Member News

A King’s Lynn manufacturer of male grooming products has doubled exports to Australia after attending a trade show in Melbourne, with support from the Department for International Trade (DIT).

Captain Fawcett, launched in 2010, makes men’s hair and beard grooming products and fragrances which it sells directly to consumers and trade clients. More than 80% of the company’s sales are overseas, with its products available across 35 markets, such as Italy, Holland and Canada. 

The business has boosted its sales to Australia – which has a cosmetics market worth $4.2billion, up 2.3% year on year according to market research company, IBISWorld – after taking part in the largest hairdressing event in the Southern Hemisphere, Hair Expo. It attended the trade show in September 2018 with funding secured through the Department for International Trade (DIT).

At the event, the team from Captain Fawcett was able to network with potential distribution partners and showcase its portfolio of grooming products.

After attending the event, the company’s annual sales to Australia increased from £50,000 to £100,000 thanks to deals secured with distributors.  Sales are projected to increase by 50-100% over the coming year.

International Trade Advisers (ITAs) at DIT also helped the business understand regulations governing the sale of cosmetics in Australia and helped to draw up distribution agreements with its new partners.

Following Captain Fawcett’s success in Australia, the business has now set its sights on India, as male grooming grows in popularity across the country.  

Richie Finney, founder of Captain Fawcett, said: “There’s no better way to establish trading connections than by meeting potential distributors face-to-face.

“Much of our international trading has been forged through establishing one on one relationships with our overseas partners. This way, you’re able to quickly identify if a potential partner is the right fit for the business or not.

“One of the biggest challenges we face when it comes to this approach to doing business abroad is arranging the logistics of travelling and ensuring we meet with the right kind of people when we are there. With DIT support, we’ve been able to visit markets such as Australia to raise the profile of our brand, build relationships and increase our market share. If we can do all of this and succeed, so can others.”

Thinley Topden, Head of Region for DIT East of England, said: “Accessing distribution networks in overseas markets can be a significant challenge for local businesses looking to export. Captain Fawcett’s ambition and admirable entrepreneurial spirit, coupled with DIT helping to secure funding for it to attend the Hair Expo, has meant they’ve been able to face those challenges head on.

“DIT offers a range of support to help businesses wherever they may be on their exporting journey. From advice and training, introductions to valuable international contracts or to help with travel funding.

“We have a network of International Trade Advisers based on the ground in the East of England, and we encourage local firms to get in touch.”

Companies looking for support should call 01707 398 398 or email eastinfo@mobile.trade.gov.uk. They can also visit great.gov.uk, which has information on live export opportunities and includes general information on exporting and events.

Leeway are hosting a charity golf day on Wednesday the 25th of September at Barnham Broom.

Come and support the event and expect to receive a bacon roll, tea or coffee on arrival! 

If that wasn’t enough reason to join the day will also include:

Amazing Networking opportunities

18 hole golf course

2 course meal

Raffle & auction

Photos with Grant Holt and Rob Newman

Please register your interest with Gabriella Harvey-Mobbs, Events and Fundraising Officer:

Tel: 0300 561 0077 Mob: 07894 256063

‘Matthew Shardlake’ (Paul Dickson) and Maids Head Hotel General Manager, Christine Malcolm unveiled a plaque outside the hotel on Friday, August 2 to celebrate the Maids Head appearing in CJ Sansom’s best-selling novel Tombland.

Tombland is the seventh in CJ Sansom’s series of historical novels featuring Tudor lawyer Matthew Shardlake. In the book, he heads to Norwich to look into the circumstances of a horrific murder and stays at the Maids Head, before getting engulfed in Kett’s Rebellion in the summer of 1549.

“We have been offering a special Shardlake’s Norwich package since February,” said Christine Malcolm. “Guests on the package are given a copy of Tombland and have the option of booking a Shardlake tour with our resident tour guide, Paul Dickson.”

