Dear
England tells the uplifting—yet at times
heartbreaking—story of the England men’s football team during Gareth
Southgate’s transformative tenure as manager.
As
well as being an entertaining night out for colleagues and clients, the play
offers many thought-provoking talking points for managers and business leaders
such as building inclusive cultures, resilience, identity, and the impact of
vulnerability and empathy on team performance.
Join
us for a unique event open to our local business community that will enable you
to connect with peers and reflect on modern leadership while enjoying a night
of outstanding theatre.
You may have heard us mention that we like to run a “User Stories Workshop” with our clients to understand requirements before we produce any software. You may also have thought what is it, and why? User Stories Applied, along with Agile Estimating & Planning, both books by Mike Cohn form the basis of, and have strongly influenced Naked Element’s Agile processes. There is some crossover between the two books, but, as you would expect, User Stories Applied looks in detail at User Stories. A user story workshop (referred to by Cohn as a Story-Writing Workshop) is a meeting which includes developers, users, key stakeholders and other parties who can contribute to writing the stories. Although the primary objective of the workshop is to produce user stories which enable all parties to understand the requirements of the software and that can be used for estimating and planning, the first step is to identify the User Roles within the system. User story workshops usually last between two hours and a full day, depending on the scope of the software solution. Naked Element charge a modest rate for the workshop to cover our time. This also includes the proposal and estimate document which is produced by Naked Element following the workshop. What we ask from the client before the workshop:
To ensure the necessary people are available, without distraction, for the duration for the workshop.
To ensure the key stakeholders are included. At the very least you should have someone who can represent:
Decision makers
Users
Domain experts
To ensure all those attending understand the problems which the software solution will be solving.
Where possible, ensure all those attending have read chapters 1 to 4 of User Stories Applied by Mike Cohn
No materials needed. Naked Element will bring all materials needed to capture the user roles and storie
As the client there is some preparation which needs to be done prior to the workshop. However, we don’t expect you to write any stories prior to the workshop – that’s what the workshop is for. A good idea of who will use the system, what you want the system to do and how you’d like it to work is all we need. A User Story describes functionality that will be of value to either a user or purchaser of a system or software. User stories are composed of three aspects:
A written description of the story used for planning and as a reminder
Conversations about the story that serve to flesh out the details of the story
Tests that convey and document details that can be used to determine when a story is complete.
We can then use these details to work out the estimated time and cost for the initial phase project! If you feel your current system is inefficient or consists of errors, our Commercial Director, Emma Gooderham would love to hear your ideas. Contact Emma on 01603 383458 or emma@nakedelement.co.uk.
When local HR Consultancy “Human Capital Department” looked at options available for an e-HR platform for their existing and prospective clients, they found that there was a gap in the market for a Cloud HR solution which was user friendly, and low cost but could be tailored to meet client’s requirements.
“We believe that there is a need for an e-HR solution suited to SME’s that can be tailored to their specific organisational requirements and that is low cost and user friendly. We have got together with a software house, and our approach will be to develop one application at a time including; time management and holidays, performance management, training and development etc. and ensure that these modules are integrated and link together”.
Human Capital Department intend to start with the end user in mind, to ensure that they produce something that the market needs, and so would like to reach out to those interested in, or considering introducing an e-HR system, and invite them to attend a “user group meeting”. The meeting will be held at the Kings Lynn Innovation Centre in Kings Lynn on 28th Sept 17 [12:00 – 14:00] to consider what their user requirements might be. [For those unable to attend in person the the meeting will also be available virtually as a zoom meeting].
Anyone interested in attending this meeting should contact:
Charities United: Unlocking Skills & Apprenticeships for the Sector
Emma and I are thrilled to invite you to our June Charities United gathering in partnership with City College Norwich, focused on training and apprenticeship opportunities for Norfolk’s charities.
This event is especially relevant for those in leadership roles, HR, or workforce planning – with a spotlight on how apprenticeships can support management and supervisory development in the voluntary sector.
