Member News

The Breakwater IT car park has been the recipient of three new additions – electric charge points for employees and clients to use. Fitted by Norwich firm, Excel Electrical Services Ltd, the points are authorised by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), and are a step towards supporting electric vehicle uptake and lowering emissions.

With battery efficiency and range continuing to evolve, electric vehicles are becoming more of a feasible choice and we are keen to support the switch with these smart charging points. At the September Zero Emission Vehicle Summit, the Prime Minister set out her ambition for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040.  

Norwich solicitors Cozens-Hardy LLP are pleased to announce the appointment of two highly experienced new members of staff to the firm’s residential conveyancing department.

Solicitor Michaela Watts joins the firm from Fosters. Michaela deals with all types of residential conveyancing – freehold/leasehold sale and purchases, transfers of equity, re-mortgages and the purchase of new build property.

Conveyancing Executive Yvonne Adams joins Cozens-Hardy from Leathes Prior. Yvonne deals predominantly with sales and is able to assist with purchases.

Where is your prescription painkiller ending up?

NHS and Veterinary prescription drugs are increasingly ending up on the streets of the UK and being widely abused in combination with other drugs including class A and B street drugs. “Ask any teenager about Ketamine?” suggests Mike Garside, Director of UK DrugTesting. They’ll tell you exactly what it does as a party or festival drug. They won’t know its a veterinary anaesthetic used to tranquilise horses.

The NHS has adapted to trends in prescription drug abuse over the last 20 years. Many of the older prescription painkillers have been restricted or even removed from the national formulary. 

Replacing these have been the modern substitute drugs, perceived as safer and less likely to be abused and with fewer side effects and overdose risks. In reality, this perception has led to a reduced surveillance of their use, particularly in the elderly and increasingly the often overlooked use in veterinary practice.

Chances are if your dog needs a painkiller it will be prescribed Tramadol. Often 10-14 days are supplied, most of which do not end up being required. The rise of Tramadol abuse on the streets of the UK has risen rapidly over the last 10 years. “Not many people realise they are being supplied a powerful opiate agonist painkiller,” said Kate Garside, Director of UK Drug Testing and an ex GP. These drugs are increasingly being scheduled, as the abuse becomes recognised and recorded.

These pills are being sold on and end up on the streets. Some are being obtained deceptively as a source of income, some are just being shared in family groups and leach out into general supply. And it’s not just Tramadol, Oxycodone, gabapentin pregabalin, fentanyl and ketamine. All drugs you may not have heard of, but chances are, may have been prescribed to a family member or pet for a range of chronic conditions, including pain relief.

Theft from pharmacies and vets is another source of supply. There is no reliable up to date data on just how common these drugs are. Most studies are already historic by the time of publishing, and in the world of drug abuse, supply is dynamic and immediate. 

While nobody has been screening for these drugs, no reliable tests had been developed. Abuse grew, effectively under the radar of both healthcare and enforcement agencies. 

In the last 12 months, driven principally by requests from the criminal justice agencies, the biotechnology has finally caught up, with screening tests for point of care or instant testing for both new psychoactive substances and modern painkillers.

Earlier this year UK Drug Testing introduced a new 16 panel drug testing cup which included tests for most of the new prescription painkillers in addition to the more traditional street drug groups. “we expected these to sell to the prisons and drugs teams” said Kathy Calvert, the UK trade and NHS manager for UKDrugTesting. “what we found is they are selling to individuals, wanting the most comprehensive test available” 

With the rapid growth in the abuse of these groups of drugs, it makes sense to include them in any new testing program, especially for safety-critical employment roles such as construction and those requiring trackside certification. The UK Drug Testing Behemoth 16 drug test cup is available to buy online and makes an excellent broad-spectrum cup drug test kit choice for the workplace, as well as healthcare drug screening.

Website https://www.ukdrugtesting.co.uk 

A new Edith Cavell interpretation board was unveiled in Tombland, Norwich next to the Edith Cavell monument on Saturday, October 13.

