Member News

Great Yarmouth Borough Council is inviting small foodservice and hospitality businesses in the local tourism sector to apply for grants to help towards the costs they incurred in order to adapt their business to become Covid-safe.

Businesses can claim 50 percent of their eligible expenditure between May 1 and July 31 2020, up to a maximum of £2,500, providing this exceeds £500 and they can prove it relates to equipment and supplies purchased to trade safely in line with the Government guidelines.

Applications to the £100,000 adaption grants programme are invited from hotels, guest houses and B&Bs, cafés, restaurants, pubs, and takeaway food outlets within the borough. Hospitality accommodation providers must demonstrate that they are part of the tourism sector.

Click here for the link to the online application form, eligibility criteria and further business advice. Applications close at midnight on Monday, August 24 and grants will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, with only one claim accepted per business.

Examples of items that businesses could claim for include posters, signage, sneeze screens, floor stickers and markings, barriers and other controls to ensure social distancing, sanitiser stands and dispensers. Consumable PPE such as gloves, masks and hand sanitiser can also be claimed.

The adaption grants programme is part of Norfolk’s tourism sector support package from the Norfolk Strategic Fund. The project, led by Norfolk County Council in partnership with all seven district councils and Visit East of England, is being put in place to help the tourism sector to recover from the impact of Covid-19.

Update your business continuity plan

The global pandemic has highlighted the importance to all businesses and organisations of having in place robust and up-to-date continuity plans, identifying key risks and setting out approaches for safeguarding staff, buildings, stock and their operations in a civil emergency. Businesses are advised to update their plans to reflect the ongoing situation with Covid-19, thinking through how they would protect themselves in the event of a second wave of Covid-19 and other potential disruptions such as severe weather, ICT system failure, power cuts, fire or chemical spills. The website of the Norfolk Resilience Form has free advice and guidance on how to develop your own plan.

Do you have your ‘Good to Go’ mark yet?

If you have read and applied the Government’s guidance, understand the guidance from Public Health England and have a Covid-19 Risk Assessment in place, you can apply for Visit Britain’s  ‘We’re Good to Go’ Covid-19 consumer confidence mark to display at your premises. Simply complete a self-assessment here. To assist all businesses to meet their responsibilities, the council website has all the latest guidance and support for businesses, including funding opportunities, advice on operating safely, along with a downloadable pack of useful materials including safety posters. Click here.

What to do if a guest has Covid-19

Check our Norfolk County Council’s free toolkit for accommodation providers and the tourism sector, aimed at helping Norfolk visitors keep themselves and others safe. It contains a step-by-step guide on what you need to do in the unfortunate event of a guest with suspected Coronavirus, as well as a guest poster and guest information leaflet. Click here.

News has emerged that preferential rates are to be scrapped for some goods coming out of Cambodia. Here is Tracey Renshaw’s update on how this will affect importers in the UK.

For many years, the WTO has promoted trade with less well-developed countries through implementation of preferential or zero duty rates. By building the international trade of the least well-developed countries, jobs are created and economies become more robust. It also means these countries become less dependent on international aid and more self-sufficient. 

Preferential rates are granted to such countries provided they meet stringent criteria on issues like human rights and the safety and freedom of their inhabitants and visitors. For many years Cambodia has benefitted from preferential duty rates.  However, following what the EU Commission describes as “Serious and systematic violations of principles laid down in the ICCPR” it has decided to withdraw preferential duty rates on products which are imported into the EU under the following HS codes: 1212 93, 4201 00, 4202, 4203, 4205 00, 4206 00, 6103 41, 6103 43, 6103 49, 6105, 6107, 6109, 6115 10, 6115 21, 6115 22, 6115 29, 6115 95, 6115 96, 6115 99, 6203 41, 6203 43, 6203 49, 6205, 6207, 6211 32, 6211 33, 6211 39, 6211 42, 6211 43, 6211 49, 6212, 6403 19, 6403 20, 6403 40, 6403 51, 6403 59, 6403 91, 6403 99, 6405 and 6406. The ruling comes into effect for goods leaving Cambodia after 12th August 2020 and means that imported goods in these categories will attract the full rate of duty. For example, products with current code 4202929890, leather bags with a textile coating, which are of Cambodian origin were being imported with 0% duty, but now will have a duty rate of 2.7%.  As this will impact margins it will be worthwhile reviewing your product ranges to find affected products as it may influence on where you source affected products in future. If you need any assistance on classification or origin issues with your products please contact us   For more information on the Commissions findings click here

The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) is highlighting worrying gaps in road safety knowledge as the key theme of Injury Prevention Week 2020 which is running from 17-21 August.

