Member News

The first of what it is hoped will be many electric vehicle charge points at village halls across Norfolk is set to be officially switched on this week in Dickleburgh near Diss. The new ‘Fast’ 7.2kW chargers have been installed as part of the County Council’s Electric Vehicle Strategy, approved in autumn 2021, which aims to help remove some of the barriers to electric vehicle usage in the county. Cllr Martin Wilby, Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Transport, said: “I hope this will be a blueprint for other similar schemes right across the county as we are looking to support the rollout of publicly accessible electric charging points to meet both current and future demand. Alongside our plans to improve bus services and boost active travel, such as cycling and walking, this is one of the key ways that we can help reduce carbon emissions in Norfolk.” This is the first scheme funded by Norfolk County Council, through money allocated by the local county councillor as part of their Local Member Highway Fund. Cllr Barry Duffin, County Councillor for West Depwade, which includes Dickleburgh, said: “It’s great to see this innovative scheme spark so much interest. I’m proud that Dickleburgh is ahead of the game and it’s been wonderful to work closely with the Parish Council and highway officers to get this up and running.” The brand-new facility at The Centre at Dickleburgh will be able to charge three cars at one time. Terry Clarkson, Chairman of the Village Centre Management Committee, said: “We have been campaigning to add electric car chargers to the Village Centre for a few years now. We recognised there was a real need to create these points in order to encourage electric car use and to further push the green agenda in Norfolk. We are delighted to be the first parish in Norfolk to install car chargers through this scheme.”

Norwich-based content agency Method Marketing is excited to announce that it has chosen Norfolk and Waveney Mind as its charity of the year. Poor mental health and the low provision of services is a growing crisis in the UK. In Norfolk, 1 in 7 people live with depression or anxiety, while across the UK, 1 in 3 GP visits are associated with a mental health issue. In the year 2018/2019, there were 135 hospital admissions in Norfolk alone for mental health issues. Mind’s work is therefore crucial to supporting people with mental health issues and helping them to live a meaningful life. Their services include 1:1 talking therapies, mental health training and residential care and support programmes. Young people aged 14-25, adults and carers are all able to access mental health support through Mind. The Norfolk and Waveney branch exists to directly support people in this area, providing tailored services to those in need. Lucy Mowatt, Founder of Method Marketing, commented: “Mental health issues have, or will, affect so many of us at some point in our lives, which is why the work of Norfolk and Waveney Mind is so important. By choosing them as our charity of the year we hope to raise both awareness and funds so that they can continue their great work.” Raising Funds To kick-start the company’s fundraising, Lucy will be taking part in Run Norwich on 17th July 2022. If you would like to show her some support, please head over to her JustGiving page and make a donation today. In September, the Method Marketing team will also be taking part in the Walking to Prevent Suicide Challenge, a walking relay through Norfolk and Waveney. The team will be walking the Lowestoft to Southwold stretch, completing a total of 13 miles in the process. And then, in October, they will be putting their trivia knowledge to the test in Norfolk and Waveney Mind’s Annual Quiz Night. Of course there will be more to come, so be sure to follow Method Marketing on social media to find out more!  

A respected British food processing equipment manufacturer has bolstered its engineering department with the appointment of an experienced technical and project management specialist. Fabcon Food Systems, which manufactures and installs handling and processing equipment for the snacks sector, has appointed Bobby White as Technical Manager as part of their new Technical Support department which also includes existing staff and a new Sales Engineer. A respected technical expert, Bobby joins Fabcon after an 18-month consultancy role which saw him successfully leading on a major project and innovative product launch for a large UK based snacks producer. With almost 40 years’ engineering and management experience in the food processing sector, Bobby brings a range of technical and project management expertise to the Fabcon sales and technical support team and its global client base. Trevor Howard, Managing Director of Fabcon Food Systems said: “Bobby is a big appointment for us given his design and processing credentials and experience working with a range of manufacturing systems. “He is well known in the industry and joins us during our continued growth across a number of continents as more manufacturers look to British-built systems for their factories. “To continue that growth we need first-rate technical experts and Bobby is already proving to be a tremendous support to all our customers and internally across our teams. I am delighted to welcome him to Fabcon.” Bobby White added: “Fabcon is a business which is widely respected across the industry and I like that it has a huge potential for further global growth. “I have many years of experience working with companies in the sector, helping them to grow and develop. That will be a key part of my role here at Fabcon, also offering the technical support our sales team need and being the link with our engineering department. “Alongside Trevor and the team, I look forward to contributing to the success of Fabcon in the months and years ahead.” Fabcon Food Systems design, manufacture and install handling and processing equipment for the food industry – including frying, distribution and seasoning systems, all built at the company’s factory and design hub in Norwich. The company supplies systems and machinery to customers in the UK, mainland Europe, the Middle East, Australia and Africa.

