Emily Jupp of Milly J Shoes has delivered her special ‘Easter’ Shoe to the Maids Head Hotel in Norwich. The shoe will be on display in hotel reception throughout the Easter period.
Emily is a shoe artist and is creating a series of shoes, linked to key events in the Norwich and Norfolk calendar, for display at the hotel. She crafts her handmade shoes and clips in her shop and studio in Tombland, just across the road from the Maids Head.
Winner of the EDP Bride Awards Innovation Award 2018 and Footwear Designer of the Year 2015, Emily has launched a campaign to get people to bring their unwanted shoes to her shop, so they can be upcycled into one of her colourful creations.
Guests enjoying hen party and birthday party afternoon teas at the Maids Head, can also book Emily for a fun workshop to design an create their own pair of shoe clips, which they take home in a presentation box.
An Afternoon Tea with Milly J Shoes event, including a shoe clips workshop has been arranged for Sunday 17 November. For more information, click here.
Christine Malcolm, General Manager, the Maids Head Hotel said: “We are so pleased to have embarked on this new partnership with Emily, whose work has been endorsed by the likes of Boy George and Kylie Minogue. Her shoes are proving an excellent talking point for our guests.”
GREAT Yarmouth Borough Council has secured £98,000 from New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) towards a major branding and marketing campaign to position Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft as world leaders in offshore wind, maximising visibility to potential investors and Government.
A total of £98,000 of Government funding has been secured from New Anglia LEP’s Innovative Growth Fund for a two-year, £300,000 programme, led by Great Yarmouth Borough Council in partnership with East Suffolk District Council, Norfolk County Council and Suffolk County Council.
The programme will bring together private sector and other partners, such as the East of England Energy Group (EEEGR) and the All Energy Industry Council, with shared, coherent branding, targeted, ongoing lobbying, promotion and representation at key conferences, trade shows and events.
The aim is to build upon and continue existing successful work to attract new energy-related inward investment to the area, from major energy companies and supply chains, and ensure that leads to local opportunities: to high-value jobs, growth and private investment.
The positive news follows the recent announcement of the Government’s Offshore Wind Sector Deal, which was launched in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
David Glason, Director of Development at Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said: “Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft are at the centre of the world’s largest market for offshore wind. The region is the heart of England’s offshore energy sector, with significant opportunities for further growth as the offshore wind market is poised to increase in pace and scale.
“The borough council already works closely and proactively with Peel Ports Great Yarmouth, with excellent support from Norfolk County Council and other partners, to promote Great Yarmouth and the wider region for investment opportunities across the energy sector.
“Great Yarmouth has a growing reputation as an offshore wind hub. Equinor is servicing the Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm from the river port and Vattenfall has reserved space for a base to operate and maintain their planned Norfolk Vanguard and Norfolk Boreas wind farms, with the Outer Harbour now supporting construction of the East Anglia ONE wind farm.
“This really welcome funding from New Anglia LEP’s Innovative Growth Fund will enable us to build upon our important partnership work to maximise opportunities for offshore wind investment, supporting staff to deliver dedicated marketing, business advice and development activities in the burgeoning field of offshore wind.
“The project will see us create and embed a coherent, compelling and international brand and associated marketing campaign for Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, aiming to influence those who make the key investment decisions. The resource will enable us to collectively raise the profile of the area.”
Cloud, connectivity and data centre experts MIGSOLV have announced the Benjamin Foundation as their chosen charity for 2019 and beyond.
The Benjamin Foundation supports children, young people and families in Norfolk and Suffolk who are dealing with serious life challenges. They provide help with housing and homelessness, childcare, youth support and emotional wellbeing.
MIGSOLV are beginning their support of the Benjamin Foundation by purchasing ceramic butterflies for the charity’s ‘Flight for Youth’ campaign. MIGSOLV’s staff and their families, will paint the butterflies before they are displaced around the grounds of their Norwich data centre. They will then go on to feature in a larger art installation arranged by the Benjamin Foundation themselves.
