Yesterday The Maddermarket Theatre launched their partnership with contemporary restaurant, The Iron House. This exciting new partnership between the two popular venues in the Norwich Lanes entitles Maddermarket Theatre ticket holders to receive a generous 20% off food and drinks bill for pre-show dining at the prestigious, city-centre restaurant. The cast of Steel Magnolias, The Maddermarket Theatre’s up-coming in-house production, joined The Iron House’s Staff yesterday afternoon to launch the partnership with a photoshoot- just in time for the show’s opening night. Steel Magnolias opens this Friday 18th October. The play written by Robert Harling and presented by The Maddermarket Theatre’s very own in-house company The Norwich Players is a hilarious and touching comedy-drama that is a real testament to the power of female friendship. Set in the 1980’s, in the deep American South the moving story sees Truvy and her girls gossip, laugh and sport some truly wonderful 80’s hairstyles. But when tragedy strikes, the women’s bond is tested like never before. Having inspired the much-loved 1980’s cult-classic film starring Dolly Parton, the show is not one to be missed – and now can be enjoyed after a freshly-cooked, pre-show meal at The Iron House, just a 60 second walk from the theatre! General Manager of The Maddermarket Theatre, Alice Wright, said, “We are really excited to announce The Iron House as our exclusive restaurant partner. We cannot wait to work with them and support a fellow Norwich Lanes venue. The opportunity to extend the theatre experience to this wonderful local eatery is a really special addition that we are delighted to be able to offer to our audiences.” Jeremy King owner of The Iron House said, “It’s a privilege to work closely with such a well-respected venue known for its varied and eclectic repertoire. We look forward to being part of the experience enjoyed by the theatre’s audiences.” Get your tickets for Steel Magnolias online at www.maddermarket.co.uk or via the box office on 01603 620917, then book a table at The Iron House either online at www.theironhouse.co.uk or via telephone on 01603 763388. If you already have a ticket to one of the many shows at the Maddermarket Theatre, be sure to take advantage of this fantastic new partnership, by contacting The Iron House to book a table now.
Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling Friday 18 – Saturday 26 October 2019 7.30pm Mon-Sat & 2.30pm Sat 19 & Sat 26 October Tickets £12 (£10 concessions) Maddermarket Theatre, St John’s Alley, Norwich, NR2 1DR This is an amateur production by arrangement with Samuel French Ltd. Find out more and book tickets: https://maddermarket.co.uk/event/steel-magnolias/
New-U Enterprises – Our Proposal to You What do we do We offer individualised work experience placements in a flexible and supportive environment, to long term unemployed young people to help them progress towards work, training or volunteering. We do this in our clothes and accessories swap shop in Castle Mall, Norwich
We have helped 36 young people to better their lives so far in 2019 and aim to support at least a further 50 by December 2020;
In 7 months customers have swapped 25,000 items of quality clothing & accessories;
44 people have used our Smart Clothes Loan scheme so far this year
Swap tokens are regularly gifted to families and individuals in need of clothing
Our ask to you
We need funding to continue as we are ‘not for profit ‘ (soon to be a registered Charity);
We are looking for sponsors to fund a young person’s journey towards work;
Our base cost for each work placement is £1,500;
We are always open to fundraising suggestions, if you can help in any way.
