Member News

A new village hall in Trimingham, North Norfolk, has created a warm and welcoming hub for the community, thanks to a ground source heat pump installed by renewable heating expert Finn Geotherm.

The new purpose-built Trimingham Village Hall opened in 2018. The previous facilities were a 1930s pilgrim shelter, which is located close to the cliff edge in Trimingham and due to coastal erosion would only have 20 – 30 years more use. The old hall had electric heating which was ineffective and expensive to run.

Terry Brown, chairman of the Trimingham Village Hall Trust, said: “When we set out to build the new village hall, we wanted to create a space that everyone could enjoy. We also wanted it to be green and follow as many passive house standards as possible. We’d always planned to heat the hall using a ground source heat pump and were delighted when our building contractor appointed Finn Geotherm to undertake the project.”

Finn Geotherm specified and installed a Lämpöässä Vmi 17 three-phase ground source heat pump with integral 480 litre thermal store in a purpose-built plant room. The system heats the entire building, comprising main hall, meeting room, kitchen and toilets, via underfloor heating. Built on a paddock, the 1200m ground loop array was laid in the area surrounding the village hall. Although there were some obstacles to overcome, including a protected area for the wildflower Purple Broomrape, Finn Geotherm rose to the challenge to complete all the necessary groundworks.

While the heat pump does not need adjustment and is left to run effectively on its own, Finn Geotherm is able to monitor the heat pump performance remotely using an Assa control unit.

Trimingham Village Hall’s £38,000 heat pump project qualifies for the Non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive, meaning the hall will receive quarterly payments for the heat they use for the next 20 years. As part of the project, Finn Geotherm dealt with the application to register this installation and ensure Trimingham Village Hall receives all the financial incentive available.

Fundraising for the new village hall took five and a half years. The facilities are now in constant use with all manner of community groups and events taking place there each week, from lunch clubs and yoga to table tennis and even weddings.

Terry sums up: “We are delighted with how well the heat pump works in our new hall. It has created a warm, welcoming environment and the running costs are excellent. In the previous village hall, we had problems with people not wanting to take their coats off – now we don’t know where to put them all! We have had huge support from Finn Geotherm throughout the installation and afterwards too, which has been brilliant.”

For more information on renewable heating, contact Finn Geotherm by visiting www.finn-geotherm.co.uk.

We are delighted to announce that the web design and search engine optimisation (SEO) teams at Tudor Lodge Consultants have recently started working with the wonderful team at Smiles Better Dental, the Manchester-based denture clinic and lab. Having previously had an underperforming website, we were approached by the team at Smiles Better Dental to redesign, reformat and update their website.

The main aim of the redesign and now ongoing SEO work is to both increase conversions as well as to climb up search engine rankings, specifically on Google, to build the brand name online and to increase the number of enquiries for the business.

Why SEO?

Although there are a multitude of marketing channels to be utilised online, SEO has over the years been proven time and again to be one of (if not) the most effective channels with regards to engagement, user engagement and customer loyalty. Paid advertisements and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising have their place, but they are well-known by most consumers to be paid for and therefore are not deemed to be ‘organic’ as SEO rankings are.

Ultimately, when it comes to rankings, SEO and organic rankings must be earned as opposed to paid for in the same way that paid for and promotional advertisements are.

What Does SEO for Smiles Better Dental Entail?

We have been updating the Smiles Better Dental website for a short period of time already and the rankings of the site are already starting to show some positive movement. We have been (amongst other actions) working on the initially fundamental, foundational SEO factors that Smiles Better Dental will need to push forward and up the rankings online:

• Website Crawling – We have been working first and foremost to make sure that Google and indeed other search engines can understand the content and the context of the Smiles Better Dental Website. This means that any further and subsequent work will be picked up and better understood, and therefore better ranked
• Online PR Activities – Another key part of SEO is to make sure the brand and the overall offering of the brand are promoted properly online, coming with clean links where necessary. Working with a range of online publications, we have been working to promote Smiles Better Dental online
• On Site Content – The content of the website is another key area of focus for SEO. The website must have relevant and well-optimised content for search engines to crawl, read and understand and this includes landing pages, guides as well as other key information for the website.

With already positive indications for Smiles Better Dental we are looking forward to what the future holds for this exciting and forward-thinking brand.

