Member News

Coleman Opticians Hearing and Vision centre on St Augustine’s Street, Norwich wins the award for Family Optician of the Year 2019, against tough opposition from 5 other national finalists.

Winning an Optician Award is one of the highest accolades for optical professionals, practices and companies.  The director team from Coleman’s attended the ceremony on Saturday 30th March at the Hilton, NEC, Birmingham. Pat Sharp was the MC for the evening, and the cheers from the table when Coleman’s were announced emphasised how much this award means to this hard-working team.

This family focussed business that has been around since 1930 practising as a chemist, specialising as an optician since 1945, continues to foster the core values of its history through the next generation of its owners. These values are supported by the whole team with their friendly approach to all their customers. 

Coleman’s prides itself on being a family friendly practice and many of the families who come along to Coleman’s are multi-generational having been recommended by their families.  ‘Coleman’s has always been my parents’ opticians, they came highly recommended.’

The practice has a seating area specifically for children with toys, games and a selection of engaging spectacle frames including popular trends.  It is bright and friendly to help children feel comfortable whilst at the practice. There is also a separate waiting area with tea and coffee facilities, video screen, books and magazines that is accessible and roomy for the adults.

Coleman Opticians social media feed is active within the local community, supporting projects and networking with the business sector too.  The practice encourages interaction, informing patients of the services they offer and the importance of family eye health.  They run family reading activities and events in line with their charity involvement and are always looking for exciting ways to communicate with outreach activities within local schools and groups.

The team at Coleman Opticians become part of your family too. Extended families and generations both recommend and return to the practice.  This was summed up by a customer new to the area by saying; ‘We were given lots of tips about the city of Norwich from the staff and indeed help with starting somewhere new. A huge friendly welcome was most appreciated and still is.’

The culture from the team at Coleman Opticians extends into the local community too with a wide range of activities, charity support and sponsorship. 

Each year the team support a local charity and last year Norfolk children’s charity Break was chosen.  Their support involved sponsoring a sculpture on a charity GoGoHares trail that ran throughout the county, encouraging families to find all the hare sculptures using a map or app on a large-scale treasure hunt.  This sculpture now resides in the shop in Norwich after it was bought back at the charity auction where over £400,000 was raised.

The practice like to encourage people to feel happy and to talk whilst in the practice and are very aware of loneliness in the community, this is endorsed by some of the practice fundraising initiatives including book swaps as well as tea and coffee making facilities.

The opticians are part of the Recycle for Sight Programme for the local Lions club, supporting sight for families in developing countries as well as being a location for Refill Norwich, where people can come in off the streets to refill their water bottles or have a drink of water.  They also found out in January 2019 that they had been chosen as a centre for recycling contact lenses being part of a global campaign to reduce plastic waste.

The Coleman principle of supporting the local community and local charities is encouraged in their staff. The company pay for every member of staff to have one day a year to volunteer for a charity of their choice.  This initiative gives staff the opportunity to learn new skills, have fun and help others as well as having great mental health benefits.

Coleman’s are delighted to have been chosen as the winner of this prestigious award and the judges were particularly impressed with the education links in the local area and go out to schools to teach children about eye health as well as going along to High Schools to provide opportunities for learning about a career as an optometrist or audiologist as the practice extends its healthcare to hearing also.

Kate Fenn, Director ‘We are absolutely over the moon to be announced as the winners of The Family Optician of the Year 2019. This award epitomises all our core values and we continue to strive to make eye health education and community one of our key priorities’.

David and his team will be hosting an event on Thursday, 25 April, 2019 with some after-work nibbles, and a glass of wine with a chance to explore the practice and access to the audiology and eye clinic services.  

City College Norwich has celebrated its outstanding apprentices and the employers who have shown exceptional support for apprenticeships, at an awards night held at the Great Hospital in Norwich.

The College’s 2019 Apprenticeship Awards followed on from National Apprenticeship Week, which celebrates apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy.

