The New Anglia Growth Hub are working with SEMLEP and the Growth Hub regional cluster on some cost of Living Crisis workshops.As part of our wider Cost of living support available, this interactive training, Led by Susan Popoola, Mosaic Fusions Ltd is suitable for business leaders and senior decision makers. Starting with you, your purpose and role as a leader with a consideration of the limits of your responsibilities. Understanding the challenges your employees are likely to be faced with. Exploring potential external and internal solutions. Developing a strategy to move forward. This session will enable senior executives to develop a Cost of Living Strategy which supports the mental health of both senior leaders and the staff they employ.
Event details:
This event will be held face to face at Hethel Innovation Centre, NR14 8FB and light refreshments will be provided during the morning.
Delivered in partnership with Mosaic Fusions & Growth Hubs (OXLEP, SEMLEP, New Anglia LEP, CPCA & BBF)
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact our Partnerships & Events Manager, Samantha Hunter: Samantha.Hunter@semlep.com
(L-R): Elliot Symonds, Jarrold Training (award sponsor); Susan Nichols, Compensation & Benefits Manager, Lotus; Nick Anderson, Safety Health & Environment Manager, Lotus; Matt Nice, Executive Director, Corporate Office & Planning; Cllr John Fuller OBE, Leader of South Norfolk District Council Lotus has been named ‘Employer of the Year 2023’ at the Broadland and South Norfolk Business Awards. This latest honour adds to those already presented to the company this year for its high-performance cars – the Emira was named ‘Best Performance Car’ at the UK Car of the Year awards, while the Eletre is GQ Magazine’s ‘SUV of the Year’. The ‘Employer of the Year’ award recognises a local business which has created a supportive work environment and shown a real commitment to the welfare of its employees, resulting in staff satisfaction and a well-motivated and integrated workforce. The award entry included details on Lotus’ employee recognition events, suggestion schemes, benefits packages, training and development programmes, and award-winning health and wellbeing support. On presenting the award to Group Lotus, the judges… ‘were blown away by the investment Lotus has made in its employees; not only providing a quality workplace with clear opportunities for progression but ensuring all levels of leadership are engaged and available to create a true sense of inclusivity’. Matt Windle, Group Vice-President and Managing Director, Lotus Cars, said: “We are delighted to receive this award, which recognises our efforts in creating and maintaining a positive working environment that contributes to our team’s positive welfare. As one of the largest employers in the region, our people are our greatest asset and our ‘one team’ ethic is core to our future success as a high-performance automotive brand.” Receiving the award on behalf of Lotus at the gala event at Norwich City FC’s stadium were Matt Nice, Executive Director, Corporate Office & Planning; Nick Anderson, Safety Health & Environment Manager; and Susan Nichols, Compensation & Benefits Manager. * If you would like to work for Lotus visit our careers page.
Above: A Greater Anglia station adopter Credit: Greater Anglia A scheme to get individuals and communities in East Anglia involved with their local rail stations is celebrating 20 years of brightening up stations across the region. The Station Adoption initiative, now managed by Greater Anglia, was officially launched on 3 March 2003 by Anglia Railways in Norfolk and Suffolk and, over the years, through successive train operators, has now expanded to cover the whole of the region. Starting with just a handful of local people, some of whom had been tending to their local rail station since long before the scheme launched, there are now over 300 station adopters across the region – Essex – 116, Norfolk – 108, Suffolk – 43 and West Anglia – 44, with 123 stations out of 134 adopted. Alan Neville, Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Engagement Manager, said: “I am delighted that from humble beginnings, our station adoption scheme is stronger than ever at 20 years old and I would like to thank all of our adopters, long serving and new, past and present, for their incredible commitment and achievements in helping to improve our stations for customers and communities alike – as well as our community rail partnerships for their invaluable support for the scheme.” “Our station adopters are real heroes who achieve amazing things to benefit their communities and make them better places to live, with their enthusiasm to bring rural stations to life and restore their links to the communities they serve. So much has been achieved already and we look forward to an even brighter future for the scheme.” Greater Anglia is planning a series of commemorative events and activities, to celebrate the milestone and thank station adopters, which will continue throughout 2023. Greater Anglia’s Station Adoption scheme enables individuals or groups to adopt their local railway station and contribute to its use and welfare for the benefit of their community. Station adopters work with Greater Anglia and, on some branch lines, also with the local community rail partnership, to bring about improvements or care for gardens and floral displays to benefit local wildlife and make stations more welcoming. Greater Anglia provides funding to help station adopters cover the costs of small projects, such as the creation of station gardens and/or to purchase materials to help improve the station environment. The voluntary scheme, which Anglia Railways introduced in 2003, built on similar initiatives elsewhere in the