“We’re really pleased to be able to support this fantastic charity in our small way” says David Manning, Managing Director of MIGSOLV. “Each year or so, we choose a charity to sponsor and fundraise for. As they’ve delivered support for twenty-five years this year, it seems a great time to help raise funds and awareness for the important work they do.”
Money donated to the Benjamin Foundation goes to range of projects including youth clubs, safe night accommodation, counselling and childcare for vulnerable families. The charity’s current ‘Flight for Youth’ campaign has been established to help them celebrate a quarter-century supporting children and young people in Norfolk and Suffolk.
MIGSOLV provide cloud, connectivity and data centre services which help businesses with every aspect of storing, managing and protecting their IT and data. Best known for providing East Anglia’s only world-class commercial data centre, they’ve recently announced a number of new services including multi-cloud storage solutions, infrastructure technical support and advanced cyber security.
Over the years the company has continued a programme of investment and updating, both in terms of equipment and people, to raise standards and improve efficiency. “The 100 hour weeks are no more”, says Andrew Page who was a Test Technician back in 1989 and is now a Director.
This has resulted in the bright, modern lab and offices that the team and their clients experience today.
Highs and lows
One of the highlights from recent times was in 2017 when, having worked in the business for 8 years, Thomas Whiskin BSc MSc CEng MIMMM MWeldI, became a Director and Shareholder in the business. Thomas said at the time “I am excited to help grow the company, deliver excellent customer service and create opportunities for more high skilled jobs”.
A low point for the company was in 2005 when a member of the machine shop staff used a fork lift trick to accidentally lift a section of the roof off of the machine shop. Another was in 2018 when strong winds blew the roof off the Marine Building in Great Yarmouth. However taking a typically calm approach, part of the business was relocated into a temporary building in the car park whilst repairs were completed and in true ASAMS style they managed this with no visible disruption to client service. ASAMS appears to have problem keeping the roof in place!
The future
Whilst celebrating 30 years with a series of events during 2019, the Directors are confident that the business is well positioned for continued success in the future. This includes having a clear vision to be the first choice for quality, personal service, speed and accuracy in metals testing a focused business plan which includes further expansion into the Aberdeen area, a people plan and a strong set of values:
Focus on excellence, quality and teamwork in all that we do
Passionate about delivering professional customer service
We strive for accuracy, accountability and confidentiality
A friendly, transparent, honest approach that builds trust and long term relationships
Indeed the Directors and Staff are pleased to promote that they can achieve in 2 days what it takes competitors two weeks to achieve – that’s Amazing Customer Service!
Please see www.asams.co.uk for more information about ASAMS Ltd and the metal testing services including:
Leading East Anglian chartered accountants, Larking Gowen, has changed its name to MHA Larking Gowen, with effective from today, 9 April 2019.
The change is taking place because the firm has decided to take on the branding of its professional national association, MHA.
MHA was founded in 2010 and is made up of regional accountancy firms with over 45 offices across England, Scotland and Wales.
The association members share resources and expertise, which helps them deliver a wide-reaching and stronger service to their client base.
MHA is a member of Baker Tilly International, which has an accountancy network across 145 territories, giving their own members access to a wide range of international resources.
Jon Woolston, Managing Partner of MHA Larking Gowen, said that by strengthening its affiliation with MHA and Baker Tilly International, the firm was securing its future and independence for years to come.
“We see this as an essential step to take now to ensure that as MHA continues to evolve, we can be at the centre of that development,” he said.
“As a founding member of MHA, we have been working closely with the association for a number of years. Closer affiliation with their branding gives us enhanced credibility in some key specialisms, which we can demonstrate on a national and international level.
“With all the issues around Brexit, what better time to show that we have a well-respected international offering. Having the tenth largest global network on tap is a great regional unique selling point for the firm,” he continued.
“We would like to reassure our clients and professional colleagues that the firm will retain its level of independence, local knowledge and high standards of service that people have come to expect from us.”
Benefits of MHA membership include sharing knowledge, technological and systems support, better buying power, recruitment and training initiatives, shared marketing resources, business referrals, access to outside expertise, secondments at national and international level, benchmarking and the ability to pitch for business at the highest level.