Explaining the significance of Edith Cavell and the sacrifice that she made, the new board marks the centenary of the unveiling of the monument, by Queen Alexandra, on October 12, 1918, the third anniversary of Edith Cavell’s execution in Brussels, by a German firing squad.

The monument was originally in front of the Maids Head Hotel, next to the Edith Cavell Rest Home for Nurses, which was also opened by Queen Alexandra in 1918. The Norwich rest home was the sixth in a series of Edith Cavell rest homes, funded by public subscription, and opened across the country. The homes cared for exhausted nurses, traumatised by the impact of the First World War. Their work continues today through the Cavell Nurses Trust.

The building that housed the Norwich Rest Home was acquired by the Maids Head Hotel in 1956 and includes a meeting room on the ground floor, named after Edith Cavell.

The new interpretation board project was coordinated by Nick Miller, Edith Cavell archivist for St Mary’s Church Swardeston (Edith Cavell’s home parish) and was unveiled by Dawn Collins, Director of Nursing for the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust.

The production of the board was sponsored by Norwich Cathedral, the Bishop of Norwich, the Maids Head Hotel, Care UK Cavell Court, Norwich High School for Girls and the Bowen family.

Nick Miller explained: “We hope the new board will keep Edith Cavell’s challenging story alive. She died in front of a German firing squad for having assisted allied soldiers to escape. What was her view of her work? Her own word tell us, in conversation with Rev’d Stirling Gahan in her cell the night before she was executed: “Don’t think of me as a heroine and martyr, think of me simply as a nurse who tried to do her duty. Standing in the light of God and eternity I have realised that patriotism is not enough: I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone.”

“This statement draws deep on her roots and upbringing and the Christian faith which sustained her through 20 years as a nurse. When she saw her ‘brothers’, the British and French soldiers needing shelter and help to escape, she believed her duty was to help them, whatever the cost to herself. She risked all, housing them, feeding them, nursing them and walking with them to a rendezvous with Belgians who would take them onward to the Dutch frontier to freedom. She courageously persevered at this for nine long months, helping at least 200 men.”

Edith Cavell was born in 1865, the first of four children of the vicar of Swardeston. She worked as a governess in the east of England and Brussels. Aged 30 she returned to care for her sick father and then enrolled as a trainee nurse, wanting to do ‘something useful for people’. After nursing for ten years in the poorest parts of London and Manchester, she moved to Brussels in 1907 to create the first Belgian professional nurse training school.

On holiday in Norfolk in July 1914, with her widowed mother, she chose to return to Brussels to support her nurses as war was imminent. Under the German occupation she secretly hid British and French soldiers, often wounded and helped them to freedom in Holland. She and all involved knew they risked being shot for this. Eventually she and her network were betrayed. Thirty five were arrested, interrogated and tried by a German military court. She and a colleague were shot at dawn on October 12, 1915. After the First World War her body was brought back to the United Kingdom and she was buried at the east end of Norwich Cathedral on May 15, 1919.

For more information about Edith Cavell see www.edithcavell.org.uk

One year on in her role as Franchise Development Manager for TaxAssist Accountants, Sam Skyring discusses how her experience in practice, and her knowledge of the network has helped franchisees in the day to day running of their practices.

Before taking on this role, Sam spent three years at TaxAssist gaining an in-depth knowledge of the network, delivering training, technical assistance and undertaking due diligence visits alongside her colleagues at the TaxAssist Support Centre in Norwich.