UK, to improve lines of communication between train operators and station users, but extended it to involve station adopters in playing an active role in keeping stations looking good – initially through beautiful and inventive gardening projects and station presentation improvements. Over the years, adopters have expanded their activities to encompass wildlife-friendly initiatives, creative community art projects, local promotion of the railway and participation in station ‘health checks’, as well as being the eyes and ears of their station and encouraging links between the station and local communities. One of the big successes of the scheme has been the creation of 61 station gardens across the network, providing a vital additional habitat for local wildlife which, as well as making the stations more attractive and welcoming, contributes to human wellbeing too. The gardens, some of which have been developed over many years, are becoming havens for local wildlife populations – with the railway increasingly being recognised by ecologists as a ‘green corridor’ which provides a sanctuary for many different kinds of flora and fauna. In a recent survey, station adopters reported a wide range of creatures visiting their stations including many different types of butterflies as well as bees, slow worms, bats, foxes, deer, toads and many varieties of birds, recording over 200 different species. Each station garden has been pledged to WildEast, a nature recovery movement which helps to return 20% of East Anglia back to nature by 2050 to help reverse the decline of habitat and species and improve biodiversity. To ensure each station garden is helping to support local flora and fauna, Greater Anglia last year joined with the region’s Wildlife Trusts to launch a Wildlife Friendly Stations accreditation scheme. So far, four stations in Norfolk have been accredited and 16 further stations across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire will receive accreditations in the Spring. There are just nine stations on the network left to be adopted. They are Brimsdown, Enfield Lock, Harlow Mill, Harlow Town, Lea Bridge, Northumberland Park, Shippea Hill, Soham, Stansted Airport, Tottenham Hale and Waltham Cross. Greater Anglia hopes that individuals, community organisations or local councils who have an interest in improving their local rail station and bringing it into the heart of the community will come forward with their ideas and adopt those remaining stations. Alan commented: “We’d love to see every station on the network adopted as it makes such a positive difference when the community is actively involved in their local station. “Station adoption creates mutually beneficial relationships and dialogue to help us understand what improvements are important to local people – promoting civic pride and wellbeing by bringing people together and enhancing public spaces.” Anyone interested in adopting their station should contact Alan.Neville@greateranglia.co.uk. Greater Anglia holds an annual Station Adopters Awards event to recognise and highlight the most notable achievements of its adopters over each 12-month period. The Greater Anglia region has six Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs) – the Bittern Line, East Suffolk Lines, Essex and South Suffolk, Hereward, New River and Wherry Lines CRPs – which actively support the station adoption scheme, providing additional resources which help adopters to make their stations even more attractive gateways to their communities. Above: Members of Mudlarks, adopters of Hertford East station, with their planter. Above: Station adopters in the rose bed at Norwich station. Above: Michael Baldwin, adopter at Newmarket station. Above: Adopters at Bures station. Above: Adopters at Reedham station Above: Southminster Men’s Shed who have adopted the station and are based there. Above: Shelford station adopter, Philip Ball, with the bee refuge he made Above: Adopter, Sandy Burns, in the wildlife garden at Westerfield station, Sufffolk Above: Adopters from the Norwich – Sheringham Bittern Line and Norwich – Great Yarmouth / Lowestoft Wherry Lines meet at Lowestoft station Above: Thetford station adopters receive their Wildlife Friendly Stations accreditation Above: Adopters at Diss station
A Greater Anglia train. Credit: Greater Anglia Rail passengers in East Anglia are advised to check before they travel on 16, 18, 30 March and 1 April when strike action will affect Greater Anglia services. On 16 March there will be a reduced service operating on a limited number of routes between 07.00 and 19.00, with all last trains reaching their destination by 19.00. Some services will be running on some additional routes – Clacton-on-Sea to London Liverpool Street; Southminster to London Liverpool Street; Hertford East to Stratford, Norwich to Cambridge/Stansted Airport – which had no services operating on previous strike days. However, many routes will still have no service at all. On 18, 30 March and 1 April, services will operate between 07.00 and 23.00, with all last trains reaching their destination by 23.00. Some routes will have a reduced frequency, but many routes will have a normal or near normal service during the hours that trains are running. Additionally, engineering works will affect some services to London on 18 March and 1 April, and some regional services on 30 March. Summary for 16 March The services planned to operate on Thursday 16 March are as follows:
Hourly service between Norwich and London Liverpool Street; Norwich and Cambridge/Stansted Airport; Colchester and London Liverpool Street; Clacton-on-Sea and London Liverpool Street; Southminster and London Liverpool Street; Cambridge and London Liverpool Street; Hertford East and Stratford.