“The package has proved very popular, with Shardlake fans heading to Norwich from all over the UK, ” continued Christine. “We have even had visitors from Norway who love the series. It’s the first visit to Norwich for many of our Shardlake guests and the feedback that we get is that they love the city and can’t wait to return.”

“Our plaque, celebrating Matthew Shardlake’s residence at the hotel, is already proving a good talking point, with guests taking selfies as a reminder of their stay.”

Paul Dickson added: “As well as taking Maids Head guests on my Shardlake’s Norwich tour, I offer a series a public bookable tours. People enjoy discovering Kett’s Heights, seeing the remains of Kett’s headquarters, St Michael’s Chapel, and taking in the fabulous view of Norwich and discussing the story of the rebellion.”

“My Shardlake costume, which was made by Penny Knee of the Paston Heritage Society, had its first outing on my Norfolk Day tour. It really added to the whole experience and drew lots of ‘second looks’ from drivers on the inner ring road and Kett’s Hill.”

For more information about the Maids Head Hotel’s Shardlake package see www.maidsheadhotel.co.uk.

For more information about the Shardlake’s Norwich tour see www.pauldicksontours.co.uk.

The Maids Head Hotel claims to be the oldest hotel in the UK, based on the site being used for hospitality from the end of the 11th century when the first Norman Bishop of Norwich, Herbert de Losinga had his initial palace there.

An inn on the site, the Murtel Fish, is mentioned in court records in 1287. The name, the Maids Head, first appears in a Paston letter, dated 22 November 1472.

Several legends associate the hotel with Kett’s Rebellion. Royal commanders, the Marquis of Northampton and the Earl of Warwick are said to have had breakfast at the Maids Head before their respective battles. Robert and William Kett are thought to have used the hotel as their Norwich headquarters after the defeat of the Marquis of Northampton at the Battle of Palace Plain. 

Soter joined The Chambers back in Feb, and as we are in the same building, I have shared lots of Hello’s and happy sunshine lunches with them, so I know they’re a lovely lot.

When Beth popped down to see us with her plan to help a young boy to go on a school trip that his mum could no long afford due to an unexpected £800 bill to fix her car, we were happy to help! 

Her JustGiving page raised the money in just a week, thanks to local businesses in the area. Well done Beth! 

To read the full article click the link below.

A day all about me? Don’t mind if I do!

Haze Carver: As a member of the Customer Experience Team, I often find myself driving around the Norfolk countryside visiting both potential and existing members for conversations and support – it’s one of the reasons I love my job!

Kate Pigeon-Owen, Manager and Wellbeing Consultant and Sarah Bush, Events Organiser are incredible women running a wonderful company Wellbeing International Ltd who deliver wellbeing on a personal and corporate level. Based in Gissing, they are an international company with clients both in the UK and worldwide.

Their collective vision is to reduce stress within the workplace, by looking after organisations top resource – its staff.

Following this positive meeting in sunny Gissing, Kate invited myself and my colleague Julie to come along to their first ‘Nutritional Health and Feeling Great’ day retreat at Diss by Verve (formerly Scholes Inn) in Norfolk.

I was thrilled to be invited, and was really keen to learn more on how what we eat and drink impacts our overall health, wellbeing, sleep and energy levels and image. As a full-time working (menopausal) parent, these are issues I deal with daily.

The venue, Diss by Verve is a beautiful historic coaching Inn, and the atmosphere was calm and peaceful and we immediately felt at home with the other guests.

Throughout the day, we met an energetic, witty fashion consultant on colours and style, we tried some delicious Raw food (spinach and mango, my new favourite) and were introduced to dehydrated nuts! Wow!

Sarah talked us though her incredible journey of weight loss and the benefits she has discovered on the Keto Diet.

My favourite part of the day was a fascinating questionnaire that uncovered our history with food and how our upbringing can have an impact on our eating habits, I found it an incredibly insightful day, and met some interesting women too. It ended perfectly with a relaxing mindfulness session. 

