Member News

A leading charity is on the lookout for green-fingered volunteers willing to help families caring for children with life-threatening conditions. East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) runs a successful Help at Home service, providing vital practical support with things like cooking, cleaning, shopping, sibling support, decorating and DIY. Now, with Spring having arrived, bringing a multitude of gardening jobs, EACH is keen to hear from more volunteers willing to help the families it supports across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex. Volunteer co-ordinator Anne Rayner said: “As anyone with a garden knows, this is a particularly busy time of year and we know some families struggle keeping on top of everything. “They have enough on their plates caring for their child or children, dealing with complex medications and feed times. “That’s not to mention cooking, cleaning and maintaining things indoors. “With the best will in the world, the garden isn’t high on their list of priorities and that’s why we’re keen to hear from anyone able to help. “You don’t have to be knowledgeable or a gardening expert. Just being on hand to cut the grass or do a bit of weeding will make a huge difference.” Volunteers do not need to commit to a regular time slot and training and support is providing by EACH. “All you need to give up is your time, either to help regularly or as a one-off project,” added volunteer co-ordinator Lorna Hazeltine. “Whether you can spare two hours a week or two a month, it’ll have a real impact on the families we support. “Sometimes they feel isolated and it can be hard looking out of the window at an unkempt garden. “With warmer weather hopefully on the way, they want to enjoy that space and for it to be a safe environment for their children.” For more information about EACH’s Help at Home service, head to each.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering, email volunteerservices@each.org.uk or call 01223 800800 (select option four).

Determined runners raised more than £7,500 for a children’s hospice – and now have the chance to raise the bar and challenge themselves to a 26.2-mile marathon. Eighteen people flew the flag for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) at last month’s Cambridge Half Marathon and, between them, managed to gain sponsorship to the tune of £7,713. It represented another bumper fundraising effort and now details have been released for EACH places at October’s Virtual London Marathon. The world-famous event gives people the chance to run, walk or jog 26.2 miles anywhere they like, joining more than 40,000 others running through the streets of London. Reflecting on the success of Cambridge, Community Fundraising Manager Tina Burdett: “It was another great day. It’s always such a fantastic event and I know from speaking to runners how much they enjoy the fast, flat and beautiful course. “As a fundraising team, we love being there to support everyone and, once again, we’re delighted with the amount raised. “Money has continued to come in but I’m now delighted to confirm the final total. “It makes such a difference and helps enormously in terms of continuing our work supporting families and caring for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire and the rest of East Anglia.” Among those who took part was Steven Peacock, whose late brother Rickey had Cerebral Palsy and received care at EACH’s Milton hospice. The others who formed part of Team EACH on the day were Chris O’Rourke, Lane Smith, Cheryl Drake, Chris Hebdon, Ian and Jo Burroughs, Lauren McCrory, Emily Oliver, Phoebe Hunt and a team from Paragraf, based near Huntingdon, led by Mike Ellis. Joining them were EACH finance assistant Natalie Pilmer and media and PR manager Matt Plummer. Details about how to sign up and register for next year’s event will be announced shortly. In the meantime, attention switches to this year’s London Marathon, taking place on Sunday, 2^nd October. EACH has six virtual places to offer. Anyone interested must pay a £10 registration fee and then pledge to raise at least £250. “We’re excited to be able to offer virtual spaces for this monumental challenge,” said Tina. “The London Marathon is one of the biggest, most iconic events in the world and this is the next best thing to running in the capital. “It’s a chance to test yourself away from the crowds, taking on a route of your choice, supported by family and friends. “Participants still get a t-shirt and medal, as well as a banner for supporters to wave, and they can do it however they like, within a 24-hour window. They might choose to run the whole thing in one go, take breaks or do half in the morning and half in the afternoon. It’s an entirely personal thing. “In addition, anyone who has already secured their place and would like to fundraise for us can get in touch. We’ll support you in your fundraising endeavours.” To register your interest in one of the virtual places, head to www.each.org.uk/support-us/events/virtual-london-marathon/  Email community@each.org.uk for more information or if you are interested in general fundraising for EACH.