Half-hourly Stansted Express services between Stansted Airport and London Liverpool Street and between Southend Victoria and London Liverpool Street
Trains that do run are expected to start from 07.00 onwards, with all last trains then completing their journeys before 19.00
No services running on other lines, including on regional/branch lines, other than those listed above
Full timetable details should be available online by Monday. There will be no rail replacement buses to replace those trains not running due to the strike. Services are expected to run normally on the day before and the day after the strike. Summary for 18, 30 March and 1 April On 18, 30 March and 1 April, many more services will operate with trains running on all Greater Anglia routes and for longer hours (between 07.00 and 2300, with all last trains reaching their destination by 23.00). Some routes will have a reduced frequency, but many routes will have a normal or near normal service during the hours that trains are running. More details will be available nearer the time, with full timetable details for 18 March due to be available on Tuesday. Again, services are expected to run normally on the day before and the day after the strike. Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director said: “We are very sorry that once again our customers will be disrupted by strikes. We’re able to run a reduced service on some routes on 16 March and far more services, but still not a full service on 18, 30 March and 1 April, so customers are advised to check before they travel on strike days. The rail industry is working hard to resolve these disputes and talks will continue with RMT to try and reach an agreement.” Anyone who has pre-booked tickets to travel on strike days can change them, use them to travel on either the day before or up to two days later, or apply for a refund by going back to their original retailer. Passenger assistance will be available as usual for all trains which are running. Anyone requiring assistance who cannot avoid travelling by train on strike days should plan their journey and book assistance in advance if possible. Further information is available from greateranglia.co.uk/strikes
In a space that has got so much demand forcing many players to let down the bars, BetterOasis Healthcare is defying the odds and stands alone when it comes to quality, person-centred professional care services. The healthcare service provider has grown in leaps and bounds over a very short space of time and the grown spurt is hugely driven by an increase in demand for well-trained carers and support workers. BetterOasis Healthcare boasts a young but experienced dynamic staff compliment delivering superb care and support services to different entities across the United Kingdom and has become the staffing solutions supplier of choice for a number of established organizations including nursing and residential homes. Carers and Support Workers can be provided to organizations of any complexity and size on a temporary, as-needed or permanent basis. Whether you need support staff due to employee turnover, vacations or any other reason, BetterOasis is guaranteed to cover your staffing gaps whist saving you money and time. “We strive to match our staff with your unique needs thereby allocating you resources equipped with the right skills set. We have a rigorous human resource development & training process to equip our team members to be able to perform exceptionally well whether they are in Children’s Homes, Nursing Homes or providing services for those with Learning disabilities”, reiterated Taps Kundoro, the Operations Director. Switch over to BetterOasis today to fill in those staffing gaps across the different shifts and get the guarantee that you will get the best of service all the time.