Andrew Bassett opens his second shop in Northern Ireland.

Andrew Bassett, who has been successfully operating his practice from a shop on 103 Cregagh Road, Belfast since 2017, has opened a second walk-in tax and accountancy shop in Lisburn.

“Having been a franchisee for almost three years, I can see how the different aspects of the TaxAssist model work and can see how having a visible shop front definitely helps my practice grow,” said Andrew.

“The franchise territory I operate in gives me considerable scope for expansion and the convenience of the shops, combined with the power of the TaxAssist brand and marketing budget, means my practice really stands out from the crowd.

“I’m always amazed that there are only two TaxAssist Accountants in Northern Ireland, (fellow franchisee Ian Aiken operates from Ballymena in County Antrim) as I’m constantly busy. I believe the province could support another half a dozen franchisees.

“I’d certainly encourage any accountants in Northern Ireland who are keen to start their own TaxAssist Accountants practice to contact me for a chat as I’d be happy to share the benefits of my experience.”

Andrew’s shop joins an established network of 228 TaxAssist Accountants UK shops.

If you are interested in finding out more about joining TaxAssist Accountants, regular Discovery Days are held at the Support Centre in Norwich, where you meet with the Directors of the franchise and find out more about the technical and business development support on offer. Call 0800 0188297 to find out more.  

Anglia House Business Centre is delighted to offer all Norfolk Chamber Members a 10% discount on any rooms booked during January or February 2020. We have rooms suitable for all kinds of meeting whether it is 2 or 40 people. The rooms can be booked daily or by the week. 

Anglia House Business Centre offers high class, self-contained business executive accommodation. Whether you are looking for a location for a training course, business meeting, team building meetings, a quiet place to work or an office presence in Thetford then Anglia House Business Centre can accommodate you. 

It is also a perfect venue for “start-up” businesses because it is centrally located with an abundance of free car parking facilities within 2 minutes’ walk. The uses for our rooms are endless and include counselling room, mediations, collaborative law meetings, alternative dispute resolution and training purposes. We hold degree courses, first aid courses. Business planning meetings, supervision meetings and breakfast meetings. 

All our rooms have the benefit of free WI FI and are decorated to a high standard. Each room has its own combination lock and has its own bespoke security code. 

There is a fully manned reception which makes the venue ideal for holding interviews or carrying out staff appraisals. 

We have break out rooms where a large selection of teas and freshly made coffee are served together with luxury biscuits. We can also organise catering for groups of more than 6 people and this will be served in one of our breakout rooms at no extra cost.

You will receive a very warm welcome at the Business Centre, and we will ensure that all your meeting requirements are met. There is free WIFI throughout the building and most of our rooms have either a projector or television screen which connect to a lap top presentation. Flip charts are also included in the room hire price.

If you book a room at Anglia House Business Centre during the month of January or February 2020 as a Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Member you will receive a 10% discount on the room hire price.

Please phone us on 07799 465044 or email us on enquiries@angliahousebusinesscentre.co.uk and we will be delighted to book your room. 

Holidaymakers longing to escape to the sun have a huge choice of destinations on their doorstep with the launch today (January 20) of Norwich Airport’s annual destination guide.

Fly Norwich 2020 features 21 destinations in 10 countries, with a massive 700 worldwide connections through Amsterdam, with up to four flights a day from Norwich to the Netherlands.

New from Norwich Airport for 2020 is the Antalya region on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, plus there are now two flights a week to Dalaman in Turkey. In addition, for winter 2020, there are twice weekly flights to Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

Countries reached directly from Norwich Airport include Bulgaria (Bourgas), Cyprus (Paphos), Greece (Corfu, Crete, Rhodes), Italy (Bergamo), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Spain – Balearics (Ibiza, Majorca, Menorca), Spain – Canaries (Tenerife), and Turkey (Antalya and Dalaman). In the UK there are daily flights to Aberdeen and Edinburgh, and regular services to Jersey, all with Loganair, and Guernsey in the Channel Islands, with Aurigny. There are also day trips and short breaks to Lapland.

Managing Director Richard Pace said: “We’re delighted to be publishing the latest edition of Fly Norwich with a host of ideas and inspiration for discovering the world with Norwich Airport.”