Determined Olive Duffield is back behind the counter at her favourite charity shop – a year after breaking her pelvis. The long-serving East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) volunteer, 82, was forced to take a year out after suffering her injury in early 2021. She also had a bout of shingles but was always determined to return to the shop in Long Stratton. She has been a regular fixture there for more than a quarter of a century and started volunteering in early 1995, working at the former shop that raised funds for the old Quidenham hospice. Now she is back where she belongs, dutifully giving up two hours a week every Friday morning. “I’m as good as I’m going to be,” joked Olive, referring to her recent brushes with injury and illness. “I never thought about not coming back – it was always something I wanted to do. “I wanted to get back in the shop as soon as possible because it’s something I’ve always enjoyed. “I don’t get to see many people so enjoy the chance to chat with customers. “It gets me out and I like the sense of helping others. The more money we take the better, because of the charity we’re supporting. “I’ve known many of our customers for years and seen children grow up, now coming into the shop with their own little ones. “There have been so many changes but it’s something I continue to enjoy and would recommend to anyone.” Olive, who has been married to Michael since 1966, turns 83 later this month and lives in nearby Tharston. The couple have four children, four grandchildren and are soon to become great grandparents. Long Stratton shop manager Rachael Fretter said: “Olive’s a very valued and much-loved member of our team. “To have been volunteering for a quarter of a century is outstanding and she’s shown sheer determined to come back, despite injury and illness. “She was always so positive about returning and it’s great to see her back behind the till. “We’ve really missed her and she’s settled in like she’s never been away. “Our customers know and love her. She’s got so many stories to tell and is an absolute treasure here in Long Stratton.” To find out more about volunteering in Long Stratton, pop into the shop, email Rachael.Fretter@each.org.uk or call 01508 531507. Photo credits – EACH

A kind-hearted nine-year-old raised nearly £2,500 after taking on a 25-mile charity bike ride in rural Norfolk. Ella-May Saunders, who lives in Jermyn Way, Tharston, completed the challenge for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH). She cycled for three hours, with one quick pit stop, and was rightly proud of herself after raising an astonishing £2,473. Ella-May’s fundraiser was in memory of James Thorndyke, the baby son of a close family friend who died in February 2017. James had Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) and received care at EACH’s former Quidenham hospice. He died five days before his first birthday. His mum, Susie, is friends with Ella-May’s mum, Louise, and herself a successful fundraiser for the charity, having held two balls in 2018 and 2020 and donated just over £40,000. Louise said: “We’re so proud of Ella-May. “She didn’t moan once, stuck to her task and completed the challenge with no problems at all. “We only stopped once, for a quick bite to eat and drink in Bunwell. “Other than that, she completed the route in one go, in three hours.” Ella-May added: “It was tough but worth it in the end.” Her route took in Forncett, Spooner Row, Bunwell, Carleton Rode, Tibenham, Aslacton, Great Moulton and Wacton before heading back to Tharston. Ella-May’s fundraiser was made even more impressive by the fact she has weekly physio sessions because of problems with her legs and knees. The Aslacton Primary School pupil, who celebrates her tenth birthday later this month and has a five-year-old sister, Florence, was joined on the epic bike ride by both Louise and dad Jonny. Her fundraising page is still open. To sponsor Ella-May, click here or visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ella-maysaunders  Photo Credits : EACH

Greater Anglia will be adding more services including extra trains for people travelling to the region’s holiday parks when the annual summer timetable comes into operation next month. The company is making some increases to commuter services to match demand – which remains fairly steady at less than 55 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, as fewer people are travelling into their offices every day of the working week. From Sunday 15 May, the timetable will include:

