The Grand Norwich Duck Race has grown into one of the biggest events of the summer calendar for Break, as well as Norwich, raising £87k to date to #changeyounglives with a much-loved local charity. The event this coming year will be held on bank holiday Sunday, the 25 August, in conjunction with the Ribs of Beef, Broads Authority and Norfolk SUP Company. Ducks are launched from St Georges Bridge and race to Fye Bridge (Ribs of Beef) – the winner of the corporate race gets the Crystal Duck Trophy! As a Norfolk Chambers of Commerce Member, we are offering you the EXCLUSIVE chance to own a duck for just £90 – a saving of 10% on the normal £100. For this, you get a large 32cm duck along with acrylic paints and then you can create your own #ducktransformation – corporate logos on, or feathers and fur – it’s all up to you. It represents a small part of your marketing budget for the year, plus a charity donation, all in all adding up to a great way to join in on a hugely fun event and support Break. You can see ideas on ducks and decoration by looking back at 2018 ducks here. Following the race the ducks get preened ready for the #GNDR19 Auction at the Maids Head on Thursday 5 September where there is an opportunity for you to re-enter the duck next year if you buy him/her back. “I gained more twitter followers and interaction with my duck than ever before as part of the Grand Norwich Duck Race” Keith, Select Planning. We then ask you to join our quacking crew on twitter @norwichduckrace . . . gone are the days of tweeting into the abys – now you have a group of like minded local companies and individuals to tweet to and meet at our regular events and get togethers. We already have a ‘Tweet-Up’ arranged for Thursday 15 August at the Ribs of Beef, a lovely social where we can put faces to twitter handles! To book your duck today please click here.
Fakenham residents have clubbed together with a locally based wildlife charity to buy a significant wildlife site just a stone’s throw from the centre of the town, protecting it against the danger of development.
Protecting the land began 5 years ago with the purchase of neighbouring meadows, but this latest purchase completes the conservation jigsaw in the area. Star Meadow has been bought by a number of local residents in collaboration with Hawk and Owl Trust, a national wildlife conservation charity that has its headquarters based at nearby Sculthorpe.
The meadow is on the west side of town behind the Tesco superstore and is part of an area of meadows just off of Gogg’s Mill Road and, on 22 May, some of those who donated funds were able to explore the area they have helped to secure.
The whole area, once known as Back Common, is along the old course of the River Wensum before it was canalised and the river moved to its current course. With a rich history, but never having been ploughed, these meadows represent a rare link with natural habitats and will revert to wild flower meadows relatively quickly with the reintroduction of careful grazing and habitat management.
Fakenham resident Robin Parker (74) bought the neighbouring fields – known as Edmundson’s Acres – in 2014 and, with the help of Hawk and Owl Trust, is already turning these into a nature reserve with special emphasis on wildflowers and invertebrates.
Star Meadow will be added to the area being conserved which already consists of a Site of Scientific Interest and a Norfolk Wildlife Trust County Wildlife Site, and all lie within a Special Area of Conservation and will help provide a link between the Hawk and Owl Trust’s Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve and Norfolk Ornithologists’ Association’s Hempton Marsh to the west and Pensthorpe and Senowe Park to the east.
Star Meadow was previously owned by Tesco, who had hoped to develop the land but as access was difficult the meadow had been left. Robin saw the opportunity to buy the land and immediately set about investigating ways to raise the funding to ensure that the land was removed from the danger of further town development and save the orchids, Bog Bean and Ragged Robin (all scarce wild flowers) that could be found growing there. Barn Owls, Tawny Owls and Otters are frequently seen and the meadow is a site for the rare Desmoulin’s Whorled Snail.
Robin approached the Operational Director Adrian Blumfield at the Sculthorpe Moor Hawk and Owl Trust Nature Reserve who was keen to help.
As the Trust already work with Robin – who is also one of the volunteers at the Trust’s Sculthorpe reserve – on Edmundson’s Acres it was an obvious collaboration, but Robin also galvanised other Fakenham residents who were equally keen to preserve the area and prevent it being developed.
The Trust used its management expertise and through the lengthy negotiations persuaded Tesco to sell the land. It is down to the generosity of Robin and eight other concerned residents and the Hawk and Owl Trust that the necessary funds to buy the land were raised and donated to the Trust.
Conservation management has already begun and, in the short term whilst the very wet site is being carefully and gently turned back into havens for wildlife access to the area will be via guided walks, which will be advertised in the town and at Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve
Robin Parker, said “Star Meadow is a wonderful place, joining up with Edmonson’s Acres in the important and beautiful River Wensum valley, and securing this place will enable us to protect this site for wildlife and the community for ever.”