Eight awards were presented to individual apprentices for their achievements and progress, with an Overall Apprentice of the Year announced on the night. 

Awards were also presented to four of the college’s most outstanding employer partners.  These awards recognise employers’ exceptional support for apprentices – with categories for micro, medium and large employers – and there was also an Overall Contribution to Apprenticeships award.

City College Norwich currently has more than 1,200 Apprentices on its programmes, up to and including degree apprenticeships, and 676 apprenticeship employers working in partnership with the college. 

“These awards showcase the very best of apprenticeships”

Congratulating the award winners, Ed Rose, City College Norwich’s Director of Higher Education and Apprenticeships, said:

“As ever these awards showcase the very best of apprenticeships.  The diversity of our winners show that apprenticeships really do offer opportunities across the age groups and throughout all types of employer.  It’s a real challenge to pick an overall winner from so many outstanding candidates with such great stories.  We’ve been delighted to be able to celebrate our winners’ achievements.” 

Apprentice award winners

Oliver Holmes, a Contracts Manager with Norwich-based IT firm Osiris Technologies, was named Overall Apprentice of the Year.  Oliver is working towards the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship. 

Oliver was praised for the contribution he has made to his employer using the knowledge and skills developed through his Degree Apprenticeship.  Osiris have implemented a number of Oliver’s recommendations in relation to the monitoring of its financial and service performance. 

The Overcoming Barriers to Achievement Award went to Rob Honeyman, who completed a Business Administration Apprenticeship with Flagship Group.  After spending most of his working life in the construction industry, Mr Honeyman was forced to change career because of a severe back problem.

Joining the health and safety team, and retraining through the Apprenticeship, represented a “huge change” in his working life and circumstances.  Rob was praised by City College Norwich’s apprenticeship team for maintaining his “positive attitude despite facing a massive learning curve” and for his participatory approach and “thirst for learning”. 

He was also “brilliantly supported” by his employer, Flagship Group, who showed great belief in him.  Rob has since been offered, and accepted, a permanent position with Flagship.    

Other winners included Tony Iacovazzo, a plumbing apprentice with Anglia Gas Services Ltd, who was named Construction Apprentice of the Year.  Last May Tony took first place in a national plumbing and heating skills competition, to take the title of HIP UK Heating Apprentice of the Year 2018.  He is now passing on what he has learnt by helping to coach this year’s City College Norwich entrant to the competition.     

Overall Contribution to Apprenticeships: Gasway

The Overall Contribution to Apprenticeships award went to Gasway, who have been key supporters of the new gas engineering apprenticeship which was launched by the college in December. 

Gasway have placed the new apprenticeship at the heart of their recruitment and training strategy, taking on 14 gas engineering apprentices and providing them with exemplary support.  Gasway’s support for the new apprenticeship has gone much further, however, as the company generously gave time and labour to assist the college in fitting out its new gas engineering workshop.            

Anne-Marie Seale, Head of HR and Apprenticeship Delivery, Gasway, said:

“We are delighted to accept this award and to be recognised by City College Norwich for our contribution to apprenticeships. City College are a progressive college and Gasway are passionate about growing our talent in order to address the skills shortage in our industry. This combination has allowed us to work collaboratively to build a sustainable partnership which will continue to create new engineering opportunities within our region.”   

Full list of City College Norwich’s 2019 Apprenticeship Award winners 

• Alex Curtis (Spectra Packaging) – Digital Apprentice of the Year

• Sarah Eley (Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital) – Health Apprentice of the Year

• Martha Frosdick (The Salon, Costessey) – Service Industries Apprentice of the Year

• Karl Gilbert and Eleanor Rose (Cecil Gowing Infant School) – Childcare, Education and Early Years Apprentice of the Year

• Oliver Holmes (Osiris Technologies) – Business, Management and Professional Services Apprentice of the Year

