The Greatest Christmas Party is coming to Barnham Broom
Get together with friends and colleagues to celebrate the festive season with a taste of The Greatest Show in Barnham Broom’s “big top”. The resort will be hosting spectacular themed evenings throughout the Christmas period, offering delicious food and drink with an exceptional three course dinner as part of the evening.
Alongside the excitement of The Greatest Christmas, the brilliant Agent Orange will be playing live music on selected dates and each event will also include a set from the resident DJ, ready for you to dance the night away in the festive Barford suite and themed marquee.
Bespoke private events are also available: With four versatile event spaces, Barnham Broom can comfortably cater for groups of any size, ranging from two to over two hundred. All the rooms will be decorated for the festive season and a range of dining options are available for groups, meaning Christmas parties can be curated to suit individual requirements.
The Norwich based Cyber & Information Security consultancy CyberScale has launched 5 new Cyber Security training courses and workshops to help businesses be more prepared to protect themselves against the risks of a cyber-attack.
Having developed bespoke training courses for a range of clients CyberScale identified a need for public training courses for organisations who are at different stages in their Cyber Security journey. Engaging employees in any form of training can be a challenge. Once a business has decided to invest in cyber security training it is important to ensure that what is delivered achieves the best possible engagement. The result of this is that it is more likely to be taken back in to the business with enthusiasm. Training should never be seen as a tick box exercise, especially when it comes to training that can and will protect your business from potentially damaging cyber-attacks.
Darren Chapman, Director & Principal Consultant at CyberScale, says that “As a cyber security consultancy we are very much led by our clients and their business needs. We don’t have technical solutions to push and always begin with looking at their current technologies, policies, processes, and people when it comes to assessing their position in relation to cyber security. To this end, we listen to what our clients are telling us they need and ensure that we build services we think not only meet this need, but also deliver our experience and knowledge in the most effective and relevant manner.”
The new training services offering has been developed to cover a wide range of topics and are delivered by CyberScale’s Cyber Security Consultants who work on the front line of client businesses and are therefore able to incorporate personal experiences shared from their client work. You can see the range outlined below:
With a combination of public courses where attendees will be from a range of organisations, and bespoke solutions for your business, CyberScale are experienced in ensuring that what they deliver suits the needs of your business.
CyberScale understands the Business of Cyber Security, and how important an aware and alert workforce is in building the security culture into a business that can set it apart and drive it forward.
The roll-out of Norfolk County Council’s new technology that allows the county’s roads to flag up when they need gritting and its bins that they need emptying has been recognised at the Connected Britain Awards (21-22 September) at the Design Centre in London. The council won the Internet of Things (IoT) Award for its Long-Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) for sending and receiving low power signals from digital devices and objects.
The first Connected Britain Awards were held in 2018 with the aim of recognising the leaders in the UK connectivity landscape. Since then, the awards have developed to cover a wide range of categories open to service providers, the public sector and charities, as well as suppliers to the industry. Norfolk County Council also won the award as Digital Council of the Year in 2020.
Following last year’s accolade, this year Norfolk County Council was nominated for the “IoT Award” for its work in developing our Internet of Things Innovation Network using LoRaWAN. Objects and devices in the LoRaWAN each have built-in sensors that capture small packets of data about their status or information from their surroundings and report the information via the network.
This technology allows roads to flag up when they need gritting, rubbish bins to say when they need to be emptied, rivers to say when the water level is getting close to flooding, and parking spaces to say whether they are empty or occupied. Sensors in the home can help people to keep living independently in their own homes for longer, and much more. All this extra information can allow cities, towns and rural communities to run smoothly, making them better places to live and work and, crucially, to help the more remote areas of our county to become better connected. It also creates an opportunity for businesses in Norfolk to innovate, develop expertise in this emerging sector and grow.
In just over two years, Norfolk has gone from having nothing in place to developing the biggest free-to-use IoT LoRaWAN network in the UK. This achievement was recognised by winning the IoT Award against a very strong field, where other shortlisted organisations included IoT Solutions Group, O2 Smart Metering, Pangea Connected and Vodafone.
Cllr Tom FitzPatrick, Cabinet Member for Innovation, Transformation and Performance at Norfolk County Council said: “I am delighted that the innovation and hard work of the Information Management Team team at Norfolk County Council has been recognised with this award. Our CIO Geoff Connell and our CTO Kurt Frary lead a fantastic team who go the extra mile to innovate and work for Norfolk. To have gone from nothing to having built the largest network in the UK in two years is a really excellent achievement. I would also like to thank the New Anglia LEP for their support for this every growing success story.”