Adrian Blumfield, Chief Operations Director of Hawk and Owl, said “This is a fantastic place in the centre of Fakenham, which many residents didn’t even know was here.
It will now take several years of conservation work to restore the land and we plan to engage with the residents and schools when we are able to offer activities. It is through Robin’s skills and the generosity of all the donors that has made this possible!”
Contact information – available for interviews.
Adrian Blumfield (Chief Operations Director, Hawk and Owl Trust) Office: 01328 850598 (8am to 4pm) Email: admin@hawkandowltrust.org.uk
Su Gough (Communications and PR Officer) Office: 01328 850 598 (direct dial) (8am to 4pm) Mobile: 07769 270994 (anytime) Email: su.gough@hawkandowltrust.org.uk
Creative Learning Coordinator – post available from 12th August 2019
Closing date for applications 24th June 2019.
We have an exciting opportunity to be part of our Creative Learning team.
This two-day a week job-share role will focus on our outreach work with schools and educational institutions, but you will work closely with your job-share colleague and the rest of the NPT team to organise and deliver our wide range of workshops and other projects.
We have some very exciting projects coming up with schools, libraries, children with complex needs, looked after children, as well as inter-generational work.
If you or someone you know can demonstrate an arts and education background and is enthusiastic to demonstrate how creative activities can help learning and personal development then do get in touch.
Of course our work needs financial support. This new role is part-time but salaried in our core team. Our generous funders support the projects the team delivers, but your help in supporting the core capabilities to plan, develop and deliver specific activities is vital, and less in cash terms than you might think. We think linking your brand with us will be valuable for your company.
To discuss sponsorship or more details about this role, or request an application pack email: ianwoods@puppettheatre.co.uk.
Following an employee satisfaction survey carried out by independent research agency WorkBuzz, TaxAssist Accountants has been named as a ‘5 Star Employer’.
To celebrate TaxAssist’s achievement, staff were invited to a special presentation event over lunch, which saw Karl Sandall, Group Chief Executive Director, receive the award certificate from Steven Frost, CEO of WorkBuzz.
“We are delighted with the results of this survey. We are above benchmark compared to businesses of a similar size and industry, so this is quite an achievement,” said Karl.
“We recognise just how important it is to have happy, engaged and experienced Support Centre staff in Norwich at the heart of our organisation.
This in turn benefits new and existing franchisees who can feel reassured they are being well looked after by a stable support team.
“As part of the survey, WorkBuzz created a ‘word cloud’ derived from asking what three words staff would use to describe the TaxAssist Accountants culture. Again, we are delighted with the response to this question and, in particular, seeing words such as friendly, caring, progressive, family and supportive.” The biggest challenge facing many organisations is recruiting and retaining the best talent. With the UK’s ever-changing job market, the expectations of employees are rising – they have faster career progression expectations and demand instant change based on their feedback. The WorkBuzz 5 Star Employer Award was launched to overcome these challenges and recognise employers of choice.
What makes gaining WorkBuzz 5 Star Employer status unique, is it is based on feedback from thousands of employees, who complete regular, confidential Engagement Surveys.
Steven Frost said: “For several years, we’ve been helping leading organisations gather feedback from their employees, improve employee engagement and reduce staff turnover. Through the WorkBuzz 5 Star Employer awards, we will now be able to recognise employers who are truly leading employee engagement to improve the working lived of their people.”
If you are interested in finding out more about joining the TaxAssist Accountants network of franchisees, please call Nikki Haythorne on 0800 018829. We look forward to hearing from you.
The first ever World Food Safety Day will be celebrated on 7th June 2019 to draw attention and inspire action to help, prevent, detect and manage food borne risks and so contributing to food security, human health, economic prosperity, tourism and sustainable development. It is a joint initiative between the World Health Organisation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
Any food safety incident is one too many, it affects the health of consumers as well as the food trade.
The United Kingdom Food Standards Agency is promoting World Food Safety Day and raising awareness of the food withdrawal and recall system that exists in the UK.
The Rt Hon Norman Lamb MP joined Mental Health First Aiders from Flagship Group as the company marked Mental Health Awareness Week.
The North Norfolk MP, a passionate mental health campaigner, heard first-hand from some of Flagship’s qualified Mental Health First Aiders about the impact the training has had in supporting others. The housing provider has 75 trained Mental Health First Aiders and 100 people on the waiting list to receive the training.
The MP, a former Minister of State for Health, also found out how the company is embedding mental health support to improve wellbeing, including through bitesize workshops, a wellbeing forum, awareness sessions, and a confidential contact point for employees to use.