Research by YouGov commissioned by APIL revealed many parents were unconfident about their children’s understanding of how to stay safe on the roads. In addition, the research found most adults who do not drive did not know that white lights indicate a parked vehicle is about to start reversing. 

Colin Cook, Head of Dispute Resolution at Hatch Brenner and APIL accredited senior personal injury litigator and brain injury specialist commented: “We are pleased to be supporting the vital work of APIL in highlighting the importance of road safety. The Green Cross Code remains a key tool in educating children and young people about every day dangers on our roads. As we approach the back to school period, I would advise parents to take the opportunity to have a discussion with their children about being ‘roadwise’. 

“Whilst we remain dedicated to helping those who have sustained an injury and who are in genuine need both financially and in terms of rehabilitation, the ideal situation is for people not to be injured in the first place. Through their development of a national strategy for the prevention of needless injury and awareness campaigns like Injury Prevention Week, APIL champion avoiding unnecessary harm and suffering in our communities.”

Any accident which takes place on a public highway or other public place can be termed a road accident. There is usually a vehicle of some sort involved, either colliding with another vehicle, or with a cycle, motorbike or pedestrian.

A recent Department for Transport report found that those aged under 15 accounted for around a quarter of pedestrian injuries and deaths on British roads in 2019.

Hatch Brenner Solicitors advise on very simple or very complicated cases which will always be dealt with by a member of our experienced and qualified team, able to provide you with the best legal advice. We have experience in acting on behalf of individuals dissatisfied with the way in which claims have been handled by their own insurer panel firms. Our team has successfully recovered damages for individuals who had elements of their injury previously overlooked (for example subtle head injury and chronic pain). 

Contact Colin Cook, Personal Injury Solicitor and Head of Dispute Resolution at Hatch Brenner at colincook@hatchbrenner.co.uk or via info@hatchbrenner.co.uk

Mad HR recently interviewed Norfolk Chamber Members Expert Print Management as part of their Covid-19 Spotlight on businesses. Print management is owned and managed by Paul Youngs is a successful Norwich based business working with marketers and marketing departments of businesses throughout the UK. Paul has over thirty years’ experience in the print industry, and over that time has seen significant change and survived economic turmoil more than once, but nothing quite prepared him for 2020.

All three areas of the business – print, banners and promotional products – started to experience a slowdown in early March and by 20 March when lockdown commenced, all orders had stopped coming in.

“After a challenging 2019 influenced by Brexit, January and February had been buoyant. Just as it felt the economy was picking up, Covid-19 hit and stopped activity overnight. No one had a clue what was going to happen next,” remembers Paul. 

Paul had restructured in late 2019 leaving him running the business alone. This gave him the benefit of not having the worry of employees’ welfare or dealing with furlough, but it also meant he had no team to talk to or discuss decisions with. His positive attitude and determination to keep going provided the motivation that he needed.  

“I follow Brad Sugars so took his 12 Day Survival Guide course and kept reading coaching materials. I also rang around my clients and contacts that were still open, to find out more about what people needed and what has happening out there.  I realised it was important to speak to other positive business owners to keep a positive mind-set” says Paul.  He notes that for those who continued to work, some strong relationships have developed and is pleased with the attitude and mind-set local businesses have shown: “There is definitely an attitude of collaboration and working together for the common good, with a less selfish approach than before lockdown. I formed some great working relationships and hope they continue. The change in approach surprised me to a certain degree but is very welcome”.

Paul quickly realised that print alone was not going to be enough to keep the business afloat during the lockdown and that he needed to diversify. Those still operating needed floor stickers, signage and banners to support social distancing and hand hygiene,  which he was readily set up to provide.  Paul decided to take it to the next level; “If organisations needed signage about hand hygiene, they also needed sanitisation stations and the consumables to fill them. I decided to diversify into all Covid-secure products, not just the signage and print element”.

Paul set up a separate website, using the same branding of Expert Print Management but under the name https://www.covidessential.online/. He started looking for new supply chains and new markets. He opted for local suppliers where possible with the stainless steel sanitiser and hand sanitiser being made in Norfolk. The new website was put together and went live within five days.  Paul kept communication open and continued to blog, sharing Government advice and signposting businesses to support. There have been many long days, and early starts to get everything in place and Paul acknowledges it was a steep learning curve. “It started with the idea of providing Covid-secure print-related products and moved on to sanitiser stations, and PPE. In the future, I am planning to include all cleaning products and materials, eventually moving away from a Covid- driven demand, towards a more generic clean and hygienic work environment demand”, explains Paul.

