Member News

Norwich-based independent insurance broker Alan Boswell Group has been crowned Best Landlord Insurance Provider at the 2018 National Landlord Investment Show Awards.

The event celebrates excellence in the private rented sector – the inaugural ceremony was hosted by comedian Rob Beckett, and the awards themselves were judged by a panel of industry experts.

Alan Boswell Group beat stiff competition to take home the award. It’s the reward of their continued and long-standing commitment to providing market-leading products and exceptional customer service to landlords. With their client retention rate sitting at 85.5%, the Group are reaping the benefits of investing in in-house underwriting and claims teams to provide their award-winning service. Through continual innovation within the sector, the Group has secured partnerships with PropertyTribes, Bought By Many and, most recently, Avios.

Director of Personal Lines, Heath Alexander-Bew, said:

“Being recognised in the industry can only help to improve our visibility, strength and trust in the market, attracting even more businesses and customers to buy products from us. For all those involved they should feel a personal satisfaction and pride in what they do.“

If you’d like an award-winning local and independent insurance broker working for you or your business, give Alan Boswell Group a call on 01603 218000.

THE most prestigious annual celebration of business excellence in the Great Yarmouth borough, the Spirit of Enterprise Awards, will culminate this Friday (November 23) in a glittering trophy presentation ceremony, at the Town Hall.

Organised by enterpriseGY, Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s business support service, the popular awards aim to recognise and raise the profile of the borough’s top-performing companies, while boosting confidence in the strength of the local economy. 

After weeks of anticipation, businesses shortlisted for the various awards (please see below) will find out who the winners are during a grand awards ceremony and gala dinner to be held for 200 guests in the Assembly Room.

The awards scheme has nine categories. Each award is sponsored by a local organisation, with most sponsors choosing their category winners themselves. Overall award sponsor Noritake Itron has selected the 2018 Business of the Year from the winners of the other categories.

The media partners are the Great Yarmouth Mercury and The Beach radio station, whose morning show presenter Rob Chandler will compere the awards evening. Desmond MacCarthy, of Wiveton Hall, who is best known from TV documentary Normal for Norfolk, will be the keynote speaker, giving a talk on the theme of enterprising business and entrepreneurial spirit.

Cllr Graham Plant, the council leader, who will deliver a speech at the ceremony, said: “The Spirit of Enterprise Awards, now in its 11th year, is another way that the council is supporting the local economy, boosting investor confidence by highlighting the many and varied successful businesses of all sizes and sectors from across the borough.

“The awards evening is always much anticipated, a brilliant showcase of business excellence. This year, we’ve seen another batch of strong entries, with some businesses entering several categories, so huge congratulations to the shortlisted finalists.

“I look forward to congratulating all the category finalists and winners, as well as the overall 2018 Business of the Year. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the sponsors, including overall award sponsor Noritake Itron, as well as our media partners and the council staff who make this event possible.”  

The categories and sponsors are:

• Great Manufacturing/Engineering – sponsored by P&S Personnel
• Great New Business – supported by the Go Trade Project and judged by the Great Yarmouth Mercury
• Great Business Growth – sponsored by Bateman Groundworks
• Great Business Idea – sponsored by Aston Shaw
• Great Customer Services – sponsored by the Greater Yarmouth Tourism and Business Improvement Area Ltd (GYTABIA) and judged by The Beach
• Great Family Owned Business – sponsored by Birketts
• Great International Growth – sponsored by Pasta Foods
• Great Investment in People – sponsored by Norse Group
• Great Community Contribution – sponsored by Potters Friends Foundation

Overall award sponsor:

• 2018 Business of the Year – sponsored by Noritake Itron

The shortlisted entrants are:

Andover House Hotel and Restaurant

Finalist in Great Customer Service.

API Microelectronic Limited

Finalists in Great Manufacturing/Engineering Business, Great Business Idea and Great Business Growth.

Aston Shaw

Finalists in Great Investment in People, Great Customer Service, Great Community Contribution and Great Business Growth

Barkers Media

Finalist in Great Customer Service

Bellyboos

Finalists in Great Business Growth, Great Family Owned Business and Great Business Idea.

