The UK Government is seeking to enhance trade with China, and is now at a crucial point in bilateral discussions where it needs to understand key opportunities and constraints in the Chinese market, and the priority negotiating areas it should focus on. It would be very helpful if you could give your views on the following questions:
What are the five current Chinese regulations or policies that have the greatest negative impact on your business today?
What are the most significant potential opportunities for your business in China that you are restricted from accessing today?
What are the most effective steps you’ve seen taken to improve bilateral trade and investment with China? (this could include by other countries)
What are the most effective steps that DIT (or other parts of the UK government) should take to increase bilateral trade and investment in your sector with China? What are the areas and opportunities in your sector that you would expect the Chinese government or businesses to have as their key asks of DIT? If these were agreed to, would they have material impact on your business?
Please could you submit your answers to export@norfolkchamber.co.uk by close of business on 6 September 2018.
For WELLBEING IN THE WORKPLACE we get asked a lot what do you ACTUALLY do?
So here it is …
We develop an overarching strategy to support wellbeing in the workplace which is placed alongside all the other organisation aims, and at a granular level, create something that is unique for the individuals and departments within it.
What does this look like?
1. Work with Directors and Senior Leaders to support them on personal and professional level
2. Attend Director meetings to input around financial and people strategies to help grow individuals and the business
3. Meet with middle managers to develop management skills and support them to embed these, individually and as a team
4. Provide an opportunity for EVERYONE in the business to be able to access support that is right for them, personal and/or professional, ‘when life hits’
5. Recognise and celebrate the successes and wins that the organisation and individuals have
6. Increase confidence in individuals ability
We are both PREVENTION and SUPPORT, moving an organisation from REACTIVE to CREATIVE, building RESILIENCE along the way.
So what? We have PROVEN this…
1. Helps with Recruitment
2. Stabilises the team
3. Develops and enhances communication
4. Tangible increase in buy in and motivation by the workforce
5. Improved productivity meaning an increase in billable hours, meaning the ROI is high
We advocate for organisations to see Wellbeing not as done TO people, its done WITH people, ensuring we MEET YOU WHERE YOU ARE AT. Sound good – get in touch for a chat to see where we can add value to you and your organisation.
For the first time this year the Norfolk Chamber team entered the Break Charity Grand Norwich Duck Race. After much deliberation, voting and duck puns around the office, we finally came together and decided on Harry Quacker and the Chamber of Commerce. Transformed over the weekend by our very own staff member Sam, Harry was ready for his big reveal, and the race itself! He went on plenty of trips since his reveal including cocktail making, networking and Norfolk Day celebrations. On race day, Break Charity had plenty of activities including a duck parade and food stlls lined up outside the Ribs of Beef Public House. The smaller duck race began at 1:45pm whilst the large, painted ducks were prepared for the main event. At 2:15pm the large ducks were set loose down the river Wensum, one headed for victory. In the end the Inspired DuckaRoo by Inspired Youth was crowned the winner. Harry Quacker didn’t have the best of starts, getting stuck in the willow with many other ducks. After getting a quick lift on a paddle board he zoomed ahead to third place and held the position most of the way. Sadly, about two meters from the finish line Harry got stuck at the edge of the river and his third place victory was lost. The Chamber team had a fantastic day supporting such a great event.
Peerless Plastics & Coatings is celebrating having won a prestigious Plastics Industry Award for their MicroGuard™ Anti-Microbial range of protective, hard coatings, winning the Materials Innovation Award 2021.
Winners of the Plastics Industry Awards 2021 awards were announced Thursday night (2nd December) by comedian Simon Evans at a black-tie gala evening, live streamed from the Waldorf Hilton in London. In announcing the Materials Innovation Award, Judges praised the MicroGuard™ Anti-Microbial project “as an exceptional piece of development for a demanding application”.With 8 finalists it was one of the largest and most hotly contested categories.
“We are very pleased to have won this national award and gain industry recognition. This award belongs to everyone at Peerless Plastics & Coatings and I am very proud of our team who have worked extremely hard over the last couple of years, servicing our customers across many areas of industry…” said Peter Llewellyn-Stamp, Managing Director.
“…Within this MicroGuard™ Anti-Microbial range we now have an Optically Clear hard coating, together with a Matt hard coating and a specialist Anti-Fog/Anti-Microbial coating. Having formulated this range of coatings and proven their performance against a variety of bacteria and viruses we have developed new applications and worked with customers in the UK and Europe on a wide range of projects where superior surface performance is required. Some of the Anti-microbial products launched over the last 18 months include Anti-Fog PPE & Police public order helmet visors, Anti-Fog respirator mouth covers, Covid Screens, desk/table covers and wall cladding.
