Member News

We are back for series three with a bang! There are not many with more experience or passion for the tourism sector than Peter Williamson, former Chair, now Vice Chair of the Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO), Norfolk & Suffolk Tourist Attractions.

Peter is the former owner of the hugely popular Merrivale Model Village, but when he sold the village in 2017 retirement didn’t suit him, so he returned to work by launching The Old Penny Arcade. This attraction allowed him to pursue his passion of refurbishing vintage fairground and amusement arcade machines, where families can revel in exchanging their modern money for big old pennies! His love for the leisure sector and the promotion of tourism in East Anglia is infectious, and his insights into the future recovery of businesses in this region make for a must listen.

Peter chats to Chris about how attractions need to invest in order to improve the customer experience, and how that’s not just about plumbing in new toilets! They discuss how investment needs to be made in new experiences, because this is the key to ongoing survival (past the initial excitement of the post-pandemic freedoms).

They chat about the changes COVID-19 brought and sped up, and how they will probably continue into the future. They discuss why businesses should embrace these changes, particularly with remote bookings, and how this will help with day-to-day planning, and potentially make expenditure savings in areas such as staffing.

Peter believes that customers and their expectations have changed and whilst businesses need to meet those expectations, they also need to consider revamping how they provide their service to customers moving forwards e.g. just because you CAN open 7 days a week, doesn’t mean you should.

A theme running through this chat is reinvention, with Peter discussing the need for businesses to look at how they can ‘bring families together’, and how social media will be key for reputations. He reminisces about a time that he managed to turn a complaint at the model village into global PR gold, proving the old adage of ‘sex sells’ really works! This episode is worth a listen for this anecdote alone and is a fantastic example of how to turn a negative into a positive, and the power media can have over your business.

Peter believes that businesses need to embrace the inevitable changes that will come from life after lockdown but harnessing the themes of tradition and nostalgia might still be good for business in the ‘new normal’ tech era, particularly for seaside town attractions.

You can check out the work of Norfolk & Suffolk Tourist Attractions here Find out more about The Old Penny Arcade here.

If you are enjoying Tourism Business Chat, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. We would also love to hear your feedback, leave us a review, this helps others find our podcast! 

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The Goff name and business can be traced back to 1888 when Herbert Goff the Great Great Grandfather of today’s Managing Director Will, began the business in Norfolk.

The fuel business started with domestic paraffin being delivered to homes in Norwich and agricultural fuels to farms in the villages nearby. During the 1970s many rural homes installed oil fired central heating systems and as demand for fuel grew so did Goff with the construction of our own oil storage depot, garage, and petrol station, on Aylsham Road in Norwich. Poppy Red was introduced into our lettering and logo inspired by the official flower of Norfolk, the Poppy.

Since then Goff Petroleum has proudly carried Poppy Red on it’s lorries, uniforms and logo, inspired by the County where the company started and where it is still based. 

Today Goff is one of the largest heating oil distributors and has depots, staff and customers that reach across East Anglia and into the South of England. However the head-quarters and workshops for the company are still based in Norfolk on the outskirts of Wymondham.

To celebrate our roots in Norfolk we have decided to extend our Goff Good Causes programme and raise money for the Air Ambulance on Norfolk Day (27th July 2021) by pledging to make a donation of £1 for every order placed.

The gift of time, flexibility, and balance are some of the benefits people have enjoyed during the last year.

In contrast, childcare, communication, and IT were the biggest challenges as we adapted to a world of work that looked very different.

The Engaging People Company wanted to find out what it was like for people working during a pandemic – what was good, and less good, and what could be taken forward into a post-Covid world.

As well as hearing about benefits and challenges, there were some great examples of employee engagement shared too. Around communications, appreciation, social engagement, and wellbeing. For example, one employer offered unexpected incentives like free takeaways.

Looking ahead, people want continued flexibility, from their organisation, along with technical tools and engagement and communications. From managers, things such as mental health support, communications and trust are important.

Some people decided to change their career aspirations as a result of the pandemic – for reasons such as pursuing a new purpose or spending more time with family.

Director Michelle Gant said: “The survey offered some great ideas but it’s a toe dip in the water.

