum threshold of 40% of support from all eligible members which must be met for the proposed action to be classed as being legal.”
If you have any particular queries or concerns relating to the impact of Brexit upon your employees, contact the free 24/7 Chamber HR helpline: 01455 852037
Bookings for this date have now closed but please see alternative dates below to book on one of our other dates. Many of you have told us that you cannot wait to get back to meeting people face-to-face again and we have listened. We are working on a series of small, social distanced in person networking events*, where you can get outside and start meeting new people in real life! This is the first of (hopefully) many exclusive networking events and with your wellbeing being so important than ever before, what better way to give it a boost than by learning a new sport (paddleboarding), networking with fellow business professionals on the Norfolk Boards and interacting in a fun way. Setting off from Horning, Boards on the Broads is an in-person networking event that is good for you, good for your business and good for local charity. All proceeds that are raised from these fun networking sessions with a difference will be donated to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices.
Who’s it for?
Business owners, managers, entrepreneurs, start-ups, young businesses and anyone who wants to connect and engage with other businesses in the Norfolk area.
Cancellation policy
We only have a maximum of six places on this event. As all funds are being donated to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices we won’t be able to offer you a refund but can move your booking onto one of the other dates. Please notify us if you are no longer able to attend in writing to hello@norfolkchambers.co.uk
Agenda
17:00 – Welcome and briefing (30-minutes) 17:30 – Networking on the boards (2-hours) 19:30 – Close
Mark is a hands-on leader of the business who enjoys outdoor sporting activities and bringing people together. Developing and maintaining long term relationships has always been something I have enjoyed so ‘networking on the boards’ seemed like the perfect solution.
About Keeler Recruitment
Keeler Recruitment is a leading agency, specialising in Finance and Accountancy recruitment.
Partnered by
A love of the water, a chilled sundowner and a good old natter is what brought Liz and Katie together and has helped shape what Go Paddle is all about. Their paths to getting here have been wildly different but getting to meet new folk and share the pretty awesome Norfolk Broads by paddle is now what they do best.
What to wear
• As a general rule we say to dress for the weather. Quick drying clothes are the best (and avoid cottons/jeans as they can be uncomfortable when wet) If its chilly we have a small selection of wetsuits for hire. If you have your own wetsuit/rash vests – then bring them. • For your feet we suggest old footwear (ideally flip flops) to wear on the riverside.
*We are doing everything we can to bring you this event in June by following government COVID guidelines. However, due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic we may have to cancel this event at short notice if circumstances arise that are out of our control. Please also note that this event will be postponed should we have extremely bad weather conditions which will make this activity unsafe.