Paul has taken advantage of the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Small Business Grant Funding, that have helped to ensure both sides of the business are in a strong financial position moving forward.

The future is looking positive. The print business started to pick up again in mid-June and the Covid Essential business is increasing in range and clientele every day.  Paul has plans to develop and grow the business over the next three to six months, including the recruitment of a new team member and taking on warehouse premises.  “This is not something that I had planned or envisaged. I recognised a new demand in the market and decided to move quickly to fill it. Once the decision was made, I have just ploughed on.  The next few months are going to be interesting”, states Paul.

Norwich Puppet Theatre are thrilled to present a special series of online puppetry performances of Roald Dahl’s Dirty Beasts and Revolting Rhymes poems. These mini shows will be broadcast for free on Norwich Puppet Theatre’s YouTube channel, with a new performance being released each week from 21 August until October Half Term. The performances will then remain online until early December. Dirty Beasts is a collection of hilarious animal rhymes about a host of (mainly) grisly beasts, all of whom are none too keen on human beings. Revolting Rhymes is a series of twisted fairy tales told in verse and with plenty of humour. Each of the poems in these two Roald Dahl collections are being performed by a different artist or company working in lockdown. Audiences can look forward to a range of puppetry styles, from shadow theatre, to animation, and from pop-up theatres to rod marionettes. All the artists involved have a close connection with Norwich Puppet Theatre, including past apprentices and directors, plus regular visiting companies and collaborators. The Theatre is also working with musicians Ali Houiellebecq and Jonathan Lambert who have created some original music for the special credits sequences for each set of poems. Norwich Puppet Theatre has been presenting creative activity videos for children since the beginning of lockdown, but this project marks the first time the Theatre has presented puppetry performances for online audiences. Norwich Puppet Theatre’s General Manager, Ian Woods, said: “In these challenging times for artists and theatres it is great to be creating something new in our 40th anniversary year, and we are delighted that this is based on work by our one time patron Roald Dahl.” The poems are being presented with permission from the Roald Dahl Story Company, and with the support of Arts Council England and The Martin Laing Foundation. Norwich Puppet Theatre’s website and social media channels will share further announcements about dates and times of the premieres.

Hatch Brenner Solicitors have joined the Law Society and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners in welcoming plans announced by the Government to introduce temporary legislation in September 2020 allowing the digital signing and witnessing of wills in England and Wales.

The new legislation, which is being introduced following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, will be backdated to apply to wills made since 31 January 2020 and it is expected to remain in force until at least 31 January 2022.

Alexandria Martin, Trainee Solicitor within the Private Client team at Hatch Brenner Solicitors in Norwich commented: “As we all adapt to the ‘new normal’, it is vital that legal legislation keeps pace with the demands of social distancing and pandemic prevention measures. This temporary legislation allowing the virtual signing and witnessing of wills and codicils via video conference technology like Zoom or Skype should be welcomed. Particularly during uncertain times, the process of drawing up a legally valid will gives individuals peace of mind and ensures their wishes will be carried out in the event of their passing.

“It is worth noting that the government guidance states that digital signing and witnessing via video link should be a last resort and where individuals can sign their wills in the conventional way, then they should do so. Hatch Brenner Solicitors has procedures in place to allow our clients to physically sign wills – either in our office on Theatre Street or at their home, within social distancing and covid-secure guidelines.”

Read more: Confessions of a Private Client Solicitor: will signing during a pandemic

Until now, for a will to be legally valid, it must be signed in the physical presence of two independent witnesses at the same time, who must then sign in the presence of the testator of the will. The new legislation varies the requirement of “presence” to allow for those witnessing a will to include virtual presence via video link as an alternative to physical presence. The standard formalities for executing a will under The Wills Act 1837 otherwise remain in force. The legislation may remain in force for a shortened or extended period than initially announced as deemed necessary.

The Ministry of Justice has stated that there are no additional plans in the immediate future to further relax the strict protocols around will signing and witnessing – for example to allow electronic signatures or counterpart wills.

If you would like to enquire about making a will, we offer a fixed fee will service. Contact alexandriamartin@hatchbrenner.co.uk or call 01603 660 811.

A fostering campaign for Norfolk County Council

JMS worked with Norfolk County Council Fostering Service to produce an advertising campaign across TV, Radio and Social Media.

