Member News

KLM UK Engineering is delighted to announce the signing of airframe maintenance contract extension with West Atlantic UK Limited.

Paris, Amstelveen, Norwich, 9 January 2019 – A European leader in the regional jets & narrow body aircraft market and having an internationally acknowledged expertise on the Boeing 737, Embraer 170/190, BAe146/Avro RJ, Fokker 70/100 & Airbus A320 Family, KLM UK Engineering is delighted to confirm this contract extension with West Atlantic UK Limited.

KLM UK Engineering will commence airframe maintenance checks with West Atlantic UK Limited on their Boeing 737 Freighter fleet in February 2019, following on from the contract that started in January 2018.

Ian Bartholomew, Director Business Development & Sales at KLM UK Engineering Limited commented: “We are delighted that West Atlantic UK Limited have further extended their heavy maintenance contract with KLM UK Engineering, we have been supporting West Atlantic UK Limited for a number of years and look forward to providing airframe maintenance solutions to them again when we restart the programme in early 2019“.

Nigel Hiorns, Managing Director West Atlantic UK Ltd said: “Having been a customer of KLM UK Engineering’s for a number of years now, we are very pleased to announce the continuation of this working relationship and look forward to our aircraft going back to the KLM UK Engineering facilities when our heavy maintenance programme commences in 2019“.

Hatch Brenner Solicitors has confirmed their continued support of Norwich Theatre Royal with the announcement of the next two must-see productions in their drama venue sponsorship.

The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre critically acclaimed production of To Kill a Mockingbird arrives in Norwich from Monday 4 – Saturday 9 March 2019. Exploring racial injustice, the timely and enchanting production brings Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel to life.

• “Terrific retelling of Harper Lee’s classic makes dramatic gold” The Times
• “Some productions have the power effortlessly to win you over and this enchanting heartfelt adaptation is one of them” Daily Express
• “Its real triumph is in perfectly capturing its warmth and wonder” Time Out

The Girl on the Train is a gripping new play starring Samantha Womack And Oliver Farnworth. Playing from Monday 1 – Saturday 6 July 2019, the stage adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ internationally best-selling novel is a thrilling mystery which keeps the audience guessing until the final moment. It follows lead character Rachel who watches what she thinks of as the perfect couple from the train window every day, in order to escape a life she hates. When she finds herself a witness to a possible crime, her life changes completely. The production is directed by Anthony Banks with designs from James Cotterill.

• “This is a must. Don’t miss it” WhatsOnStage

Samantha Womack has starred extensively in television, film and theatre. She is best known for playing Ronnie Mitchell in BBC1’s EastEnders with leading roles in Mount Pleasant and Game On, plus the recent box office hit films, The Kingsman series. As well as his extensive career on the stage, Oliver Farnworth has starred in Hollyoaks and as Andy Carver in ITV’s Coronation Street.

Dawn Parkes, Hatch Brenner Managing Partner commented: “We are looking forward to seeing the new productions of To Kill a Mockingbird and The Girl on The Train. In particular, Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird is something of an inspiration to many lawyers given his integrity and compassion, so I can’t wait to experience the retelling of such a great novel on stage in Norwich. We are delighted to continue our association with our neighbours on Theatre Street, Norwich Theatre Royal.”

More details can be found at www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk

Would you pay more council tax for policing in Norfolk? That is the question being posed by the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).

PCC Lorne Green will soon have to decide whether to increase or freeze the policing element of council tax. First, he wants to know what the Norfolk public thinks and is asking how much people would be willing to pay.

“I want to hear from the people of Norfolk. Do you support keeping the policing part of the council tax at last year’s level, or do you support a rise? And, if so, how much would you be prepared to pay?” said Lorne.

“I have spent a great deal of time over the past year listening to Norfolk communities. They tell me not only do they want to be safe, they want to feel safe. Our constabulary has a responsibility to offer that assurance in our homes, on our streets and in our communities.

“At the same time I recognise the financial situation for policing continues to be extremely challenging. The nature of crime continues to change and is becoming more complex. Ahead of December’s police funding announcement, I made representations to the Home Secretary, Policing Minister and Secretary to the Treasury to impress upon them just how serious the financial picture here in Norfolk is and the threat it poses to our policing service.