It is with great pleasure that Cozens-Hardy announces the promotion of Claire Nelson from Solicitor to Associate Solicitor.
Claire joined the firm in 2014 as a Trainee Solicitor and qualified into the Private Client team in July 2016. Claire advises on Wills, powers of attorney, trusts and estate administration and inheritance tax planning. She is currently an Affiliate member of STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) and is studying for the Diploma in Trusts and Estates.
Michelle Collins, Partner and head of Cozens-Hardy Private Client department:
“Claire has really come into her own as a private client solicitor since starting with the firm five years ago.She works incredibly hard and is very determined to increase her skill set and knowledge, alongside which she is always keen to participate in the firm’s marketing activities. Her ambition, coupled with technical abilities and highly approachable personality, have been quite rightly reflected in her promotion to the position of Associate in the firm.”
Claire Nelson, Associate Solicitor:
“I’m delighted to have been appointed as an Associate Solicitor. I undertook my training contract with the firm and am shortly coming up to three years’ qualified. It’s brilliant to have received recognition for my hard work to date and I’m looking forward to the next stage of my career with the firm.”
The Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) team at Tudor Lodge Consultants are proud to announce that we are now working with youTalk-Insurance, a news and information website dedicated to the happenings and developments across the insurance and risk management sectors in the UK.
youTalk-Insurance has for many years been providing the UK market as well as the wider world, with unique and thoroughly informative insights into what makes these unique industries tick as well as the latest news.
We were approached by the team at youTalk-Insurance as they have been seeking to update what they do and how they do it. With Google becoming more and more important to businesses right across all sectors, changing focuses to search engines has been a logical destination for youTalk-Insurance.
Why Google for News and Guides?
Although many people associate search engines with only offering up ‘sales’ and ‘products,’ there is an underlying core of information which lies at the very heart of what Google in particular does. Hence, over the last few years, ranking highly on search engines such as Google in cases of websites not explicitly selling something has become very important.
Millions of people in the UK and indeed around the world are turning away from traditional media and news outlets such as newspapers, television broadcasts and radio; the natural place most of these audiences have moved to is online. This is split between social media, such as Facebook and search engines such as Google, where people can pick the outlet whose views and leanings reverberate with them.
Therefore, for news, sites, it is now of paramount importance that when it comes to popular online searches like ‘UK latest news’ or ‘business news UK’ that they are right up there, where they will be found. For youTalk-Insurance this has been no different. The insurance and risk management industries are the same as other key industries, with consumers actively searching for relevant news and content.
What We are Doing for youTalk-Insurance
youTalk-Insurance have a bespoke content management system (CMS) and this has meant that implementing the necessary SEO updates and changes is quicker and more straightforward than it may otherwise be.
Meta Data – As with many news and information-focussed sites, youTalk-Insurance had some meta data (titles and descriptions) that were inadequate; too long, too short and duplicates, which we are working to clean up. This will help the site to be properly indexed by search engines
Backlinks – A crucial factor in SEO, we are ensuring that only clean and reputable sites link to youTalk-Insurance, making it a cleaner and more efficient site for Google to crawl
On Page Work – We are also working to ensure that youTalk-Insurance capitalise on their great content, structuring it all properly and to a satisfactory standard for SEO. This includes how H titles are used and the topics titles of the content
We are delighted to announce our Summer Programme of events for families and children is now available on our website, and the printed brochures will soon be available.
For our special and very full Easter programme, do have a look at our special Norfolk Chamber Members’ Events Page
For more details about Easter opportunities to bring the family, check out
Family Combination: Petite Puppets: See Garlic Theatre’s fun French take on the classic story of the Little Pigs, then make a mini puppet troupe of your own. A wonderful opportunity to spend the day at the Theatre together and a chance to extend the magic of puppetry beyond the show. 11am
Risk & Policy Analysts Limited have announced that on the 3rd April 2019 they transitioned to become an employee-owned business run through an employee ownership trust (EOT).