“Whether it’s a fly-cruise, short break, summer sun, winter escapes or business links, our fantastic choice of direct flights and even more onward connections via Amsterdam makes the world readily accessible, all with the ease and convenience of flying from your local airport.”

The start of the year is traditionally the busiest time for people to book their annual holiday. As well as the wide range of destinations, Fly Norwich 2020 showcases the benefits of flying local, including a quick journey to the airport, parking close to the terminal, short check-in and security times and total step-free access from the terminal entrance to flight boarding.

Norwich Airport, which celebrates its 50th birthday this year, saw almost 544,000 passengers go through the terminal over 12 months to the end of March 2019. Carriers operating from Norwich include TUI, KLM and Loganair.

Norwich Airport is owned and operated by Regional & City Airports (RCA), part of Rigby Group plc.

RCA is the UK’s leading regional airport operator in terms of scale and operation, and also owns and operates Exeter, Bournemouth, and Coventry airports, and holds management contracts for Blackpool, City of Derry and Solent airports.

In the year to March 2019, RCA welcomed 2.4m passengers and handled 227,000 flights, serving as gateway for the seven million people that live in the airports’ passenger catchment areas.

To download a copy of Fly Norwich 2020, click here.

We’re extremely grateful to LIFT for providing us with funding to run our new project ‘You’ve Got This’; a series of 6 half day workshops focussing on team building and increasing confidence of long term unemployed people aged 16-30.  Our first workshop started last week with a lovely group of young people, all with varying barriers preventing them moving towards work, such as low level mental health issues, hidden disabilities or lack of experience in the work place.  Each workshop is themed and last week helped participants identify their own strengths within a team.  At the end of the series, the group will put into practice all they have learned about marketing, budgeting, planning etc by helping New-U organise and run an event, with each of them contributing in a way that suits their ability and highlights their strengths.

We’re also hugely thankful to the ‘Love Norfolk’ Community Fund which has provided us with transition funding whilst we develop and implement our income generation strategy.  This funding has given us the time needed to apply for Charitable Status.  We are over the moon to announce that we achieved UK Charitable Status just before Christmas and can now plan fundraising activities to secure our future.

We have have a new staff team for 2020.  Sarah, Tasha and Kiera all started the first week in January and are working hard to support those on work placements whilst giving the shop a new look and setting up our online shop.

The way in which textiles are produced and marketed has huge implications for both the environment and for social inequality.  Long term unemployed people face numerous barriers to moving towards employment and many of these cannot be overcome without intervention geared to the individual and their specific needs.  Bringing these two aims together will better the lives of so many now and in the future. We’re still looking for more local businesses to sponsor a young person on a work placement, just get in touch if you’d like to know more.

Finally, a staggering fact;   In 2019, New-U Enterprise facilitated the swapping of over 30,000 items of clothing & accessories.  Based on best current estimates, this equates to a saving on the equivalent new items of 9 billion litres of water and 6 million kilos of CO2 – WOW!

Following last autumn’s refurbishment of the Maids Head Hotel’s Wine Press Restaurant, Head Chef Marcin ‘Magic’ Pomierny, semi-finalist in the National Chef of the Year competition 2018 and 2019, has created a new A La Carte Menu to complement the contemporary look of the AA Two Rosette restaurant, featuring the finest of local seasonal produce.

The three-course menu, which will change with the seasons, also features an amuse bouche and a pre-dessert as part of the offer. Diners can opt for three or two course meals.

“I have been inspired by our new look Wine Press Restaurant to design a menu which will complement the diners’ surroundings,” said Magic. “Local produce includes cod, halibut and game, Cromer crab, Eleveden Estate venison and Norfolk mussels, all given a contemporary twist. We have fully tested the menu in house and look forward to getting feedback from our guests.”

Menu examples:

Starters

• Hand dived scallop, tempura Cromer crab beignet, dashi broth, pear and yuzu.
• Local game terrine, beetroot chutney, blackberry, pistachio, parsley mayonnaise and brioche.

Mains

• Black garlic glazed Dingley Dell pork fillet, carrot, radish, herb panisse and red wine jus.
• Locally caught cod, baby turnip & leek, squid ink crisp, dill emulsion and white wine cream.
• Hazelnut gnocchi, pickled smoked golden beetroot, hazelnut mayonnaise, confit fennel, beetroot cracker and goat’s cheese.

