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What’s better than 1 Emma – 2 Emma’s – Emma Clough joins us as Director of Eudaemonia Consultancy! 💚

hashtag#mentalhealth hashtag#teamwork hashtag#wellbeing

Local business and chamber member Native Origin has officially rebranded as MADE BY WOODSMOKE.

This change comes after director James Bussey took a three-month break from the business to tour Europe in a motorhome with his partner Kirsty and their two golden retrievers. James reflected:

“The trip was the best thing my partner and I have ever done, helping to gain a completely fresh perspective on life, on direction and what I knew my business needed to be. When you first set up a business, it’s easy to lose sight of why you were setting it up in the first place. The trip gave me the space and time to re-discover and design the next phase.”

Native Origin had already established itself as a creative business, providing local brands with video production, design, CGI, and website services.

The evolution to MADE BY WOODSMOKE represents a more focused approach to creating and—crucially—connecting all the creative services a business needs.

This strategic shift addresses a common challenge in today’s business landscape, where companies often treat their marketing and advertising efforts as disconnected components, each managed in isolation.

MADE BY WOODSMOKE advocates for businesses to view all their activities as an integrated system—a cohesive machine with interconnected parts working seamlessly and harmoniously.

Discover more about MADE BY WOODSMOKE’s services by visiting: https://www.madebywoodsmoke.com

The College of West Anglia (CWA) has been officially recognised by City and Guilds for its high-quality delivery of End Point Assessments (EPAs), receiving a prestigious plaque that celebrates the college’s commitment to industry standard apprenticeship outcomes. 

The plaque was presented on 25 November at CWA’s Wisbech Campus, directly outside the new Green Skills Building; a landmark development designed to expand green technology training across the region. The new facility has been jointly funded by CWA, the Anglia Water Alliance, and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority sgthening CWA’s role in providing future-facing skills that support both local employers and the wider green economy.

Assistant Principal Funding, Performance and Projects, Rob Petto accepted the plaque on behalf of CWA from Rachel Knight, City and Guilds Business Development Manager. The recognition highlights the college’s consistent commitment to delivering high quality apprenticeship training and ensuring that learners are fully prepared for their EPA assessments and onward careers.

The award also reflects the strong collaborative working relationship between CWA and City & Guilds, supported by excellent apprenticeship success rates, rigorous training delivery, and high levels of employer engagement across multiple sectors.  

Rachel Knight, Business Development Manager – Southeast at City and Guilds, said ‘City & Guilds are proud to be the End Point Assessment Organisation of choice for the College of West Anglia for a wide range of apprenticeships. This EPA award issued today is recognition of their excellence in apprenticeship delivery and successful outcomes for End Point Assessment. I have had the chance to speak to some of their apprentices on the day of their EPA, they were confident and well prepared ahead of this and very pleased with the training and support received.’

Rob Petto, Assistant Principal Funding, Performance and Projects at CWA said 

‘This recognition for our apprenticeship endpoint assessments highlights the excellent work happening across our college and the strong relationships we’ve built with employers and the community. Apprenticeships are vital to our region’s growth, and we’re proud to play a key role in helping learners develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed.’ 

This achievement reinforces the college’s dedication to maintaining high standards of apprenticeship assessment and providing training that meets both industry needs and national benchmarks. CWA continues to play a leading role in shaping the skilled workforce of the future across West Norfolk, Fenland, and beyond.  

It’s been a busy few weeks at Budease, a consultancy focused on helping small businesses simplify, systemise, and scale.

If we haven’t crossed paths yet, I’m Charles, founder of Budease, and a new member here at the Chamber. I work hands-on with business owners to fix what’s slowing them down, build what’s missing and scale what’s already working, especially across sales, operations and customer service, with hands-on growth support.

I’m currently speaking with trades, food & drink, retail, and service-based businesses across Norfolk, and I’ve opened up slots for short Discovery Calls throughout August. They’re friendly, no-pressure chats designed to explore what’s working, what isn’t and what we could do to unlock growth in your business.

If you or someone you know is trying to modernise systems, attract more consistent customers, or simply get out of the weeds, I’d love to help.