“It is important to be clear however that, before I even consider raising the policing element of the council tax, I have to be absolutely sure that the force continues to drive efficiencies at every turn, including from collaboration and partnership working.

“The Chief Constable has told me that a precept freeze would, inevitably, lead to police officer and staff reductions. He has also said that were I to raise the council tax by the maximum amount of 46 pence a week, this would allow significant investment in the force, including the addition of 40 extra officers. I would urge people to listen to what the Chief Constable has to say before having their say.

“To help inform my budget decision, I would like to know your views. Some 56% of Norfolk’s policing budget is funded by central government, meaning your council tax makes up the rest – so I want all Norfolk residents to have the opportunity to have their say.

“There are lots of ways you can share your views, not least through the online survey. Please take the time to have your say as your views are important to me.”

The full consultation document and online survey can be found at www.norfolk-pcc.gov.uk 

The consultation will run from 2 January until 30 January. The PCC will take his budget proposals to the Norfolk Police and Crime Panel on 5 February 2018.

As proud co-sponsors of the Best Employer category at the Norfolk Business Awards, we would like to share our congratulations with the overall winner The Maids Head Hotel and all three of the extremely worthy finalists.

Alongside Birketts, we were delighted to present the Best Employer award as part of our ongoing purpose of celebrating and promoting the fantastic places to work in our region. This award recognises the companies which are achieving success by engaging, inspiring, motivating and developing their employees.

The Maids Head Hotel, situated in Norwich, and renowned for being the oldest hotel in the UK, was presented with this well-deserved accolade at the black-tie awards ceremony on Thursday. It was one of four businesses to be shortlisted in this category alongside Flagship Group, The Holden Group and Morgan Sindall. As part of the judging panel, we can honestly say that the decision on which of these inspiring companies should be crowned the overall winner was extremely difficult. All four businesses really stood out and shone as inspiring examples of organisations putting people first.

As the winners, The Maids Head Hotel was praised for how its purpose, vision and corporate values have all been fully integrated into the everyday operations of the hotel and are visible in all aspects of the business, including recruitment, appraisals and reward and recognition. The hotel employs 90 people and its workforce is very diverse, both in terms of backgrounds and nationalities. Significant efforts have been made to develop staff by working with local colleges to enhance skills.

All four organisations will benefit from an enhanced employer brand as a result of being recognised in this category. It highlights all of them as fantastic examples of businesses which are committed to developing innovative employee engagement strategies with a long-term growth vision in mind.  

As part of the judging process, all entrants also completed the Best Employers Eastern Region confidential employee engagement survey. Having scored in the top 25% of this, and submitted further evidence for judging, Flagship Group and Morgan Sindall were also presented with the Best Employers Eastern Region Platinum Accreditation last month and The Holden Group was presented with the Best Employers Eastern Region Gold Accreditation.

We would like to congratulate all of the winners and finalists on the night. It was a huge privilege to once again be a part these awards, organised by the Eastern Daily Press. This year was the biggest celebration in the awards nearly 30-year history and this is a testament to the many inspiring organisations within Norfolk’s deep and diverse business community.

For more information about The Maids Head Hotel as winners read the EDP 24 article.

Congratulations to all the winners and accredited organisations revealed at our Best Employers Eastern Region 2018 event on Wednesday.

The awards conference, held at the Rowley Mile Racecourse in Newmarket, brought together more than 150 business people from across the Eastern region. It celebrated the award-winning companies and provided the opportunity for the region’s business leaders to learn from one another about creating engaging, inspiring and inclusive workplaces which bring out the best in their people.

The organisations presented with prestigious Best Employers Eastern Region 2018 Awards were:

Best Overall Large Company: Concertus Design and Property Consultants Ltd, based in Ipswich Best Overall Medium Company: The Fountain Partnership, based in Norwich Best Overall Small Company: Aramar Solutions limited, based in Ipswich Best Not-For-Profit: Allia, based in Cambridge Best Digital and Technology: StrategiQ, based in Ipswich Best Engineering and Manufacturing: Treatt, based in Bury St Edmunds Most improved: Hundred Houses Society, based in Cambridge

As well as the award-winning organisations, more than 40 businesses were also presented with Best Employers Eastern Region Accreditations at the event. New for 2018, the Platinum and Gold accreditations were judged and awarded to the organisations which scored in the top 25% of the Best Employers Eastern Region employee engagement survey and provided further evidence that demonstrated their working practices. The full list of accredited organisations is shown on the dedicated Best Employers portal.