L-R: Rynette Crichlow and Blessing Akele at Orient Way depot. Credit: Greater Anglia Two of Greater Anglia’s female train depot supervisors are urging women to consider a career working for the railway on this International Women’s Day. Rynette Crichlow and Blessing Akele have both spent many years at Orient Way depot, between Stratford and Tottenham Hale in North East London, working for the train operator’s cleaning team before moving into operations. And now they are celebrating after being appointed the first-ever female yard supervisors at the depot. They oversee the busy set of sidings where trains are shunted around, cleaned, toilets emptied and water replenished, before they go back out again, ready to start another passenger service. The pair work in shifts in a wider team with six others, ensuring that the railway operates safely and on time, and that the points which allow a train to switch tracks are set correctly – as well as speaking with signallers, Greater Anglia’s train service and maintenance controllers, or colleagues at Network Rail, or dealing with any train faults or issues that may occur. Rynette, who began working on the railway in 2015, said: “After so many years in Train Presentation cleaning trains, my operations colleagues encouraged me to apply. It was a bit daunting at first, but I thought I’d like to give it a try. “I applied and was successful. We are not treated any differently – there’s no thinking that ‘we’re women so we can’t do this’. The training is great and you’re really encouraged to reach your potential. It’s just a case of going for it: don’t let anything stop you from following your dreams.” The pair are proud to be the first women to get into the yard supervisor role at the depot, saying that they’re ‘leading the way’ and that it ‘creates diversity’, encouraging anyone to apply for a job in rail if they are interested. Blessing said: “Women absolutely should consider working on the railway. The railway has lots of different career options and opportunities. “In the past, a lot of women felt like the job was male-dominated. Gone are those days, a lot of women work on the railway now – while our role has shift work, there’s a work/life balance there too. “You don’t need a degree – if you’re open-minded and ready for training then lots of people are ready to help you.” There is a very wide range of roles on the railway, from those undertaken by Rynette and Blessing to other operational roles such as drivers, operational controllers and train planners; customer service roles on stations, on trains and in customer relations; engineering roles helping to maintain the train fleet; train and station presentation; human resources; finance; marketing; public, media and stakeholder relations; social media; procurement; safety and environmental management. It’s a fascinating industry which contributes significantly to people’s lives, the economy and the success of the region and the wider nation. As a result, there are great job prospects and opportunities to undertake a fulfilling and rewarding career in a real breadth of business roles. Katy Bucknell, Greater Anglia HR Director, said: “More women should definitely consider a career on the railway and we’re very pleased that Rynette and Blessing are progressing their careers at Orient Way depot. “We want women to know that the railway is a great place to work and offers several benefits. We have several initiatives underway to help women see the railway as a career choice, including internal events for our current colleagues to help them progress their careers and outreach work in local schools, so we can inspire future generations to choose a career on the railway.” Greater Anglia has previously held female driver days to encourage applicants into the role, with three ‘Aspire to Lead’ events planned in March to attract more women within the company to apply for leadership roles.
Consultancy division’s Technical Services capability helping deliver new track bike for Paris Olympics 2024
Expertise from automotive projects used to develop solutions in wider transport and personal mobility sector
Highly experienced Lotus Design team – based at the upgraded Hethel site – a key part of Technical Services
Lotus Engineering’s other core competencies are Platforms, Control Systems and Dynamics
Lotus has announced its golden collaboration with British Cycling will continue, with the development of a new track bike for Team GB riders to use at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The division of the business which delivers this and other consultancy work is Lotus Engineering, internationally recognised for its long-standing contribution to ground-breaking design, collaborative advanced engineering and innovative product development for OEMs, suppliers and other businesses. The new bike’s development is the focus of the final chapter of the Lotus Engineering: The Innovators series, which turns the spotlight on the fourth of its core portfolio pillars – the Technical Services it offers to clients. These include intelligent design, product concept, attribute development and advanced materials, all of which are integral to the British Cycling project. Mark Stringer, Commercial Director, Lotus Engineering, explained: “Technical Services is about what we can supply throughout the entire product development process. We take the core principals we have gained from automotive development, where we have a global