The workshops and services on offer with Wellbeing International cover a wide range of areas;

10% More Energy Workshops Teambuilding/motivational days Communication skills Industry specific days i.e. for lawyers, accountants Sleep Workshops  – how to wake up refreshed Menopause Workshops Confidential 1:1 stress management sessions Retreats – for both the corporate and private sector

It was a fun, informative day, and our enormous thanks go to Kate and Sarah for letting us join them.

If you are interested in attending one of Kate’s Day Retreats, the next upcoming event is A Day For Me! is Sunday September 15th at Abbey Hall, Eye, Suffolk – book before September 1st for the early bird discount    

Monthind Partner, Tony Felgate, and Business Services Manager, Andy Flatman, will be donning their walking shoes in October to support Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), a charity dedicated to preventing male suicide.

CALM is leading a movement against suicide, the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the UK, through frontline services, including a helpline, corporate support schemes, and campaigns. Tony and Andy will be joining the crowds to support charity’s first event, the Lost Hours Walk on 26th October 2019.

Starting at 11 pm, the night-time walk offers two routes, covering 20 miles or 8 miles. Both start at Greenwich, the shorter route finishes at Big Ben, the longer one circles back to Greenwich. The charity chose the date as it is the end of British Summertime, and says: “As time goes backwards, we’re walking forwards to campaign against feeling rubbish, against struggling in silence, against being alone, against living miserably. 16 people take their own life every day, leaving behind thousands of friends, family and colleagues. On the one day we are given extra time, we walk for all those for whom there wasn’t enough.” 

Tony says, “CALM is looking to raise awareness of suicide amongst men, something that seems to be ever-increasing. As a business, we are always looking to improve our health and wellbeing support for staff and CALM enables organisations to tap into a wealth of resources for their staff. Although CALM is not one of Monthind’s nominated charities, we believe it is important that we support them in their fundraising efforts. Our JustGiving links are Tony and Andy, any donations are greatly appreciated.”

Six Weeks of Summer Special – just £49 for two players! Includes:

• 18-holes of golf on the Hill course for two people
• Use of golf buggy
• Voucher for two bacon rolls in the Sports Bar

To reedem this fantastic offer, simply visit the post on Facebook (click here) like this post, tag the person you would bring with you and quote on booking the code. *HILLB2B* To book call 01603 757505, email golfshop@barnham-broom.co.uk or pop into the shop! Valid Monday-Thursday from 10am until Sunday 8th September 2019. Terms and conditions apply. Subject to availability.

Last week’s record-breaking temperatures were welcomed by some but for others the unprecedented heat created serious problems.

For local charity, The Benjamin Foundation, it threatened to destroy a ground-breaking art installation, called Flight for Youth, which consisted of thousands of glazed pottery butterflies which had been put in place at The Assembly House to mark the charity’s 25th anniversary.

Every single butterfly was attached to the structure with a glue backing but thanks to the extraordinary hot weather a few butterflies decided to try and escape the installation when the glue melted causing the fixings to come away from their ceramic backs. Which is where Abate leapt to the rescue…

We went to site to install a giant butterfly net measuring 22 metres by 7 metres to capture any falling butterflies and prevent further damage.

Colin Lang, Project Manager for the Benjamin Foundation said “We needed to act very quickly to secure the butterflies and I thought netting would be an ideal solution. I contacted Jon Blake the MD of Abate Pest Management who dropped everything to assist. Within hours, Abate carried out a survey, they then sourced specific netting from one supplier, ties from an electrical contractor and was ready to implement a solution to completely secure the butterflies and remove any safety issues.”

A team of three people from Abate between them carried out 11 hours of work in-between a wedding and the Run Norwich 10k race. Jon Blake from Abate said “We suspended and cable tied bird netting to the pre-existing scaffolding to create a barrier to prevent any further butterflies from falling. We were delighted to help, especially as the charity has done such a great job with the amazing spectacle of colour.” 