• Intercity services between Norwich and London half-hourly all day until 21.00 Monday to Friday when they become hourly, half-hourly on Saturdays and mainly hourly on Sundays.
• Some additional services and some longer trains on services between Ipswich, Colchester, Clacton/Walton, Harwich, Braintree, Chelmsford, Southend Victoria, Southminster and London Liverpool Street, including in the evening rush hour.
• More new and longer trains on routes between Cambridge, Bishop’s Stortford and London Liverpool Street and on the Hertford East line once platform lengthening works are complete later this year.
• Stansted Express services between Stansted Airport and London Liverpool Street will be mostly half-hourly, with some extra trains at busier times.
• Rural services between Norwich and Lowestoft, Cambridge/Stansted Airport, Sheringham, and Great Yarmouth; between Ipswich and Cambridge, Felixstowe, Lowestoft and Peterborough; and between Marks Tey and Sudbury will continue with the usual service.

Extra summer services will run between Norwich and Great Yarmouth on Saturdays from 21 May to 10 September, and on Mondays and Fridays from 18 July to 2 September, providing over 66,000 extra seats for holiday-makers over the peak summer period. There will also be additional early Sunday services between Ipswich and Peterborough, departing Ipswich at 07.55 and returning from Peterborough at 09.50, from 15 May to 11 September. Greater Anglia has been closely monitoring passenger numbers in order to match services provided to demand for them. Passenger numbers are still lower than pre-pandemic levels, at just over 70 per cent of 2019 levels across the Greater Anglia network overall, but falling to less than 55 per cent for commuting to London. Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director, said: “We’re making a number of service improvements in our May timetable changes. “We’ve been monitoring our passenger numbers and listening to customer feedback, so we’re increasing services or running longer trains where possible and appropriate – building on our actions over recent months, where we’ve been adding extra capacity in line with increasing demand. “The pandemic has changed our railway. We have a different contract with the Government which is wholly funding us. It’s important that we provide the best possible service to our customers and also value for money for taxpayers. “Over the coming months, we’ll see even more of our new longer trains with all mod cons replace our older trains on commuting routes into London, which will lead to more seats available for our customers and a much-improved travelling experience. “New trains already in place on our Intercity, Stansted Express and regional services have markedly improved service standards on those routes – including helping us to achieve record-breaking punctuality. “We’ll continue to monitor passenger numbers and make further adjustments as necessary, always seeking to run a very good service and to encourage more customers to take the train.”

Ashtons Legal is delighted to announce the promotions of five staff to partners, from a range of disciplines within the firm. Janette Wand, Louise Cardwell, Tom Ranson, Annabel Mayer and Charlotte Vallins have all been with Ashtons for a number of years and are leading disciplines, teams and individuals. Janette Wand and Louise Cardwell are both based in Ipswich and work in lifetime planning, advising on wills, probate, powers of attorney, tax and trusts. Tom Ranson works in the firm’s top tier injury services group and is based in the Bury St Edmunds office but acts for clients nationwide. Annabel Mayer is also in the Bury St Edmunds office and works in Ashtons’ dispute resolution team. Charlotte Vallins works in the firm’s thriving commercial property team in the Cambridge and Norwich offices. All five have completed Ashtons’ internal leadership programmes and have previously been promoted to associate and senior associate levels. James Tarling, CEO at Ashtons says: “Congratulations to Janette, Louise, Tom, Annabel and Charlotte on their richly deserved promotions. It’s always good to support growth from within and I am delighted we have been able to take this talented cohort of senior associates to the next level in their careers.”

“From 6 April 2022 to 5 April 2023 National Insurance contributions will increase by 1.25 percentage points. This will be spent on the NHS, health and social care in the UK. The increase will apply to:

• Class 1 (paid by employees)
• Class 4 (paid by self-employed)
• Secondary Class 1, 1A and 1B (paid by employers)

The increase will not apply if you are over the State Pension age.”  Read more here: https://bit.ly/3CWdSDC If you have any questions, get in touch: sarah@ignitepeoplesolutions.co.uk

Great news for Raynham Estate this week as Wild Meadow Glamping is named as one of the best in the UK Read all about it via EDP here https://www.edp24.co.uk/things-to-do/days-out/norfolk-glamping-sites-named-among-best-in-uk-8805372