We would like to congratulate all our winners and accredited organisations. The full list really demonstrates the breadth of amazing organisations we have in our region and this external recognition will help them to further enhance their employer brand. In today’s competitive recruitment market they will be in a stronger position to attract and retain the best people so that they can achieve business growth and success.

As well as being a real celebration, the event was also a fantastic opportunity for the region’s businesses to learn from one another. Ultimately that’s what Best Employers Eastern Region is all about. There were so much experience and diversity in the room and I’d like to thank all of our guest speakers for taking the time to share their employee engagement journeys. It was also incredibly encouraging to see how many people contributed to the Q&A sessions with both our guest speakers and award winners.

The guest speakers at the event were Mark Merrywest from Made Agency, Steve Shore from ReAssure, Marc Holl from IPRS and Tracey Locke from JLL. Jeanette Wheeler from law firm Birketts, sponsors of Best Employers Eastern Region, also led an interview with Catherine Spitzer and Julie Archer from Bidwells, in which they shared their experience of adapting the workplace environment to help shape the culture of the business. Plus, Clare Southall, Associate at Pure, hosted an interactive discussion to encourage delegates to explore what they had learned from the event, and from participating in the survey, and what they aim to achieve as a result.

You can read lots more about the event, including the key findings and regional trends from this year’s Best Employers Eastern Region survey, as revealed by Paul Henderson from co-founders eras ltd, by following Archant’s coverage online. As sponsors of Best Employers Eastern Region, Archant has reported on the event on both the Eastern Daily Press and East Anglian Daily Times.

All those who attended the awards conference, and the launch event in February, have also helped to raise money for charity. whilst the survey is provided free of charge to local organisations, 50% of the ticket price for each event amounting to more than £5,200 will be donated to the regional offices of mental health charity MIND, making this a highly successful and worthwhile initiative for the whole region.

To get involved in Best Employers Eastern Region 2020, register now at www.best-employers.co.uk

KLM UK Engineering team celebrate Long Service Awards today, with one colleague celebrating 40 years with the Company and the rest of the team a steady 10 years! Congratulations!

What do you like about living in Norfolk/Suffolk

I live in Bury St Edmunds and I’m also fortunate enough to spend a few weeks a year in a shared holiday home in Titchwell, North Norfolk. It’s rented out most of the time, but we go there whenever we can. Bury St Edmunds is a fabulous market town with a great culture. I love being able to pop in, grab a coffee and browse in the wonderful boutique shops. When I’m in Norfolk I spend my time running or walking on the beach, sketching and discovering great restaurants which serve locally sourced food. 

How does Pure make a difference to people’s lives?

We have offices in Norwich, Ipswich, Chelmsford and Cambridge and all of our consultants really care about supporting our candidates to find their next career role. We work with people at all stages of their career, whether they are starting out or looking for Executive positions. There’s nothing more satisfying than helping someone to find a job they love and one where they will thrive. There are many people we helped when Pure started 16 years ago that we are still working with now. Their careers have grown alongside our business. 

What do you most enjoy about working with people and businesses in our region?

As well as sourcing and placing talented people, our added value initiatives mean we get to work with businesses in many different contexts. This could be partnering with organisations on Best Employers Eastern Region or supporting up-and-coming talent through our career development programmes including the Board Ready Talent Scheme and Women’s Leadership Programme.

We come up with new ideas to support businesses and their people whilst helping organisations in the East to recruit and retain top talent. We’re lucky to be surrounded by a strong, supportive community of forward-thinking businesses that are happy to learn from each other. Local business leaders like what we do and appreciate our aim of contributing to the growth of our region. They trust us and embrace our ideas to help make them happen. 