Norfolk County Council and the Transport for Norwich (TfN) partnership are asking for feedback on proposed changes on Boundary Road. The aim of this scheme is to provide better connections across the busy outer ring road, making it safer and easier for travelling on foot or by bike.
What’s being proposed and why?
This project is part of a programme of infrastructure changes in the Greater Norwich area, which was agreed by the county council’s Cabinet last year and is funded by the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Transforming Cities Fund. As we deliver these projects, we are carrying out a series of public consultations to help identify any issues for consideration when finalising the plans we put forward for construction.
We are consulting on two options to improve crossing facilities. One option is to upgrade the existing junction at the B&Q car park, whilst retaining the existing pedestrian crossing on Boundary Road near the junction with Vera Road. The other option is to install a new cycle crossing connecting Vera Road to Rye Avenue, which would also retain the existing pedestrian crossing on Boundary Road near the Vera road junction.
Further details on both options are available by following this link where you will find a letter and plans at the bottom of the page.
James and Mark chat about the huge surge in vacancies across the UK and many parts of the world. They reflect on what businesses can do to help retain and attract the best talent, providing 3 top tips along the way.
They take inspiration from a recent article in Wired by Alex Christian, the experience of local chef and restaurant owner Iain McCarten, Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and the late American actor Steve McQueen!
If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible or wherever else you get your podcasts, and whilst you are there, we would really appreciate a 5* review, as this helps other people find our podcast!
Last week we hosted our first in-person event in over 18 months and what a fantastic afternoon it was! ‘Lunch on the Green’, our annual summer charity and networking event, took place at our Norwich office on Wednesday 8th September and we are delighted to have raised a total of £5518 for Break.
Now in its 12th year and considered by many as the highlight of the Norwich networking calendar, we were thrilled to host our open-air summer event, with over 200 business representatives in attendance and 25 stand holders on the day. The event was in support of Break charity once again, having raised over £45,000 for Break since its humble conception in 2008. Break is an innovative charity that provides hope and support for vulnerable children and young people across East Anglia. They deliver specialist support services to ensure young people have the care they need, when and where they need it, for as long as they need it.
The event featured performances from local singers and musicians, lunch was provided by social enterprise The Feed, Break’s ‘CoffeeBreak’ van offered delegates a range of hot drinks, wine provided by Bijou Bottles, Woodforde’s beer, 7 Surrey Street offered summer mocktails, mini golf with Norfolk and Waveney Mind, floral displays by Libby Ferris Flowers and more.
Associate and Marketing Manager Louis Hilldrup-Boorman said ”Due to the unpredictable nature of the Covid-19 pandemic, delivering this event wasn’t as straightforward as previous events, with careful planning and safety measures to consider, all to ensure attendees could attend in confidence. Despite the last 18 months, there’s clearly still an appetite for in-person networking. The sun was shining, the atmosphere was buzzing and it was great to bring the Norfolk business community together again after so many months!”
Sarah Bunn, Community Fundraising Manager at Break said ”We have been thrilled to be the charity partner for Clapham & Collinge’s Lunch on the Green once again; enabling local businesses to come together and support a local cause while enjoying the most wonderful summer networking. To raise such an amount is tremendous, and it goes a long way to funding much needed dedicated specialist support for young people on the edge of care, in care and moving on from care.”
Director of Johnston Logistics UK, Rob McIndoe, has thanked Full Mix Marketing for their support before, during and after the pandemic.
Having delivered their marketing since 2017, the full-service agency overcame challenges created by the lockdowns to drive forward the warehousing and logistics provider’s marketing.
“The first lockdown took everyone by surprise and created some capacity within our warehousing. Full Mix came up with a plan, reached out to brands and retailers and we’ve ended up having another very successful year” says Rob, who leads the Johnston Logistics UK team.
Formally established in 2010, Johnston Logistics UK can trace their history back to 1978 and now handle over 320 million items each year. Half of all wine for Asda supermarkets passes through their 700,000 square feet of warehousing.
Over the past four years, Full Mix Marketing have delivered marketing which has helped increase Johnston Logistics UK’s appeal to larger brands and retailers. It has included social media, website development, online advertising, search engine optimisation and direct marketing to businesses across the UK.
In April 2021, Johnston Logistics UK launched a new website built by Full Mix Marketing to better communicate the logistic experts’ rising reputation and status.
“Due in many ways to the support of Full Mix, we’ve grown to another discernible level. The pandemic impacted their team like everyone, but you wouldn’t have known it. The support they’ve delivered has always been outstanding; before, during and after the lockdowns” states Rob.