“This allowed me to build up a real understanding of areas that franchisees need to focus on to enable them to grow and develop their businesses effectively,” adds Sam, who is ACCA qualified and for whom leaving the comfort of her 9-5 desk job has been an enriching experience. “I love the challenge of going to work in a different office every day, whether it is Cardiff or Cambridge, Belfast or Edinburgh. Each franchisee is unique, each has strengths and weaknesses and it’s a great feeling when you can see you’ve made a real difference to someone and their business. “I focus on looking at the big picture for the franchisee. How are they and their staff spending their time? What systems are in place? What is the franchisee charging? When running a business, the focus must be on maximising efficiency and profitability. “I know that the biggest area for franchisees to work on is the actual operating of the franchise. There is a real tendency for franchisees to work in the business rather than on the business.

“At the end of my visit I would hope that my approach enables franchisees to take more of a bird’s eye view of their practice. At TaxAssist, we provide excellent training for our network, but it’s only when a franchisee is up and running, that they get to experience practical issues with staffing and technology – which is where I can help.” This is reflected in the praise from franchisees, with David Nayar, who operates from Bolton and Preston, saying: “Sam provides fantastic support for our franchise and her expertise has been invaluable in getting our office working efficiently and effectively. I cannot thank her enough for the help and support she provides.” Over in the east, fellow franchisee Simon Hunt, who operates from King’s Lynn, concurs: “Sam has been incredibly supportive and helpful to me and my business. She has supported to me throughout my journey with TaxAssist and I know that if I encounter any challenges, I have someone who I can speak to.”

If you are interested in finding out more about joining TaxAssist, please contact Nikki Haythorne by e-mailing franchiseenquiries@taxassist.co.uk or by phoning 0800 0188297.

Nick, who has been a part of the TaxAssist Accountants network for over 12 years, operates shops from Barnsley and Huddersfield and has now opened a shop in North Sheffield in partnership with his wife Pat.

On the 1st October, Nick Brook opened his third shop, on 1 Wadsley Lane in Sheffield and is delighted by the response so far.

“We’ve had a fantastic first week,” said Nick. “The shop has drawn many admiring glances and positive comments from neighbours, passers-by and clients and we are looking forward to becoming an integral part of the local business community.” Nick opened his first shop in Huddersfield in 2006, followed by an office in Barnsley in 2015. Such was the demand for his services in Barnsley, that he relocated his office to a larger, more centrally located shop in the Yorkshire town’s Church Street in 2017. “The shop-front concept is clearly key to my – and TaxAssist’s – success and I think it provides authenticity to our offering and makes us so much more visible to potential clients,” explained Nick. From starting out on his own, Nick now employs eight staff who look after the needs of over 500 clients.

“I am looking forward to working with Pat and my fantastic team of staff to continue the success that I’ve had so far in Barnsley and Huddersfield to North Sheffield and would like to encourage potential clients interested in our services, to pop in for a free consultation,” added Nick. TaxAssist Accountants provides a wide range of accountancy services including tax returns, annual accounts, payroll and bookkeeping and helps a diverse range of small businesses including start-ups, sole traders, limited companies and landlords who operate in many industries. If you are interested in finding out more about joining the TaxAssist Accountants network, please contact our Recruitment Manager Nikki Haythorne on 0800 0188297.  

GENIX Business Support are holding a conference near Cromer to help businesses gain a better understanding of which social media platforms will work best for their business.

Business owners are invited to attend the Choosing the Right Social Media for Business conference.

The aim of the event is to explain cost-effective ways to increase brand awareness and increase sales. The session is designed to help delegates discover how to best capitalise on free marketing through social media and what makes creative, memorable content.

The conference will be held on Tuesday, 13th   November at Northrepps Country House Hotel, near Cromer from 9.30am until 12.30pm.

The guest speaker will be Nick Pandolfi who works with businesses across the UK enabling them to reach new markets, through online, content creation.

Conference host, Leanne Castle from GENIX said, “Nick will show how and why different social media platforms work best for different businesses, how potential customers use social media and when.

 “Finding and recruiting staff with the right skill set is difficult for some Norfolk based companies and Nick will show how to use platforms for recruitment drives through promoted posts.

“It promises to be an interesting and informative conference, Nick is well known for his whit and engaging presentation style.”