I also love that East Anglia has a great breadth of interesting and innovative businesses.  It’s a wonderful place to achieve a good work life balance. You can have a fantastic career and still enjoy the blend of culture and countryside on our doorstep.

How is Pure contributing to the growth of the region?

Our initiatives are all designed to help local businesses to develop and grow, whether it’s building candidate skills or supporting business leaders to manage and lead in a way that gets the most out of their people.

For example, our Women’s Leadership Programme has supported over 80 women in the region to progress their careers while balancing work and home life. At the same time, their organisations have benefitted from improved inclusion strategies.   

With Best Employers Eastern Region, the initiative not only supports businesses to develop engaging places to work, it also acts as a catalyst to bring business leaders together at seminars to learn from each other as well as hearing the latest insights on employee engagement.

Tell us something that people don’t know about you

When I was at school I was very musical. I played both the flute and the cello. This Christmas I was given a flute as a present as it is something I’d really like to start playing again.

What is your proudest achievement

My proudest work-based achievement has been the recent launch of our Board Ready Talent Scheme designed to support businesses to develop their succession pipelines. We secured the backing of the world-leading Cranfield Business School from the outset and it has provided a bespoke Executive training programme for the scheme.

Outside of work, my proudest achievement was completing a 10-day trek in Peru with my colleague Caroline Batchelor a few years ago. As well as the endurance element, it meant facing my fears of flying and overcoming my nerves about leaving my children for that length of time. We were both so proud to have raised £8k for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).

Run us through a typical day for you

My husband Ian and I have two teenage children and we always try to have breakfast as a family. I leave the house between 7.30am and 8am to travel to one of our four offices and no day is ever really the same.

Typically, the morning is spent going through emails, catching up with the team and meeting with partners such as Grant Thornton and Birketts to discuss and plan upcoming initiatives or events. I try to get out at lunch, even if it is just for ten minutes, and aim to eat something healthy, although I do have a sweet tooth!  

Afternoons are often spent on the phone or meeting with clients to advise on talent and people solutions. I aim to leave the office by 6.30pm and typically do something active in the evening like practicing yoga or going for a run. I’ll catch up with the family about their days and I usually end up eating far too late. I rarely sit down, but if I am, it will be doing something creative like drawing.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

Art is a real passion of mine and I recently completed a print making course at Gainsborough House in Sudbury.

Where do you like to eat and drink?

If it’s a special treat, we love eating at Maison Bleue in Bury St Edmunds. They have an amazing chef, and everyone is really friendly and welcoming. Other favourites close to home include 1921 and Pea Porridge and I always pop into Guats Up when in town for the best coffee! When we are in Norfolk we enjoy visiting Titchwell Manor as we love Eric’s inventive cooking. We also recently tried Socius in Burnham Market. The tapas sharing plates were amazing and there was a real passion and energy from all the team.

Can you sum up Pure in five words?

Forward-thinking, trusted, recruitment specialists, eastern-region.

Can you sum yourself up in five words?

Innovative, creative, exacting (although my team might describe this as demanding), positive and encouraging.

According to Grant Thornton’s ‘People Power’ research, talent and skills is the top accelerator of business growth for organisations who achieved a 20% or more turnover increase over the last year – but also a top barrier to progress.

The potential barriers are due to four key challenges, identified in the report as; finding people with the right mindset to drive growth; competing for in-demand talent; retaining talented people; and equipping people to be more than just machines.

The research revealed one in two high growth businesses were finding it hard to recruit people with the right skills, 88% were expecting to see an increase in competition for talent in the next year and more than a third confirmed that retaining talent is a challenge.

Recruitment specialists Pure and its executive search division Pure Executive, joined forces with experts from Grant Thornton to reflect on the findings and discuss the current talent landscape in the East of England with other local business leaders at a series of events held across the region.

Jodie Woodrow, Senior Manager at Pure Executive, said: “The positive news is that we have seen an increase in the number of jobs advertised and extremely low levels of unemployment. However, the current climate is causing uncertainty and many people are not sure if now is the right time to make a career move. With less people applying for jobs, businesses are facing a talent shortage and finding the right talented and skilled people to fuel business growth is a real challenge.