• Robert Honeyman (Flagship Group) – Overcoming Barriers to Achievement Award

• Anthony Iacovazzo (Anglia Gas Services) – Construction Apprenticeof the Year (Electrotech, Plumbing, Trowel and Wood Occupations)

• Stuart Meek (UCP Zeller) – Engineering Apprentice of the Year

• Chloe Adcock and Southlands Dental Surgery – Apprenticeship Employer of the Year (micro)  

• Pipeshield International Ltd. – Apprenticeship Employer of the Year (medium)

• UCP Zeller – Apprenticeship Employer of the Year (large)    

• Gasway – Overall Contribution to Apprenticeships 

Amanda Hope and her partner Graham have created a warm, caring and learning place for their clients. They have built their Day service on their unwavering ethos that independence is a right, not a choice. Based in Bawburgh, Norfolk they offer Workshop based learning, Creative activities, Leisure activities and a sensory room as a Day service for Adults with learning difficulties.  ‘My passion and drive in life have always been to help others achieve their full potential. To allow for the empowerment of every individual, for everyone to have a voice’ says Amanda, a fully qualified social worker. Her background has been a mixture of both children and adult as well as palliative hospice care in both children and adults.  Amanda and Graham are also shortly to be taking on the Quiddenham Hospice site to create a new venture called Hope House, a ten bedroomed Respite centre. We wish them every success with this outstanding new project! 

info@independentlivesnorfolk.co.uk

Independent Lives (Norfolk) Ltd Unit 1 Lodge Farm Barns Bawburgh Norfolk NR9 3LZ

City College Norwich has been awarded £6.1m by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for an inspirational new building focused on skills for the digital industries.  

The Digi-Tech Factory

The new building, planned for the 2020-21 academic year, will provide industry-standard facilities for a combination of both new and existing courses in digital skills.  Given the working title of ‘the Digi-Tech Factory’, the inspirational new building will bring together all the college’s digital skills provision into a single, purpose built-space with industry-standard facilities.  

The Digi-Tech Factory will be home to a wide range of full- and part-time courses, as well as apprenticeship learning, from creative media, to software and programming, and ‘hard’ digital skills relating to networking, infrastructure development, electronics and automated manufacturing.  It will also ensure students from across the College’s provision can acquire the digital skills that will underpin their industries in the future.

Designed by Coffey Architects, the new building will provide a modern, industry-standard and efficient environment to bring together digital technology, engineering and design courses.  Subject to planning permission being granted, the 3-floor building will be situated adjacent to the award-winning Creative Arts Building on City College Norwich’s Ipswich Road campus.  The 1970’s Southwell Building will be demolished to make way for the new build.   

The total investment in the project will be £9.1m, with City College Norwich contributing alongside the £6.098m investment from New Anglia LEP’s Capital Growth Funding.  

City College Norwich’s digital skills expansion

In line with the LEP’s Local Industrial Strategy, the UK Digital Strategy and the Department for Education’s Adult Basic Digital Skills agenda, the number of students on the college’s digital skills courses is set to more than quadruple over the next 3 years (from 107 at present to 477 by September 2022).

This growth will come from increasing the numbers of students the college takes on to its existing digital courses and, importantly, from new provision that has been specifically designed to meet employers’ digital skills needs:

• T-Levels: City College Norwich will be among the first colleges to introduce the new T-Level qualification in Digital Skills in September 2020.  The Level 3 course, which is equivalent to 3 A levels, has been designed to meet the needs of employers and includes a substantial work experience element (around 20% of each student’s time on the course).  It will have pathways in Digital Production, Design & Development, Digital Support & Services, and Development & Digital Business Services.  Current Year 10 students can register their interest in T-Levels at City College Norwich at https://www.ccn.ac.uk/t-levels/
• Apprenticeships: With demand from employers growing, City College Norwich expects the number of digital apprentices it trains and assesses to more than double over the next 3 years.  The college already offers employers a range of Level 2 and Level 3 apprenticeships with a digital skills focus, from Infrastructure Technician to Digital Marketer.  From 2022, this will be expanded to as many as 12 different apprenticeship Standards, with the following new apprenticeships (all at Level 4) among those set to be introduced: Network Engineer; Software Developer; Data Analyst; Cyber Security Technologist.
• Basic digital skills for adults: As well as preparing young people for careers in highly-skilled Digi-Tech roles, the college is also responding to employers’ need to have more staff trained to a basic level in digital skills.  The college will support this priority by providing Entry Level and Level 1 Adult Basic Digital Skills to 250 students per year from 2022.   