Chantry Place has officially transformed into Chantry Palace to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with free palace and throne selfie opportunities, as well as a free ‘Walkie corgi trail’. From now until Sunday 5^th June 2022, families will be able to help the Centre track the  corgi characters which have escaped the palace! Spelling out a Jubilee-themed word, entrants will be entered into a competition to win a right royal day out, worth over £300, with £100 vouchers for The Assembly House, ASK! Italian and Norwich Theatre Royal up for grabs for one lucky winner. Plus, the first 500 visitors to do the trail can pick up a free goodie bag from The Barkery at the Centre, which includes a Union Jack flag and colouring-in fun for children! Pick up the trail map and a pencil from Langleys in the Centre to start the trail, which is all on the lower ground floor. A royal throne and red carpet, complete with an incredible royal backdrop, is also on the lower ground floor all week by Oliver Bonas, so visitors can enjoy being a King or Queen! Plus, by this photo opportunity is also the chance to see a stunning miniature replica of The Queen’s 1953 coronation robes – the first time the family heirloom has been on public display. Outside on Chantry Square, visitors can now discover Chantry Palace, an amazing photo opportunity with a Royal palace backdrop. Plus, for four days only, from 2^nd to 5^th June, a Royal Guard will be on duty, making this a not-to-be-missed photo opportunity! The inside of the Centre has also bunting decorated by local schools – look out for it on the upper ground floor. Paul McCarthy, general manager at Chantry Place, said: “We wanted to mark The Queen’s 70-year reign and have lots of fun at the Centre, and visually the Centre really does look incredible and celebratory. Families are already having their photos taken by the throne and outside the palace, and we have already had some helpers to catch the corgis. There is a real sense of community here and the school children who have decorated our bunting are also bring their family and friends to see it – and it looks so colourful! Plus, people are making a day of it with us and enjoying having everything under one roof. Our retailers are also celebrating, including Bullards Spirits with its special Jubilee Ginboree, Byron with its limited edition Elizabeefan Burger and more. We have free events all week and lots for people to see and do, as well as amazing dining options.” Chantry Place is home to brands including House of Fraser, H&M, Smiggle, Langleys, Build-a-Bear and more. For more information on Chantry Place, visit www.ChantryPlace.co.uk or follow chantryplacenorwich on social media.  

Greater Anglia has commemorated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee by adorning five of its new trains with the official emblem celebrating Her Majesty’s 70 years on the throne. Crests featuring the official Platinum Jubilee emblem are now in place on five of Greater Anglia’s new trains and will be seen across East Anglia, along all the lines run by the train operator. The emblems have been applied to one regional bi-mode train, which runs on Greater Anglia’s local routes, one intercity train, one Stansted Express train and two of the new commuter trains. The crests were fitted at the operator’s depots in Ilford and Crown Point in Norwich. Jonathan Denby, Greater Anglia’s Head of Corporate Affairs, said: “We are proud to mark this once in a lifetime event by placing the Platinum Jubilee emblem on some of our new trains. “The five trains involved cover the full range of routes that we operate, so customers and communities across our network will have the opportunity to see the trains with their special emblems over the coming months. “We were keen to play our part in celebrating this historic milestone and continue a tradition that has seen trains in our region receive special nameplates or crests to mark both the Golden Jubilee in 2002 and the Diamond Jubilee in 2012. Her Majesty the Queen has always been a great supporter of rail travel and has visited our region many times by train during her reign, both on the Royal Train and on normal scheduled services, so it’s very appropriate that the Platinum Jubilee emblem has been applied to some of our trains. “Anyone who spots one of our special jubilee trains is encouraged to take a photograph of it and post it on Twitter or Instagram, tagging Greater Anglia. It will be great to see them recorded out and about across the region, as we help mark this very special event.”   The crests have been carefully positioned on the bodyside at both ends of the trains, close to the front, ahead of the cab doors. Each train has four emblems, one near each cab door on each side of the train. Greater Anglia staff and community rail partnerships across the network have also decorated stations to mark the jubilee with bunting, Union Jacks and pictures. No major engineering work is planned to take place during the Jubilee bank holiday weekend – but customers are reminded that bank holiday timetables will be in operation on the Jubilee bank holidays on Thursday and Friday, so they should check before they travel. Photo credits – Greater Anglia