What to expect:
10am – Arrival, refreshments & networking
10.30am – Hear from City College experts and charity staff currently undertaking apprenticeships – Discover how your organisation can access funded training opportunities – often at little or no cost – Learn how Apprenticeships Norfolk’s Levy Support Scheme is unlocking vital funding for smaller charities – Q&A plus a short tour of Norfolk House
11.30am – More networking & a chance to speak to college staff 1:1
Whether you’re new to apprenticeships or looking to develop your team, this is a warm, welcoming and informative space for charities to connect and learn.
Access: Norfolk House is a fully accessible venue just a short walk from Norwich city centre. Reserved parking available upon request.
Walking With The Wounded’s Call To Arms Business Challenge is the chance to bring your teams back together for an entrepreneurial experience between Remembrance Day in November 2021 and Armed Forces Day in June 2022, competing against other organisations across the UK to raise funds for those who served.
The Apprentice-style event will see your team briefed by inspiring experts and Walking With The Wounded beneficiaries to create innovative ways to generate income that could also help your own career and business.
For example creating a new product with a donation per sale to WWTW, offering a promotion to veterans for your services with a kickback to the charity, hosting a business networking event with a donation ask of attendees or creating an internal competition between staff or your supply chain that sparks engagement while also raising donations.
Your mission? To raise a minimum of £1,000 between Remembrance Day and Armed Forces Day.
Your opportunity? To raise your profile within your business, your community, your sector and help drive your business forwards with positive PR, connections and teamwork – including being featured on Walking With The Wounded channels.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
RECRUIT your team of 1-10 employees (sole traders to PLCs welcome), join and raise money anytime before 25 June 2022 and for maximum impact joining before 11 November 2021.
LEARN about your potential from three lunchtime video calls in November/December with inspiring speakers and about the social impact your fundraising will make, enabling veterans and their families to thrive and contribute once more.
INNOVATE and review your business, supply chain, customers, business development and marketing to create new events and income opportunities that could reveal commercial potential for your business and career – unlocking your entrepreneurial spirit and teamwork to achieve your mission.
PITCH your plans to our panel for advice and expert feedback.
ENGAGE your team and deliver between Remembrance Day on 11 November 2021 and Armed Forces Day on 25 June 2022.
GROW with support from our team and unique mentoring opportunities across the event including a physical launch networking event, initial pitching of your plans and halfway presentations.
CELEBRATE everyone’s success with an in-person awards evening where the top three fundraising teams also get to pitch for the first Call To Arms champion medals and time with a billionaire British businessman.
TIMELINE
11 Nov: Deadline for entries
18 Nov: Physical networking launch event in London 1800-2000
24 Nov / 1 Dec: Inspiring lunchtime video talks/workshops to spark ideas (team-building, innovation, motivation) 1230-1330
w/c 10 January 2022: Pitch plans for feedback and support
w/c 14 March 2022: ‘Halfway’ individual team update presentations
25 June 2022: Fundraising deadline
30 June 2022: Prizegiving celebration and top 3 teams pitch what they did to business leaders for prize of time with a billionaire British businessman
“Partnering with Walking With The Wounded has inspired our workforce and surpassed all our expectations.” – Jackie Cuthbert, Head of Social Impact & Communications, Sunbelt Rentals UK
“Walking With The Wounded deliver value on so many levels.” – Scott Johnson, Founder, Veteran Owned UK
“Barclays is delighted to be supporting Walking With The Wounded – a fabulous charity who work tirelessly to support some of our most disadvantaged veterans and their families.” – Lisa Marr, VETS Programme Manager, Barclays PLC