We are super excited and thrilled to announce the first Layrd event – Future Spaces Explore how to create sustainable workspaces for your staff Wellbeing. Learn how to create amazing spaces using innovative approaches and materials. Network with designers, suppliers and your peers. Listen to inspiring talks showcasing the future of Interior Spaces. We will be announcing updates on speakers, workshops, tickets and sponsors in the coming weeks and months. Save the date – Thursday 21st July 2022 Location: Top of the Terrace at Norwich City Football Club. Everyone is welcome, we look forward to seeing you there! For more info contact us at layrd Design – info@layrddesign.co.uk

This article first appeared in the Norwich Evening News ‘School Focus’ by Suzanne Day on Saturday 2 April 2022.

Norwich High School for Girls has launched a new Little Caterpillars Stay and Play group, offering free half-termly courses of sessions for pre-schoolers. This follows the opening of the school’s new Early Years Hub, which is part of the Nursery provision, in September 2021, an impressive indoor and outdoor space prioritising free play and the opportunities for child-led discoveries and creative learning through play. Families from the local community, including grandparents and childminders are invited to visit Norwich High School for Girls and use the Early Years Hub for an hour per week over a half term period. The sessions include the opportunity for outdoor exploration and play in the newly designed area with themes such as forest schools, arts and crafts and cooking. Susan Roberts, Head of Norwich High Prep School and Nursery said “We are keen to give the children who attend opportunities to do things they normally wouldn’t be offered at stay and play groups. Being able to get outside and enjoy the natural world is a really important aspect of development for all children. We have a stunning 14-acre site on Newmarket Road in the city and we are passionate about giving local families access to this beautiful environment. Our Little Caterpillars sessions offer a different experience to the visiting families and it is wonderful to see how much both the children and their grown-ups enjoy it, from cooking together to messy play and arts and crafts and utilising our forest schools area, which is in the grounds of the main school. This has been a very successful programme which has increased word of mouth about our amazing provision.” Anna Barnes, a parent attending the group commented, “We have attended both the crafting and cookery sessions and loved it. My daughter really looks forward to coming each week and is really proud of the creations she brings home. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming and she has gained in confidence over her visits. Visits from Bailey, the school’s pet dog are also a real hit and helping to start overcoming her fear of dogs. We can’t wait for forest school sessions next term.” Rhian Barton, Head of Early Years at Norwich High School for Girls added: “We believe that learning beyond the classroom encourages holistic development and we pride ourselves on our ability to foster the children’s curiosity by giving them exciting opportunities to explore their natural environment. At the Forest School sessions, they can be found throughout the year, den building, playing in the mud kitchens and toasting marshmallows over the campfire. For Early Years children, this opportunity for creative play, problem solving and physical challenge is invaluable. Over the sessions our enabling approach sees the children grow in confidence.” Norwich High School for Girls has also hosted forest school sessions with local nurseries, Nellies and Bouncing Beans for children aged 3-4, which don’t have a similar facility at their own sites. The children are collected by the school’s minibus and enjoy the woodland site, bespoke forest school area, with campfire and activities and play in the mud kitchen. The sessions promote exploration and active play through physical activity, freedom and movement. Nellie’s nursery said, “As always, the children (and adults) absolutely loved their time with you this morning.” Feedback from Bouncing Beans reported, “Thank you so much for organising these events for us. The staff and children really enjoyed their Forest School session with you.” Norwich High School for Girls have spaces for their Little Caterpillars ‘Play in the Woods’ sessions after Easter. Register interest by emailing s.shearer@nor.gdst.net or call 01603 351 878. The five sessions will start Tuesday 26th April and run for five free sessions. Campfire refreshments will be provided and limited parking is available.

‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’ Captain Fawcett, based in King’s Lynn, is simply chuffed to bits to announce the company has won the prestigious Insider Media ‘Made in Central & East England’ Export Award. Captain Fawcett founder, Richie Finney, accepted the award saying “I am truly honoured to be in such illustrious company, and humbly accept this accolade on behalf of the esteemed Cast & Crew at Fawcett HQ without whom this success would not have been possible.” Captain Fawcett manufactures high quality male grooming products. It exports to over 40 countries worldwide, export sales making up 80 per cent of its total revenue. Insider Media commented “The judges were impressed with Captain Fawcett’s clever use of social media to break into new markets and also with the way the company had overcome various challenges with supplying into the EU post-Brexit.” Successful manufacturers from a wide range of sectors were recognised at Insider’s Made in Central & East England Awards 2022. Held at the Jury’s Inn in Milton Keynes on 31st March, guests heard from Deborah Leary, an international motivational speaker and consultant on entrepreneurship and innovation, international trade and corporate social responsibility. The event was sponsored by Dentons UK and Middle East LLP and HSBC UK. Congratulations are due to Captain Fawcett’s much esteemed fellow finalists: Meteor Inkjet Ltd Woolroom Cambridge Precision Ltd Encocam Group Limited Shipyard Supply Co Image: Richie Finney & Vincenzo Pampararo, International Trade Manager, Department for International Trade (DiT)

This article first appeared in the Norwich Evening News ‘School Focus’ by Suzanne Day on Saturday 2 April 2022. Norwich High School for Girls has launched a new Little Caterpillars Stay and Play group, offering free half-termly courses of sessions for pre-schoolers. This follows the opening of the school’s new Early Years Hub, which is part of the Nursery provision, in September 2021, an impressive indoor and outdoor space prioritising free play and the opportunities for child-led discoveries and creative learning through play. Families from the local community, including grandparents and childminders are invited to visit Norwich High School for Girls and use the Early Years Hub for an hour per week over a half term period. The sessions include the opportunity for outdoor exploration and play in the newly designed area with themes such as forest schools, arts and crafts and cooking. Susan Roberts, Head of Norwich High Prep School and Nursery said “We are keen to give the children who attend opportunities to do things they normally wouldn’t be offered at stay and play groups. Being able to get outside and enjoy the natural world is a really important aspect of development for all children. We have a stunning 14-acre site on Newmarket Road in the city and we are passionate about giving local families access to this beautiful environment. Our Little Caterpillars sessions offer a different experience to the visiting families and it is wonderful to see how much both the children and their grown-ups enjoy it, from cooking together to messy play and arts and crafts and utilising our forest schools area, which is in the grounds of the main school. This has been a very successful programme which has increased word of mouth about our amazing provision.” Anna Barnes, a parent attending the group commented, “We have attended both the crafting and cookery sessions and loved it. My daughter really looks forward to coming each week and is really proud of the creations she brings home. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming and she has gained in confidence over her visits. Visits from Bailey, the school’s pet dog are also a real hit and helping to start overcoming her fear of dogs. We can’t wait for forest school sessions next term.” Mrs Barton added: “At the Forest School sessions, they can be found throughout the year, den building, playing in the mud kitchens and toasting marshmallows over the campfire. For Early Years children, this opportunity for creative play, problem solving and physical challenge is invaluable. Over the sessions our enabling approach sees the children grow in confidence.” Norwich High School for Girls has also hosted forest school sessions with local nurseries, Nellies and Bouncing Beans for children aged 3-4, which don’t have a similar facility at their own sites. The children are collected by the school’s minibus and enjoy the woodland site, bespoke forest school area, with campfire and activities and play in the mud kitchen. The sessions promote exploration and active play through physical activity, freedom and movement. Nellie’s nursery said, “As always, the children (and adults) absolutely loved their time with you this morning.” Feedback from Bouncing Beans reported, “Thank you so much for organising these events for us. The staff and children really enjoyed their Forest School session with you.” Norwich High School for Girls have spaces for their Little Caterpillars ‘Play in the Woods’ sessions after Easter. Register interest by emailing s.shearer@nor.gdst.net or call 01603 351 878. The five sessions will start Tuesday 26th April and run for five free sessions. Campfire refreshments will be provided and limited parking is available.