“During the discussions we heard from many small business owners who said one of their biggest problems was not having the time or resources to focus on finding the right people. They also felt they were competing against growing businesses which had a stronger proposition to ‘sell’ to prospective employees, for example more chances of promotion.

“What was fantastic to hear was that there was a real shared desire to prevent a ‘talent drain’ from our region. Local employers don’t want to see the pull of higher paid jobs in London as a threat, they want to see it as an opportunity to highlight what our region has to offer such as great location, shorter commute times and lower property prices.

“We were able to reinforce this by advising that salary was no longer the sole driving force behind a candidate’s decision. Findings from our initiatives including ‘Compare My Salary’ and ‘Best Employers Eastern Region’ show that factors such as working environment and learning and development opportunities are becoming just as important.

“Instead of trying to compete on salary, our discussions focussed on the fact that speed and quality are actually the two biggest factors organisations of all sizes can look at improving in a candidate-short market. Organisations which streamline their recruitment process to be as quick and agile as possible are less likely to miss out on the most talented people. If it takes too long, the best candidates may have already accepted a job offer from a competitor which has acted quicker.

“The overall quality of the candidate experience has also become crucial. If businesses get just one step wrong throughout the recruitment journey, it could be the deciding factor for a potential employee choosing between organisations.

“Employers who really invest in candidates and sell the reasons to join their business are more likely to keep the best people engaged throughout the process. In fact, the quality of the recruitment experience begins before you even advertise a position. It is down to developing a great employer brand. A strong brand can put businesses in the powerful position of candidates wanting to work for them and submitting prospective applications – even when a position isn’t available. It also helps to attract the right people in the first place by promoting the culture and values of the organisation.

“Discussions also centred on how a good employer brand needs to show the ‘human’ side of a business. One of the most compelling things Grant Thornton revealed about its own approach was the power of sharing real life examples of employee experiences on social media. Highlighting stories of those who are able to effectively balance work and home life due to Grant Thornton’s agile and flexible culture has generated lots of likes, positive comments and enquiries about joining the organisation. Businesses know they have to think outside the box to compete for talent and agile working is one example of an attractive selling point which makes a difference to people’s working lives.

“Here at Pure, we also need to attract and retain our own high-calibre employees, as well as supporting other organisations with their recruitment needs. We shared our own example of using video to convey our employer brand. Our ‘work for us’ video gives a clear snap shot of what it is like to work for Pure, our culture, values and environment and we have seen an increase in speculative applications as a result.

“Overall, the consensus was that nothing has changed in terms of businesses wanting to find and keep talented people. What has changed is how best to go about this in the current recruitment market. We shared our expertise, regional knowledge and examples of best practice to support business leaders in thinking about any positive changes they could make to overcome the barriers and gain the people power needed to accelerate business growth.”

These issues and more were discussed at the Autumn series of Directors Clubs, delivered by Pure Executive and Grant Thornton who both see talent and skills and crucial to the continued growth of the region. The quarterly Director Clubs, held in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich and Norwich, bring senior professionals together to share experiences and gain insights from industry experts.

For more information about future events email Lucy Plumb on lucy.plumb@pureexecutive.com

Growing marketing agency Full Mix Marketing are offering a discount on the marketing they deliver to help companies make 2019 a great success.

Though not traditionally an industry which offers discounts, the East Anglia-based marketers are providing 20% off all the strategic, digital and creative marketing they provide throughout 2019, for projects begun before 30th April.

“We’ve grown steadily since 2016, built a very talented team and gained some great clients” states Sarah West, founder and Managing Director. “We’ve appreciated the help and support we’ve received along the way and want to do something to help others.”

Led by the award-winning Chartered Marketer, Full Mix Marketing has developed a reputation for providing strong results through marketing for an expanding list of businesses. Having gained recognition including a 2018 Institute of Directors award, Full Mix Marketing are now looking to help even more businesses towards success in 2019.

With the new year a time when companies often contemplate how they can reach their goals, Full Mix Marketing have reduced the costs of digital, creative and strategic marketing by 20%, regardless of the project’s size, if started before 30th April.

“Marketing is key to the growth of most businesses. The more customers who understand what you deliver, the more who are likely to buy” adds Sarah. “2019 is going to be an exciting but unpredictable year and we’re eager to help businesses get themselves in a great position with really effective marketing.”