Mr Lamb talked to Flagship staff reaffirming that ‘mental health shouldn’t be inferior to physical health.’ He also explained the importance of leadership in supporting mental health in the workplace. The MP also spoke about the importance of opening up, commenting that ‘the fear of sharing and also coping with mental health can be overbearing’.
Norman Lamb commented: “It is so encouraging to see that Flagship has a culture where people can come forward and get help.
“Organisations should do more to support their staff, it is enlightened self-interest for business to focus on the wellbeing of people as Flagship is both in individual and the organisation benefits. It’s the right thing to do.”
The visit was the culmination of a week of events which also saw ex-Norwich City and Bordeaux footballer Cedric Anselin give a moving talk about his own experiences with mental health.
Cedric, who at the height of his career played against teams such as AC Milan, talked about how he felt when his football career faltered, and that subsequently, he struggled with his own mental health.
Cedric also shared how he hid his mental ill health before hitting his lowest point and reaching out to fellow former footballer Clarke Carlisle. Now, manager of Norwich United FC Cedric has taken the decision to talk openly and told the room that his experiences ‘make me the person I am today’ and ‘we must educate ourselves to care about each other.’
He said: “I’m so humble to share my story and to encourage others to open up about mental health during Mental Health Awareness Week.
“It is magnificent of Flagship to promote mental health in the workplace and I think other companies should take this as an example, helping and educating each other it’s ok, to not be ok.”
Throughout the week, staff also tried their hand at Laughing Yoga and Meditation sessions, providing people with the opportunity to try out some practical techniques to support wellbeing. And, teams from across the group had the chance to play on the pitch at Carrow Road in a football tournament which helped to promote physical wellbeing.
David McQuade, Chief Executive said: “We are creating a stigma-free workplace, where we can have open and honest conversations about mental health, where our people can access support, and where wellbeing is promoted.
“We were delighted to meet with Mr Lamb to discuss the importance of mental health in the workplace, and share with him what we are doing. It was also a privilege to hear Cedric Anselin talk so openly and honestly about his own struggles with mental health.
“We have marked Mental Health Awareness Week with some thought-provoking and interesting activities but for us it doesn’t stop here and we will continue to make sure that Flagship is a place where mental health is supported.”
Overview The region’s tourism leaders are gathering in Norfolk and Suffolk on 22 and 23 May to hear the results of East Anglia’s largest Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Business Survey. High on the list of challenges was the weather in 2018. The survey, which is produced by chartered accountants and business advisors, MHA Larking Gowen, has been running for 14 years and is the largest independent survey of its kind in the region. The eclectic mix of businesses within the visitor economy, leisure and hospitality sector across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex means there is something for everyone. With a range of businesses completing the survey and the different type of visitors, their focus and interests impacted on the results. The weather in particular played a big part in the trading results for a lot of businesses. For businesses in this sector, 2018, nicknamed recently as the “Goldilocks year” (so called because there was too much snow in March, too much rain at Easter and it was too hot for the summer) saw changes in customer spending habits, leading to mixed trading results. Many businesses have said that the weather is a leading concern for them and in response there has been substantial investment into weather-proofing attractions. This has helped increase visitor numbers and seen a boost to the economies of our region over recent years, with the economic value of the visitor economy across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex now being worth over £8 billion. Chris Scargill, partner at MHA Larking Gowen, who coordinates the annual survey, said, “While we, as families, all got to enjoy the opportunity for being outside more, once the warm weather arrived, our spending habits changed, and we enjoyed more of the low cost outdoors but this has had some significant impact on a number of businesses in the sector. It certainly isn’t all doom and gloom though, and we have seen some real positives, but there is no doubt that the unusual weather patterns impacted a number of businesses, and it came at a time when businesses are seeing rising costs in rents, business rates, rising staff costs through legislation. Income “In 2018, we continued to see the loss of swathes of the high street and the national restaurant chains, with some only being saved by entering into CVAs with their creditors and heavy negotiations on rents. For some, it really is quite tough out there.” Continued Chris, “The results of the survey indicated that while 49% of businesses saw revenue levels increase, nearly one in three (31%) suffered a decrease in income.” Plastic A big issue in 2018 was the increasing awareness on plastic waste. The tourism sector has clearly been doing its bit, with the majority of businesses reducing plastic in their cooking, cleaning, and purchasing habits. More can clearly be done around plastic waste; 61% of businesses felt local government could help them more in their endeavours, with 57% feeling the drive should come from central government. Employment In this region the sector employs over 150,000 staff and three quarters of the businesses surveyed employed staff. One in four of those businesses indicated that staff retention was an issue. For the