On Wednesday 9th August I attended a roundtable discussion at the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce with Norwich North MP, Chloe Smith, along with several other Chamber members from the agriculture, retail and media sectors. The most recent general election was the first time I could legally vote.. and I did! With this in mind you can imagine as a young person ascending into the world of work I don’t know a great deal about the activities of the government, especially not my local government. Brexit “Brexit”, a very loud continuous noise, and of course at a roundtable discussion with an MP the Brexit conversation is going to arise. Until this discussion I’d always associated Brexit as a negative thing. I’ve heard numerous businesses speak fiercely how the impact of Brexit will damage their business and decrease their profits. But I was reassured that most of the participants at this meeting see Brexit as much more of an opportunity than a threat. We cannot now go back in the EU on the previous terms due to already triggering article 50 and that we must accept it’s not going to be the same so we must ride it out and see it positivity. InfrastructureCommunications Infrastructure: Broadband Those of us in Norfolk are all aware of our rural broadband struggles, in fact last August Norwich was ranked seventh in a table of cities with the slowest broadband speeds. According to a recent Norfolk Chamber questionnaire, 20% of people stated their network is completely unreliable and a whopping 54% are not having the internet and coverage that they need to complete business as they’d like too and as they need too. 11% of Norfolk still only have access to 2G! So who’s to blame? Is it BT? A lot of participants around the table mentioned that BT tend to choose where they put their investment, going for easy wins and projects that win them more returns. E.g prioritising residential broadband rather than business. Although the majority of individuals believe BT is a large part of the problem, there are other problems contributing to our slow network speeds, money is a big one. It is actually possible to invest in your own internet, but you could be looking up to a large spend of £30,000 to put your own reliable internet in place. There are options to take up what’s already about such as this, however local broadband should be improved and businesses shouldn’t be forced to spend such large sums to be able to carry out day to day work. Not many businesses have instructions on these sorts of options and a marketing campaign was a good suggestion in the meeting to spread the word to businesses that may need it desperately.. that’s if they have the budget. Chloe told us we should take caution in believing that this can be quickly and easily sorted and that it’s not a quick fix. Skills deficit East Anglia student qualification levels are below the UK average and students are not fully prepared for work when they leave education, some of this comes down to national curriculum not being enterprise focused enough. There was discussions of schools not having the correct budget, forcing them to pull out of being a member of the chamber, which will eventually affect their children and their skills. However Chloe reassured us this is not the case, budget is still there. Although Chloe assured us budget is still there, we are seeing terms of engagement shutting down. Schools haven’t got time or capacity, and we don’t blame the teachers. We understand there’s a lot on them already, so in order to make students life and work ready, what’s the solution? We’re still not sure. “Norwich in 90” On an encouraging last note, network rail has said the “Norwich in 90” line is perfectly achievable by 2024. The government is currently refining an action list to make this possible. Click here to read the blog on our site. Words by Rain PA
Become a Mental Health First Aider on a Transpire Training
open access Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Course in Norwich. All courses are
delivered by our experienced MHFA England-accredited instructors in an engaging
and inclusive format over two consecutive days.
MHFA England courses are evidence-based, grounded in
research, and extensively evaluated. The training is in-depth, but our
experienced instructors keep this light and easily digestible whilst being
incredibly thought-provoking.
Choosing this course provides a robust package of
post-training support with the MHFAider® Support App and benefits included,
plus priority access to Transpire Training webinars and online events. The
support package enables delegates to keep the learning alive by refreshing
skills and exploring further into the topics even after the course ends.
Every splash makes a difference. By taking part in Sea Splash 2026, you’ll be helping to fund vital mental health services across Norfolk and Waveney, supporting local people when they need it most.
Cold-water dips don’t just raise funds, they raise spirits! Immersing yourself in the sea can boost your mood, improve wellbeing, and leave you with that incredible post-dip sense of achievement.