pedigree, to develop solutions across the wider mass transportation and personal mobility sectors.” The three other pillars covered previously in this series are Platforms, Control Systems and Dynamics. The partnership with British Cycling is just one example of Lotus Engineering’s collaborations, most of which remain confidential at clients’ request. The consultancy’s involvement with two-wheelers has already included co-development of the track bike for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, which eventually took place in 2021 due to Covid-19. However, it stretches back to the early Nineties and the Lotus Type 108 – the LotusSport Pursuit Bicycle – a revolutionary concept that showcased a ground-breaking monocoque design, advanced carbon composite construction, and, with its aerofoil cross-section, a pioneering approach to aerodynamics. Just like cars, bikes can benefit from the application of mechanical efficiency and the Type 108 helped British rider Chris Boardman rewrite the track cycling history books and win gold at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Its success sparked the genesis of the Lotus Type 110, a time trial bike boasting many of the same innovations. Again, the cycling world had seen nothing like it and Boardman won the Prologue time trial in the 1994 Tour de France. Then, as now, development work is focused on core Lotus values – a pioneering approach to light-weighting, advanced materials and optimised aerodynamics. So what has changed in the three decades since the Type 108? Certainly not the physics, but the understanding of the science had moved on. As Richard Hill, Chief Aerodynamicist for Lotus, commented: “Back then, it was simply about developing an aerodynamic bike that would go fast. But really there are two separate elements – the bike and the rider – which come together as one to move through the air. That was the approach we took with the Tokyo bike and is continuing for Paris 2024.” Beyond the technical, Lotus Engineering regularly calls on the Lotus Design team as an integral part of its service offering. The latter – based at Hethel, Norfolk, since it was established in 1985 – has developed several other two-wheeled projects including motorcycles and scooters. Barney Hatt, Head of Advance and Consultancy Design, who has previously worked on client programmes such as the Tesla Roadster, comm ented: “Our objective is to design compelling and commercially successful world-class products that are beautiful, visually innovative and that reflect the client’s core values, meet the budget targets and satisfy the end user’s functional requirements.” During more than three decades of work, Russell Carr, Director of Design at Lotus, has been involved in numerous consultancy projects: He added: “We’re able to apply the experience we have gained in automotive to other forms of mobility. Whilst aesthetics is crucial to the success of a product, we a re co-located with our renowned engineering team, meaning we work hand-in-glove to strike the perfect balance of form and function which is integral to product design with engineering integrity.” The design studio at Hethel is a contemporary and purpose-built facility which, like other areas on site, has received considerable investment in recent years. The Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality (VR/AR) suite and 3D printing equipment is state-of-the-art, as is the milling studio, which has been upgraded to a 12-metre bed plate, plus 2 x five-axis milling capability with Kolb Studioline M masts and bespoke extraction system. Photometric scanning fully supports the design process with large format and portable optical scanners. Hethel is also home to three secure studios with integrated surface plates and workspace for designers, digital modellers and studio engineers. A secure presentation room with a four-metre screen is also part of the facilities. Russell explained: “The implementation of these upgrades at Hethel has fundamentally changed how we work and how we communicate with clients. The VR/AR suite and online data reviews give us an increased global reach, offering the client the opportunity to review 3D digital models from anywhere in the world, either on screen or through immersive headsets.” While the artisan skill of manually sculpting designs in clay is still very much within Lotus Design’s capability and process, it is enhanced by the automated milling of models and 3D printing of components using the very same data that is reviewed in the virtual world. “This seamless interaction of multiple mediums allows for more iterations and more life-like representations, which gives greater reassurance to the client and ultimately facilitates the best possible outcome.” Images provided by Lotus