In addition to Anti-Microbial properties, our coatings make plastics more sustainable by improving surface hardness and chemical resistance, allowing plastic products to stand up against day to day wear & tear and cleaning regimes, extending their useful life…”
Launched in 2001, and held annually in London, the Plastics Industry Awards are dedicated to rewarding innovation and exceptional performance in an increasingly competitive market. Sixteen categories cover materials usage, product design, manufacturing, training and environmental performance, and entries are judged by a panel of industry experts.
For more information about Peerless Plastics & Coatings range of Anti-Microbial, protective hard coatings, click here:
On 11th December, Ethan Dimaano will be achieving a lifelong dream by taking a skydive from Beccles Airfield in aid of Help For Heroes.This event is sponsored by Norfolk based Internet Service and Telecoms Provider FreeClix, who took Ethan on as a trainee junior technician under the Kickstart scheme earlier this year. The charity jump will take place at Beccles Airfield sometime between 10:30am and 12:30pm.
All of the money raised from the jump will go straight to Armed Forces charity Help For Heroes. The money will be used to provide invaluable support for wounded veterans to enable them to overcome the challenges that life after service brings. This charity is extremely close to Ethan’s heart as his long-term career goal is to work as an engineer in the RAF.
“Working at FreeClix under the Kickstart Scheme has given me a fantastic opportunity to gain experience towards my main goal of working as an engineer for the RAF. I’ve developed skills and gained technical knowledge that will be vital for me when I reach the RAF. I’m delighted to now be able to do this sponsored skydive for Help For Heroes, with the support of all of the FreeClix team.”
Ethan has already reached dizzying heights after managing to fundraise almost £300 for the charity in the lead up to his dive. With one week still to go, the hope is that this total will continue to climb right up until Saturday 11th and beyond.
“I’m delighted that we’ve managed to raise so much money for Help For Heroes already before I’ve even made it to the drop zone. The work they do is integral to helping wounded veterans and their families recover and I’d like to raise as much as we possibly can for them.”
FreeClix director, Peter Freeman, wants to encourage people to show their support in any way they can for Ethan.
“We are extremely proud of Ethan for taking on this challenge. We’re delighted to be part of Ethan’s journey to achieve his goal of working for the RAF, helping him develop his technical skills and now sponsoring his skydive too. He’s raising money for an excellent cause so if you can donate anything at all we’d really appreciate the support!”
If you want to go watch Ethan dive for Help for Heroes make your way to Beccles Airfield on Saturday 11th December. The jump is due to take place after 10:30 am. If you’d like to go one step further and donate to Ethan’s fundraiser, you can do so visiting this webpage.
Ashtons Legal, one of East Anglia’s longstanding ‘go to’ firms for personal and medical injury claims, is starting 2022 with additional expertise across its teams. Recent recruits are solicitor Mick Upton into the Personal Injury team, solicitor Penny Tilmouth into the Medical Negligence team, and Ben Needham-Holmes whose role is as a Rehabilitation Co-ordinator.
Mick is delighted to return to the firm, working in a team which offers support to those with traumatic injuries, primarily caused either as the result of road traffic collisions or through accidents at work.
Penny is taking on a range of medical injury claims, including cases of misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose an illness or orthopaedic claims where surgery has been negligent and caused long-term damage to the patient.
Ben, who has a strong track record as a Case Manager in the Midlands, has joined the firm to help ensure that all seriously injured clients are able to access the most suitable rehabilitation as early as possible after their injuries occur. He also supports Ashtons’ Asbestos Disease Team and its Support Group as well as providing support to bereaved families whether this is the result of an accident or medical malpractice. This is a service only provided by a small proportion of law firms with injury services departments and ties in with the firm’s ethos of helping clients and their families in every way possible to get their lives back on track after serious injury or death.
Michael Wangermann, who heads the Ashtons injury services division, says: “An increasing number of law firms have started to wind down their injury claims teams and the expertise is consolidating into those firms with the strength and depth to support clients with injuries of all types and caused by a wide range of types of accident.”
He adds: “Ashtons Legal remains fully committed to this area of the law, including offering a rehabilitation support service alongside our existing Court of Protection team that assists with financial management of large awards. We have been a local market leader as well as acting for clients nationwide for well over 30 years. In 2021 we were helping approximately 1300 clients post injury.”
Pictured left to right: Mick Upton, Penny Tilmouth and Ben Needham-Holmes.
As world leaders meet in Glasgow at the COP 26 conference to discuss Climate Change, we thought it would be a good time to share what Hudson Architects is doing to help tackle the emergency!
Hudson Architects is already committed to the RIBA Climate Challenge, pledging to design with a climate conscious trajectory in order to reach net zero by 2030. This year we have also turned the lens inwards; examining how our practice can make internal improvements to ensure that a sustainable ethos purveys throughout our office culture.
A starting point for this has been signing up to the UK Government’s SME Climate Hub and joining the Norwich Business Climate Leaders initiative. The latter has been launched by Chris Sargisson and his team at The Norfolk Chamber, who we are working closely with to help pave the way for other Norfolk businesses to follow.