The aim was to attract new foster carers to the profession.  

With the recent rise in people looking for a change in career due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, combined with an ever increasing demand for foster carers, Norfolk County Council Fostering and Adoption Service wanted to reach as many people as possible that either wanted to make a difference or take up a new vocation that is not only life changing for them, but for a child as well. NCC chose the Sky AdSmart platform to help reach as many potential foster carers as possible and encourage them to consider fostering.

With the tag line “It’s not what you can do for a living, it’s what you could do for a life” and “Open your heart, and open your home” the commercials appeal to those that could provide a child with a loving and stable home.

Making the most of a tight budget 

With funds being tight for public services, we needed to make the most of a limited budget.

Our campaign featured a mix of traditional advertising channels like radio, proven digital channels on social media, as well as newer forms of advertising such as addressable TV…

AdSmart from Sky allowed NCC to specifically target viewers in Norfolk, by District Council and profiling of their target audience defined which Mosaic groups would best fit our commercials. We ran two commercials one aimed specifically at adults who currently look after children such as Teachers, Teaching Assistances and Heads of Schools, the second advert was aimed at people who were looking for a change of vocation during the Pandemic.

The precise targeting of the AdSmart platform ensured limited wastage of the marketing budget, which enabled the use of Radio as well.

In contrast to a regular TV Commercial, AdSmart also has the benefit of providing fully trackable statistics based on performance, allowing NCC to fully evaluate the campaigns effectiveness and return on investment.

The ‘Enhanced Fostering Services’ video illustrates what the role of a foster carer entails. It doesn’t shy away from the fact that fostering can be a challenge. The video was used across NCC’s social channels and featured on screen text to ensure that the message could still be clearly communicated even if the video was viewed with the sound off.   Simple Sums, Seeking Foster Carers and Change Your Profession were all different creatives produced closely with NCC’s marketing team to use social media, AdSmart and radio in combination to get the message out locally.

“At the height of the pandemic the team at JMS went above and beyond to help create a series of creative and emotive TV and Radio adverts within a matter off days. Fortunately we had already been working on a separate project with JMS so they already had a key understanding of our service and messaging required.

The team produced scripts, storyboards which where discussed over conference calls where further ideas were brainstormed. I cannot thank JMS enough for all their help during such a critical time throughout the world. JMS made the process seamless and easy from initial brief to final delivery of our adverts. We saw a gap in the market and did not want to be left behind especially when we continuously require new foster carers to step forward and help change a child’s life.”

Scott McKay, Fostering and Adoption Marketing Manager – Children’s Services, Norfolk County Council.

 Norfolk County Council Fostering Service

There are children across Norfolk who need a foster parent. Children enter the care system for many different reasons. Although every child is unique, all children will require patience, understanding and stability from a good foster carer. You could play a significant part in the life of a child – whether you’re looking after the child for just a few days or a few years.

If you are interested in becoming a foster carer then please contact Norfolk Fostering Service on: 01603 306649

Website link: www.norfolk.gov.uk/fostering

Social links:

Facbook @norfolkfosteringservice

Twitter @fosterinnorfolk

A local ‘Customer Experience’ business has developed a unique solution to ensure team members can feedback their safety concerns when they return to work.

“We know from our own research conducted, that business leaders are worried about well-being and how their team members may be feeling about the safety of their workplace when asked to return to work. We also know team members are really concerned too, especially as more of their colleagues and customers re-engage,” says Judy Randon CX Specialist for Norfolk and Suffolk. “The reasons are varied and understandably, each person is different in regard to their perception and the different circumstances they are working in. With this system, we have that covered.”

To help, and to enable a successful and sustainable return to trading, insight6 has created a “COVID-19 Stay Safe Team Checker”. The feedback system gathers instant feedback with team members about their concerns, freeing up management time to invest in helping those who need help and running the business. The system will send an instant, real time notification to a nominated person in a business, so if a team member is worried about their safety whilst at work, it will trigger a dialogue between the leader and their team members who needs more support and reassurance to sustain their happy return to work.

The platform can be expanded to other parts of the business and gather customer sentiment and confidence levels too.

The team at insight6 HQ can have businesses set up and receiving feedback within 48 hours. To support all business types, the system is being offered at an investment of £150 plus VAT for three months with full and on-going support.

About insight6 Norfolk & Suffolk

Insight6 Norfolk & Suffolk specialises in helping forward thinking businesses to increase sales through consistently delivering a great customer experience to their customers. Judy Randon is based in Norwich and has 20 + years of business experience in a variety of sectors including food, tourism, leisure, hospitality and retail and will help you build and deliver a 6-step sustainable customer experience strategy, whatever your business type or sector. Across the UK insight6 partners and supports more than 800 businesses.