More about us 1) Our primary aim is to offer individualised work experience placements to long term unemployed young people, supporting them to move towards work, training or volunteering. We help build their confidence, self-belief and transferable skills. We support young people to realise their full potential and recognise their capabilities to meet challenges and overcome obstacles to progression. This includes onwards mentoring where needed. To date 88% have reported a positive outcome with 66% moving into work or apprenticeships. 2) Work placements take place in New-U, a clothes and accessories swap shop on level 2, Castle Mall, Norwich. New-U is an alternative way of shopping, offering an easy avenue for the wider community to contribute towards reducing the harmful effect of the textiles industry. In 7 months 25,000 items of clothing have been swapped, this equates to a saving of 4.5 billion litres of water and 3 million kilos of CO2 on the equivalent newly manufactured items. 3) We offer a free unconditional smart clothes loan scheme to anyone requiring clothing for any occasion. Items can be kept or returned. 44 outfits have been loaned. 4) New-U is inclusive and open to all in the community. Complimentary swap points are gifted to those in need of clothing. 5) We run workshops with schools and further education colleges stressing the importance of re-using textiles and the alternatives to buying new. Case StudiesLuke Luke had a troubled childhood, he had a series of tragic personal events and has always been in care. His difficulties include ADHD and epilepsy. Unlike many of our young people Luke did not lack confidence and was willing to try anything from day one. His enthusiasm and boundless energy shone through, especially when appreciation was shown for the work he’d done. The things many of us take for granted were what Luke needed to progress towards work; he needed to feel trusted, to be given responsibility and to feel a valued member of the team. Luke has never worked and has few qualifications so the transferable skills he can now evidence and the reference New-U has provided will make all the difference to him when applying for jobs. Harley Customer feedback: “My mum and I regularly use your shop and I wanted to say how impressed we were with the young man who was working behind the till today. Although we could tell he was nervous, he came across as confident, really polite and made our visit really lovely” Before Harley started his work placement, he was socially isolated, having spent the best part of 5 years in his bedroom. Working hours and tasks were flexible and initially his preference was to be behind the scenes in the stockroom. Despite still suffering with anxiety, Harley has developed strategies to overcome this whilst in the shop. He has progressed towards independence and employment and recognises the positive difference this opportunity has made to his life. Jenny Home life was difficult for Jenny after she lost her father and her sister was admitted to hospital. She wanted to work but didn’t feel ready to cope with the pressures this might bring. We were able to offer her a placement where, when she needed a break or to talk, she felt able to ask for help. In the beginning Jenny was extremely low and overwhelmed by the simplest task. We soon discovered Jenny was great with customers and a quick learner, and eventually she believed this herself too. We allowed her to progress at her own pace and gave the encouragement that she needed to begin to confidently apply for jobs. We recommended her for The Prince’s Trust Get Into Retail course and as a result of this and the time spent with New-U Jenny successfully applied for a retail job in Norwich. We are so proud to see Jenny now living independently, working full time and enjoying life once more. Poppy Gentle reassurance in a supportive and encouraging environment helped Poppy progress towards her career goal. Poppy had a loving and happy childhood but had experienced a series of personal challenges between the ages of 16-19 which left her with no self-confidence and she felt she would never be ‘good enough’ to be offered a job. Poppy’s hours were set around public transport and she began with short days and the reassurance that she could take a break at any time if she felt overwhelmed or extremely anxious. Within a short time weeks Poppy was a changed person as she realised she was better than ‘good enough’ at many things, especially customer service. Poppy is now working full time as an administrator. To find out more, pop in or call Sue Buffin Strategic Director / New-U Enterprises Ltd / 75 Castle Mall / Norwich NR1 3DD / Tel: 07733 190728 www.new-ultd.co.uk @thenorwichswapshop @thenorwichswapshop1
SMS, a subsidiary of Alderley plc, are proud to announce that Managing Director, Dave Howlett, has been highlighted as an exemplar in the Top 100 Manufacturer report which reveals the most influential individuals in UK manufacturing.
Dave Howlett joined SMS in 2005 as a Senior Proposals Engineer and progressed to Project and Operations Manager before being promoted to General Manager (2011) and Managing Director (2014). Since taking on his new leadership responsibilities, SMS have shown consistent growth with turnover increasing by 112% since 2011 and employee numbers increasing by 84%. SMS are internationally renowned in the oil and gas industry as leading specialists for the design, engineering and manufacturer of hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical control systems.
Dave Howlett comments, “It is a great honour to be recognised for my contribution to manufacturing in the UK. SMS have been manufacturing in the UK for the past sixteen years and it is a privilege to work with such a talented team to meet our growth ambitions in our varied and challenging industry.”
Sandler have a very different approach to selling to the traditional methods. I’ve been enjoying and have made good and successful use of a lot of the techniques I’ve learned over the last twelve months or so. Never before have I been armed with Norfolk Voice, Metal Hammer, The Guardian, scissors and a gluestick! Neither have my wife and children been invited to the President’s Club before.
When Ermine told us that the first session of 2016 would be cutting and sticking and we could bring loved ones, including children, I was intrigued and not sure what to expect. However, it turned out to be a very enjoyable session. I took my wife and our youngest, Eddie (4), who was fully engaged throughout cutting and sticking Thomas the tank engine.