Most importantly, you’ll be part of a community challenge that brings people together across three beautiful coastal locations, all united for one powerful cause: no one faces poor mental health alone
The story Paul Grenyer took the classic route – and one of the best – into entrepreneurship: the company he was contracting for, Aviva, became the first client of his new business, NAKED ELEMENT, in 2012. After nearly a decade of coding for financial services firms – Lehman Brothers, Barclays Capital and Aviva – he decided to build a business in Norwich, reputedly one of the best parts of the UK to live and work in*. So what does Naked Element do? It’s a software, web and mobile applications developer that converts inefficient company systems into time- and money-saving software. Most of the applications are for internal commercial and administrative processes and some are public-facing. Paul is an active figure in the Norwich tech and business scene. In addition to playing an active role in local networks, he is Director of Norfolk Developers which organises software development events and workshops. He is a passionate advocate for apprenticeships and Naked Element walks the talk in nurturing its own apprentices. Innovation Naked Element has discovered that what it is really good at is crunching complexity – analysing intricate and laborious processes and building secure, elegant software that keeps on working. In comparison to the traditional software development model, clients like these Naked Element innovations: BITE-SIZED CHUNKS – the fact that the work is carried out in 2-week iterations (Agile) – allowing for continuous interaction and small, sometimes radical, changes in client requirements; OWNERSHIP …. that the client gets to own the source code from day (or iteration) one; IT WORKS – thanks to the reliability of Naked Element software, which comes from an obsession with robust software, automated testing and continuous measurement. The plaudits: FOUNTAIN PARTNERSHIP: “Naked Element has saved us 4 weeks’ worth of work per year! The script they built us is saving up to 95% of our processing time. What was taking 20 hours of work is now only taking an hour – a big saving.” IDSYSTEMS: “Despite the vast complexities behind the system, we have received feedback from almost every user that it is the most straightforward, and often the best, system they have ever used. The product delivered by Paul and Naked Element has given us the opportunity to grow the business and keep ahead of the competition.” What’s next? Although Naked Element has worked with local companies to date, it has just won new business in London and further afield as it spreads its wings into new geographies and markets. Given his background in Financial Services, Paul would be interested to get more involved with fintech companies. Having said this, however, Naked Element is sector-agnostic — it’s just hungry for complexity…. GRID co-ordinates and relationshipsFounded: 2012 Business: software developer Location: Norwich, NR1 Size: micro enterprise Staff: 4 + contractors Customers (selection):
4itsec – Cyber Security Advisors
Bluemoon Investigations – Private investigators
Broadland Radiators – heating and cooling systems
C A Design Services – design and building data
Clarke St James – Adwords, social media marketing and SEO
Create Design – Architects
Digital Media London/Your media London – lifestyle magazines
Electrical Testing – Electrical inspection and testing
Feedmark – Supplements for horses
Fountain Partnership – Digital Marketing Agency
ID Systems – Windows and Doors Manufacturers and Installers
Integro Languages – Translation services
Luminous PR – Tech PR agency
Multi Signs – Signage and banners
Residentially – Chartered surveyors
Soak Digital – Specialist digital and data design agency
SQN – Clinical biometrics
Wantdontwant.com – Second hand office furniture, office desks, chairs and storage
Water Management Alliance – Group of Internal Drainage Boards
There’s plenty of development going on right now…and you will have views on how this development may affect your business. If you think a development proposal will affect your business then it is important that you make your voice heard to those making the decisions.
When a planning application is made you have an opportunity to make a representation to the local council about that development. The local planning authority are statutorily required to consider yours and all the other comments they receive about an application. As a planning officer for 15 years I read numerous letters of representation on planning applications. However, these letters did not always convey an opinion about the development proposal.
Based on my experience below are 5 tips to ensure your representation conveys your opinion on a planning application.
1. Clearly state your opinion
If you think the development will have benefits say so. Likewise, if you think the development will have a negative impact say so. However, do not assume that those dealing with the application will make inferences from what you have written. The points you state in your email will be taken into account when the application is processed, but assumptions about what you may or may not have been inferring will not be considered.
2. Provide justification for your opinion
Your opinion will have more weight if it is justified or explained. For example, if you think a development will support existing business in the area then say how it will do this? Or If you think a development will cause traffic problems, explain what these traffic problems will be.
3. Avoid only asking questions
It can be relevant to ask questions, but don’t assume your question conveys your opinion. You may think you are implying something by asking a question, but a question is very often just a sentence seeking clarification about something. By asking a question you are not actually giving your opinion on a matter. You can always telephone or use the duty officer service at the council if you require clarification about what is being proposed.
