Does your business use interpreters, translators or other language skills? Do you market your products and services internationally?
Our member Sprowston High School are looking for business people to share their experiences of using different languages in business with Year 9 students. They are at a crucial point in their academic career to decide whether to continue with language education, and we would like to show them some of the uses in their later career.
Venue:Sprowston Community High School, Cannerby Lane, Sprowston, Norwich NR7 8NE
Airport Introduces new scheme for passengers with hidden disabilities
Norwich Airport has been working closely with numerous local charities to help make air travel accessible to all and improve the Special Assistance Service offered at the airport. As part of this commitment the airport is pleased to announce the introduction of a new scheme to assist passengers with hidden disabilities.
From Monday 5th December coloured wristbands will be available free of charge for passengers and any friends/family colleagues travelling with them to wear as a discreet sign to airport staff that additional support may be required whilst travelling through the airport.
Jamie Price, Norwich Airport’s Security Manager commented “Working with passengers who have or are affected by hidden disabilities such as autism, hearing impaired or sight loss can really help ease the fear of air travel. As a result we have made many changes to our Special Assistance Service including providing the opportunity to talk with us, on a one to one basis ahead of travel to try and alleviate any anxieties or fears they may have about using the airport. We are also able to facilitate a ‘trial run’ at the airport before their chosen flight which has already proven to be successful. We are keen to improve the airport experience for anyone travelling with a hidden disability and the new wristbands available for passengers who wish to wear them, is just another step towards improving the overall passenger journey through Norwich Airport.”
The pale blue wristbands will be available from the Special Assistance desk located just inside the terminal building.
For further information on the Special Assistance/PRM (Passengers with restricted mobility) facility at Norwich Airport please call 01603 420672 or visit www.norwichairport.co.uk/special-assistance
The Festival, co-ordinated by The Forum in partnership with many organisations across the region, recently won both Family Event And Experience of the Year and Marketing Campaign Of The Year at the awards.
With over 137,000 visits in 2019, and an estimated economic value of over £2,716,000 to the local economy, sponsorship of Norwich Science Festival is a fantastic opportunity to reach new audiences, raise brand awareness, and increase knowledge of career opportunities in STEM sectors.
The Festival is made possible thanks to income generated by The Forum’s car park and the support of partners, but relies on sponsorship from businesses and organisations in the region to reach new audiences and bring in household names such as previous headline speakers Chris Packham, Dr Jane Goodall and Helen Sharman.
As well as raising brand awareness, sponsors can contribute to the Festival programme, incorporate into their Corporate Social Responsibility programme, engage with diverse audiences, and support the promotion of science and STEM education.
Joe Randlesome, Marketing Executive at ROARR! Dinosaur Adventure, said: “It was a privilege to sponsor the Zoology Day as part of Norwich Science Festival. We brought some of our animals, including ferrets, snakes and cockroaches, which allowed us to educate visitors about our Secret Animal Garden, the animals and their care. We would really recommend partnering with the Festival, we spoke to so many visitors about our park – many were really interested in dinosaurs and potentially visiting us. The Festival marketing was exceptional and it was impeccably organised on the day too.”
Don’t miss the launch event for Best Employers Eastern Region 2020
Businesses across the Eastern region can book a place at the Best Employers Eastern Region 2020 launch event, which takes place in Newmarket on Wednesday 18 March.
Best Employers Eastern Region brings together organisations from across the East of England in the collective aim of increasing employee engagement and productivity. The 2020 launch conference looks set to be an extremely inspiring event which business leaders, HR professionals and anyone with a responsibility for employee engagement and leadership are encouraged to attend.
Co-founded by professional recruitment specialists Pure, and psychometrics experts eras ltd, Best Employers Eastern Region is returning for the fifth time. Now sponsored by Archant and Birketts, the two-yearly initiative has become a force for change which business leaders across the region are using to develop their organisation’s culture and engagement levels. Best Employers 2018 was an outstanding year with over 140 organisations taking part, approximately 15,000 participants, eight award winners and 40 gold or platinum accreditations.
Guest speakers at the 2020 launch event include two engagement experts discussing how to cultivate innovative and engaging places to work. David Smith, author, consultant and business speaker, will talk about creating a highly productive, performance-based culture. He will draw on 35 years’ worth of experience in corporate change management, the last 15 years of which were spent in the turnaround of the Asda Retail Business. C-J Green, Co-founder and Executive Director of People and HR services firm BraveGoose, which focuses on the future of work, and on modern, progressive HR, will explore the tipping points for growth and engagement. Throughout the day, eight regional business leaders will also share their experiences of participating in Best Employers, including Jon Woolston, Managing Partner at MHA Larking Gowen (winners of the Best Employer category at the Norfolk Business Awards 2019) and Andy Wood, CEO at Adnams.