Full Mix Marketing was founded by Sarah West in 2016 with the aim to deliver the right mix of marketing to create meaningful results. The company has grown to become one of East Anglia’s leading business-to-business marketing agencies, supporting companies in sectors including engineering, IT and business services.
“It has always been a pleasure working with Johnston Logistics UK. It’s all about trust. We know they’re excellent at logistics and they have faith we will do everything we can to spread the word using the most effective marketing. Their success is our success” says Sarah West, Full Mix Marketing’s Managing Director.
In the last year, Full Mix Marketing have delivered particular strong results for Johnston Logistics UK with content marketing, including press releases which have been widely published by the retail sector press. This has also boosted their website by increasing its appearance in Google search results, four-fold.
Full Mix Marketing continue to deliver a full mix of marketing for Johnston Logistics UK as the Snetterton-based firm considers plans to further expand their warehousing to meet rising demand.
“From the start, Sarah and her team came up with a well-reasoned strategy and delivered results. It’s no different to having a marketing team in-house. In fact, it’s better because they are so driven and full of ideas” concludes Rob.
Business leaders in Suffolk have reported fundamental changes in working practice and recruitment, following the impacts of lockdown and Brexit.
A survey carried out among attendees at Larking Gowen’s Business Breakfast at Milsoms Kesgrave Hall, found 35% of respondents saying recruitment had become more difficult over the last 18 months, with 55% saying they’re now recruiting staff from a wider geographic area than before.
On working practices 80% of respondents reported a permanent change following lockdown.
The event, entitled How To Retain Great People, which took place on Tuesday 14 September, was attended by 54 business leaders from around Suffolk.
Larking Gowen Partner Ian Fitch, who was co-presenting the event, said there was also a widespread recruitment problem across many industries. “Businesses across a range of sectors are struggling to find and retain good people. The pool for workers has dropped significantly for various reasons.”
“Employers need to think about how to retain great people, otherwise they will go to work for a competitor. The pandemic has shown that employees have earned the right to be trusted. Some are more productive at home, and we’re seeing more and more companies who are allowing greater flexibility.”
One of the attendees was Paul Day, Managing Director of logistics firm Turners (Soham) Ltd, which operates more than 1,850 vehicles across 32 sites.
Mr Day said: “At the moment retention of people is the most important thing. It’s not only drivers, it’s warehouse operators, packhouse operators and support services.
“We’ve been massively impacted by a shortage of drivers. They need to be valued and paid appropriately. It’s about knowing people and having management present on the ground, all one team.”
Mr Day said the driver shortage was caused by a number of factors, including the lack of EU drivers, a long period without training and testing, and a surge in activity levels as lockdown was eased.
Robert Baxter, Managing Director of Chassis-Cab Ltd, the DAF franchise holder for East Anglia, said demand for servicing, repairs and parts was at a permanent high level.
“With the lack of drivers, it’s even more important that the trucks are on the road as much as possible,” he said, adding that recruitment, including finding apprentices had become increasingly difficult across the business.
Larking Gowen Partner Becky Ames, also presenting, spoke about how employers can motivate staff by talking to them and finding out what they’re looking for from their job.
“A good employee value proposition can’t just be monetary, and often depends on what stage of their career they’re at. If they’re younger it might be about learning and development or perhaps autonomy and responsibility. Older employees, or those with families might be looking for greater flexibility.
“Ultimately, the key is to talk to your people and find out what they value. Your business needs a wide range of employment options, a big enough offering to suit each individual,” she said.
At Barnham Broom we offer our fully-inclusive Signature Meetings Package to event organisers looking for an environment to stimulate fresh ideas and encourage productivity.
The package is specially designed to incorporate all the needs of your delegates from the outset and maintain energy levels throughout.
From our award-winning chefs to our first-class meetings and events team, we will strive to make every meeting a success and will be on-hand to help during your time with us.
Whether you are planning a board meeting, full-scale conference or product launch, our dedicated events and conference team will work with you to create a bespoke package. Our purpose built facilities and high class service, all set in a superb location, make Barnham Broom an ideal place to hold a conference or business meeting.
We offer a choice of purpose-built conference and banqueting suites so you can create exactly the right space for your event. Whether it’s a breakfast, lunch, evening or an all-day event, you’ll enjoy the uninterrupted peace and quiet that will enable you to focus on the issues at hand. Our suites are equipped with LCD projectors when required, screens, flip charts, telephone points and free Wi-Fi.
Greater Anglia (GA) will continue to operate train services in East Anglia for the next five years after their owning group, Abellio, signed a new contract with the Department for Transport (DfT) to run rail services across the region.