The Digi-Tech Factory facilities will also be used by students from other curriculum areas across the college, reflecting the reality that digital skills are required in an ever-increasing number of job roles, in every sector of the economy. 

“Great news for our students and for employers”

Giving her reaction to the announcement by New Anglia LEP, Corrienne Peasgood, principal of City College Norwich, said:

“We are thrilled that our plans for an inspirational new building for digital skills can move forward, with a view to opening the Digi-Tech Factory in 2020-21.  The Digi-Tech sector is growing more than twice as fast as the wider economy, so it is essential that we have the right facilities to meet the growing demand for digital skills.  This is great news for our students and for employers.  We will continue to work very closely with our employer partners to make sure our expanding digital skills provision rises to this important opportunity for students, for apprentices and for the Norfolk and Suffolk economy as a whole.”     

Abate Pest Management has been approved as health and safety compliant by the UK’s largest health and safety assessor CHAS (Contractors Health and Safety Assessment) for the 5th year running.

Awarded to businesses that demonstrate excellence in their approach to health and safety, CHAS is recognised industry wide as an acceptable standard to buyers. CHAS will give Abate’s customers further peace of mind and confidence that the work it carries out is fully compliant with the latest health and safety legislations.

The accreditation means that the award-winning Pest Control company, now in its 20th year of operation, can reassure clients about their continued commitment to comply with important health and safety legislation. Working with pest control companies that are accredited with CHAS, offers peace of mind to customers that they are fully compliant with the highest levels of health and safety.

Jon Blake, Managing Director, said: “CHAS is an established industry benchmark, and this award means it’s easier for over 1,000 companies to use us. We have several clients that only work with CHAS approved contractors. These companies use CHAS, as it supports ongoing improvements in the control and selection of its contractors, helping them achieve Health and Safety compliance. It also demonstrates responsibility and safeguard their reputation.”

In addition to Chas, Abate Pest Management are accredited with EN 16636 CEPA certification, SafeContractor, ISO9001, ISO 18001 and ISO14001. They are also a full servicing member of the British Pest Control Association.CHAS (The Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme) was created by experienced health and safety professionals in 1997 to improve health and safety standards across the UK.

To contact Abate please call 01953 603390 or visit https://abatepestmanagement.co.uk

After an accident left her disabled, Laura Remblance took to crocheting to cope. She has now turned her hobby into a full-time, fully-fledged business thanks to MENTA’s free business skills training. Laura, founder of Lovingly Handmade Crochet, was nervous about starting a business. She creates lifelike ‘plushy’ cuddly toy versions of people’s pets. The plush toys are also purchased as memorial gifts after a pet has died. The 30-year-old didn’t know whether her hobby-turned-business venture would work. With health concerns and little idea of how to start a business, Laura decided to try MENTA’s start-up workshops as her initial approach to setting up had been directionless. She says, “The three, free courses and great business advice gave me confidence, knowing my unique products would sell, I could establish myself as a sole trader.” MENTA’s friendly business advisers inspired Laura to take her business seriously, without being overbearing in their approach. “Because of my disability, I am sensitive to criticism,” Laura says. “A put-down would have been a shut-down to my business. But this was not the case.” Alex Till, CEO of MENTA comments, “It is fantastic to hear such a success story developing from our business workshops. More than 500 people based in Suffolk and Norfolk have completed the 12 hours of start-up training and 270 have started their enterprises. The Start Right, start-up programme (which is unaffected by Brexit), is funded by the European Regional Development Fund.” Fiancée, Riccardo Veronese left work to care for Laura and as the demand for plushies grew, Riccardo took up his own crochet hook. He is now an integral part of this start-up which has expanded, selling via online platforms such as notonthehighstreet.com where the products reach a wider range of potential customers. The plushies take from 50, to 60 hours to complete and each one is unique with clients providing photographs of their pets as reference for Laura and Riccardo. As well as the plushy range, Laura sells other products that focus on inclusivity and diversity. These include bespoke, crocheted dolls and toys made to order as keepsakes. Despite her collection of crochet figures, Laura’s pet plushies are central to the heart of the business. For more details regarding MENTA’s free business skills training, dates and locations across Suffolk and Norfolk visit www.menta.org.uk and the start-up page or call 01284 760206. Lovingly Handmade Crochet can be found at www.lovinglyhandmadecrochet.co.uk

