Member News

A Taverham-based financial services firm and a Watton-based house builder have come together to plant a tree – the first of 100 trees which will be planted in a new joint initiative with Royal Norwich. Mark Burton from MCB Financial Services and Paul LeGrice from Abel Homes conducted the planting ceremony, at Royal Norwich’s new course at Weston Longville. The occasion came after MCB Financial Services provided a Green mortgage for a couple buying a new home at Abel Homes Swan’s Nest site in Swaffham. MCB Financial Services has pledged to plant a new tree at Royal Norwich each time they complete a Green Mortgage, which offers buyers preferential mortgage terms on properties which are ‘A’ or ‘B’ rated for energy efficiency. The initiative, which aims to plant a total of 100 trees at Royal Norwich, is designed to raise awareness of Green mortgage products becoming more readily available to consumers who are seeking more energy efficient homes. MCB Financial Services is working closely with Watton-based Abel Homes, all of whose new homes are ‘A’ rated and thus eligible for Green mortgages. Mark Burton, managing director of MCB Financial Services, said, “As a financial services company that has been established throughout Norfolk for near on 20 years, we are thrilled to have partnered with both Royal Norwich and Abel Homes in highlighting such an important and current topic, marked by the tree planting project for 2022. “I feel it is very much our responsibility, as a local business which works within the financial services sector, to make our clients fully aware of how they can play their part in striving to become more climate aware, and I hope with this partnership with Royal Norwich we will be able to play our part in shaping the landscape that we all live and work amongst in Norfolk” Mr LeGrice added, “The benefits of buying an energy efficient home are very clear, both in terms of mitigating soaring energy costs, and in minimising the impact of homes on the environment. “Green Mortgages are another way that buyers of sustainable homes can benefit from their positive choice, and this initiative to plant trees to raise the awareness of Green Mortgages is an excellent idea which we wholeheartedly support.” “We’re delighted to be supporting this scheme and partnering with MCB Financial Services on sustainability and the long-term fight against climate change,” said James Stanley, chief executive of Royal Norwich. “With every tree planted enough to offset around a tonne of carbon in its lifetime, the planting of over 100 trees at Royal Norwich by Green Mortgage customers will not only further enhance our beautiful 350-acre estate by creating even more special wildlife habitats, but also help significantly reduce homeowners’ very own carbon footprint.” MCB and Royal Norwich aim to plant the 100 trees this year, as a landscape environment project, demonstrating their commitment as partners in promoting sustainability and climate awareness in the local community and across the county.

The activities organised by our Science and Design Technology Departments were designed to give our students an insight into the world of science beyond their usual classroom experience. These included a guest speaker from the University of Suffolk teaching our fifth and sixth form students about careers in Diagnostic Radiography, where students learnt about the different scanning techniques used and what life studying at university would look like. We also had a chance to highlight some of the wonderful clubs running at Norwich High by inviting new students to have taster sessions. Our award winning Robotics Club showed new students how to code and control their Lego robotics, and our F24 Racing Team introduced U4 & L5 students to our car the ‘Silver Duck’ and discussed their experiences in building and racing their very own electric race car. Students also had the chance to get competitive during the week with our Upside-down Maze challenge, the Nerf Gun accuracy and precision mission, and the Hydrogen Rocket launching contest. Everyone who took part in these events did a tremendous job and our three winners; Maddie Rose U4E, Anna Holmes U3J and Hannah Williams L5S, all received certificates during Friday’s Science assembly. The events didn’t stop there, with Key Fob torch building where U3 & L4 students were using soldering irons to build their very own torches, and Mr Jones’ Morse Code challenge, to Dr Heselden’s incredible Howling Jelly Babies and Exploding Pringles demonstrations, and students exploring space and rollercoasters through the wonders of VR, there was something for everyone this week. We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part in a British Science Week event, and to all the staff and sixth form students who have helped organise and run each activity. View the full programme of activities for British Science Week here.  https://www.norwichhigh.gdst.net/british-science-week/