The new National Rail Contract (NRC), begins on Sunday 19 September 2021, when the current Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement (‘ERMA’) with the DfT ends, and will run to 20 September 2026. It replaces the previous franchise agreement, which was set aside at the start of the pandemic when train operators were underwritten by the DfT, as passenger numbers fell markedly when travel restrictions were put in place.
The new contract will see the continuation of Greater Anglia’s major investment programme to deliver better rail services for the region including :
Completion of their transformational project to introduce new trains across the entire Greater Anglia network
The continuation of their extensive upgrade programme for stations and maintenance depots in the region
Further initiatives to maintain the record-breaking high levels of punctuality they have delivered over the last 18 months
Ongoing improvements to customer service standards, ticketing, accessibility, timetables and energy efficiency
Greater Anglia will also be fully focused on maximising the return of passengers to the rail network and supporting the sustainable economic development of the region, as the UK recovers from the pandemic.
They have already introduced new electric trains on their intercity and Stansted Express services and new bi-mode trains on their regional services in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and the Marks Tey to Sudbury line, with all 58 trains from Swiss manufacturer Stadler already in service. Meanwhile the first 29 of their 133-strong fleet of 5-carriage electric commuter trains for services on the Great Eastern and West Anglia routes (built by Alstom, formerly Bombardier, in Derby) are now available for passenger service, with more and more services in these areas progressively benefitting from the state-of-the-art trains.
Greater Anglia have also improved service frequency on a number of routes in recent years; introduced other timetable enhancements, such as the Norwich in 90/Ipswich in 60 services and the Norwich to Stansted Airport direct service; carried out many improvements at stations – with Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich all winning “Best Station” awards in recent years; introduced smart ticketing; worked closely with communities – including Community Rail Partnerships and station adopters – to enhance stations and services in line with local needs; improved accessibility for disabled customers; improved integrated transport links and achieved better environmental performance – with reduced energy usage and increased biodiversity at stations.
In addition, the GA teams have delivered a very reliable service for rail travellers throughout the challenging pandemic period.
Jamie Burles, Managing Director of Greater Anglia, commented :
“We’re pleased to have agreed our new National Rail Contract with the Department for Transport. We’re looking forward to continuing the positive transformation of train services in our region, completing the roll out of our new train fleet, maintaining recent excellent performance and further raising customer service standards. Our team is fully committed to keeping up the ongoing cycle of improvements in East Anglia and delivering the best possible service for customers and communities on a consistent basis.”
Greater Anglia (GA) will continue to operate train services in East Anglia for the next five years after their owning group, Abellio, signed a new contract with the Department for Transport (DfT) to run rail services across the region.
The new National Rail Contract (NRC), begins on Sunday 19 September 2021, when the current Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement (‘ERMA’) with the DfT ends, and will run to 20 September 2026. It replaces the previous franchise agreement, which was set aside at the start of the pandemic when train operators were underwritten by the DfT, as passenger numbers fell markedly when travel restrictions were put in place.
The new contract will see the continuation of Greater Anglia’s major investment programme to deliver better rail services for the region including :
Completion of their transformational project to introduce new trains across the entire Greater Anglia network
The continuation of their extensive upgrade programme for stations and maintenance depots in the region
Further initiatives to maintain the record-breaking high levels of punctuality they have delivered over the last 18 months
Ongoing improvements to customer service standards, ticketing, accessibility, timetables and energy efficiency
Greater Anglia will also be fully focused on maximising the return of passengers to the rail network and supporting the sustainable economic development of the region, as the UK recovers from the pandemic.
They have already introduced new electric trains on their intercity and Stansted Express services and new bi-mode trains on their regional services in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and the Marks Tey to Sudbury line, with all 58 trains from Swiss manufacturer Stadler already in service. Meanwhile the first 29 of their 133-strong fleet of 5-carriage electric commuter trains for services on the Great Eastern and West Anglia routes (built by Alstom, formerly Bombardier, in Derby) are now available for passenger service, with more and more services in these areas progressively benefitting from the state-of-the-art trains.
Greater Anglia have also improved service frequency on a number of routes in recent years; introduced other timetable enhancements, such as the Norwich in 90/Ipswich in 60 services and the Norwich to Stansted Airport direct service; carried out many improvements at stations – with Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich all winning “Best Station” awards in recent years; introduced smart ticketing; worked closely with communities – including Community Rail Partnerships and station adopters – to enhance stations and services in line with local needs; improved accessibility for disabled customers; improved integrated transport links and achieved better environmental performance – with reduced energy usage and increased biodiversity at stations.