To help inform the new Local Plan, the Council is now undertaking a ‘Call for Sites’. This is an opportunity for individuals, landowners, developers, Parish Councils and other interested parties to let the Council know what sites may be suitable for inclusion in the new Local Plan for development. These could be sites for potential housing development, gypsy and traveller accommodation, commercial development, renewable energy or other types of development. As part of this process the Council is also inviting ideas on which sites should be protected from development and designated as Local Green Spaces within the new Local Plan. Sites can be submitted using the interactive form available on the Council’s website. Sites can be submitted until 8^th July 2022. Sites submitted through the process will assessed as part of the preparation of the new Local Plan and will help inform what sites should be allocated for development or protected from development and also help inform the overall distribution of development across the Borough. All sites submitted will be subject to public consultation at subsequent stages of preparation.

Over 2 nights this December, exclusively for our corporate audience, we guarantee to wow you and your guests at one of our incredible festive evenings. You will see the theatre like never before, as we transform our Front of House spaces into a luxurious festive haven! This is an opportunity for you to walk the red carpet and don your finest evening wear, for a night of pure entertainment. Our festive package has been designed to ensure your night is fully taken care of, from the moment you step through our doors. Our Festive Nights can be booked for tables of between 8 & 10 people, and you can reserve your table for up to 2 weeks before securing your booking, with just a £10 deposit per person required. Please do feel free to share this information with your colleagues and teams. We eagerly look forward to welcoming you to Norwich Theatre this festive season. Bookings for Christmas 2022 are now OPEN and can be booked by calling 01603 598556 or via email at corporate@norwichtheatre.org

Norwich Airport is celebrating the return of flights to Jersey with the start of Blue Islands’ new summer service. The direct Norwich to Jersey flights operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays throughout the summer up until 24 September. Rob Veron, Chief Executive of Blue Islands, said: “We’ve seen an excellent response to our convenient twice-weekly service, proving a popular option for those in the Norwich area looking forward to once again enjoying the warm welcome of Jersey”. Blue Islands have teamed up with Premier Holidays to offer a range of holidays to Jersey from Norwich Airport. Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands between England and France, where British familiarity mixes with a continental feel. Mark Godfrey, Director of Premier Holidays, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Blue Islands on the Norwich to Jersey service. By offering a wide selection of competitively priced holidays to Jersey including short breaks, luxury gourmet stays, traditional package holidays, coach groups and self-catering options, Premier Holidays have secured strong forward sales for the 2022 season.” Richard Pace, Managing Director at Exeter Airport, said: “Jersey is a very welcome addition to our summer schedule, and we’re delighted to be offering passengers even more choice from their local airport. We’re offering 17 direct destinations in nine countries in 2022/23, plus worldwide connectivity via Amsterdam, and are seeing a significant increase in passengers.” Countries reached directly from Norwich Airport in 2022/23 include Bulgaria (Bourgas), Cyprus (Paphos), Greece (Corfu, Crete, Rhodes), Italy (Bergamo, gateway to the Italian Lakes), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Spain – Balearics (Ibiza, Majorca, Menorca), Spain – Canaries (Tenerife), and Turkey (Dalaman). There are also day trips and arctic experiences to Lapland. In the UK there are flights to Aberdeen, Exeter, Guernsey and Jersey. Book now via www.norwichairport.co.uk