The task for the grown-ups was to create what is best described as an annotated collage of our aspirations and goals for the year. I always need to make more of my family time, but if there’s one other thing I learnt last year it was that I need to focus more on my business and not get sidetracked by other projects, while learning to say no to people (sometimes). I also need to do more things for me and make the most of the professional bodies and training I’m receiving by being more active. Flicking through Norfolk Voice and seeing the pictures of the Norfolk Chamber’s recent technology event also made me realise I want to be more like someone who is very prominent in our community. I included him on my collage, but I won’t embarrass him by mentioning his name here.
Again I learnt a lot and it helped me focus a bit more for the year ahead. Apparently, in December, the next session will be in the school holidays and I can take all three of my kids. Who knows, one of them might become the perfect salesperson.
We are hosting a Cyber Security Conference at The Forum in Norwich this December, giving you the chance to hear from industry experts as to how you can overcome security challenges.
Our aim is to educate, not to create fear. We want to help you better understand why IT Security is a problem and issue for everyone in your organisation and how you can help your people to help keep you secure.
We have lined up a couple of fantastic speakers for the event and it will culminate in a Q&A panel where you can pose your questions.
But, to help us tailor the event I would love it if you could give me some feedback on how you feel about IT security and any questions you’d really like us to answer.
Congratulations to our second B2B exhibition game winner, Lucy! We hope you enjoyed playing the game and the Amazon Echo you have taken home.
To be in with a chance to win another of our great Empresa prizes, keep an eye out for future events we are attending and participate in our games and activities for a chance to win!
The Validation Centre (TVC) Ltd are delighted to welcome Jurgen Riemeijer to the company who joined us on 1 November 2019 as our Business Development Manager.
Jurgen will be based in The Netherlands and the experience he brings to this new role will be of immense benefit to the company and our international development. We wish him all the best and look forward to working closely with Jurgen over the coming weeks!
The Deputy Lord Mayor of Norwich, Caroline Ackroyd, and the Chief Executive Officer at Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, Chris Sargisson, joined Jeremy Gilks on 7th November to celebrate the official opening of a new TaxAssist Accountants shop on Ber Street, with a party for the local business community.
Since Jeremy first opened the doors to his shop at 113-119 Ber Street on 27th August, he and his wife Sally have already become firmly embedded within their local business community resulting in dozens of clients, colleagues and well-wishers drop by.
“The shop is slap bang in the hub of the busy Ber Street community, which has become a buzzing hive of small independent businesses with a vibrant local traders association. There is also plenty of on-street parking for clients to use when popping in, as we want to be convenient to the city centre, to make it easy for clients to come and visit us while doing their shopping.
“We do not consider ourselves to be typical accountants, which is clear from the look and feel of our modern shop. We are passionate about offering a bespoke, tailored service to every kind of small business client and we have adopted the latest software on offer, which allows us to be more responsive to clients’ needs and provides greater efficiencies. But we have a best of both worlds approach for those who enjoy using tech and those who prefer just to come in and talk to us.”
As well as providing all the regular services you would expect from a local accountant, Jeremy, who has over 30 years’ accountancy experience across a range of sectors, is looking for his shop to become a destination for new start-ups by providing a business hub. This will offer a flexible working environment with space to hire by the hour, half day, day, week or month.
Caroline Ackroyd said: “It is delightful to see another small independently-owned business become part of the regeneration of Ber Street. Not only that, but TaxAssist works with small businesses and we know the importance of small independent retailers working together. I am told that for every £10 that we spend at a small independent shop, £50 goes into our local economy, so how good is that for Norwich.”
Chris Sargisson added: “Ber Street is a small business community and it’s great that a home-grown organisation like TaxAssist has opened a shop in this thriving area. Most of the things that small businesses need to know are ‘unknown’ unknowns. And that is where TaxAssist can really help as it not only helps small businesses with what they know, it is telling them what they don’t know and that is how businesses survive.”
Want to help to shape the King’s Lynn town centre of the future – and maybe win £100 in vouchers for Alive Corn Exchange too?
The Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk and its partners are shaping plans for the town centre and are now inviting the public to share their ideas around what could make the town centre a better place to live and visit. There are just five questions around the themes of the town centre experience, town centre living, and bringing the heritage to life. Could you please spare a few minutes to share your suggestions? Take the online survey now.