Book a call:

 https://calendar.app.google/xvYZnJSwvJ85nqyy6

Learn more:

https://budease.co.uk/

Or just drop me a message on 07795184328.

Looking forward to meeting more of you soon!

Public Protective Services (PPS) students at the College of West Anglia recently welcomed Dean Williams, Community Fundraiser for Help for Heroes, for an inspiring and impactful guest session. Dean served twenty-seven years in the Infantry and the Physical Training Corps, specialising as a rehabilitation instructor supporting wounded and injured service personnel in their recovery and return to work.

Drawing on his extensive career and lived experience, Dean provided students with a direct insight into the realities faced by service personnel during and after active duty. He also highlighted the vital role Help for Heroes continues to play in supporting veterans and their families through recovery programmes, welfare services and community networks.

During the session, students learned about:

• The emotional and physical challenges faced by wounded service members.
• The long-term importance of rehabilitation, both physically and psychologically.
• Support available for veterans to rebuild confidence, skills, and independence.
• The broader mission and fundraising work of Help for Heroes across the UK.

Dean also shared how Help for Heroes is often filling the gaps where other military charities cannot. Everything that the organisation provides to support individuals is to make it so there is ‘one less battle to fight’.

He also spoke about the realities of service life, including the thirty-two countries where British military personnel are stationed on peacekeeping missions, only to return home struggling to find peace themselves. Help for Heroes’ Recovery College plays a pivotal role in helping veterans regain control of their lives, empowering them through education, wellbeing support, and skills development.

Another key aspect highlighted was the charity’s focus on community strength: veterans who are further along in their recovery journey mentoring those who are just beginning. Dean also discussed the Very Seriously Injured (VSI) programme, which supports veterans who are living with life changing injuries, as well as the charity’s work funding specialist equipment that can transform independence and mobility.

The session resonated strongly with the students’ fundraising efforts, as they have just completed their challenge to collectively cover 155km, the distance from CWA’s King’s Lynn campus to Ypres battlefield, in support of Help for Heroes. Dean’s visit reinforced why these efforts matter as well as thanking them for their support and achievement in the challenge.

Dean went on to say ‘The students should feel incredibly proud – not only of what they achieved physically, but of the amazing amount they’ve raised. It’s an incredible effort that will go onto support veterans and those Help the Heroes support up and down the country.’

Rob Cooke, Public and Protective Services Lecturer added:

‘I would like to thank Dean for firstly, giving up his valuable time to speak with my students, and for providing them with such a wider understanding of the impact of military operations, and the support that Help for Heroes can offer them in return. The activities that the students have undertaken have been extremely challenging, both physically and mentally, and I am immensely proud of their achievement, but the activities provide them with a snapshot of what life can be like for members of our armed forces. I look forward to engaging my students in similar adventurous activities in the future and raising more money for the superb charities that support our uniformed services.’

This valuable talk broadened students’ understanding of the lived experience of service personnel, and the continuing support required long after their frontline duties end. It also highlighted the lasting importance of compassion, teamwork, and community in public service careers.

📍 This Week at Shield Health & Safety – Across East Anglia & Beyond!

It’s been another productive and wide-reaching week for the Shield team, delivering expert training and consultancy across East Anglia! Just look at where our instructors have been 👇

(see map image)

From Cambridge to Lowestoft, Ipswich to Norwich, we’ve been providing a wide range of high-quality training, including:

🚜 Forklift Training

🩹 Emergency First Aid at Work

🏗️ Overhead Crane Training

🚛 Shunter & Pallet Truck Training

🧠 Meanwhile, Craig has been working closely with clients, reviewing and updating risk assessments and safety policies — helping organisations stay compliant, confident, and prepared.

✅ A key reminder this week:

Risk assessments are only effective if they reflect your current working practices.

Workplaces change, staff come and go, and hazards evolve — so staying up to date isn’t optional, it’s essential.

💡 Has it been a while since your last review? Let’s make sure you’re not relying on outdated paperwork.

🎓 A special shoutout to one of our instructors who has just received his updated qualification certificates, ensuring continued RTITB accreditation and delivering training to the highest standards.