To find out more, or to arrange a virtual or socially distanced meeting please contact Judy Randon on 07909 542737

Standard Internal Doors Offers 

Seville Prefinished Oak Real American oak veneer 18mm solid wood lippings Solid core FSC certified Fire door option available Bespoke sizes available

Seville White Primed Ready for one-coat finish 18mm solid wood lippings Solid core Doors are heavy and robust Fire door option available Bespoke sizes available Prefinished Oak £99.00 (prices exclude VAT)

White Primed £65.00 (prices exclude VAT) 

The Rhino Building team have recently looked after a self build client who was really happy with our service. If you’re considering a self build, please do read their interview with Jamie and Claire Hesketh to find out more about their journey in building an incredible home. 

We know you have just completed a self build, what sort of build was it?

A 5000sq ft House with Garage Timber frame

How long did it take? The main house took 13 months but all outside including the driveway and landscaping took another 11 months.

What Challenges did you find along the way that you had to overcome? Raising finances and waiting for the banks. We had some money to start but didn’t have a specific self build mortgage they then wanted to check everything and this slowed everything down.

Tell us about your favourite things from the experience, what elements are you most pleased with from your build? Really pleased with the finish completely particularly the kitchen but generally all finished to a high standard.

Was it difficult to find quality tradesmen? No I found them through friends we found recommendation works well. Monk Services were brilliant and did what they said they would do for the drive and a bit more, really cracked on in his time here.

95% of your materials were purchased from Rhino Building & DIY Supplies from Acle, what made you choose them? They were very local to me and were recommended to me by a friend. I had used Craig before a while ago on a previous project.

How was your experience of Rhino and what made them exceptional? Craig from Rhino really helped us from the beginning even before we started the build with the planning of it. Craig was always on the phone to give advice and always got us what we needed, if they didn’t have it then he sourced it for us he puts himself out and is easy to talk to, knowledgeable and helpful and we have been really grateful for that.

Would you recommend Rhino to others doing a self build project? 100% yes to anyone they are a great merchant, local small business that really cares about their customers.

Finally what advice would you give to others considering a self build? I would advise anyone else considering to self build to get all their finances arranged prior, know what they want to use too for example bricks and tiles. Planning ahead is half the battle. We drove around looking at new builds and knocked on doors to find out what they used for things we liked.  

High and consistent energy levels are crucial for personal and business success.  This week James and Mark give 3 top tips to help improve energy levels drawing inspiration from motivational legend Jim Rohn, cycling hero Tommy Voeckler and Pavlov’s salivating dogs.

Listen here!

As people turn to accountants for advice and guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic, TaxAssist Accountants registers its highest ever number of July new business client leads.

In the most turbulent of times, small business specialists TaxAssist Accountants have proved to be an essential hub for local business communities as a result of unsurpassed levels of support and communication.

With over 230 franchises across the UK looking after more than 76,000 clients, TaxAssist Accountants has seen its services in demand like never before.

The Norwich-based Support Centre team is working tirelessly to ensure its franchisees have correct and up-to-date information to meet its network’s clients’ requests for help, and the timely advice and online and centralised email campaigns offered by TaxAssist Accountants during the pandemic have been very well received from clients who have praised the proactive help and advice offered.

James Mattam, Group Business Development Director at TaxAssist Accountants said: “July was an unprecedented month for new business client leads generated by the Support Centre, with over 800 qualified by our team of call handlers.

“All of our accountants have been incredibly busy supporting their clients through the COVID-19 crisis, with grant applications, funding and furloughing claims and cash flow advice. As a result of the quality, responsive service our network has offered, we are receiving a huge number of new business enquiries and referrals from existing clients, happy to recommend TaxAssist’s services. We are also receiving calls from businesses looking to migrate to our network who are feeling unsupported by their current accountant in these challenging times.

“All of our accountants are open for business and offer flexible ways to meet, either over the phone, via video consultation or safely in one of our shops or offices. We provide a full service offering to clients utilising the very latest online software solutions, taking the guesswork out of managing financial business records. We regularly hear back from clients that they enjoy the ease and clarity of the software, coupled with the personal, local service that our accountants provide.

“I’d encourage anyone wanting to find out more about TaxAssist’s services, or to request a free initial consultation to give the team a call on 0800 05 23 555.”