David Holliday of The Norfolk Brewhouse, recent winners of North Norfolk District Council, Best Small Business Award, will be speaking at Coffee Means Business, a monthly business to business event.

The relaxed and informal networking session will take place on Tuesday 16th April at the Prince of Wales Stand, Fakenham Racecourse and is open to all business people to attend.

David is a firm believer in the importance of collaborating with other businesses. One of the key ingredients in The Norfolk Brewhouse beers and lagers is Norfolk Maris Otter barley from Norfolk maltster, Crisp Maltings. The brewery has recently worked with another local business, Black Shuck Gin.

This month’s Coffee Means Business is organised by MENTA and GENIX in collaboration with Norfolk Chambers of Commerce and is supported by North Norfolk District Council.

Leanne Castle of MENTA said, “I encourage business owners, freelancers and the self employed to give Coffee Means Business a try. It’s a great opportunity to meet other, like-minded people over coffee and biscuits. Delegates comment on the friendliness and easy format of the mornings as they’re the ideal place to make new business contacts.”

Coffee Means Business is held from 9.30am until 11.30am, there are no membership or joining fees, just £5 per person, payable on arrival. Booking isn’t essential. North Norfolk District Council commissioned MENTA and GENIX in 2016 to organise and host Coffee Means Business in the north Norfolk area. They could see a need for a regular networking opportunity for businesses which didn’t involve expensive membership fees.

For more details regarding Coffee Means Business go to www.www.menta.org.uk or call 0800 096 3013.

The Government has issued guidance for business regarding metrology ( weights and measures) and product safety in the event of a no- deal Brexit.

Businesses should be aware of the guidance if they are involved in these areas.

Professional recruitment specialists Pure hosted its annual Norwich charity quiz night on Thursday 21st March, bringing local businesses and clients together for a battle of the brains which raised over £2,000 for Age UK Norfolk.

The fun evening, which has become renowned for its playful rivalry between local organisations, saw 27 teams take part to pit their wits against each other and to be crowned 2019 quiz champions. The teams included people from Booja-Booja, Shorthose Russell and Aquaterra Energy Ltd. The overall winners were a team from Norfolk Community Health & Care who were presented with a bottle of Champagne each. 

The event, held at the Mercure Hotel in Norwich, also included the annual raffle to help raise further funds. Prizes were donated by local businesses including BrewDog Norwich, Norwich Theatre Royal and Titchwell Manor Hotel. Wensum Tailoring also kindly donated a bespoke suit which raised £400 on the night.

Tom Earl, Director of Pure’s Norwich Office, said: “Our annual charity quiz is one of the main fundraising activities we hold as part of our commitment to supporting and taking part in the communities that surround us. It’s a fantastic way for local businesses to come together, support a good cause and to have fun at the same time. We are delighted to have been able to raise such a fantastic amount for this charity and the money will go towards providing life-enhancing services and vital support to people in later life. I would like to thank everyone that attended, donated and contributed generously to the event.”