As one of the few strategic and results focused agencies in East Anglia, Full Mix Marketing have worked with companies across sectors to deliver the most effective marketing for their resources. However, they predict digital marketing will remain many businesses’ primary focus in 2019 and have recently recruited an experienced senior digital marketer to further increase their capabilities in web design, PPC, SEO, social media and other online marketing.

The 20% discount will also be applicable to all offline, creative and traditional marketing they deliver, including graphic design, advertising, marketing materials and PR.

For more information visit www.fullmixmarketing.co.uk/offer or call 01603 446227

City centre youth charity, OPEN Youth Trust (OPEN) are paying tribute to Bishop Graham, patron of the charity since its launch in 2005, with a farewell banquet to honour the incredible way he has touched so many lives ahead of his retirement to his home county of Cornwall with wife, Julie. 

The farewell banquet, to be held at OPEN Youth Trust on Friday 25th January 2019, also Burns Night, will be a delightful, historic and emotional occasion with surprises and cameos from national treasures as a parting legacy to the Church of England’s longest standing Bishop. 

Guests will be treated to a Burns inspired three-course meal and can look forward to a personal tribute to Bishop Graham from Lady Anwen Hurt plus a question and answer session with Nina Nannar, ITV’s arts correspondent and Norwich resident, about his memories and time in the Diocese of Norwich.

John Gordon-Saker, Chief Executive of OPEN Youth Trust, said: “Bishop Graham will be sorely missed and this farewell banquet is our way of thanking him for his leadership and unwavering support for our work with young people. We would be delighted if you could join us for an evening of fine dining with music, song, dance and poetry from our young people, including a performance from members of the Norfolk Country Orchestra, who have now taken up full residence at OPEN under our management.”

Tickets are £80 each or £600 for a table of eight, to include canapes and fizz on arrival, three-course fine dining menu and four bottles of wine per table.

As the date coincides with Burns Night, OPEN’s in-house Chef, Andrew Baker has developed a menu that pays homage to the occasion so, if you’re a wee bit Scottish in any way, there is even more reason to come!

Further information and tickets online at https://opennorwich.ticketsolve.com/shows/873600473 or by contacting Angela Brett, OPEN’s Development Manger on 01603 252117 or email angela@opennorwich.org.uk.

East Anglia’s largest contract cleaning company, Monthind, has enjoyed another successful year of business growth and is looking forward to starting the New Year on the same track. Simon Biggs, Partner at Monthind Clean, explains: “We have secured a number of large contracts across a range of industry sectors this year, demonstrating our ability to offer a variety of services to meet sometimes challenging requirements.

“It is a testament to Monthind’s investment in its people and processes that we are always in a position to deliver a proven high-quality service, even in complex environments. We recently secured a multi-service line contract at the new state-of-the-art Quadram Institute (QI) medical facility in Norfolk. As CBRE Asset Services’ chosen partner for cleaning and associated services, Monthind provides cleaning, window cleaning, pest control, grounds maintenance and waste management services. Monthind was also awarded via Wates Construction, the construction firm responsible for delivery of the QI, the contract to provide the post-build clean prior to its opening.

“A three-year contract, won through tender, to work with the East Anglia Reserve Forces & Cadets Association (RFCA) is another example of us expanding our remit to meet a client’s needs. The contract will see Monthind deliver specialist cleaning services at firing ranges across the region. Donning full personal protective equipment (PPE), local teams, from Norfolk, Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire will visit sites with specialist equipment, including explosion proof vacuum cleaners, to deep-clean kitchens and remove contaminates bi-annually from 40 RFCA sites across the region.”

In 2018 Monthind has celebrated its 26th consecutive year of being an ISO certified organisation after being awarded ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certifications. Simon Biggs says, “It is important to Monthind that we can evidence how our policies and procedures ensure we operate in compliance with regulations and guidelines in areas such as health and safety and the environment. We hold corporate membership to a number of relevant and reputable organisations including the British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc) and the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM). We continually invest heavily in training our staff to ensure they can operate safely, efficiently and knowledgeably.