🛡️ Whether it’s consultancy, training, or ongoing support — Shield is here to help you stay safe, smart, and fully compliant.

We are proud to say that we are launching a new Apprenticeship standard at Swarm, the Level 3 Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship!  It is one we have a real heart for and take great pride in being able to offer to the education profession in our schools across the country.  Obviously as a training provider we have a passion for education but a number of us have indeed come from teaching in schools, supporting children in their early years education to be able to learn how to learn, love their learning and to set up solid foundations for their life ahead.  So, we know the importance of early years education and the value our teachers and teaching assistants have in helping children to excel. 

Therefore, if you are a Teaching Assistant, either just starting out in your career, or wanting to progress in your role further, give us a call or drop us a line to ask about this career enhancing Apprenticeship standard.  It is free to do as it is fully funded by the Government and your school will give you time each week for your studies because it is performed practically as part of your role.  And because our tutors know your profession well and have experience on the frontline, exactly as you do, they won’t just go through the motions of theory learning, they can help you to apply the learning in practice in your specific situation.

If it’s something you’re interested to hear more about for you or one of your team, we’d like to invite you to attend our free webinar on 26^th August at 12pm to 1pm called “Considering an Apprenticeship?”. In this online session, one of our apprenticeship experts will talk you through exactly what happens on an apprenticeship, how it dovetails with your existing job for the benefit of your learning as well as for your employer. We are hoping that our tutor for this course will be on the call as well so that she is able to speak specifically about the knowledge, skills and behaviours the apprenticeship covers, what exactly you will be doing and be able to answer any questions you might have.  For more details and to register, follow the link to EventBrite here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/considering-an-apprenticeship-tickets-1530305457819

We hope to see you there!

Or, for just an informal chat about apprenticeships and the Teaching Assistant course, please contact Louie Stronach on:
louie@swarmgroup.org.uk

Are you on the hunt for your next hire? Do you have flexible or part-time roles to fill? Or are you looking to attract new graduate talent to your business? Did you know you can promote your vacancies for FREE to thousands of current students and recent graduates from UEA?

Introducing MyCareerCentral, a user-friendly and completely free platform for advertising vacancies directly to UEA students and alumni. Register for a free account and easily post your internships, placements, graduate positions, part-time jobs, and volunteer opportunities.

Additionally, we provide enhanced vacancy advertising packages to boost your visibility and engage more UEA students and graduates, while also elevating your company’s profile.

We also run careers events throughout the year giving you the chance to meet our students and graduates, and promote opportunities within your business. Upcoming events include our Part-Time Student Jobs Fair on Wednesday 24 September which is always popular with students starting or returning to UEA and looking for ways to earn while they learn. Stands are still available, so please do reach out to us if you’d be interested in coming along.   

Curious to learn more? Check out our employer brochure at https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/…

Join us in connecting with the next generation of talent!

College of West Anglia Level Three Film students proudly showcased their original short films as part of the four-day King’s Lynn Film Festival, which brought a diverse selection of independent cinema, local talent, and emerging voices to town.

The students’ film preview took place on 17^th November offering attendees a first look at the creative work produced by the next generation of filmmakers. The lineup featured a variety of storytelling approaches, themes, and production styles.

Thursday 27th:

Kieran Adams – Little Brother

Anthony Grzybek – Bull Sh*t

Charlie Lorraine – 21

Sav Bacon – Abandoned

Mia Dalby – Talk To You Later

CJ Brown – Can You?

Conner Myers – Cursed Contract

Richard Brock – What if?

Luke Hamman-Day – Roommate

Sunday 30th:

Erin Nicol – A Child’s Perspective

Brooke Bocking – The Life and Death of Club Penguin

Jake Ison – The Cake

Seb Bennell – Escape

Caitlin Howard – Lost Obsession

George Staff – Cut

Isabella Heath – Are We Really Strangers?