Age UK Norfolk is an independent local charity dedicated to helping everyone make the most of life. The charity has over 70 years’ experience in supporting older people and their families living in Norfolk and providing services to inspire, enable and support older people. Its relationship with other Age UK charities enables it to share knowledge and expertise but Age UK Norfolk relies on local fundraising to provide its vital services across the county.

The funds raised were secured through the entry fee for each team, with the full amount being donated to the charity, and through the raffle of prizes donated by local organisations.

Northampton, Newcastle and Sheffield South-based TaxAssist Accountants franchises have recently celebrated this landmark anniversary.

The TaxAssist Accountants franchise has been operating successfully in the UK for 24 years. Three of its longest standing franchises, who recognised the potential of the business model in the very early days of the franchise’s inception, are now celebrating a milestone anniversary after becoming firmly established in their local small business communities.

Brother and Sister franchisees Keith and Katherine Loader’s Northampton-based practice has grown into a team of eight and has been operating from a shop in the town since 2008.

“Over the years the business has successfully navigated its way through many changes within the industry” said Keith.

“Recent years have seen the development of many cloud-based bookkeeping software packages, and numerous applications for tablets and smart phones. TaxAssist Accountants has partnered with companies such as QuickBooks Online, to find solutions to prepare its clients for these industry enhancements and for the next big challenge, Making Tax Digital.

“With the industry constantly changing, every small business should have the support and backup of an accountant like TaxAssist Accountants. I would like to thank the Directors and all of the staff at the Support Centre for their help and assistance over the last 20 years.”

Newcastle-based David Ingram is also full of praise for the franchise: “I’ve had a fantastic journey with TaxAssist Accountants since being made redundant and deciding to do something independently and suitable to my skills. 

“From the very first moment, I was impressed with the team at TaxAssist and the way they operated the franchise as a kind of family. There have been many changes of personnel over the years, but that family feel has stayed. At all times I have been very happy being a part of the franchise and look forward to many more happy years!”

Karl Sandall, Group Chief Executive, said: “My congratulations go to the three franchises celebrating 20 years of successfully operating their TaxAssist Accountants practices. The franchise and the accountancy industry in general have developed enormously over this time, and it is reassuring to hear that stalwarts of the network remain happy and engaged in continuing to develop their practices with us. More than 1/3 of the network has been with us for 10 years or more, and the longest serving franchisee at present has been with us over 22 years – a testament to our brand presence, training and support.”

The third franchise celebrating 20 years with TaxAssist Accountants is Sheffield South, operated by business partners Tim Cook and Robin Milnes.  

This case study shows how a situation as difficult as the death of a colleague can be a catalyst for positive change. Import Export Support (IES) have been working with Johnson Controls in Great Yarmouth for a couple of years and I hope other Norfolk businesses will find their story useful. Johnson Controls are a global leader in automated control systems and their Great Yarmouth facility designs and builds fire suppression systems. This means managing imports of components and chemicals from the EU, US and China and exporting systems around the globe.