North Norfolk District Council commissioned GENIX in 2016 to organise and host business information conferences in north Norfolk.  Choosing the Right Social Media for Business will be the fourth event for business owners to be held in the district.

Tickets cost £10pp and booking is essential. Visit www.genix.org.uk or call 0800 096 3013.

More than 30 business people are expected to attend GENIX Coffee Means Business networking event at Northrepps Country Hotel, near Cromer on Tuesday 16th October.

GENIX Business Support  has been hosting the monthly business events since September 2016 at different locations across north Norfolk.

GENIX host, Leanne Castle said, “We welcome established businesses, micro businesses and start-ups to our friendly, informal and relaxed networking events. People can chat over coffee and biscuits, move about the room and meet a wide range of businesses in a short, two-hour period.

“It’s a great opportunity to meet new business contacts and we’re thrilled that the sessions are such a success and GENIX is entering its third year of organising them. People enjoy the friendliness and the low entrance fee of just £5, there are no joining or membership fees and the parking is free too.  Coffee Means Business is the affordable face of business networking.”

North Norfolk District Council commission GENIX to organise and host Coffee Means Business in the North Norfolk area. They could see there was a need for regular networking opportunities for businesses which didn’t involve expensive membership fees.

Coffee Means Business will next be held on Tuesday 16 October at Northrepps Country Hotel from 9.30am until 11.30am. There are no membership fees, just £5 towards coffee payable on arrival and booking isn’t essential. For full details got to www.genix.org.uk

Norfolk’s Best Employers were celebrated at the Best Employers Eastern Region 2018 awards conference which brought together over 150 business people from across East Anglia.

The awards conference, held at the Rowley Mile Racecourse in Newmarket on Wednesday 3 October, revealed the 2018 winners of Best Employers Eastern Region Awards and Accredited organisations.

It was also 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 Best Employers Eastern Region initiative was founded by professional recruitment specialists Pure and psychometrics experts eras ltd. It is sponsored by law firm Birketts and provides businesses with the opportunity to gain unique data on their employee engagement levels through the initiative’s free employee survey which measures employee engagement, culture and values.

The chance to be officially recognised as one of the region’s best employers is based on the survey results.

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 awarded to the organisations which scored in the top 25% of the Best Employers Eastern Region employee engagement survey and which also submitted further evidence for judging.

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

Award winners:

• Best Overall Medium Company Award winner and Platinum Accredited: The Fountain Partnership, digital marketing agency based in Norwich
• Best Professional Services Company Award winner and Platinum Accredited: LSI Architects

Platinum Accredited:

• Flagship Group, housing association with its head office in Norwich
• Morgan Sindall Construction East, construction and regeneration group with offices in Norwich
• Quotatis, home improvements quotations provider based in Norwich
• Liftshare, social enterprise based in Norwich

Gold Accredited:

• Chadwicks, wealth management and business advisors based in Norwich
• Holden Group, automotive dealership based in Norwich
• Made, creative marketing agency based in Norwich
• Purple Tuesday, software development company based in Norwich
• ReAssure, life and pensions company based in Norwich
• Smithfield Foods based in Norwich
• Tiger Eye, work product management company based in Norwich
• Victory Housing Trust, housing association based in North Walsham

The judges also presented further accreditations to the organisations which showed high levels of engagement and which they believe are the ‘Ones to Watch’ ahead of the biennial Best Employers Eastern Region in 2020.

These included Independent chartered surveyors and business consultants Brown & Co, the Holkham Estate on the north Norfolk coast and Norwich’s family-run department store Jarrold.

On being presented with the Best Overall Medium Company Award and Platinum Accreditation, Rebecca Lewis Smith, Managing Director of Norwich’s digital marketing agency Fountain, said: “We’re over the moon to receive this award, which recognises the approach Fountain takes to looking after, supporting and empowering our team members. In a service business it’s clear that investing in employee engagement and team wellbeing has a direct impact on the quality of work we do for clients, and, in our industry, to their bottom line.