Colin added, “Abate were heroes in my eyes, they went to all the trouble of helping in true community spirit and to top it all, Jon said that Abate would pay for all the works and materials. Sadly, despite everyone’s best efforts, with the temperatures continuing to soar and more butterflies falling, it was felt that the installation was a potential danger, so it has been moved to ground level but we remain so grateful to Jon and his team for leaping to our rescue at our time of need. I would personally like to thank such a great company for their support.

The Benjamin Foundation is an independent charity operating in Norfolk and Suffolk. They bring hope, opportunity, stability and independence by supporting people through the challenges that life may bring them, including homelessness, childcare, bullying and abuse. They have a team of over 200 staff and each person plays their part in helping around 2,500 children, young people and families each year.

Abate Pest Management is an award winning pest control company based in Morley near Wymondham. They provide domestic and commercial pest control, including audited food grade premises, hotels, schools and for Housing Associations. Abate has multiple accreditations and certifications including CEPA, BPCA, Triple ISO, SafeContractor and CHAS. They were awarded the small company of the year at the 2019 British Pest Management Awards and recently became a local Future50 company. Visit www.abatepestmanagement.co.uk, email sales@abateltd.co.uk or call 01953 603390.

The first of Greater Anglia’s brand-new trains entered passenger service this morning – heralding the start of a new era of rail travel in East Anglia. One of the train company’s new bi-mode trains set off for its maiden passenger voyage on the 07.47 service from Lowestoft to Norwich.

Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director, said: “This is an important and significant day for us – and one we have all been looking forward to. Our first new train has now entered passenger service and it’s the start of a new era.

 “We were committed to beginning our transformation in Summer 2019 and we’ve done just that. This is an incredibly exciting time for everyone involved with East Anglia’s railways – customers, communities and all the team here at Greater Anglia.

 “Our new trains will transform rail travel across the region, bring wider economic, social, business, tourism and environmental benefits. It is the largest wholescale replacement of trains by any train company in the UK. A formal launch for the introduction of the new trains is due to take place later in the summer, as the phased entry into service for the new trains starts to pick up speed.

The company will also mark the introduction of new trains on each of its routes over the coming months, highlighting the benefits not just for customers, but also businesses, the economy and the wider region.”

 Greater Anglia is getting 38 regional bi-mode trains (24 x 4-carriage trains and 14 x 3-carriage trains) which switch between electricity and diesel power, from international rail vehicle construction company Stadler, headquartered in Switzerland. They will offer a positive step change on regional routes across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and parts of Essex – mainly the Marks Tey to Sudbury line.

 Every train is longer, with many more seats, and other features including air conditioning, plug and USB points and improved accessibility.  They will also improve reliability and resilience with three and four carriage trains replacing a fleet of one, two and three carriage trains, many of which are over 30 years old.

Thomas Ahlburg, group chief executive of Stadler, said: “The roll-out of the new trains into passenger service is a momentous occasion not just for our business, but for passengers and local communities alike. The contract, signed less than three years ago, was our first for mainline rolling stock in the UK. It signified our entry into this this important market and blazed a trail for orders secured subsequently for the Liverpool City Region and Wales & Borders.

 “The new trains for Greater Anglia are FLIRTs, our best-selling product which we have sold 1,700 of in 17 countries. Like all the trains we build, the FLIRT relies on state-of-the-art technology to ensure safety, reliability and comfort for the benefit of passengers. We hope that the travelling public in East Anglia will like them.”

 In the early stages of the roll out, a small number of services between Norwich and Great Yarmouth and Norwich and Lowestoft will be operated by new trains, followed by some services between Norwich and Cambridge. The programme should then gather pace and the majority of the regional bi-mode trains should be in service by the end of 2019.

 They will be maintained at Norwich Crown Point depot, which is benefitting from a £40 million upgrade to prepare it as the base for the new regional, intercity and Stansted Express trains.

Autumn 2019 will see the first new intercity train enter service and the first suburban train, built by Bombardier, is also due to enter service later this year. The bi-mode trains are part of a £600m investment in new Stadler trains for the region which have been financed by Rock Rail East Anglia and will be leased to Greater Anglia for the life of the franchise.