We are delighted to announce that Vincent Kamp is donating his talent and time to BarbersRide’s annual fundraising road trip for the second year running. Inaugurated and hosted by Captain Fawcett, Key Sponsor of BarbersRide, this competition gives one lucky winner another phenomenal opportunity to own a bespoke work of art by the extraordinary Vincent Kamp, one of Britain’s most exciting and distinctive artists. The subject of the painting will be none other than the competition winner who will be invited to sit for their own portrait and be forever immortalised in Vincent’s magnificently imagined world. we are delighted to announce this phenomenal opportunity to own a bespoke work of art by Vincent Kamp, one of Britain’s most exciting and distinctive artists. The subject of the painting will be none other than the competition winner, who will be invited to sit for their own portrait, forever immortalised in Vincent’s magnificently imagined world. HOW? The Competition closes 12th August, 2022 at 11:59pm GMT. Winner to be decided by raffle. Only 1,000 tickets will be made available at just £10 each.  There is no limit to how many tickets you can buy, so more tickets means more entries and more chance of winning! All monies raised will be donated to Make-A-Wish. Vincent Kamp will pick the winner out of a hat live on Instagram TV (date TBC). WHERE? This astounding competition is open to all, across the globe. However, the initial photographic studies for the painting will take place at Captain Fawcett’s HQ in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, UK. WHY? All monies raised will be donated to the 2022 BarbersRide Charity Make-A-Wish Head over and buy a ticket now: www.barbersride.com/vincentkamp By entering the prize draw, you will be generously supporting the excellent work of Make-A-Wish and helping make dreams come true for seriously ill children and their families.  

Eagle-eyed youngsters have the chance to win a prize for finding hidden jewels in their nearest East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) shop. The charity has 44 stores, providing vital funds to support families and care for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex. Now, to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee, EACH is planning a fun community event called the Queen’s Quest. It will run throughout next week, from Monday (30^th May) to Sunday (5^th June), and there will be three main activities – a treasure hunt, a colouring challenge and a free children’s book with every purchase over £5. The treasure hunt gives youngsters the chance to help the Queen find her lost crown jewels in time for the Jubilee. Three sets of jewels will be hidden in each store throughout the week and children have the task of finding the complete set. If successful, they will be rewarded with a chocolate coin. Harri McBride, EACH retail central support manager, said: “Everyone’s looking forward to next week’s celebrations and this is fun, community activity to engage with children and get them in the mood. “In addition to finding the jewels, we’re also inviting youngsters of all ages to take part in our colouring challenge and the top designs will be displayed in our shop windows.” EACH has three hospices – The Nook, near Norwich, The Treehouse, in Ipswich, and at Milton, near Cambridge. *Image one taken in our Angora Park shop, in Colchester and the other two show Platinum Jubilee displays in Whittlesey.

Dr Mathew Hampshire-Waugh is the author of Climate change and the road to net zero but doesn’t describe himself as an environmentalist; the self-confessed ‘city boy’ simply wants to give the climate change low-down to those people not already sold on it. His book has been described as; “Blowing away the entrenched idea that solving climate change is a trade-off between the economy and environment to reveal why a twenty-year transition to NET-ZERO is a win-win for all on planet Earth”. Mathew has a science background, which led to a varied career where he worked on improving building energy efficiency, and later with technology trend companies within the investment banking sector. His book describes how energy usage has affected civilisation over the centuries, the problem economists are now facing, and the impact inaction will have on our future. He chats to James and Mark about the path forward including how we need to adapt our personal and business lives, without compromising on quality, and the cost implications. The team discuss everything from the impact of fossil fuels and what transition plans businesses need to put in place, to the investment opportunities available for businesses. Mathew offers up alternatives and ‘swaps’ that we can all make in our personal lives, and the personal actions we can all take, including buying green, and investing in renewables. He deep dives into how businesses need to lead from the front, and how the UK, as one of the world’s richest economies, needs to take responsibility and act. There is something for everyone in this episode, whether you’re in the know on climate change, or on the fence. Mathew even has an invaluable tip for how you use your boiler, which is not to be missed! Listen here!  

In this edition of Talking Business with Andy Gray, Local Enterprise Manager at Natwest Business our Director & Principal Consultant Darren Chapman talks about why cyber security is really important and what smaller businesses can do to better protect themselves…grab a drink and take half an hour to learn some valuable insights about small business cyber security… Natwest business and the Local Enterprise Managers offer small businesses a wide range of support across the East of England through a range of programmes, services and partnerships all aimed at enabling local enterprises to flourish. This activity includes work with the local LEP, one to one mentoring and attendance at local events. At CyberScale we are keen to work in partnership with organisations supporting the overall development of businesses in the region, with a focus on supporting businesses to protect themselves against the wide range of cyber threats they face so that they can concentrate on running and growing the business and not worrying all the time about the threats they face. If you are concerned that your business needs some support in assessing what cyber risks mean for you, get in touch with us today and talk to one of our team about how we can support you or signpost you to some of the great resources available to you.