Lynn Walters, Executive Director at Pure and founder of Best Employers Eastern Region, said: “Creating the right culture in an environment where people can thrive is at the heart of any leader’s priorities. The Best Employers conference will bring people from like-minded organisations together to share ideas, solutions and best practice on achieving this. All of our guest speakers are passionate about employee engagement and understand how important it is in the quest to increase productivity, drive innovation and boost performance. They recognise the impact it has on achieving competitive success through enhanced employer brand and for the development of a culture which attracts, engages and retains top talent.”
The launch event will also mark the opening of the Best Employers free, ready to use and expertly designed employee engagement survey. This provides businesses with the information they need to understand their current levels of engagement, to track their progress and benchmark their organisation against some of the region’s top employers.
Lynn added: “The free employee survey, provided by eras ltd, helps organisations to understand and measure their employee engagement, and provides clarity on how and where to focus practical ideas. The more employees participate, the more reflective the feedback, and our guest speakers will share their experiences of delivering the survey and getting people involved. We are excited for Best Employers 2020. Each year the number of businesses taking part increases. It not only has a significant impact on each participating organisation, it has become an exceptional showcase of the great employers here in our region, supporting the region’s growth.”
For more information about Best Employers Eastern Region visit www.best-employers.co.uk or click here to book a place at the conference.
Chris Sargisson, Norfolk Chambers of Commerce CEO chats with Julie Hunt, Managing Director of Face to Face Finance, a Norwich company with a very novel approach to engaging new markets.
I asked Julie what prompted Face to Face Finance to create their financially savvy little bear, called Eddie Teddie.
Julie explained “Our clients’ needs are at the very heart of everything we do, and in creating this character we can encourage and engage with a younger audience in a positive and friendly way.”
“The earlier someone puts plans in place, the more likely they are to reach their long-term financial goals. Through Eddie we are able to engage on a different level, and our aim is to promote financial awareness as early on in life as possible.”
“Eddie’s articles and his book are aimed at young children. But it’s usually only going to reach them via their parent or carer – often after their grandparent or an older relative has pointed them in that direction. Our hope is that by getting finance on the agenda, parents of young children will stop and give their own financial situation some thought.”
She tells me “It has become a fantastic platform for us to connect with our clients, whether through our blogs or his book. We’ve had some great feedback from our clients who do share Eddie’s antics with their children and grandchildren.”
“Eddie’s book has gone down particularly well. We’ve been giving copies to our clients. Several of them have come back and asked for more copies! We know the book has made it as far as America, Australia and Canada! It’s also in local book shops so is helping get the Face to Face name in front of new audiences.”
It is clear that this platform fills an important educational role for the next generation of customers, and Julie told me “whilst his presence enables us to talk about finance, we also get to share some of the other values which are important to us as a business – such as sustainability and kindness without sounding too worthy.”
With Eddie proving such a hit, I was interested to know what’s next on his agenda?
“Eddie will be getting involved in our chosen charity for 2020, Age UK, and coming along to one of their Chinwags. He’s also beavering away on this next book – keep an eye out for it this summer!”
Daniel Wu has opened a new walk-in tax and accountancy practice on 132 Bellegrove Road in Welling.
Daniel Wu, who joined TaxAssist Accountants in October 2019, brings with him almost 10 years of experience in tax consulting with the Big Four firms. Having found the ideal location from which to operate his welcoming and accessible shop, he is relishing working for himself.
“It’s been a long-held dream to run my own practice in my home town,” said Daniel. “I was attracted to working with small business clients and am passionate about providing a first-class service, helping them with their businesses and directly impacting on my local community.
“I was fortunate to find the ideal shop so quickly and am pleased with the fit-out and look of the shop, which provides the perfect environment for clients to come in and discuss their tax and accounting requirements. I would encourage anyone to pop in for a chat over a cup of coffee for a free initial consultation to find out more about us.”
The TaxAssist Accountants network has been operating successfully for 25 years and has over 365 shops and offices right across the UK. It specialises in servicing the needs of small businesses and currently supports over 76,000 clients.
If you are interested in finding out more about joining TaxAssist Accountants, regular Discovery Days are held, where you meet with the Directors of the franchise and find out more about the technical and business development support on offer. Call 0800 0188297 to find out more.
Big hearted staff at Great Yarmouth railway station have raised hundreds of pounds for a local charity by holding a Christmas extravaganza.