majority, staff numbers stayed the same; just over a third of businesses have increased their full-time and part-time staff numbers, and one in ten reduced staff. Flexibility in working hours is seen as a real bonus for the sector; 51% of employers surveyed provide zero hour contracts, two thirds of which are providing, on average, between 11 and 30 hours per week. Articles in the survey results publication outline a focus on making the sector a positive career choice. All business sectors have seen a rise in pay for staff. Near full employment levels suggest that the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and the more recent National Living Wage (NLW) have been a success. However, calculations also highlight the impact these have had on businesses. An individual working 35 hours per week, earning the NMW in 2015/16 at the time the NLW was introduced, would have cost an employer, in total, £12,550 in the year. Now, for someone 25 years or older, and following the introduction of pension Auto Enrolment, that cost is £16,077 – a rise of 28% over four years. The introduction of the NLW and pension Auto Enrolment has been a real boost for employees as it has also had a domino effect across all staff levels, but as the costs of employing staff have increased, cuts in staff numbers or other areas of spend are being impacted as the customer is resilient to price changes. However, the survey results show that 27% of businesses are planning price increases to accommodate these legislative changes, whereas 18% accept it will simply hit their bottom line. Social Media Marketing spend was increased by a third of businesses, but the results highlight greater efforts in the use of social media and the selling of an experience. While the level of increase in the use of Facebook and YouTube, as marketing mediums, has remained consistent, Instagram has seen more activity, with 80% of businesses this year reporting an increase in their use of the format compared to the previous year. Profits The results indicate that the consequence of all of the above factors provided mixed results on business profits, with only two in five businesses seeing an increase in profit levels. Chris comments, “Profit levels are essential to allow businesses to keep reinvesting, so it was good to see profits rise for a significant proportion of the sector, especially the fact that one in three businesses increased profits by over 10% compared to last year. But with nearly a third of businesses seeing profits fall, this could be a worrying trend, particularly as two-fifths of those making a loss this year are anticipating losses in 2019.” Chris concludes, “This clearly brings to question sustainability and risks investment long term. However, for now, investment continues, with 16% of businesses planning to extend their premises and three in five planning site improvements and refurbishment to help improve business. 2019 will inevitably be another interesting year for the sector.” To view the full survey results, download a copy here.
Flagship Group and Suffolk Housing Society have announced that they are in talks to consider working in partnership, with Suffolk Housing potentially becoming a subsidiary of Flagship Group.
Talks are at an early stage, but the boards of both organisations have agreed that working together could generate more opportunities to invest in local communities. They share a vision to deliver excellence in customer services across East Anglia and to drive forward new thinking about how to meet the housing challenges faced in the region.
Speaking about the plans, Carole Taylor-Brown, Chair of Suffolk Housing, said, “By pooling our experiences and resources we will make faster progress.
“Most encouragingly, Flagship appreciate the importance of continually improving services to residents and share our purpose to provide homes for those who need them most. By joining forces, we can create an enhanced offer for our customers as well as increased career development opportunities for colleagues.”
Peter Hawes, Chair of Flagship Group said, “We are in very early stages of talks, but we believe that by working together we can better meet the challenges faced by all housing associations to deliver more homes, better services and continue our strength for years to come.”
Team Hatch Brenner Solicitors will once again be joining judiciary, law firms, chambers, government departments, and in-house legal teams from around the city to complete the 10k Norwich Legal Walk on Thursday 6 June, raising money for free legal advice charities in Norwich and the Eastern region.
The walkers are all fundraising to help improve access to justice for those most in need.
The Eastern Legal Support Trust (“ELST”) is coordinating the walk. As part of a network of Legal Support Trusts, working with the Access to Justice Foundation, ELST support the provision of specialist legal advice through law centres, advice agencies and other free legal advice organisations. They do this by providing the organisations, on application, with grant funding.
The Access to Justice Foundation are hoping to raise an overall total of £5,000 from the Norwich walk.
Dawn Parkes, Hatch Brenner Managing Partner commented: “The Norwich Legal Walk is always a great event and a good opportunity to support the poorest and most vulnerable people in our community, for whom access to justice can be out of reach. We are pleased to once again support ELST and will also be pledging 50% of the money raised to our charity partner MAP, the Mancroft Advice Project. Both ELST and MAP provide vital support to vulnerable people in Norwich and beyond.”
The Eastern Legal Support Trust added: “The Norwich Legal Walk helps support families living in terrible housing conditions; people who have been unfairly dismissed or who are discriminated against at work; elderly people who need support to stay living independently; people who suffer disability or illness and their carers; and women and children who have been trafficked to the UK to become domestic or sex slaves.