Birdie Breaks

Finalist in Great New Business

Clark Furnishing Ltd

Finalists in Great Manufacturing/Engineering Business and Great Family Owned Business.

CSSCloud Ltd

Finalists in Great Customer Service and Great Business Growth.

Fusion Hair and Beauty Consultants Ltd

Finalists in Great Investment in People, Great Business Idea, Great Customer Service and Great Community Contribution.

Gorleston CCTV.Ltd

Finalist in Great Community Contribution.

Hammond Cars

Finalists in Great Customer Services and Great Family Owned Business.

Home-Start Norfolk.

Finalist in Great Community Contribution.

The House of Pallets

Finalists in Great Business Idea, Great Customer Service and Great Family Owned Business.

The Kings Arms Fleggburgh

Finalist in Great Business Growth

Nexus Engineering Training Centre

Finalist in Great Community Contribution.

Norfolk Garden Rooms

Finalists in Great Business Idea and Great New Business.

P&S Personnel

Finalist in Great Investment in People, Great Customer Service, Great International Growth, Great Family Owned Business and Great Business Growth

Premier Agents Ltd

Finalists in Great Community Contribution

R Todd Insurance Services

Finalists in Great Customer Service and Great Family Owned Business

Sam Race Venue Decoration

Finalists in Great New Business and Great Customer Service.

Seabed Scour Control Systems

Finalists in Great Manufacturing/Engineering Business, Great Business Idea and Great International Growth.

Smart Radio

Finalists in Great New Business and Great Community Contribution.

Strictly Theatre Co.

Finalists in Great Business Growth

What Is Hip

Finalists in Great New Business.

Local accountant Charlie Walker will be celebrating the opening of his new business, TaxAssist Accountants in Bedford, with a special event on Thursday, 29th November 4-7pm.

The shop at 73 Tavistock Street offers tailored tax and accountancy services for small businesses across Bedford, Clapham, Goldington and Brickhill.

In addition, Charlie has established the Bedford Business Hub within his shop, which offers serviced office facilities, including Wi-Fi, hot desks, individual offices, freshly ground coffee and use of a conference room.

Charlie and his team have been offering accountancy services to businesses in the local business community since August. They are looking forward to meeting with existing and new clients and contacts at an official launch party, which will be held at the shop at 73 Tavistock Street at 6pm on the 29th November, with Speaker of Bedford Borough Council, Doug McMurdo, cutting the ribbon.

“I am thrilled with the fit out and look of the shop, which provides the ideal environment to meet with clients to discuss their tax and accountancy requirements,” said Charlie.

“We don’t consider ourselves to be your typical accountants. It’s our aim to provide small businesses with a quality service that meets their individual requirements and we want our clients to be able to access our services at their convenience. I would encourage anyone interested in our services to pop in to arrange a free initial consultation.

“Likewise, anyone who is interested in the Bedford Business Hub facilities, please do get in touch.”

TaxAssist Accountants Bedford specialises in providing accountancy services, company tax returns, self-assessment returns, payroll, bookkeeping, tax savings and tax advice to small businesses. In addition, TaxAssist also offers QuickBooks Online and Receipt Bank which help business owners manage their finances, scan receipts and stay in control of their business.

For more information, please contact Carenza Lyden-Brown on 01234 331777 or email hellobedford@taxassist.co.uk

Great Yarmouth businesses have until Friday 14th December to apply for up to £5,000 which they can use to support employees to walk or cycle to work, or to otherwise reduce journeys to the workplace.

Applicants can be innovative with funding ideas, based on what will help support their business’s specific requirements and help support a move away from single occupancy car journeys.

Any organisation based in Great Yarmouth, including schools, can apply for this capital grants scheme. The funding can be used to implement or improve the physical fabric of the workplace, such as installing cycle storage, showers, or changing room facilities, to help overcome the practical barriers that employees can face when active commuting.