Laura Engelstone and Ann Kirkham, who work in the ticket office, organised a fun day with live music by ‘Knotted’, stalls, games, a cake sale and a huge raffle which featured over £700 worth of prizes.
Santa and his elf even made an appearance to give out presents, complete with a sleigh and gingerbread house which were created for him by the students of Great Yarmouth college, who also sold bunches of mistletoe to rail passengers on the day.
The event supported The Beach FM’s charity appeal “Help an East Coast Child”, which is close to the hearts of the station staff and many passengers who pass through the station.
The event raised £418.59 for the appeal which aims to make life better for less privileged children and their families on the East coast through grants and by working with schools, youthgroups, disabled childrenand more.
Greater Anglia’s Area Customer Service Manager, James Reeve, commented, “Ann and Laura pulled out all the stops to put on a fantastic Christmas event which was very popular with customers, but also brought the whole community together in getting behind the ‘Help an East Coast Child’ appeal. I’m amazed by what they have achieved and would like to congratulate them on their fundraising success and thank all the businesses who supported the raffle, as well as the students of Great Yarmouth college, who gave us so much help in the run up to the event and on the day.”
The most effective tool an animal shelter has when it comes to getting pets adopted is the actual animals themselves. Battersea Dogs & Cat Home created a brilliant digital ad campaign that had dogs following potential owners from billboard to billboard (Digital Signage) as they walked through Westfield shopping centre in London.
The objective of the campaign was to highlight Battersea Dogs & Cats Home’s continued mission to rehome its dogs, using innovative technology to engage emotionally with passing shoppers.The interactive advertisement was able to track the location of individual people as they moved thanks to a RFID chip-enhanced flyer and sensors setup throughout the mall. Depending on where they were or what direction they were walking, specific clips were played on various digital displays to create the illusion the dog was trying to follow them home.
Theterm#LookingForYou was usedhelping raise awareness across different social media platforms. Thecampaign was created by ad agency OgilvyOne, the brains behind the #LookUpcampaign designedforBritish Airways which had kidspointing up and following actual planes as they flew over London.
Pure’s first Charity Leaders Group of 2020 saw 34 senior leaders from charities across the Eastern region come together to discuss collaboration with other charitable organisations and with local businesses.
The Charity Leaders Group is organised by professional recruitment specialists Pure, in partnership with accountancy firm PEM, to provide a forum where local charity leaders can network and discuss issues related to the not-for-profit sector. To ensure the events are as valuable as possible, each session is based on a topic suggested by the charity leaders themselves. The chosen theme for the first event of 2020 was ‘collaboration’. The event provided the opportunity for charity leaders to share ideas on how local charities can benefit from working together and to explore the best ways to engage and collaborate with other businesses in the community. The guest speakers were Jonathan Martin, CEO of YMCA Trinity Group, Joanna Woolcock, Director of Finance for the Church Commissioners, and Mark Freeman, Interim Chief Executive Officer at CCVS.
Jonathan Martin has worked for the YMCA for nearly 30 years. Now CEO of YMCA Trinity Group, his responsibilities include the charity’s strategic direction and focus. He shared his own successful experiences of collaborative working and the mutual benefits that can be achieved, including saving money and resources, bringing people together, problem solving and increased learning opportunities. He described how collaboration can result in the collision of good ideas, which in turn sparks great ideas.
Joanna Woolcock has over a decade of experience in senior finance roles within the charity sector. Her presentation was centred on the sharing of services, and the efficiency and effectiveness, which can be achieved through this form of collaboration. Based on the experience of putting shared services into practice across four separate National Church institutions, all of which support the Church of England, Joanna explored the benefits including greater cost effectiveness, improved service quality and business continuity. She also advised on potential issues to be considered, including managing conflicting priorities, maintaining control and direction, and fostering shared cultures and values.
Mark Freeman is interim Chief Executive at CCVS, a registered charity set up to champion and support community and voluntary groups, and to promote volunteering across Cambridge City, South Cambridgeshire and Fenland. He was able to share valuable insights from the ‘Making Connections’ research which CCVS has carried out in conjunction with Cambridge City Council. This explores the current and potential development of employer-supported skilled volunteering. Mark emphasised how relationship management is crucial to this form of collaboration, as skilled volunteering is most likely to arise from existing relationships. He encouraged a proactive approach to seeking collaborative opportunities and reminded that businesses also benefit from engaging in skilled volunteering as it develops staff leadership skills, builds community links, aids employee retention and supports employee health and wellbeing.