Podcasts continue to lead from the front in the new wave of marketing, and the team that previously brought you Impromptu Business Chat (with business advisory experts James Lay and Mark Curtis) launch their new series this spring: Leadership and Life Chat, sponsored by Larking Gowen. As well as the usual podcast platforms, this series will also be available to watch on YouTube, and the trailer is now live! Click here to watch and learn more about what’s in store with this exciting and informative new series. James and Mark will be looking at what makes a great leader and offer tips to help improve your leadership skills and wellbeing in general. In each episode, they will discuss a different thought-provoking topic, possibly one you may never have considered impacts your life. They will provide their customary top three tips, explaining how to implement these into your everyday routines to boost your health, wealth and self! Each month, they will also feature a very special guest at the top of their field, with subjects ranging from climate change to public speaking and AI to psychology. The intrepid hosts will be picking their guests’ brains to uncover their key messages, understand what it took for them to get to the top, and how this can be applied to our own lives and successes. James and Mark have a combined 40 years of leadership experience and are trained business advisors, Motivational Map practitioners, NLP practitioners, Mental Health First Aiders and qualified accountants! They have a passion for all things mindfulness, wellbeing and personal development, which they apply to both their personal and professional lives, and have first-hand experience of how instrumental these are in the pursuit of success in life and business. Along the way, there will be their trademark musical links too – it’s worth tuning in just to find out if Mark can find a way to crowbar a heavy metal reference in… Follow them on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcasts, as well as through their website www.larking-gowen.co.uk/LLC and on YouTube. If you already subscribe to Impromptu Business Chat, you will receive this new series automatically into your feed! You can also email your thoughts and questions on the topics discussed to podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk, or leave a voice note on Larking Gowen’s new messaging system and you might even feature in an upcoming episode!

Exciting news from Isle Architects, I am delighted to have been asked to Chair the RIBA East Conservation Group, the first meeting taking place later this month. The Group’s mission is to bring new knowledge and support to local conservation architects and members with an interest in conservation – bridging the gap between local and national committees and initiatives. https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/knowledge-landing-page/riba-east-conservation-group

Train operator, Greater Anglia, has launched an online virtual tour of Norwich rail station to help people travel with confidence – which is especially useful for disabled customers wanting to check how accessible their journey is. The tour has been designed to support journey planning, give customers a clearer picture of the station before they travel and reduce anxiety about how they’ll get around from car park to platform. Using the virtual station tour, people can find out how to get to all public areas of the station including the toilets, customer service desk, platforms and anywhere else they might need to visit at the station such as car parks or drop off areas – making it easier for them to plan their journey in advance. Detailed 360 degree photography has been used to map the station, capturing all public spaces, which people can navigate virtually even visiting the toilet or the waiting room before going to the platform. Aerial photography and an interactive map has also been used to show the location of all the customer facilities in relation to each other. Members of Greater Anglia’s Accessibility Panel, a group of disabled customers who meet regularly with the train company, offered feedback during the development of the project and have been supportive of the project. The web-based online virtual tour offers autopilot or manual choices for navigating the station, an interactive map to see the entire station layout with ‘hot spot’ links to specific areas of the station. There is an aerial view showing the car park, cycle parking, bus stop and taxi rank / drop off location. Key features such as tactile paving – textured paving on the edge of platforms – assisted travel meeting points and toilets and individual platforms can also be navigated to directly through a drop-down menu system. The ‘autopilot’ tool gives users the option of selecting their destination location within the station and being automatically guided to it or if preferred through a series of clicks. The technology was provided by The Virtual Tour company and the tours software has been designed to be accessible. A spoken scene guide with closed captions plays on the home page at the station entrance and it features an accessibility widget that enables the user to change to high contrast, large font size or audio transcribe. Future developments will look at incorporating British Sign Language videos as part of Greater Anglia’s commitment to improving customer information. The tours can be viewed at https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/travel-information/your-journey/virtual-tours on any device and the addition of more stations is planned in the future. Greater Anglia’s Accessibility Manager, Rebecca Richardson, said, “The idea was to create a tool for customers to assist them with their journey planning and reduce the anxiety about whether the station would create any accessibility barriers. We want to give people who may not have travelled by rail for a while or maybe not at all, to do so with confidence. “We are committed to making rail more accessible and providing quality information to enable more informed journey planning. Neil Henderson, Managing Director of Virtual Tour Experts, said, “We’ve really enjoyed working on this project to create a number of industry firsts. The world of VR is developing fast but until now that development has not given due consideration to online accessibility. “This tour is the World’s first to incorporate an accessibility widget, guided tours, subtitled scene guides and there is much more to come. The user-first attitude of the team at Greater Anglia provided the perfect base for development and will ensure the platform continues to evolve.” The company is creating 360-degree virtual tours for ten of its busiest stations. Cambridge was the first to go live in December 2021 with Bishops Stortford, Broxbourne, Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Shenfield, Southend Victoria and Stansted Airport to follow.