Other improvements such as installation of ICT and videoconferencing equipment that can help employees to work from home are also eligible.

Katie Tierney, Active Workplaces Project Officer at Active Norfolk, said “These workplace travel grants are designed to help local businesses capitalise on the benefits that active commuting can bring to employees like improved productivity, health and wellbeing. They can also support a reduction in pressure on local parking and reducing business travel costs. We’re encouraging businesses to get creative with the grant applications and think about what practical solutions would help more of their employees take up active commuting.”

For more information regarding the grants, or to apply, visit https://www.activenorfolk.org/workplace-travel-grant.

Applications must be received by Friday 14th December, and successful applicants will be announced by Wednesday 9th January 2019.

This Sustainable Travel Grant Scheme is provided by Active Workplaces, Active Norfolk’s workplace physical activity programme, and Pushing Ahead, a Department for Transport funded project that promotes walking and cycling in Norwich and Great Yarmouth.

It’s five years since Dereham-based Example Marketing and Web Design first opened its doors to local businesses. In that time, the firm has helped over 200 companies improve their print and digital marketing efforts. Emma Raines, who owns the business with husband Gavin Raines, is delighted to have reached this milestone:

“When we first started the business, we had a fairly cautious mindset. We knew we could do a great job for our customers, but with so many stories about the state of the economy, we knew success wasn’t a given. I’m really proud of how far we’ve come. We’ve been flat out from day one!”

In June this year, Example moved its headquarters from Bawdeswell to a new office in Dereham. The past six months have seen the business go from strength to strength, with an expanding team and new customers from across the UK. Despite a growing client base, the company’s ethos remains the same. Emma continues:

“When we started Example, it was with the intention of helping local businesses grow and thrive. We love the ideal of supporting the local economy. Lots of our customers are start-ups and sole traders who need a helping hand. We keep things simple and our prices keen, so those people can access a professional service that can really make a difference to their business. We’re a company with a big heart!”

To help mark their anniversary, Example Marketing is also running several print offers over the next month with discounts on luxury business cards, appointment cards, postcards and fabric exhibition stands. Call 01362 708500 to find out more.

Are you a business who has been caught out by scams or know someone who has. Trading Standards Institute Business Companion website has information & tips on how to avoid getting caught out.

businesscompanion.info

businesscompanion.info/en/quick-guides/miscellaneous/business-scams 

The Competition & Markets Authority ( CMA) has issued guidance and an open letter to care homes to advise them of their obligations under consumer law. The advice is being published as part of ongoing work into residential care homes and nursing homes for the over 65s. It follows on from previous work where some unfair contract terms were found which may cause harm to individuals.

www.gov.uk/government/news/consumer-law-advice-sets-out-obligations-for-care-homes

This November, Design and Marketing Executive Charlotte Baxter, celebrates a year working for successful Norwich-based marketing agency Full Mix Marketing.

We sat down with the digital and graphic design specialist to hear about her experiences working in a growing agency.

Congratulations Charlotte on your anniversary! Tell us about yourself and how you began with Full Mix Marketing?

As a child, I was always the creative type, drawing and designing things whenever I could. Originally from the Wirral, I studied design at the University of Derby before moving to Norfolk with my partner. I’ve worked exclusively as a graphic and digital designer, first in a busy digital creative agency, then a national photography brand, before joining Full Mix Marketing.

Despite being a young company, Full Mix already had an impressive client list and a growing reputation. Our Managing Director Sarah West is really passionate about marketing, delivering results and doing things right. I saw an opportunity to work for varied clients, use all my skills and develop new ones. It’s been great to be an important part of something going places!

What does your role entail?

We have a number of clients for which we provide ongoing marketing and others for whom we deliver individual elements or projects. Naturally, my role is creative, I build websites, design print materials, create ad campaigns and provide artwork for social media etc. As so much modern marketing is digital, I’m also an experienced coder, constructing websites so they not only look great but function well too. However, everything we do is a team effort, playing to the strengths amongst my colleagues.

What’s been your most enjoyable project this year?