In addition, the GA teams have delivered a very reliable service for rail travellers throughout the challenging pandemic period.
Jamie Burles, Managing Director of Greater Anglia, commented :
“We’re pleased to have agreed our new National Rail Contract with the Department for Transport. We’re looking forward to continuing the positive transformation of train services in our region, completing the roll out of our new train fleet, maintaining recent excellent performance and further raising customer service standards. Our team is fully committed to keeping up the ongoing cycle of improvements in East Anglia and delivering the best possible service for customers and communities on a consistent basis.”
GoGoDiscover’s 21 T.rex sculptures have stomped off the streets after nine weeks of bringing colour, fun, discovery and beautiful art to Norwich this summer. Discover the impact that the trail had in numbers and when the T.rex will return with teeth…
GoGoDiscover has been delivered by local charity, Break, in partnership with Wild in Art. Based on the number of trails maps printed, distributed and digitally downloaded from the Break website, the GoGoDiscover project team estimate a minimum of 300,000 visitors took on the trail this summer.
The free trail has raised thousands in fundraising for children’s charity Break, who provide lifelong support to children and young people in care, on the edge of care or leaving care. The charity has seen a big increase in visitors to their website, as well as increased engagement across all Break and GoGoDiscover social media channels.
Talented local and national artists decorated the 2 metre sculptures and nearly 50 volunteer trail rangers gave up their time to help support Break and look after the T.rex.
Artist Sophie Li-Rocchi is Head of Art at Gresham Prep school and this year designed and decorated two T.rex – Dino Hunter and SNAP!, and said: “It has been wonderful to be involved as an artist on the GoGoDiscover trail. I had loads of fun painting SNAP! and Dino Hunter in lockdown, and it has been an absolute pleasure to see them on the streets of Norwich this summer. Every time I have walked past them, it has been brilliant to see so many people with trail maps and completing the trail, with lots of selfies being taken on the way! It has obviously been a great success for Break and has certainly provided people with an excellent excuse to explore the streets of Norwich, my favourite city, engage with art, and, of course, meet some pretty friendly dinosaurs along the way! The trails not only provide some great family friendly fun, but also provide artists with a brilliant source of inspiration, with fantastic opportunities to create and exhibit, whilst supporting a brilliant cause. I can’t wait to see them out again next year!”
21 businesses from across the region sponsored the T.rex sculptures.
Chantry Place is a presenting partner of GoGoDiscover and had three T.rex at the Centre this summer, including one it sponsored. Paul McCarthy, general manager at Chantry Place, said: “GoGoDiscover has been incredibly positive for Norwich this summer with many locals and tourists visiting the T.rex across the city and in the Centre. We’ve really enjoyed having them and seeing all the positive reactions and smiles they have had from all ages – and they have certainly brought lots of colour and fun to Norwich. We love supporting Break’s fundraising charity trails and we can’t wait to see the T.rex sculptures back next year in even larger numbers and the new Steppe Mammoths across the county. It is a great way for people to explore all the gems we have right here on our doorstep, support tourism and the local economy, and, most importantly, raise funds for this wonderful charity.”
And, the GoGoDiscover dinosaurs won’t fade into extinction. They will return this October Half Term for one week only for a special ‘Farewell for Now’ event at Norwich Cathedral, which coincides with Dippy the Diplodocus’s last week in Norwich.
Then in the Summer of 2022, the dinosaur sculptures will return with even more T.rex in the city, while Steppe Mammoth sculptures will take over Norfolk and link to the discovery and exploration of Norfolk’s deep history coast.
A GoGoDiscover 2022 Learning & Community Programme, in partnership with Dipple & Conway Opticians, is also taking place and the smaller T.rex sculptures, named Breakasaurus, will join the larger sculptures on the GoGoDiscover trail in Summer 2022.
Peter Marron, GoGoDiscover project manager for Break, comments: “This trail could not have come at a better time to help boost the city and its wonderful retailers and tourism, and we have had many businesses telling us that the dinos have brought them extra footfall and trade. It also has been wonderful for families to come together and all ages have enjoyed seeing these beautiful pieces of art – everyone seems to love the T.rex. We are so excited to bring an even bigger trail to Norwich and Norfolk in 2022, raise more vital funds for Break and work with some new sponsors and artists. The schools project is an integral part of the success of our trails and we can’t wait to see all the creative talent and ideas from all those involved.”
Many of the T.rex and Steppe Mammoth sculptures will be auctioned off at the end of next year to raise much needed funds for Break.
For more information about Break visit break-charity.org
Text TREX to 70085 to donate £3. Texts cost £3, plus one standard rate message. #GoGoDiscover