4. Be concise
You do not need to write any more than is necessary to make your point. Be clear and to the point, and try not to be repetitive or to contradict yourself. A planning application can attract anything from no comments at all to hundreds of comments, and the planning officer will read all of them.
5. Only include comments relevant to the proposed development
Your email will be considered as a representation on a particular development proposal. If there are other local matters that are affecting your business direct these to the relevant department. If you include matters in your email that don’t relate to the proposed development this can result in your comments about the development not being successfully conveyed. The planning department cannot normally help with existing issues with other public services, and you may find the points you make about those matters never reach the person responsible for them.
A representation on a planning application is your opportunity to give your opinion on that development proposal. Your email will only apply to that one application and any subsequent appeal. If further applications are made in the future you will need to write again. Your comments will not automatically be carried over from one application to another.
Its important that the planning system hears from all those that want to comment on a proposal. Following the above 5 tips will help you make sure your voice heard. However, if you have concerns about a proposed development near you and would like further advice please contact me at planning@lyonctp.co.uk .
The Centred Mind: Cognitive Behavioural Self-Coaching Techniques Dr. Verena Niyadurupola, Founder&CEO of Rippleacts CIC
Have you ever felt like your brain has its own playlist of worst-case scenarios on repeat? Or like you’re stuck in a thought loop, overthinking everything, while trying to keep life afloat?
You’re not alone. And the good news is – you don’t have to stay stuck there.
This workshop offers something that’s genuinely empowering: how to coach yourself out of those spirals using tools that are practical, science-backed, and totally doable in real life.
In this interactive session, Verena will introduce practical cognitive-behavioural coaching tools to help identify and disrupt negative thinking patterns, reduce anxiety and overwhelm, and support a more balanced, resilient way of living.
Verena is a certified life coach with a PhD in labour studies and work psychology. After 15 years working in international and local non-profit organisations, she founded the Norwich-based social enterprise Rippleacts in 2022. Rippleacts uses innovative, holistic coaching approaches to empower unemployed people to build self-confidence, improve wellbeing, and overcome fear.
Small Business Advice Week (SBAW) will enter its 14th year this September. Set up to maximise the potential of the UK’s thriving SME industry, this week is here to help the UK’s 4.5 million SMEs thrive in tough times.
Small Business Advice Week
• 4th-10th September 2017
• Advice from leading experts and businesses
• Closer look at Grants & Cashflow
Enterprise agency Nwes and NatWest have partnered to host a series of free events in King’s Lynn, Lowestoft and Norwich for aspiring entrepreneurs,
Held on 5th, 6th and 7th September, the theme for Small Business Advice Week 2017 events is growth and productivity. The week is set to see leading experts and businesses provide all important advice on how SMEs can maximize growth and productivity over the coming year.
Considering the economic uncertainty created by Brexit, the key partners of SBAW will be discussing valuable recommendations, to boost the confidence of SME’s in how to optimise their enterprises, discussing important issues, such as accounting, an online presence, and security.
In a recent speech, Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England offered some words of encouragement to forward-thinking businesses:
“While the most productive companies have continued to innovate, others have become slower at adopting those innovations. Speeding up the rate of take-up of new inventions and processes… would provide a significant boost to overall productivity growth.” Whilst accumulating popular support from key industry players, SBAW has also gained support from parliament, with former Prime Minister David Cameron championing the event.
Andy Gray, local Business Growth Enabler for NatWest said:
“New research by Nominet, the official registry for UK domain names, has revealed that Norwich is in the Top 10 most popular cities for entrepreneurs. I am excited to bring together the wealth of knowledge that exists across Norfolk into three events to support our business community.
The collaboration between Nwes and NatWest for Small Business Advice Week 2017 demonstrates the commitment they both have for Norfolk and the surrounding area.”
With 99% of all business in the UK being classified as small or medium, despite international conglomerates continuing to grab the headlines, SBAW is here to champion the unsung backbone of the UK economy.