David Culley, Director at Pure and host of the event, said: “The Charity Leaders Group is a unique opportunity for chief executives and senior leaders to meet and share experiences with a specific focus on the characteristics of not-for-profit organisations and the particular opportunities and challenges facing this sector. We always aim to ensure the events are based on themes that prompt meaningful discussions and the suggested subject of collaboration proved to be extremely thought-provoking. Not only can collaboration be cathartic, with a problem shared being a problem halved, it can also bring a whole host of other benefits. When organisations and people successfully collaborate, they can broaden their networks, work together to resolve problems, share suggestions, spark new ideas, learn from each other, and ultimately achieve better outcomes as a result.”
The Charity Leaders Group was held at the Allia Future Business Centre in Cambridge. For more information about future events visit www.prs.uk.com/events.
Following our annual inspection by the AA Hotel and Hospitality Services, we are delighted to have retained our AA quality assessment accreditations.
The inspector, who stayed with us overnight in our Hawthorn Suite, commented on her “enjoyable stay at a well-presented and friendly establishment.”
She went on to say:
“The exterior provides a very good first impression upon arrival and (The) Norfolk Mead offers a very good standard of comfort and quality throughout; decor and furnishings, well-maintained, tasteful and suit the property.
“Hospitality and service received from arrival to departure were delivered with a real guest focus – a really friendly team who were natural and genuine.
“The evening meal taken was to a very good standard allowing the award of Two AA Rosettes to be continued; well done to Damien, Keiran and the brigade for their efforts.
“Breakfast offered a very good choice and quality of food, which was tasty and it was positive to note local produce used.”
The Norfolk Mead continues to achieve the Four Star Silver Country House Hotel grading with a slightly increased AA merit score of 86%. We have held our AA accreditations since 2013; gaining the 2 Star AA Rosette in 2016, and Silver-level Country House Hotel grading in 2018.
James Holliday, Owner of The Norfolk Mead said: “I would like to thank our whole team for their continued hard work and dedication which has been recognised once again in the AA inspection report. I am particularly pleased that the inspector commented on the natural and genuine approach to service from our excellent Front of House team, and that our hard working Chefs also got a mention for our great restaurant. As one of the top Hotels in Norfolk, we continue to strive for perfection.”
More information about the AA accreditations is included on their website at: https://www.theaa.com/hotel-services/ratings-and-awards
Approximately £500,000 is available for community-based structured learning projects aimed at unemployed and inactive people aged 16+ who are facing barriers to work or disadvantage in the work place.
The fund is managed by the Local Investment in Future Talent (LIFT) programme, with grants available up to a maximum of £20,000, which can be used to cover up to 100% of project costs.
Cllr Graham Plant, Deputy Leader of Norfolk County Council and Cabinet Member for Growing the Economy, said: “This funding is for projects that will support people to gain the confidence, skills and knowledge to move into employment or into formal accredited learning and skills provision.
“Many people face multiple challenges to securing employment and this scheme is designed to help people benefit from effective targeted support at a local level.”
Funded by the European Social Fund, LIFT Community Grants are aimed at Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations for eligible projects. These will aim to fill gaps in local community provision within Norfolk and Suffolk, the New Anglia LEP area.
Twenty organisations from across both counties have been awarded a grant so far and there are funds available for at least a further 24 projects.
Case study:
New-U Enterprises, a UK registered charity, have been awarded a grant of £20,000 to run their You’ve Got This project for young people aged 16+ who are not in employment, education or training (NEET). The project will run workshops to build confidence, self- esteem and aspiration and offers individualised retail work experience and training in their clothes and accessories swap shop in Castle Quarter, Norwich. Participants will be able to put all they have learned into practice by helping organise an New-U event, each person working to their individual strengths. Support to take up options for moving into employment, self-employment or further training will also be provided.
Helen Read, LIFT Project Facilitator said: “‘You’ve Got This’ is bringing together young people furthest from work from a variety of backgrounds. It is heartwarming to see people who have been isolated working as part of a team and those lacking in confidence realising they have something of value to contribute. This funding has allowed us to bridge the gap for people who need flexibility and reassurance to build on soft skills such as self-esteem, team working, communication and reliability as they move towards work or training.”
Toby – participant (not real name) in the scheme said: “I’ve made friends and enjoyed working with others to solve problems. I didn’t think I’d be able to contribute much, but I did and that feels good. I am looking forward to helping organise an event by writing a blog, something I have not had the chance to do before.”
For more information about the community grants scheme visit www.liftprogramme.co.uk/communitygrants or email lift@norfolk.gov.uk