“What matters is that employers ask their people: find out what matters to them, what they need, then listen, and respond accordingly.  And keep asking. Because people’s views change – especially as society starts opening up more. Keep listening. Keep responding. Employee engagement, it’s not a one-off thing. It’s an ongoing journey. 

“Rather like the last year.”

Read the full report here: Employee-engagement-survey.pdf (engaging-people.co.uk)

“For any business leader-if it wasn’t for the staff, you wouldn’t have a business.” This is a direct quote from Kevin Foley, the franchise owner of 9 McDonald’s restaurants across the region, and a statement that is intrinsically tied to his success as a businessman.

Ian chats to Kevin about how his passion for people, and his investment in his staff, have helped to grow his role as a franchisee. He took the historically derogatory term of “McJobs” personally, as Kevin can testify to just how hard his teams work, and how much they need to learn and implement in order for a site to run efficiently.

He reflects on the impact COVID-19 has had on recruitment, and on keeping his teams safe at work whilst continuing to secure jobs, and develop his staff, where Kevin thinks outside of the box and has recently appointed a Cultural and Wellbeing Officer! Kevin is an advocate of the life skills that a role in this industry can provide and believes in the value of apprenticeships.

Ian and Kevin also chat about the role technology plays in the future of McDonalds, and how they definitely won’t be replacing people with robots. Kevin tells us his secret to becoming a franchisee, and a successful one at that! He discusses why it’s important to keep on top of trends and move with them; why mystery shopping, and customer feedback is so important; and lets us in on the history of franchising in his family.

This chat is a fascinating peek behind the scenes of someone working in one of the world’s biggest and best known companies, serving over 70,000 people a week, and what life is like when every person you meet is able to hum the theme tune at you!

You can find Kevin on LinkedIn, and learn more about how to become a McDonald’s Franchisee potify, Audible, or wherever else you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss out on any episodes! If you could also leave us a review we would love to hear from you, and it helps others find our podcast. 

A historic Anglo-Saxon site and visitor centre near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, has cut its carbon emissions by 70% and created more welcoming facilities for visitors, thanks to a heat pump system installed by renewable heating experts Finn Geotherm.

West Stow is the site of an early Anglo-Saxon village, occupied from AD 420-650, over 400 years before the Norman Conquest. The reconstructed Anglo-Saxon village attracts visitors from schools, tourists and locals throughout the year. It is surrounded by West Stow Country Park, a stunning 125 acre site featuring trails, heath and woodland.

West Stow’s visitor centre and the country park café had previously been heated by an oil-fired boiler, which was inefficient and expensive. With West Suffolk Council committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030, a more environmentally friendly and effective solution was needed.

Finn Geotherm specified and installed two Lämpöässä Eli 60 ground source heat pumps, to provide all the heating and hot water for the visitor centre, museum and café. Heat is collected from the ground using bore holes – Finn Geotherm carefully installed 14 boreholes, each one 147metres deep, near the village’s collections building. The boreholes, created in a ‘closed loop system’, feed the heat pumps which are situated in a purpose-built plant room adjacent to the village’s museum. The system is also designed to provide passive cooling, using the ground’s temperature to maintain a comfortable environment for visitors in summer and provide exact temperature control within the facility’s museum precious artefact centre.

By installing this renewable energy heating system, West Stow has cut its energy use by 70%, making a significant impact on carbon emissions and heating bills, as well as delivering a much more sustainable system, which will last three times longer than a conventional boiler.

The installation also qualifies for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), a Government scheme which assists with the project’s capital cost by providing quarterly payments for 20 years.

Glynis Baxter at West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village, said: “Our village showcases some of the earliest forms of heating – a fire pit dug in the ground with a hole in the roof of the house to let out the smoke – so it is brilliant for us to have the contrast of a heat pump, the latest in renewable technology, heating our facilities. The new system enables us to maintain a steady warm temperature all year round, which is ideal not only for our artefacts, but for visitors too.”

Guy Ransom, commercial director for Finn Geotherm, said: “We are delighted to complete this installation at West Stow, which has had a big impact on the site and created a more welcoming centre for visitors. It is good to see West Suffolk Council taking its commitment to cutting carbon emissions so seriously and stepping away from fossil fuels. This heat pump installation is a great example of the potential of this technology to provide sustainable, environmentally friendly heating that can be retrofitted in any location – from AD 420-650 to modern day.”