If you would prefer, you can share your ideas in person at the Events Trailer in the Tuesday Market Place on these dates:
12noon – 2pm, Wednesday 4th December
12noon – 3pm, Saturday 7th December
And, you can also join in the conversation online: Facebook @visionkingslynn Twitter: @vision_lynn and Instagram: visionkingslynn
This survey runs from 29th November – 9th December and, everyone who completes the survey can enter our prize draw to win £100 in vouchers for Alive Corn Exchange!
Your suggestions will help as the Council and its partners develop the town centre plans, and specifically the Heritage Action Zone funding submission. The Heritage Action Zone applies to the High Street and Norfolk Street and your ideas will be used to help to shape these areas.
Please do share your ideas! Your suggestions could help to shape King’s Lynn town centre of the future.
Cooper Lomaz is pleased to announce that our 2016 Salary Survey has arrived. Our annual report provides key insights into employment in the region as well as providing accurate salary figures for hundreds of jobs in the sectors we work in.
The latest Recruitment Trends and Salary Survey offering is split into 4 regions: Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex. Each brochure gives a comprehensive overview of activity in the region’s industries across Accountancy & Finance, Engineering, Food Manufacturing, IT, Sales & Marketing, and Supply Chain.
As well as providing detailed benchmarking of salaries in the region, our survey asked thousands of people about things like job satisfaction, company growth, and whether they would move to advance their careers. The results were fascinating:
While salary is important to employees, our respondents ranked having an interesting role and a competent manager higher.
The majority of employees (55%) reported increases in workforce at their companies in 2015, with a similar amount expecting further growth in 2016.
Interestingly, 45% of respondents expect to change jobs in 2016 – employees are confident in the amount of roles available on the market.
For more information and to see how your salary compares to others in your industry, read our 2016 Salary Survey. Emailcontact@cooperlomaz.co.ukto grab your copy.
Norwich hearing and vision centre wins National Award Coleman Optician Hearing and Vision Centre have won a prestigious national award. The independent practice, which is based in Norwich, have been announced as winners in the category of Health & Wellbeing Initiative of the Year in the AOP Awards 2020, which is organised by the Association of Optometrists (AOP). Helen Hillis, Director at Coleman Optician Hearing and Vision Centre, said: “Health and wellbeing has always been high on our agenda, but we kick started 2019 with a much more focussed approach for our staff, our practice ethos and our outreach activities in the community. “We have seen a happy and healthy return on staff fitness, attitude and teamwork, and we have also made a really positive change by raising money through fundraising, as well as offering volunteers to a range of local charities, increased awareness on sustainability and the environment. Being recognised for these achievements by the AOP is an incredible accolade for us within the industry.” The Awards, now in its ninth year, recognises the highest levels of achievement in UK optics. The Health & Wellbeing Initiative of the Year accolade celebrates those who understand the important role that health and wellbeing can play in job satisfaction. AOP Chief Executive, Henrietta Alderman commented: “The AOP Awards shines a spotlight on the extraordinary individuals and teams who are propelling the profession forward with their knowledge, expertise, dedication and passion. This year is no different – with all the winners, and indeed finalists, giving an impressive account for optometry, I wish them every success in the future.” The winners of the AOP Awards 2020 were announced on 26 January at a national awards ceremony in London. View the full list of winners on the AOP’s Awards pages: www.aop.org.uk/awards.
We’re looking for local businesses who would be happy to come in to College to provide talks and/or workshops to our students on the following topics: CV & cover letter writing tips – what makes a CV & cover letter stand-out, things to avoid, common mistakes. Being work ready – advice on how to prepare for the word of work and general tips for work experience/first jobs. For example, how to dress, how to behave and general ‘insider knowledge’ that many students just don’t have yet due to their age. Mock interviews and interview tips.
We have the following session times: Session 1 from 09:30 – 11:00 Session 2 from 11:15 – 12:45 Session 3 from 13:30 – 15:00
Businesses are welcome to come in for one session or stay for all 3 if you are able. Ideally talks/workshops to last 45 mins to 1 hour, but whatever you are able to offer, we can formulate a plan to suit you. If you’d like to get involved in shaping the workforce of the future, please contact Michelle Atkins matkins@eastnorfolk.ac.uk or Sean Baney sbaney@eastnorfolk.ac.uk