The Enterprise Adviser Network is a national programme that we at the New Anglia LEP are delivering locally to bridge the gap between education and the world of work. We support schools and colleges across Norfolk to deliver high-quality careers education to help young people find their best next steps, a vital part of this work is ensuring students have meaningful encounters with individuals from the business. To ensure our young people are equipped with the knowledge to make informed decisions and the necessary skills to succeed in their chosen paths we rely on the help from volunteers who bring an invaluable employer’s perspective and facilitate meaningful encounters. We are looking to recruit more business volunteers to support our work with schools and colleges so if this is something you would be interested in please contact Ashley Ruthven, Operational Careers Hub Lead, at Ashley.ruthven@newanglia.co.uk. Becoming an Enterprise Adviser is a fantastic and vital way to support young people in Norfolk schools, but the role also offers benefits to businesses and it has helped some of our employers start to close the skills gap. Graham Sinclair is an Enterprise Adviser in one of our Norfolk schools and is a strong advocate for the programme; “I feel there is a significant gap between the education and employment sectors. The roles of Enterprise Advisors are essential to ensure school careers programmes are tailored to give students an appropriate appreciation of the working world. They also get the right skills, confidence and knowledge for employment in whatever area they choose.”

Solicitors. Caterers. Office equipment suppliers. Marketeers. Childcare professionals. Photographers. Educators. IT support. What do all these things have in common? They can all benefit from the green energy revolution! As the pace picks up in the race to net zero, the East of England Energy Group are reaching out to the wider business community to make sure businesses just like yours understand the size of the prize in terms of clean energy projects, both current, imminent, and future. With these projects come huge investment into the region, and it’s not just the direct supply chain that can benefit from it. Companies operating within the industry still need the support of everyday businesses, from solicitors and IT support through to photography and catering. EEEGR’s SNS event brings together operators, developers, and supply chain companies from across the region in one place, allowing you to get face-to-face with industry leaders and decision makers in a rare opportunity to pitch your services. The event is supported by some of Europe’s leading operators alongside prominent organisations and projects including ScottishPower Renewables, GENERATE, Vattenfall, OPITO, Equinor, Oil & Gas Authority, Proeon Systems and Sizewell C. Two day access delegate tickets can be purchased from the EEEGR website, along with single or table tickets for the SNS 2022 Conference Dinner on 25th May 2022. There are a limited number of sponsorship and exhibition opportunities remaining. Find more information at https://www.eeegr.com/events/sns2022/.

The East of England has been at the heart of the UK’s energy landscape for over 50 years, and the region certainly isn’t slowing down as renewables take centre stage. The region is a global hub for energy activity, becoming specialist in the energy transition and leading the way towards Net Zero. This is great news for sustainability in the region, propelling the green economy forward with millions of pounds worth of investment, creating hundreds of jobs and business opportunities all within the clean energy agenda. EEEGR’s SNS event brings together operators, developers, and supply chain companies from across the region in one place, allowing you to get face-to-face with industry leaders and decision makers in a rare opportunity. A large part of the event focuses on promoting the East of England as a clean energy producer. The infrastructure and potential already in place; the vital task ahead is to drive that message and ensure the region is at the heart of the energy transition with a clear voice at Westminster. SNS 2022 Energy Integrated in the East focuses on the entire region, offering the Cambridgeshire supply chain and wider business community valuable prospects and the chance to learn how their business fits into the energy mix. The event is supported by some of Europe’s leading operators alongside prominent organisations and projects including ScottishPower Renewables, GENERATE, Vattenfall, OPITO, Equinor, Oil & Gas Authority, Proeon Systems and Sizewell C. Two day access delegate tickets can be purchased from the EEEGR website, along with single or table tickets for the SNS 2022 Conference Dinner on 25th May 2022. There are a limited number of sponsorship and exhibition opportunities remaining. Find more information at https://www.eeegr.com/events/sns2022/.

A tireless volunteer has been rewarded for her long service after clocking up two decades supporting East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH). Linda Gidley is a linchpin of the charity’s shop in Norwich Road, Long Stratton. Her main responsibility is overseeing clothing donations, steaming items and double-checking their quality before they head out to be sold. Linda’s time with the charity dates back to 2002, when the shop was run by volunteers to raise funds for EACH’s former hospice at Quidenham. To mark her loyalty, she was recently presented with a special 20-year long service award by shop manager Rachael Fretter. “The charity has grown so much over the years and it’s such an incredibly worthwhile cause,” said Linda, who celebrated her 70^th birthday in January. “The people who work and volunteer here are lovely, not to mention the customers. “I like making sure the shop looks the best it can and one of my main tasks is steaming clothes on a Friday afternoon, so they are ready to be sold on a Saturday. “Helping out is something I’d recommend to anyone and I certainly plan to continue as long as possible. “While I’m fit and able, there’s no reason to stop and I’ll keep volunteering until they don’t want me anymore! “I’m happy to turn my hand to anything. Give me a job and I’ll do it. “It gives me a chance to meet so many interesting, amazing people and it’s such an outstanding charity. “I always used to find it inspiring going to Quidenham and it’s the same with EACH’s amazing new hospice, The Nook, at Framingham Earl. “I try to put myself in the position of the parents who go there. “It must be so difficult for them, but at least our charity gives them comfort. “So many amazing things happen at the hospices and even just provided some respite care gives them a chance to recoup and recharge their batteries.” By her own admission, Linda’s volunteering is “another world” from her busy full-time job working for BT in London. Everything changed after being given the opportunity to take voluntary redundancy when she was 45. Husband Alan, who worked in a bank in the city, had been made redundant the previous year. “We decided the best thing we could do would be to move somewhere new and build a fresh life for ourselves,” said Linda. “Norfolk was somewhere we loved, having previously visited for vintage motorcycle rallies. “We knew it well and decided to buy a house and move to Long Stratton. That was in 1997. “I’d worked full-time all my life and certainly wasn’t ready for a pipe and slippers existence at the age of 45. “I needed something worthwhile and also wanted to mix with people. “Initially we were busy doing up our house and garden, but after that I became aware of the shop. “It was right on the doorstep, in our village, and for such a great cause. I wanted to do what I could to help and it got me out of the house. “My hectic, full-time working life seems a lifetime ago – like it happened to someone else. “It’s also amazing to think how things have changed. The charity has grown so much and all for the better.” For more information about volunteering for EACH, head to www.each.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering or email volunteerservices@each.org.uk Anyone interested in helping out at Long Stratton can pop into the shop, email Rachael via Rachael.fretter@each.org.uk or call 01508 531507.  