Cllr John Griffiths, Leader of West Suffolk Council, said: “This investment, and others we are making to improve energy efficiency and cut fuel bills in property we own, is part of our commitment to address the climate emergency. We have also been able to take advantage of Government funding which is available to individual home occupiers as well. Technology has brought us a long way since the firepit and details of what grants can be used for and how to apply can be found on our website and at www.greensuffolk.org.”

Key features of the project:

• 70% reduction in carbon emissions
• 70% reduction in energy use
• Highly effective, efficient heating
• Passive cooling in summer
• Steady temperature to help maintain artefacts

For more information on ground and air source heat pumps and details on Finn Geotherm, visit www.finn-geotherm.co.uk.

We are delighted to welcome Lorna Willis, CEO of Archant, as Ian Fitch returns for series two of Business Insights Chat.

As we move out of lockdown, and start to navigate back to some semblance of normality, the theme of this series steps away from a focus on 2020 and its challenges, as we try to understand what makes successful business leaders in the region tick. We go behind the scenes, and ask what they have learnt from the last year that will take them, and their businesses, forward.

Ian chats to Lorna about the role Archant plays locally in the ever-changing technology landscape, and how they are adapting, including their new mantra of ‘counting every customer’; how the relationships with their sales teams changed over lockdown; and how even their key performance indicators have changed to include things like ‘customer happiness’!

People are now time-poor, and Lorna lets us in on how the press is changing and adapting to how people now consume their news, and how they’re approaching the new value exchange in delivering local news.

Lorna also talks in detail about the unprecedented ‘talent war’ that now exists post COVID, particularly within digital-based businesses; competitor poaching and how this has impacted recruitment; and how this will impact wage inflation. Whilst new to her CEO role, Lorna has years of experience within Archant, and is keen on promoting learning and development within her teams; having “skill and will”; changing a stale Board mentality; promoting the significance of mentors; and maintaining healthy staff engagement. Lorna also reflects on how she still has work to do in creating a fully diverse workforce, and how to get women to overcome ‘imposter syndrome’.

Lorna believes that a person’s career is now better off for having Archant on their CV. Customer feedback is at an all-time positive high, which is something that Lorna is proud to have achieved, rebuilding and pushing past a formerly aggressive reputation.

Lorna also discusses the future of office working, including ‘bringing your dog to work day’, and how Norwich City or Ipswich Town winning is great for business… fingers crossed! Going forwards, the feel-good factor is key all round.

You can contact Lorna directly by emailing lorna.willis@archant.co.uk 

You can check out Archant here. 

You can listen to this episode by clicking on the button below, or we would love it if you could subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, or wherever else you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss out on any episodes! If you could also leave us a review we would love to hear from you, and it helps others find our podcast. 

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https://www.met.police.uk/littlemedia

Good afternoon to all our customers and followers!

Today has been a day of reflection here at Team Shield.

Thinking back to this time last year; we were in mid lock down and, like many business owners, we were extremely worried about how Covid-19 would affect our business.

We feel extremely proud to have grown and flourished in what has been a particularly difficult year.

Last June (2020) we had 6 employees. This June (2021), we have 13 employees – this is a testament to all of the hard work both the office and training team have provided in such a tough working environment.

We would also like to say a massive thank you to each and every one of our customers who have supported us during this difficult period and we look forward to continuing to support you with any Health & Safety training needs you may require.

#shieldhealthandsafety #forklifttraining #training

#RTITB #AITT #lovewhatwedo #workplacesafety

#safetyfirst #healthandsafety #safetytraining #Team #meetinghealthandsafetyneeds #success #growth #growing #thankyou

#grateful

Associated British Ports (‘ABP’) has seen timber volumes double this year at the Port of King’s Lynn, as the demand in the U.K. has increased for timber for  use in  construction, manufacturing and DIY, such as home offices, decking, home and garden improvements. Typically imported from Sweden, Finland and Latvia, over 88,800 tonnes of timber have been handled by ABP’s Port of King’s Lynn, which is more than twice the quantity that was handled in the first half of 2020.