On a personal note, being part of a happy team, who are passionate about their work and proud to be Fountaineers, is extremely rewarding – and I’m extremely moved to receive this recognition of our commitment to our culture.”

Ben Goode, Director at LSI, which was presented with the Best Professional Services Award and Platinum Accreditation, added: “At LSI, we want to be the best employer in the construction industry, in order to become a better architectural practice. The Best Employers Eastern Region Platinum accreditation and award for Best Professional Services Employer are further evidence that we are on the right path. We regularly receive feedback from clients that our people are great to work with and we believe that this is because they are happy, healthy, highly skilled and motivated to deliver the quality design and committed service that we believe our clients should expect.”

Lynn Walters, Executive Director at Pure and founder of Best Employers Eastern Region, said: “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. We developed Best Employers Eastern Region to raise the recruitment profile of organisations and the region as a whole. In today’s competitive recruitment market these businesses will now be in a stronger position to attract and retain the high calibre employees needed to achieve business growth. As well as being a celebration, the event was a unique opportunity for our region’s businesses to learn from one another. I would like to thank all our guest speakers for sharing their employee engagement journeys and helping us in our purpose of contributing to the growth of the eastern region by sharing insights on increasing employee engagement and productivity as a result.”

The guest speakers at the event included Mark Merryweather from Norwich’s creative marketing agency Made and Steve Shore from life and pensions company ReAssure in Norwich.

Jeanette Wheeler from regional law firm Birketts also led an interview with Catherine Spitzer and Julie Archer from Bidwells, in which they shared their experience of redesigning their Cambridge office as a catalyst to change the culture of the business.

At the event, Paul Henderson and Alex Pearce from eras ltd shared the key findings and regional trends from this year’s Best Employers Eastern Region employee engagement survey.

Alex Pearce, Managing Director at eras ltd, said: “We’ve had a fantastically diverse range of organisations taking part in Best Employers Eastern Region 2018. With double the number of participants completing this year’s survey we had some really high quality and valuable data to share.”

The awards event also raised money for charity with a proportion of ticket sales being donated to the regional offices of MIND. Together with money raised at the Best Employers Eastern Region 2018 launch event in February over £5,200 has been raised for the mental health charity.

The full list of award winners and accredited organisations is shown on the dedicated Best Employers Eastern Region portal.

A busy start promised for 2019

The team at GGS are preparing for a busy start to 2019, having been awarded the contract to design and build a 105 square meter stand for a food and drink trade mission by a delegation of The East to the Netherlands. The stand will have a prominent position at Horecava in January, which is the largest Dutch hospitality trade fair for food and drink producers and catering professionals. The East’s team, includes representatives from New Anglia LEP, Norfolk & Suffolk county councils and the Department of International Trade. ‘The East Food and Drink stand’ will give up to 24 Norfolk & Suffolk based food and drink producers the opportunity to showcase their products to Dutch buyers. The stand design has an industrial influence and uses materials such as corrugated steel sheeting on the walls complimented with galvanized steel counter tops, and plenty of rustic timber. Suspended above the stand will be a four-sided Union Jack banner frame – just so there’s now mistake the Brits are in town. Norwich based ‘The Lively Crew’ are managing the space allocation for companies interested in participating on the stand (7 to 10 January 2019), and can be contacted for further information by emailing robert@thelivelycrew.co.uk. For any other questions contact Roberta Willner at Norfolk County Council  roberta.willner@norfolk.gov.uk. GGS Exhibitions can be contacted at duncan@ggs.co.uk