Pete Floyd and Meg Postle founded RPA in 1990 providing independent consultancy to the private and public sector across UK and Europe. RPA has developed a strong reputation and proven expertise in the fields of environment, economics, chemicals, UK & EU policy and sustainability. RPA’s headquarters are just outside Norwich in Loddon and are supported by London and Brussels offices.
The decision to transition to be an employee owned business was driven by the desire to sustain the company’s independence and recognition of the fact that the company was built through the hard efforts of its employees. Pete Floyd said “It is a great time to step back as I know that the jobs we created are in safe hands and the team will flourish over the coming years”.
Staff will own 75% of the business through the trust, with future profits being shared equally. Newly appointed Managing Director Matthew Lambert and long-term employees Panos Zarogiannis and Teresa Fenn become Directors and join Meg on RPA’s board. They will work with the newly appointed Trustees to ensure RPA grows and develops for the benefit of all employees. The Trustees compromise of 2 elected Directors, 2 elected employees and 1 ndependent Trustee.
When asked what the transition meant for staff, Researcher Liam Wakefield said “This is a really exciting opportunity for myself and my colleagues. I really feel part of something now, and I’m sure it will show in our work”. Elizabeth Daly, who is one of the employees elected to the Trustee board, stated “I’m looking forward to our first meeting and contributing to the future development of the company”.
Matthew Lambert confirmed “This is a fantastic start to 2019 for us all. Everyone has contributed to our future vision and we are all excited by our plans to grow profit and headcount this year whilst ensuring that RPA remains a great place to work.”
RPA has joined 330 other employee owned companies and became a member of the Employee Ownership Association (EOA). Deb Oxley OBE, CEO of the EAO, said: “We congratulate Risk & Policy Analysts on its transition to employee ownership. By widening ownership of the business to its employees Risk & Policy Analysts is securing the future of the business, including its ethos, values and employees, while rooting itself locally for the longer term to the benefit of the communities which it serves.”
Huge Congratulations to Leon Davies, Director of Zero Taxis for winning The Norwich and Norfolk Eco Awards 2018/19! The awards were held at the city’s historic St Andrew’s Hall, with biologist and conservationist Prof Ben Garrod hosting.
One of the winners in the Norwich City Council and Norfolk County Council organised awards was Norwich-based Zero Taxis, which won the small/medium business category for running with a fleet of electric vehicles.
Judges said, “This initiative marks a big leap forward in sustainable transport in the city. The move towards hybrid taxis has been really encouraging, but running an all-electric fleet brings unique challenges, and Zero Taxis have done a great job showing what’s possible.”
Tom McCabe, interim head of paid service at Norfolk County Council, said: “Each year the Norwich and Norfolk Eco Awards recognise the people, businesses, community groups and schools that embrace an ethos of environmental sustainability. This year we have been overwhelmed with entries across all six categories and tonight we get to celebrate the best of the best. It is everyone’s responsibility to prioritise sustainability and I believe that these environmental champions will inspire the next generation of exciting eco projects.”
Richard Willson, environmental strategy manager at Norwich City Council said: “Once again, the judges were blown away by the projects put forward, making it a really difficult job to choose the winners. The message from the people of Norwich and Norfolk is clear that looking after our environment is everyone’s job. Tonight is not just about celebrating some of the bigger projects and schemes people are championing but also an excellent reminder that we can all make a difference in our day-to-day life.”The awards are made possible through the support of a range of businesses and organisations, not just those who apply, but also through sponsorship.
The Advice & Guidance team at City College Norwich design sessions around employability and progression which are used within the curriculum at various times of the year.
These sessions are reviewed annually and it would be really beneficial to have some employer input during these reviews to ensure that the sessions are relevant to today’s employer requirements. This could be in the form of focus groups or 1:1 sessions and would help the students develop the skills required to engage with business’ within the local community.
This year the sessions will be reviewed week commencing July 8th, specific dates to be confirmed.
If you would like to be involved in creating the next lot of sessions for students please contact Alexandra Miller, IAG and International Team Leader on alexandra.miller@ccn.ac.uk or Laura Pitchfordm Careers Advisor and IAG Team Leader on laura.pitchford@ccn.ac.uk