Desserts

• Chocolate fondant, passion fuit, mango and coconut.
• Mille-feuille of coffee, milk chocolate, Pedro Ximenez sherry and mascarpone.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Magic has created a seven course Taster Menu accompanied by four carefully selected wines. The special menu will be available on Friday 14 February and Saturday 15 February.

The Maids Head Hotel is in Tombland, Norwich, NR3 1LB, for more information about dining at the hotel call 01603 209955, www.maidsheadhotel.co.uk .

We, at Paul Robinson Partnership (UK) LLP, are delighted to see Bus Industrial Tools’ new base at Great Yarmouth South Denes Enterprise Zone is featured as a success story in the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership newsletter. We worked closely with Bus Industrial Tools in developing the site and it was interesting to learn from some of the innovative technical approaches the Dutch engineers brought to the project.

Indeed, we have worked extensively on the Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Enterprise Zones since their inception and continue to do so to this day. For instance, we’ve just achieved the Planning go-ahead for a workshop on Beacon Park in Gorleston and an extension to a commercial site at Mobbs Way in Lowestoft.  Both expected to roll onto site in 2020.

Over the years the Enterprise Zone has been in place, we have developed the early Beacon Park masterplan, we’ve designed and run bespoke projects for many companies, along with speculative developments.  All of which have a high degree of take up and success.

For more information about Enterprise Zones or if you wish discuss any projects which require planning and design services, we would love to hear from you – please contact Bruce Hart on 01603 397057 or email design@prparchitecture.com

Attleborough-based leading renewable heating expert Finn Geotherm, has been shortlisted for two national Heating & Ventilation News (HVN) Awards.

The HVN Awards celebrate excellence, forward thinking and the highest achievements across the building services industry. The awards cover the UK’s entire Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and building services supply chain, and are open to companies including installers and consultants as well as building owners themselves.

Finn Geotherm has been shortlisted in two categories for ground source heat pump projects:

• Renewable Energy Project of the Year – Raynham Hall

Located in Fakenham, Finn Geotherm replaced the old and ineffective oil boiler at this Grade 1 Listed property with a ground source heating system. Raynham Hall has now cut its heating bills by 64% and the amount of energy consumed has been reduced by 72%, all without having any impact on the aesthetic appearance of the stunning stately home.

• District Heating Project of the Year – Flagship Group – Quayside Court

A district heating scheme in Lakenheath for Flagship Group housing association. Heating for the 21 bungalows was previously provided by individual electric storage heaters and a shared oil boiler, which were inefficient and expensive to run. The project installed by Finn Geotherm uses one central ground source heat pump to provide heating and hot water for all homes on the estate. Residents at Quayside Court are now enjoying cheaper energy bills – costing around 56% less than before. Energy use has also been cut by 70%, making a significant impact on carbon emissions and providing a more affordable and efficient living environment for Flagship customers.

Guy Ransom, commercial director at Finn Geotherm, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be a finalist in the prestigious HVN Awards scheme, which recognise the country’s most significant heating products and projects. To be shortlisted for two projects is a great achievement and testament to the skill of the team at Finn Geotherm in designing and installing the best possible heat pump systems to meet the individual requirements of each customer.”

Winners of the HVN Awards will be announced on 30th April 2020 at a black tie event in London.

For more information on renewable heating, contact Finn Geotherm by visiting www.finn-geotherm.co.uk.

The family law team at Norwich solicitors Cozens-Hardy has joined a new online scheme that aims to dramatically reduce the time it takes divorcing couples to obtain a formal court order finalising their financial settlement.

It can currently take up to four months for couples to get a formal order even when they have already agreed its terms – but the new fast-track scheme could slash this frustrating delay by three quarters, to less than two weeks.

Jane Anderson, head of the family team at Cozens-Hardy: 

“Divorcing couples are often left in financial limbo for many weeks. These delays are frequently out of solicitors’ hands, but they cause complications and give rise to additional stress at what it is already a sad and difficult time for divorcing couples. When clients take the decision to divorce they are often very surprised to learn how long it is likely to take to sort out the divorce and financial matters, even if an agreement is reached at an early stage. 