The SME Climate Hub initiative provides tools and resources for businesses who sign up to a commitment to tackle climate change – at Hudson Architects we have committed to:
Halve our greenhouse gas emissions before 2030;
Achieve net zero emissions before 2050;
Disclose our progress on a yearly basis
The Climate Hub has collated a range of calculators we can use to measure our greenhouse gas emissions – from our office energy use, employee commutes to work and travel to meetings – so we can assess where we are, and where we need to get to. Corporate accountability is a cornerstone of the initiative, meaning we have committed to publishing an annual report on our progress.
If we are to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and keep global temperatures in check we think it’s vital that everyone does what they can – from governments down to individuals – to help tackle this climate emergency. At Hudson Architects we want to go even further than these Climate Hub commitments and review much more about our business operations – looking at creative ways to reduce our waste, reviewing our office supplies, and sharing resources among employees.
In the coming weeks we’ll be explain more about how we are doing all these things, in the hope that we might inspire others to join us; and we’re also looking forward to teaming up with the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and the Norwich Business Climate Leaders initiative – as they “set the exemplar of change and help save the world!”
More Information on the Norwich Business Climate Leaders Initiative HERE.
More Information on the UK Business Climate Hub HERE.
You can view this origianal article from Hudson Architects HERE
Nick, who has been a part of the TaxAssist Accountants network for over 12 years, operates shops from Barnsley and Huddersfield and has now opened a shop in North Sheffield in partnership with his wife Pat.
On the 1st October, Nick Brook opened his third shop, on 1 Wadsley Lane in Sheffield and is delighted by the response so far.
“We’ve had a fantastic first week,” said Nick. “The shop has drawn many admiring glances and positive comments from neighbours, passers-by and clients and we are looking forward to becoming an integral part of the local business community.” Nick opened his first shop in Huddersfield in 2006, followed by an office in Barnsley in 2015. Such was the demand for his services in Barnsley, that he relocated his office to a larger, more centrally located shop in the Yorkshire town’s Church Street in 2017. “The shop-front concept is clearly key to my – and TaxAssist’s – success and I think it provides authenticity to our offering and makes us so much more visible to potential clients,” explained Nick. From starting out on his own, Nick now employs eight staff who look after the needs of over 500 clients.
“I am looking forward to working with Pat and my fantastic team of staff to continue the success that I’ve had so far in Barnsley and Huddersfield to North Sheffield and would like to encourage potential clients interested in our services, to pop in for a free consultation,” added Nick. TaxAssist Accountants provides a wide range of accountancy services including tax returns, annual accounts, payroll and bookkeeping and helps a diverse range of small businesses including start-ups, sole traders, limited companies and landlords who operate in many industries. If you are interested in finding out more about joining the TaxAssist Accountants network, please contact our Recruitment Manager Nikki Haythorne on 0800 0188297.
Norfolk County Council are proposing to improve Riverside Road for pedestrians by widening and extending the pavement that runs along the opposite side of the road to the water. The project starts at the junction of Riverside Road with Quay Road/Pier Walk and runs northwards towards Williamson’s Lookout. This section is about 1.2km long and plans include widening the footway to a minimum of around 1.5m throughout this length. Dropped kerbs will be installed where vehicle access is required. There are three main elements to the proposals:
Resurfacing and widening the existing footway and replacing the kerbs in the following sections:
95m between Riverside Road/Pier Walk/Quay Road junction and the RNLI parking triangle
130m between Kingfisher Amateur Boxing Club and Dock Tavern Lane
220m between 92 Riverside Road and the steps past South Icehouse Hill, which lead up to the High Street
Installing a new footway where no footway currently exists:
220m between the RNLI parking triangle and Kingfisher Amateur Boxing Club
Introducing two short lengths of double yellow lines to help traffic flow. The PDF plan showing the location is below.
How to comment
They would like to hear your views on these proposals. You can send your feedback either by emailing tfgy@norfolk.gov.uk or writing to: Riverside Road consultation Transport for Great Yarmouth, floor 2 Norfolk County Council County Hall Martineau Lane Norwich NR1 2DH The deadline for comments is 5pm on Friday 5 October 2018.
The first ever ‘Norfolk Day’ took place this year on Friday 27 July, and it was great to see the business community of the county supporting this campaign.
The campaign was supported by BBC Radio Norfolk, EDP/Archant, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, and sponsored by Woodfordes Brewery and Richardson Hemsby Beach Holiday Park.
The day was an opportunity to shout about how great our county is, from our innovative business to the fantastic landscapes.
We were overwhelmed by the support and the number of Norfolk businesses who got involved from holding their own events, to creating a #15secbiz video as part of our Norfolk Day campaign. Read more about our activity here.
We are keen to hear businesses’ views and opinions on Norfolk Day. What are your thoughts on the day, and what do you think could be improved for next year? Please complete a short online survey below or here.
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