Jacob Judges – Milkaholic

Harry Preston – King of Kings

In addition to producing their films, the students were responsible for marketing the event. To generate excitement and public engagement, they launched a dedicated Instagram account, designed promotional posters displayed across the King’s Lynn campus, and developed a printed fanzine featuring behind the scenes information on each film, interviews with creative teams, and insights into their production processes. This provided students with hands-on experience of real world promotional and audience development strategies, complementing their practical filmmaking skills.

The screening provided a valuable platform for students to present their work to a wider audience and to gain experience in festival participation, networking, and professional communication.

Ian Barton, Chair of the King’s Lynn Community Cinema Club said:  ‘This is the fifth edition of the King’s Lynn Film Festival, and we wanted to try something new to increase awareness of the event. After speaking to James Fox, we agreed to give a greater role to the students at the College of West Anglia. Not only have they created short films for this year’s festival, but they also took on the responsibility of designing and delivering the preview evening.

Their work was fantastic! Media students transformed the foyer into a visually attractive, welcoming space, served drinks, and confidently engaged with guests, while catering students prepared and professionally served a selection of incredible canapes. Guests watched a preview reel created by the students which creatively showcased scenes from the full festival programme.

The whole evening was wonderful, and the feedback has been glowing about the students’ contribution.  Credit is also due to the Corn Exchange for being so accommodating and supportive of giving students creative control. Congratulations to the students for their hard work- we’re excited to seeing many of you at the festival still!’

James Fox, Course Director of the Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production and Technology Level 3 said: ‘’The King’s Lynn Film Festival shows international film right next to local film talent and all on our doorstep. CWA Media students and I are excited to be a part of such a prestigious event at the Corn Exchange.’

Erin Nicol, who is studying an Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production and Technology Level 3 and organised the event, said ‘I’ve been the producer of the event and was responsible for communicating and liaising with everyone to make this event happen. I’ve enjoyed the role of being a team leader and having the opportunity to inspire the team and make sure everything has been done on time.’

Harry Preston, who is also studying an Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production and Technology Level 3, said: ‘ I produced a short film about a chef who is a perfectionist who ends up going insane that has been shown tonight. It’s been really fun to make, and you refine so many skills while filming and creating the project.’

Kerry Heathcote, Vice Principal and Deputy CEO, said: “The creative and critical thinking skills of these learners are incredible. The rate at which they develop the ability to complete such complex tasks, with the support of their talented and experienced tutors, is a sight to behold. As each of their completed projects are showcased during this event, I am always delighted to see the collaboration among peer groups, too.”

This collaboration with the King’s Lynn Film Festival highlights the college’s ongoing commitment to supporting local creative industries and providing real world opportunities for its students. Experiences like this empower learners to build confidence, develop professional networks, and showcase their talent as emerging filmmakers in the region

Rechenda Smith, the business owner behind Norfolk-based Nurture Marketing has launched a new ‘marketing school’ for small business owners.

The Goal Getter Marketing School opens its doors in September 2025, and is available for enrolment by any business owner in any sector.

The school will offer a series of 16 practical marketing workshops designed for small business owners that will be available in-person or online, as well as a range of downloadable marketing resources to help business owners DIY their marketing.

Rechenda Smith, Founder of The Goal Getter Marketing School said: “Not every business owner has the budget to outsource their marketing. I launched the School to give solopreneurs and small business owners the tools, confidence, and community they need to take control of their marketing and grow their business on their own terms.

We’re bold, fun, and practical. It’s not just about learning; it’s about connecting, taking action, and becoming part of a community of goal-getters who are cheering each other on.”

Norfolk County Council is inviting businesses across the county to take part in a short survey exploring the role and relevance of cash in today’s economy.

This work is being undertaken in response to a request from a council committee for a report into access to cash in Norfolk. The survey aims to understand how businesses are currently using cash, what challenges they may face in doing so, and how important it remains for their customers.

The results will help shape the council’s understanding of how cash continues to play a role in local economies, and inform future decisions and support.

The survey is open until 12 September 2025 and takes just a couple of minutes to complete.

TAKE THE SURVEY

Your input is greatly valued and will help build a clearer picture of cash access and use across the county.

Please note: The survey does not collect personal details unless you choose to provide them, and no identifiable business information is requested.