“The need for free legal advice centres has grown in the past few years. The recession has increased poverty and reduced support services. Meanwhile funding for the advice centres themselves has reduced. We simply can’t overcome the effects of the huge reduction in government and local authority funding over the past few years. What we can do is to ensure that many of the people most in need get help who would otherwise have been denied.”
The walkers will set off from the Forum at 5.30pm on Thursday 6 June.
To donate, please visit the Hatch Brenner fundraising page at:
Prasanth Ganguly expands his practice to cover Milton Keynes and Newport Pagnell
The Mayor of Newport Pagnell, Paul Day, joined Prasanth Ganguly on 15th May to celebrate the official opening of a new TaxAssist Accountants shop on 78 High Street, with a party for the local business community.
Prasanth set up TaxAssist Accountants in Milton Keynes in December 2015 and has enjoyed steady growth over the past three and a half years, looking after 275 small businesses in the area.
In response to increasing demand from existing small firms and new businesses starting up, Prasanth decided the time was right to open his second shop in Newport Pagnell.
“I’ve been on the lookout for highly visible, shopfront premises for some time and the High Street is the perfect location,” said Prasanth.
“The opening event gave us an excellent opportunity to thank our clients, as well as meet other businesses and our neighbours in Newport Pagnell, so they can see what we can do for them. We were delighted that the Mayor, Paul Day, kindly agreed to cut the ribbon and declare our fantastic new shop officially open.”
Prasanth, who has a background in engineering and finance joined TaxAssist Accountants after 26 years spent working for large global companies at a senior level.
He was however no stranger to franchising, as he was actively involved in helping his wife set up a tuition franchise, before being inspired to set up his own franchise operation.
“Though I enjoyed my career, my experience in project finance and personal involvement in taxation, along with a desire to be self-employed, brought me closer to TaxAssist Accountants. After attending a discovery day, meeting the team and getting to know the wider successful family out there, I was totally convinced that the opportunity was right for me.”
If you would like to find out more about joining the TaxAssist Accountants network, please give Nikki Haythorne a call on 0800 0188297. The next step is to attend a discovery day at the Support Centre in Norwich.
A special event showcasing how Norwich Airport is becoming more dementia friendly is being held on Friday, May 24th in support of Dementia Action Week.
As part of the airport’s commitment to supporting people with hidden disabilities, it will be hosting the information event alongside Age UK Norwich, the Alzheimer’s Society and Home Instead Senior Care.
For someone with dementia, travelling through an airport can be a frightening experience, something Norwich Airport, a member of Norwich Dementia Action Alliance (DAA), is working hard to change.
In partnership with other DAA members, the airport has developed innovative tools like a video walk-through so people with dementia and their carers know what to expect.
They are also encouraged to visit the airport before their day of travel so they can rehearse with staff exactly what will happen. Other changes have included improved signage, flooring and allowing more time for check-in.
Local people are invited to visit Norwich Airport on May 24th to see what it is doing to become more dementia friendly, and get information about dementia and support available to people later in life.
Jamie Price, Norwich Airport Security Manager, said: “We know that for some people with dementia, visiting public places such as an airport can be an overwhelming experience.
“Thanks to expert advice we have made a few simple changes to improve that experience for people with dementia and their families and we hope it will give them the confidence to visit the airport.
“Our mission is to make sure that those living with hidden disabilities and their families have the opportunity to enjoy their journey through our airport and receive all the help and support they need.
“We are committed to Norwich Airport being a dementia-friendly environment and are proud to be taking part in the information event. We encourage as many people as possible to come along on the day.”
Mark Johnston, from Home Instead Senior Care, said: “Almost all of us know someone affected by dementia and so we all have a reason to take action and learn more about it. When it comes to fighting dementia, awareness is key and we are passionate about supporting people to live well with dementia.”
Leanne Castle and John Clarke of MENTA are looking forward to welcoming business owners to Coffee Means Business on Tuesday 21st May which is being hosted at the Hawk and Owl Trust near Fakenham.
Host, Leanne Castle comments, “I’m sure it will be a useful morning for businesses to make new contacts over coffee and pastries. Reserve Warden, Nigel Middleton will give an informative talk about the work of the Trust.”
Delegates will be invited at the end of Coffee Means Business to take a short, guided stroll round the reserve and during the morning live streaming from nesting boxes will be on view.
Coffee Means Business is open to all business people to attend, there are no membership of joining fees, just £5pp payable on arrival. The morning starts at 9.30am and finishes at 11.30am.
For further information visit www.menta.org.uk and go to the networking and events tab