Make a real difference to those in our community affected by cancer…

Norfolk’s cancer charity, Big C, is looking for enthusiastic and innovative people to join their Board of Trustees and help steer the strategic future of the organisation at what is an exciting time for the charity. Big C is looking to fill four specialist vacancies and is keen to hear from anyone over 18 who has experience at a strategic or senior level management in Clinical Research, Education (primary or secondary), Fundraising, GP or Public Health Professionals. Big C’s Chief Executive, Dr Chris Bushby, said “The new Trustees will be joining Big C at a pivotal moment in its history as we forge ahead with our focused programme of strategic growth and positioning. We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the last 38 years, but as an organisation we very firmly look forward to our next developments in delivering outstanding and pioneering cancer care in Norfolk and Waveney.” From its first small, but important, fundraising project providing chemotherapy equipment at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, Big C has grown into an impressive organisation which funds specialist life-saving equipment and internationally significant research projects based at the Norwich Research Park. These projects greatly benefit local people and have a global impact on our understanding and treatment of the many types of cancer. The charity has also established four Big C Support and Information centres across Norfolk which, last year, were visited more than 25,000 times, providing an oasis of specialist emotional and practical support for those with a cancer diagnosis and their loved ones. For more information about this rewarding opportunity, visit www.big-c.co.uk/about-us/current-vacancies.aspx Trustees are volunteers, but travel costs and reasonable expenses will be reimbursed.

Norfolk and Waveney’s cancer charity, Big C, has announced impressive growth for its retail division, which includes 13 charity shops in towns and communities across the region. Income for the charity, generated by retail, has increased by over 38% since 2014, with year on year growth. Gift Aid contribution has also risen by 43% over this period. Big C has opened three new shops in the last 18 months, with more openings planned in the year ahead. Several of the existing stores have also been refitted. This bucks the trend nationally, with the 2017 Charity Shops Survey* showing that UK numbers have flat-lined, with as many charity shops closing as opening in the period. Big C’s Head of Retail, Ashley Bunn, said “These positive results are the outcome of a clear growth strategy and a huge amount of work and commitment from our team. I am very proud of this achievement by our staff and volunteers, especially in a challenging retail environment and against rising costs.” Ashley continues, “I believe the fact that we design every one of our shops as a destination tailored to its location and give it an individual personality; a point of difference, is key to our success. We also want to become part of the community. For example, our new Diss store has several craft groups that meet upstairs in a community area. Our Cromer shop has its own unique style to appeal to both locals and tourists. The manager, Wendy, has dressed the store with home-made bunting and they take part in local events. We also have our Furniture and Craft Emporium at Wymondham and bridal shop on the top floor of our Timberhill shop in Norwich.”  Big C’s retail team has also been working with John Lewis, which has seen groups from the Norwich branch of the national retailer volunteer at Big C’s distribution centre and some of Big C’s staff visit John Lewis for some coaching. Students from City College Norwich have also worked on Big C projects taking briefs for projects including photography, upcycling and bridal. Both organisations also have Donation Stations at their sites. Norwich based stylist, Kate Cooper, who has an interest in sustainable fashion, works with Big C to demonstrate how clothes from its stores can be customised for personal style. Bridal gowns from the Timberhill boutique were showcased at Norwich Fashion Week. Many of Big C’s volunteers work in the network of charity shops. Ashley added, “We never take for granted how lucky we are to have our amazing army of volunteers, especially when many charitable organisations are reporting pressure on volunteer numbers and volunteering hours. We still need many more however and we’re very keen to hear from anyone who would like to join the team.” Dr Chris Bushby, CEO at Big C says, “Our shops provide an integral part of our charitable income. We rely on the generous time and energy our volunteers give to Big C. It’s a great way to meet new people and spend some free time and for some it’s also an excellent way to gain experience of the retail sector. On average 20 people are given a cancer diagnosis every day in Norfolk and Waveney and the need for our services are increasing daily.  Your unwanted gifts, outgrown clothes and any other items go a long way to support people affected by cancer in our community.” If you would like to donate to Big C please visit https://fundraise.big-c.co.uk/donate/ If you would like to volunteer for Big C please visit https://big-c.co.uk/volunteer