The Greater Anglia team with their awards. Credit: Greater Anglia Greater Anglia has won three national awards for train performance. At the Golden Whistles Awards 2023 – an annual event organised by Modern Railways magazine and the Chartered Institution of Rail Operators to celebrate excellence in UK railway operations – the train operator won the award for Best London and South East operator (for its commuter and regional services), Best Long Distance operator (for its Norwich – Ipswich – Colchester – London intercity services) and Best Operational Performance (for minimising delays). The awards are solely based on actual operational results and statistics, rather than any wider factors. They meant the company was both the most successful train operator at this year’s awards and achieved its best ever results at the event. They reflect Greater Anglia’s sustained high levels of train performance over the last year. Annual performance for 2022 for Greater Anglia overall was at 93.27% using the long standing public performance measure (PPM) which records train arrivals at destination within 5 minutes of schedule time (or 10 minutes for intercity services) and at 92.79% on the more demanding “Time to 3 minutes” measure which records train arrivals at every station they serve within 3 minutes of their scheduled time. These results are at historically high levels and have been achieved despite the increasing challenges of severe weather (with the hottest summer yet in 2022 and more frequent damaging storms). Some of the most notable more localised results for 2022 included annual PPM results on the operator’s Norwich to London intercity route and its rural routes of over 94.0%, Great Eastern commuter routes at over 93% and West Anglia routes at just under 93.0%. Individual route highlights included Norwich to Great Yarmouth at 97.9%, Norwich to Lowestoft at 96.9%, Norwich to Sheringham at 96.7%, London to Harwich at 95.9%, Ipswich to Felixstowe at 94.2%, and both the London to Chelmsford/Colchester/Clacton line and the Ipswich to Lowestoft line at 93.9%. These consistently good results, and associated recognition at the awards event, are testament to a number of factors, including the positive impact of the new trains being introduced across Greater Anglia (which accelerate quicker, brake quicker, are more reliable and enable better recovery from delays than the trains they replaced); a real focus from teams across Greater Anglia on improving performance, and joint work between Greater Anglia and Network Rail to raise punctuality and reliability standards. It means that GA is now frequently one of the top three best-performing operators in the UK, despite operating over one of the more complex and congested networks. Jamie Burles, Managing Director, Greater Anglia said: “We’re really proud to have received three major awards at this year’s national Golden Whistles awards. It’s deserved recognition for our teams and the excellent performance being delivered across Greater Anglia over the past year. Customers consistently rate a punctual and reliable service as their key priority for rail travel, so we have been focusing relentlessly on meeting those expectations and, with the help of our new trains and targeted work by colleagues across our company, day in, day out, we have been delivering performance at the highest standards ever seen in our region, on an ongoing basis, for three years now. We pledged that with the help of our new trains we would transform the rail travel experience in East Anglia, both in terms of the on-train environment and performance standards. We’re achieving that aim and we are fully focused on maintaining and further improving service standards in the years ahead to deliver an even better, more consistent service.” A Greater Anglia train. Credit: Greater Anglia
Photo credits Mary Doggett The Feed has a large, bright function room for hire at its Waterloo Park venue. Located on the first floor above their café, the room has a roof terrace included and there is free parking on site. It’s an ideal space for an offsite team meeting, training session or away day. Bookings for corporate events need to include catering. The Feed has a wide choice covering breakfast and lunch with all the food made fresh by them. Vegan, gluten-free and other dietary needs can be provided for. Full details are here: https://thefeed.org.uk/our-projects/swroom Images provided by The Feed
Chocolate-lovers have the chance to feast on a supersized sweet treat while also raising vital funds for charity. Diss and District Rotary Club is hosting its Easter egg raffle with proceeds being split between East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) and End Polio Now. Thirty-two 1kg eggs are being placed in pubs and shops across the town and surrounding villages. Participants pay £1 and pick one of 100 squares on a grid – one of which is now being kept at each location. Draws take place and the ‘owners’ of the winning squares secure the eggs. Rotary Club member Richard Pither said: “We’ve been running this competition for more than ten years now. “It’s great fun, while at the same time raising lots of money for worthy causes, and I’d expect both EACH and End Polio Now to gain the best part of £1,000 apiece. “We always support a popular local charity and most members of the public will be aware of at least one person who has benefitted from EACH’s services. “We consider it an important and very special cause.” The giant eggs and grids can be found at Angel Café, Fair Green, Diss, The Olive Tree hairdressers, Shelfanger Hall, The Fighting Cocks, Winfarthing, The Angel Inn, Larling, The Queen’s Head, Long Stratton, The Fox and Hounds, Great Moulton, The Saracens Head, Diss, The Gamekeeper, Old Buckenham, Albright of Diss, Diss Bowls Club, Cannells Butchers, Diss, The Cretingham Bell, The Old Mill House, Saxtead, The Queen’s Head, Dennington, The Ivy House, Stradbroke, The Black Horse, Thorndon, The Beaconsfield Arms, Occold, The Crown Inn, Gissing, The Railway Tavern, Mellis, The Scole Inn, The Garden House, Banham, Diss Town Football Club and NBR Mobility, Victoria Road, Diss. Additional venues are welcome to join in the fun. Contact Richard via rpither9@gmail.com Diss and District Rotary Club President Peter Sorrell is pictured with the eggs before they were distributed. Image credits EACH