We recently rebranded a luxury travel group, which I thoroughly enjoyed. We really got to know them and their customers so we could create a strong design brief from which I worked. I got to be very creative with my concepts and the feedback from the client was excellent.

As a Graphic Designer, branding is one of my passions. Whatever the business, it can be incredibly powerful. It was my main focus at University and my first job in Norwich was working on small branding projects.

What has been the biggest challenge this year?

Probably the most challenging and rewarding aspect has been developing new digital skills. It’s such a vital part of marketing and design now to understand how things work online. For example, search engine optimisation has to be considered right from the start with website design.

Fortunately, Sarah is very big on learning, keeping up to date and developing new skills, so we always find time to do so. As our own marketing says, we really want our client’s businesses to shine online!

What are you most looking forward to in the year ahead?

Full Mix and the team are growing. I’ve some really talented colleagues. We’ve exciting new clients and many more we’ve delivered great results for. It’s nice to be part of something which is not only developing but I feel we can all influence where it’s heading.

Personally, I just want to continue honing my skills and learning new ones. Over this past year I’ve really grown as a designer. At the centre of everything we do is effectiveness and I’ve learned how to think like a marketer whilst creating like a designer. Other than that, I’m looking forward to planning my wedding and finally finishing our garden landscaping!

Independent franchise satisfaction survey reveals outstanding results yet again for leading tax and accountancy franchise

For the sixth consecutive year, TaxAssist Accountants, the UK’s largest network of small business accountants, has been awarded ‘5-star franchisee satisfaction’, based on positive feedback from its network of more than 200 franchisees.

TaxAssist Accountants once again received above the average benchmark results for the six key areas of the survey which inform the final Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark report. These include:

• Training and Support • Franchise System • Culture & Relationships • Leadership • Value & Rewards • General Satisfaction

The satisfaction benchmark is provided by WorkBuzz, a leading independent franchise consultancy. It works by inviting existing franchisees to participate in an anonymous online survey which asks them 31 questions about their franchise ownership experience.

Using a consistent methodology, the franchise is assigned an overall satisfaction benchmark score and the highest performing franchisors are recognised in the Best Franchise Awards.

Karl Sandall, Group Chief Executive Director at TaxAssist Accountants, said: “Receiving 5-star franchisee satisfaction for the sixth year running – one of only four franchises that can say this – is a huge honour.

“The accountancy industry is changing and over the last few years, TaxAssist has had to ensure that our franchisees are ready for the challenges and opportunities that Making Tax Digital, cloud technology and advisory services are bringing.

“It is encouraging that our network has been so positive and supportive of the tools we have put in place to enable them to take advantage of these changes.

“As ever, each comment made by our franchisees in the survey will be noted and digested and will help inform the support we provide going forward.”

For more information about WorkBuzz and the Best Franchise Awards please visit www.bestfranchiseawards.co.uk  