Larking Gowen has appointed a new Director, to its Tax Advisory Group. Gillian McGill joins the regional accountancy and advisory firm from RSM, in Bury St Edmunds, where she spent eight years. Originally from Scotland via Southampton, she began her career with PwC in Norwich, where she trained and qualified in Corporate Tax, subsequently working at Grant Thornton across Norwich, Ipswich and Cambridge. Gillian says the key to working with VAT as a specialism, is being able to translate its implications into a language that clients can easily understand. “VAT is a very live tax, requiring decisions to be made in real time. You have to be available to clients and to give an opinion, sometimes at very short notice. For large transactions, particularly involving land, this can involve large amounts of money and risk. “Understandably, clients don’t have VAT at the forefront of their minds or necessarily a lot of experience of the tax. Where we can assist is to set out what options are available, then give our recommendation on how to proceed with the benefit of our specialist experience,” she explains. “I’m very much looking forward to getting to know Larking Gowen’s clients and, hopefully, getting out to see them in their ‘natural habitats’ when we can. “Having worked with a number of Larking Gowen’s people in the past, I know that I’m joining an excellent team and that we’ll be working collaboratively to ensure our clients receive holistic advice,” Gillian adds. Tax Partner, Richard Proctor, says, “We’re very pleased to welcome Gilly to her new role in the Tax Advisory Group. As a VAT specialist, she’ll be working for clients across the region, with her knowledge and experience adding further to the strength of the advisory team. In particular, Gilly will work closely alongside current Director Dominic Carter, who will become a Partner of the firm from the 1 April.” Gilly joins the firm on 14 March.

The purpose of the role is to direct and support the internal sales team in delivering a first-class support role to the external sales team, whilst being at the forefront of offering first-class customer service to introducers & clients. This is a 100% internally based role, with potential for development within the team. First-class service to other sales staff, and to clients & introducers that you may work with is integral to this role. For a full job description please contact Mark Skipper on 01603 703180 or mark@credoassetfinance.com Please apply in the first instance to Mark Skipper – Operations Director with a copy of your current CV to Mark@credoassetfinance.com

Girlguiding Anglia Treasurer & Trustee Girlguiding Anglia, which owns Hautbois Activity Centre, is looking to recruit an active member of its region executive committee. Are you interested in gaining experience of strategic management and governance whilst making a positive difference to the work of the charity? The Treasurer & Trustee will have oversight of the charity’s finance function and provide guidance on matters of finance and investments. Working in partnership with the finance manager and team, the role will involve strategic planning, measuring impact, monitoring major risks and ensuring that the executive committee is fit for purpose. The opportunity is open to applications from all over the Anglia region, male or female, and you do not have to be a current Girlguiding Anglia member. Find out more and apply via Girlguiding Anglia. The deadline is Sunday 10th April.   Girlguiding Anglia enables girls and young women to develop their potential and to make a real difference to the world. The charity is one of 9 regions established as administrative areas in 1970, covering a swathe of eastern counties and extending to Lincolnshire and Oxfordshire. Anglia owns the residential Hautbois Activity Centre set in 28 acres of beautiful countryside, on the edge of the Norfolk Broads. It has over 12,000 dedicated volunteers, delivering amazing opportunities for Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers every week. It supports volunteers to give girls and young women a safe space where they can be themselves, have fun, build brilliant friendships, gain valuable life skills, and make a positive difference to their lives and their communities.