Singers from far and wide have the chance to lend their voices to a popular event being organised to raise funds for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH). Fakenham Choral Society’s Come and Sing Day is being held at Fakenham Academy on Saturday, 15th April. Although the bulk of the singers come from North Norfolk, others are travelling from as far as Milton Keynes, Hertfordshire, Cheshire and Northumberland. Anyone can sign up and the theme of the day is a musical celebration of Norfolk’s most famous son, Horatio Nelson. Donations and the proceeds of a raffle will be sent to EACH, which supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions. It has three hospices, including The Nook, near Norwich. “We’re very excited about this year’s Come and Sing Day and look forward to welcoming people from far and wide, from across East Anglia and beyond,” said Rosemary Dear, Vice-Chairman of Fakenham Choral Society (FCS). “Some travel a long way for these days and anyone and everyone is welcome, if they like singing. “People from far and wide have already registered and all have been to our Come and Sing Days before. “They’re mainly the friends or family of local people, but anyone can come – either to participate or just to support us by listening. It’s a very fun day. “The day will be led in his usual exuberant style by our musical director, Mark Jones, accompanied by James Mooney Dutton. “Singers will take part in morning and afternoon workshops and they will be working on Joseph Haydn’s ‘Nelson Mass’, which was written around the time Nelson defeated Napoleon and was hailed the saviour of Europe. “The day will culminate in an informal, free performance at 5pm. Everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy the music.” The Come and Sing Day costs £15 (£3 for under-21s), which includes score hire. Singers are asked to register by 10th April, either through the FCS website – www.fakenhamchoralsociety.org (follow the Come and Sing 2023 link for more information and registration forms) or by contacting Rosemary Dear via rosemary_dear@hotmail.com or 01328 851776. “If you’re not a singer, please come and listen to the culmination of the day’s work,” added Rosemary. “FCS would be delighted to welcome an audience for an informal performance at 5pm. “Admission is free but there will be donation buckets for the audience to give any donations to EACH.” The pictures were taken during last year’s Come and Sing Day. Image credits EACH
Business leaders in East Anglia were asked an important question this week. Are you ready for Web3 and the metaverse? Guest speaker at the Larking Gowen Spring Business Breakfast, at Milsoms in Kesgrave was Alison Alexander from Metacampus.ai, a Web3 education and investment start-up. Alison told the audience that, by 2030, many businesses will be fully or partly engaged with Web3. In all aspects of life, from shopping to leisure to business, websites could be superseded by metaverses; transactions could take place in crypto currencies, using crypto wallets; and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) could become commonplace for storing assets and investments. Web3 has been called the fourth industrial revolution, where virtual spaces are powered by blockchain technology, linking computers in a peer-to-peer network which guarantees security and gives users power over the use of their data. “The metaverse is where we’re going to play, work, and entertain, and has grown by 64% in the last two years. It’s estimated that it will be a $5 trillion-dollar business by 2030. It means we’re going to live differently, and businesses are going to engage differently,” said Alison. “Why are we adopting this technology? Basically, people like it. You only have to see what your kids are doing to understand where things are going. For businesses, blockchain technology gives security, and allows you to track your services and supplies,” she continued. Crypto currency, of which Bitcoin and Ether (from Ethereum) are two of the most popular, is being accepted by some airlines and fast-food outlets. The metaverse has been embraced by companies including Sotherby’s auction house, McDonalds, Zara and Adidas. Alison said, “The first step is for businesses to think in terms of short, medium and long-term business plans. How have they factored in growth? Will customers be able to pay in crypto, and what sort of presence you might want in the metaverse. “Have they looked at how their customers are going to pay them differently? They won’t all want to, but what are you going to do if they do?” Alison explained that, although some businesses may not want to embrace Web3, they should be aware of what their competitors are doing in this space. They must also act quickly if they want to secure domain names for their brands. Larking Gowen Partner, Ian Fitch, said, “This was a fascinating talk by Alison, and also something of a wake-up call for businesses to future proof against all these changes that are rapidly coming upon us.” While the terminology and concepts behind Web3 may seem complicated, there are many learning aids available, including podcasts and films. Metacampus offers training and advice for getting your business ready for Web3.