Loganair’s latest figures for its Norwich services display a remarkable punctuality performance, it has been revealed. In July, the most recent month for which figures are available, the Scottish airline’s service from the East Anglian city to Manchester showed 94.0% of its flights at D15, that is within 15 minutes of scheduled departure time – the industry’s definition of being “on-time”. The Norwich to Edinburgh service had figures just close behind, with 91.23% at D15. The two key services sit in the top five on punctuality for the fast-growing Glasgow-based airline, which has its English base at Norwich. Figures for the first seven months of 2018, January to July inclusive compiled by the Civil Aviation Authority, saw Loganair’s three services from Norwich perform at a consistently high level at D15 – 87.19% to Manchester, 85.34% to Jersey and 85.08% to Edinburgh. Meanwhile, Loganair’s increasing number of codeshare and interline agreements with the giants of international aviation is seeing Norwich’s international connectivity growing at an ever-increasing rate – especially to North America. An “interline” partnership with Thomas Cook Airlines provides long-haul connections from Norwich and via Manchester to 13 North American and Caribbean destinations including New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Orlando and Las Vegas on a single ticket – with through-ticketing and through-check baggage. Further interline agreements are in place with journeys via Turkish Airlines, Emirates and Qatar Airways. There is also an arrangement with American Airlines at Manchester, via a British Airways “codeshare” to Chicago and Philadelphia, which is one step up from interline, giving passengers complete protection as if they had booked with the ongoing journey airline. Loganair commercial director Kay Ryan said: “Norwich is a massively important airport for us, it is our only operational base outside Scotland. We are very pleased at our increasing performance here both in terms of punctuality and providing more connectivity. It shows our continued and growing commitment to the city and the airport. “We have been working hard at developing partnerships with some of the world’s biggest airlines, and recent deals involve such as Turkish, Emirates and Qatar. All these deals will benefit Norwich Airport and its passengers, especially via our service from Norwich to Manchester. It is an exciting time for us and for our relationship with Norwich Airport.” The latest news comes shortly after Loganair announced a partnership with Norwich City FC, which involves Loganair becoming the football club’s transport partner to away games, but also a sponsor of the club. Norwich Airport managing director Richard Pace said: “As Loganair’s operational base in England we are delighted to see the airline achieve such excellent punctuality on its Manchester, Edinburgh and Jersey routes. Loganair is an important operator for Norwich Airport and its growing interline and codeshare agreements with some of the world’s biggest airlines via Manchester mean passengers can enjoy seamless transfers from Norwich to a growing list of long haul destinations including North America and the Caribbean.”

Norwich Airport celebrates Assist Trust partnership A work placement scheme for people with learning disabilities at Norwich Airport is celebrating success with five people now working at the airport as volunteers since the scheme was launched in May last year. Charity Assist Trust, which proves support and opportunities for adults in Norfolk with learning disabilities, says Norwich Airport provides one of the most important placement schemes it has. A total of five Assist Trust members – Paul, Matthew, Nicky, Nathan and David – have taken on a variety of part-time roles at the airport, with David and Matthew having just completed their first six months in the job. Duties include greeting passengers, assisting with baggage, helping disabled passengers through the terminal and security, cleaning tables and washing up. By providing meaningful work placements in a busy working environment the aim is to help people gain confidence, self-esteem and increase their independence, and potentially progress to paid work. Jamie Price, Airport Security Manager at Norwich Airport, was instrumental in setting up the work placements with Assist. He said: “It’s fantastic to be able to support people with their personal development and all the Assist Trust volunteers have really become part of the airport team. We hope our experience will encourage other Norwich businesses to look at how they can provide similar placements for people with learning disabilities.” Roger Bilton-Hill, Supported Employment Team Leader at Assist said: “Norwich Airport provides fantastic support for our members and it’s one of the most important placements we have. The experience they are getting in a busy working environment is just invaluable and we hope that some of our volunteers can progress to paid work, which is very rare for an adult with learning disabilities.” Assist Trust is Norwich Airport’s adopted charity this year and supports over 130 adults in Norfolk with a range of services including employment and travel training, housing support, daily living skills, and health promotion through sports and healthy living groups. Norwich Airport employs around 280 staff and handles more than half a million passengers a year. It is part of Regional & City Airports, the airport management division of Rigby Group plc which also owns and operates Coventry Airport, Exeter Airport and Bournemouth Airport.

At Data Crush we take our social responsibility seriously, so we ensure that everything we handle is recycled in what we believe to be the most environmentally friendly manner. However, we can do more and being a Microsoft Registered Refurbisher we have now launched our Refurbishment Program which, as well as recycling redundant equipment, also directly supports a local charity.   

When Companies upgrade their technology systems, we ask them to donate their old IT equipment to help make technology affordable for others. So, whilst we know that some Companies already have a method for disposing of their surplus PCs we are hoping that they might now consider using our new program, knowing that the equipment can still hold value for others and support a worthy charity at the same time. 

Some equipment may not be suitable for refurbishment and in that case the data drives are physically destroyed, and the components sent for recycling.  

Clients can be reassured that all PCs are properly decommissioned, following stringent industry standard >