 Mark Swindell, chief executive officer Rock Rail, said: “Rock Rail is delighted to see the second of its fleets enter passenger service and mark the start of a step change in the travel experiences for rail passengers across Greater Anglia. It follows the introduction of Rock Rail’s first fleet on Great Northern routes earlier this year. These new, state-of- the art trains for Greater Anglia are some of the first to enter service in the UK financed through pension funds and insurance companies. This long term, highly competitive funding enables significantly better value for money to rail passengers and tax payers over the life of the trains, along with significant improvements in passenger, environmental and operational features.”

The children of Ingoldisthorpe Primary School became nature detectives for the last day of their summer term on a visit to Anglian Water’s new natural wetland at Ingoldisthorpe near King’s Lynn, which they helped to plant a year ago. 

Stocked with native flora, the wetland is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK. It has been created in partnership between Anglian Water and the Norfolk Rivers Trust as a simple, natural solution to remove unwanted chemicals, including phosphates and ammonia, from water treated at Anglian Water’s water recycling centre there, rather than needing to rely on a traditional built facility with the associated energy consumption and carbon production.

After passing through the water recycling process, millions of litres of water every day filter through four large, interconnected pools, planted with a range of native plants. The plants remove the chemicals before high-quality water is returned to the River Ingol.

The children, aged between five and 11, were on site not just to learn about the wetland and its role in the water treatment process, but to help with Ingoldisthorpe’s first ever Bio-Blitz, which saw experts from Anglian Water’s biodiversity team, the Norfolk Rivers Trust, the British Dragonfly Society and wetland plant provider Verdant Solutions spend the day surveying the species which have made the site their home.

After just a year, the wetland is already a haven for wildlife, including bees, breeding birds, amphibians, dragonflies, bats and water voles. More than 120 species were spotted on the day, with the final tally still being calculated. It’s hoped that the number of species to be found at the site will grow over time, with the 2019 Bio-Blitz providing a benchmark for future years’ measurement.

This ambitious initiative exemplifies Anglian Water’s commitment to making a positive difference to its local communities and the environment, recently enshrined in a ground-breaking change to the company’s Articles of Association which ensures that public interest is embedded in the heart of the company’s constitution.

Following the success of this flagship site at Ingoldisthorpe, Anglian Water hopes to build more than 30 similar wetland sites across its region in its next business plan, which will take the company through to 2025.

Adept Supply Chain Solutions are pleased to offer a free no obligation ‘Business Vitality Health Check’.

Our ‘starter-for-ten’ document generates an overview of your business’s current status and our criteria differs according to the market sector your business operates in. Adept’s takeaway from the business review is an understanding of your business goals and objectives and an overview of your key operating processes. From this, we then generate a scope of work and quotation. Our solutions are bespoke to you and we adopt the most appropriate problem-solving tools and implement effective counter-measures to improve levels of productivity and profitability.

We don’t compile glossy reports and then leave you to sort the issues for yourself!

Instead, we have a ‘learn by doing’ approach. We go straight to the coalface and start implementing measurable improvements immediately, primarily focusing on Quality, Cost and Delivery (QCD) metrics. However, our approach is structured and some of our tools such as a Continuous Sustainable Improvement Plan (CSIP) and improvement Project Charters are generic to every improvement activity that we undertake, regardless of the business type.

We focus on all aspects of your value-chain(s) to ensure alignment of products, processes and people to your strategic plan and that all processes are efficient as possible. 

The key to success is ensuring that everyone understands their place and contribution as an internal supplier and/or customer!

For more information contact Steve Grace at enquiries@adeptscs.co.uk or 07890 657047

The Trading Standards Institute has issued some information for businesses about Alternative Dispute Resolution which is applicable to most businesses.

For an in-depth look at the information , please go to the Trading Standards Institue website ( Business Companion) at:

https://www.businesscompanion.info/focus/adr