“We are delighted to be part of the pilot scheme. This year has been very difficult as we have frequently found that, even once an agreement is reached about the finances, it can take up to three months for a court order to be finalised – and even then it can sometimes be another four weeks before the agreed order is sent out. This new scheme has the potential to ensure that agreed financial settlements submitted to the court online will take just one or two weeks to be turned around.”

The pilot scheme for submitting paperwork online has been launched by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service to combat administrative delays.

“The Office for National Statistics recently revealed that divorces are at their lowest level since 1971 – but that is at least partly due to the administrative backlog,” said Mrs Anderson.

For further information please contact:

Clare Haylett ph: 07764 270570 and clare@clarehaylett.net

Tasnuva Tina has opened a new small business walk-in tax and accountancy practice on 54 High Street in Saffron Walden.

Tasnuva Tina is an ACCA qualified accountant with over 10 years’ experience managing small business clients. She joined TaxAssist Accountants in April 2019 after purchasing an established practice from retiring accountant Jonathan Berks, who had operated the business for 22 years.

“I have always wanted to operate my own practice, and a large part of why I chose to join the TaxAssist Accountants network was the impressive shop design which really makes the practice stand out from the crowd,” explained Tina.

“Jonathan had built up a very well run practice, and the new shop is ideally positioned to cater for our existing clients, but alongside my fantastic team of staff, I am looking to grow further, so I would like to encourage anyone interested in finding out more about the services we offer to pop in for a free initial consultation. The shop is very visible, well located and has plenty of off-street parking nearby.”

As well as covering Saffron Walden, the new shop covers an area from Royston in North Hertfordshire to much of South Cambridgeshire.

Tina’s shop joins a network of over 227 TaxAssist Accountants shops nationwide.

If you are interested in finding out more about joining the TaxAssist Accountants network, call Nikki Haythorne on 0800 0188297.

1,200 trees have been planted at Sadler’s Wood Pocket Park in North Walsham as part of North Norfolk District Council’s (NNDC) ambition to plant 110,000 trees – one for every person in North Norfolk – over the next four years.

The Felbeck Trust, a charity which helps to restore and improve the Norfolk countryside for the benefit of wildlife, local communities and visitors, organised the volunteering event in response to NNDC’s appeal to get members of the public and community groups involved with the four-year environmental campaign.

Working under the direction of NNDC’s countryside rangers team, over 30 volunteers from the Trust, the local community and Easton & Otley College took to their spades to plant a mix of locally sourced and grown deciduous species including hazel, beech and oak. These new species of tree will help to improve biodiversity and be better for the local wildlife, replacing the majority of conifers planted there 70-100 years ago.

This is one of the first large scale planting exercises to be completed since the Council launched its 110,000 trees goal at its Green Build event in September. NNDC is continuing to ask people to follow in the footsteps of Felbeck Trust and to come forward with more ideas and suggestions to help achieve the 110,000 trees planted ambition.

Councillor Nigel Lloyd, environment portfolio holder at NNDC, said: “We were delighted with the response to our first large scale planting activity since launching the campaign. Twelve hundred trees in one event is a huge milestone to achieve within this year’s tree planting season. These are in addition to a further 10,000 trees being planted this planting season at our country parks.

“A huge thank you to the Felbeck Trust and everyone who contributed towards making the event at Sadler’s Wood such a great success. We are looking forward to working with other local community groups, schools, businesses and individuals to run more events across North Norfolk in the coming months. Whether it is one tree planted, or another twelve hundred, each one counts towards our ambitious goal and we welcome all support and ideas.”

The Felbeck Trust’s commitment to improving the environment and habitats for all living organisms across the district includes a wider collaboration project with NNDC to maintain Sadler’s Wood as a Pocket Park for both wildlife and the local community. The Trust’s ongoing work to restore sites across North Norfolk in order to preserve and conserve natural habitats for wildlife was also recognised and celebrated with the North Norfolk District Council Environment Award. This award is presented annually to local projects and activities which demonstrate environmental sustainability.

To support its four-year tree planting ambition, NNDC is partnering with the Woodland Trust as its main supplier of trees. It is encouraging individuals, as well as local schools, groups and businesses, to get involved with the campaign which is part of its journey to becoming a carbon neutral council by 2030. For more information and details of how to get involved, visit: https://www.north-norfolk.gov.uk/trees