“Growing as a business is not just about winning new contracts, “continues Simon, “it’s about improving delivery to hold on to existing customers, embracing new initiatives, recognising and rewarding loyalty and commitment to Monthind, and supporting our local community. Throughout the year, the entire Monthind team has contributed to raising money for our chosen charity, Little Havens Hospice and we will continue to do so in 2019.

“2018 has certainly been a year worthy of celebration for the Monthind, and we look forward to continuing our success in 2019 and beyond,” concludes Simon.

Norfolk-based UK charity, the Hawk and Owl Trust, has just heard that it has been successful in securing a National Lottery grant of £821,700. This is a truly significant moment, meaning the vision of a major nature reserve and community project can become a reality.

The National Lottery funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is part of an overall £1.7million project, with £850,000 of this to be raised by a public appeal which launched in May 2017 and finishes in May 2019. Part of the appeal is to raise the money required to purchase two large parcels of land surrounding its existing reserve at Sculthorpe Moor, one mile outside of Fakenham.

The purchase of the land, however, is just one piece of the overall project. Developing the land into a rich wildlife habitat, managing it for wildlife and creating the infrastructure needed to allow interpretation and access to all to the land are integral elements.

In December 2017, Hawk and Owl Trust heard that it had been successful in securing initial support for National Lottery funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enabling a dedicated fundraiser to be employed, focusing on raising the rest of the money needed for this ambitious project.

Now the Trust has heard the wonderful news that it has successfully passed the second stage of the application, releasing the necessary funds to allow purchase of the land and beginning the on-going development and maintenance of the area as a nature reserve and community project. The Trust’s vision for Sculthorpe Fen is one where a rich ecosystem co-exists with the local community. Access for all is, and always has been, an essential part of what makes the reserve special. This project contains a large element of allowing everyone, no matter what their mobility and abilities, to enjoy and learn from the wildlife and countryside around them. The existing Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve has received 5-out-of-5 stars on Euan’s Guide, an online guide to disabled access. One reviewer said “…I have never seen anywhere that has put so much effort to enable disabled people to enjoy birds and wildlife. The walkways are fabulous…”

The reserve is also recognised as being important for its wildlife, with breeding Marsh Harriers, Barn Owls and a range of other birds of prey and owls making their homes on this small area. Numerous small birds, such as Marsh Tits, Brambling, Cetti’s Warblers, Bearded Reedlings, Bullfinches and Kingfishers are either year-round residents, or visit seasonally. Flowers and insects are abundant and diverse and mammals include Otter and Water Vole.  

Sculthorpe Fen, as the new area is known, has a long and very varied history and a rich wildlife. The Hawk and Owl Trust has maintained the Fen for the current landowners for a number of years, but the potential for wildlife will never be fulfilled whilst the area remains in use as agricultural land. Purchase of the land will ensure long-term access to the existing Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve, essential for ongoing management of this award-winning reserve and will allow dedicated management of the fen area, for the benefit of all wildlife, from plants and algae up to birds of prey.

The National Lottery funding is an essential part of bringing this vision to reality, and we are immensely heartened by their support for the Sculthorpe Fen project and we look forward to now being able to go ahead and developing the project with HLF alongside us. 

Nigel Middleton, Sculthorpe Moor Reserve Manager, said “The extension and development of the reserve has been a long time coming, but desperately hoped for. Sculthorpe is an oasis in the midst of intensive agriculture and the huge and diverse wildlife to be found here bears testament to how important for wildlife it is – and what effect the larger area will have on the biodiversity in this part of Norfolk. I was shaking when I heard that we had been awarded the money – what a rosy future the reserve now has!”

Adrian Blumfield, Chief Operations Director, H&OT said “The local community has always been at the heart of Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve and this National Lottery grant will enable us to significantly increase the size and impact of the reserve, providing a place for the community to experience nature and to get involved, as so many already do, with a wealth of volunteering opportunities.”

Robyn Llewellyn, Head of HLF East of England, said: “Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, Sculthorpe Moor’s wildlife will have more space to thrive and people of all ages and backgrounds will have some fantastic opportunities to enjoy their natural heritage and be a part of building a bright future for the reserve.”