The port handles a diverse mix of imports and exports, including forest products, minerals, aggregates, fertilisers, scrap metal and various types of grain. Grain is both imported and exported, depending on the quality of both the UK and European harvests, but the trend in rising timber volumes is estimated to continue with demand.

ABP is investing circa £1.25 million in new undercover storage provisions for forest products, a Dutch Barn storage facility, which will be finished later this year. Over the last few years, ABP has regularly made large investments in the infrastructure of the port, completing the installation of new lock gates this year, and investing over £3 million in a new crane and other equipment in 2017. ABP has also recently invested in surfacing improvements for timber, demolished redundant and time-expired warehousing, and replaced a number of pieces of handling equipment, as well as introducing new access control arrangements.

Kim Kennedy, Port Manager for King’s Lynn, Associated British Ports, said:

“We are delighted to be having the busiest year that we’ve had for some years. Everyone has been brilliant in their attitude of coming to work and adapting to the challenges and conditions of the last 15 months, completing the safe and ‘Covid-secure’ loading and discharging of approximately 200 ships during this period.”

Not only are timber volumes likely to continue, but if the predictions for warmer weather are correct, then the wheat harvest in the UK should mean that the port will far exceed the estimate of handling 450,000 tonnes of cargo for the year. Working tirelessly towards ABP’s mission of “Keeping Britain Trading”, the Port of King’s Lynn continues its commitment to support the recovery of the UK economy, and the variety of industries in which ABP’s customers are involved.

Newcastle Falcons professional rugby player Sam Lockwood has been appointed Head of Rugby at Langley School in Norfolk.

Sam currently plays at Premiership side Newcastle Falcons and has been with the top flight club for five years. His career includes a coveted England Students cap, which he gained when playing for Yorkshire Carnegie while at Leeds Met University.

As of September 2021, Sam will be Head of Rugby and Head of Boys’ Boarding at Langley’s Senior School campus in Loddon, while his wife Charlotte will be teaching in the Pre-Prep at the Langley Prep campus in Taverham.

Langley Headmaster Jon Perriss comments, “Rugby is one of our major sports and we know that Sam will bring an incredible amount of experience and expertise to the school. We have no doubt that he will also be a role model and true leader in our boarding community. It’s an exciting time and we very much look forward to welcoming Sam and Charlotte into the Langley family.”

Langley is a partner school for Leicester Tigers.

That’s right, BDH Tullford is giving your business the chance to win 10 TM85 foil pavement signs, plus artwork and delivery – a package worth more than £500.*   Robust and hard-wearing, our pavement signs are designed to attract attention on busy streets and in store. Plus, our expert graphics team can help you create eye-catching designs that are guaranteed to stop your customers in their tracks!   Want to be in with a chance of winning?   Simply head on over to our website, where you’ll be able to find all the details.   Enter now!     *Terms apply

A multidisciplinary team from Ashtons Legal have recently assisted leading Suffolk insurance broker, Ryan Insurance (Ryan’s), and their Chairman Tim Ryan in the sale of the business to London-based insurance and risk management business, Seventeen Group.

Ryan Insurance was formed in 1975 and as a UK top 100 broker handles over £12m of both personal and business insurance premiums. They employ over 50 staff at Crane House on Ipswich’s main route into the town, London Road.

Ryan’s will form part of James Hallam, Seventeen Group’s broking subsidiary and will continue to trade under the Ryan’s brand. Tim Ryan will now focus on his other interests with Directors Robin Belsom and Tim Larke remaining to lead the business.

Advising on the sale was Paul Whittingham, Craig Fiddaman and Faye Power from Ashtons’ Corporate and Commercial Team. They were ably assisted by Simon Burnip in Commercial Property and Colin Makin and Emily Dixon from the firm’s Employment Law Team.

Paul Whittingham said: “Ryan Insurance is a well respected Suffolk business which has just moved into its next phase with the sale to Seventeen Group. We really enjoyed working with Tim and his team to help bring this about and wish the business every success in the future.”

Tim Ryan adds: “From the beginning of the sales process, it was important for the shareholders to have good quality advice that helped us understand the contractual elements of the deal. Ashtons put a team together that managed our expectations well and simplified the language so we could make key decisions. All in all, they made the sale a more pleasant and manageable experience.”