1. What was the issue?     For many years, all the firm’s imports and exports at Great Yarmouth were the sole responsibility of one employee. However in 2016 his untimely passing at a young age not only had a devastating impact on his fellow colleagues but created a huge problem for the business, as no-one else knew his systems 2. What’s the solution?     IES were recommended to step in to fill the gap left by this tragedy, and our first job was to keep the company’s imports and exports moving.  Next, IES MD Tracey Renshaw set about identifying ways to improve processes and strategy. With the appointment of John Huxtable as Manufacturing Operations Director in 2017 things began to change. John says “I could see straight away that if the company didn’t make changes, the financial impact could be very great”.  Working with Tracey, the company have drawn up a long-term plan which includes new staff responsibilities and applying for customs authorisations including Inward Processing, Customs Warehouse, Customs Freight Simplified Procedures (CFSP) and Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status. Tracey recommended appointing a Customs Controller to be the link between HMRC, management, internal departments and external companies. Reporting in to the Controller are the teams from purchasing, warehousing, engineering, shipping and sales who now have fully documented supply chain processes. John says “We needed a customs structure in place, not just one person” John and Tracey have also worked on plans for Brexit. Britain’s place in world trade is still unknown, but as John says “We’re well ahead of many other companies – we’ve got Tracey to thank for that”. 3. Did it work?     New processes to accurately classify products can potentially save a business hundreds of thousands of pounds and the opportunity to cut costs has been seized. John Huxtable says there are “Significant improvements in efficiency for the business. Tracey has done a really good job in this respect”. The risk associated with having one person running all Johnson Controls imports and exports has been mitigated. The company now has documented processes and the structure is embedded into the daily business activities, bringing clarity to the supply chain, streamlining processes, improving efficiency and reducing costs.   For more case studies, visit the Import Export Support site If you have question for Tracey Renshaw, click here

Despite the last century’s closure of the county’s iconic breweries, Norfolk has well and truly bounced back. There are now 44 breweries in the county, and a further 27 in neighbouring Suffolk.

A spate of recent awards has confirmed the status of the region as one of the nation’s top beer locales.

Brian Finnerty of the National Farmers’ Union, East Anglia said: “The best beers require the best ingredients and we are right in the heart of the best barley-growing region in the world. That’s where the beer supply chain starts.”

1. The inspirational Dawn Leeder won Imbibe’s Innovator of the Year. She and Phil Cutter of the Murderers co-founded Norwich City of Ale and have developed it into a leading force in the beer and pub world.
2. At the North Norfolk Business Awards, the maltsters Crisp scooped the award for business growth, having developed their support and service to craft brewers, making them into valued advisors as well as suppliers. By way of further testament, of the 33 winners at SIBA’s national Beer Awards, 20 of the breweries use Crisp’s malt.
3. At the North Norfolk Business Awards, Norfolk Brewhouse won the small business category, and a few weeks later a silver at the SIBA’s national Beer Awards. Then to add to its tally of success, the Hindringham brewery has just been named East of England Co-op’s Producer of the Year.
4. Lacons’ recent triumph was the winning of Champion Winter Beer of Britain for its Audit Ale. The award is from the Campaign for Real Ale.
5. Wolf Brewery was another winner at SIBA’s national Beer Awards, taking home a gold for ‘Sirius Dog Star’.
6. Green Jack Brewing also did well at SIBA’s national Beer Awards – winning a bronze medal for ‘Lurcher’.
7. At the International Brewing Awards Woodforde’s went for gold with ‘Volt’ 

“It’s widely acknowledged that cereal growers in our region produce the finest quality barley, including the celebrated Maris Otter variety,” said Brian.

“The East of England remains a centre for this crucial crop, thanks to its combination of soil composition, climate and farming expertise. This ensures that barley grown here meets the exacting standards of maltsters such as Crisp.”

Much of the barley malted by Crisp is on the company’s historic floor maltings. The malt is then used by the region’s brewers to produce exceptional beers.

Adrian Dyter, managing director of Crisp says, “The 200 plus farmers who supply us are – literally and figuratively – true experts in their fields. The quality of grain they produce allows us to create exceptional malts. In the hands of skilled craft brewers, these result in beers packed with flavour and character.

“We are so very lucky to have City of Ale to showcase the amazing beers brewed in the area. The ten-day celebration has had a big impact over the years, inspiring many other city-wide beer festivals, and earning well-deserved recognition for Dawn and Phil. They were the first to create a city-wide beer festival back in 2011 – and the event has gone from strength to strength.”

All of the recent award-winners will be at the City of Ale launch on Thursday 23rd May celebrating the excellent ales that they have – in some measure – helped to bring to pub-goers. City of Ale runs from 23rd May to 2nd June, with nearly 50 pubs taking part, running events, being part of the Ale Trails, and serving the region’s fabulous beers.