Member News

Do you need low-cost training on food allergens for your business ? With more tragic cases highlighted in the news recently , it is an opportunity to receive training in this important area.

The venue is at Breckland Council, Elizabeth House, Walpole Loke, Dereham, NR19 1EE.

There are a number of dates:

3rd December 2018

15th January 2019

18th February 2019

11th April 2019

The cost is £50 per person and the course can be booked here:

www.ehtc.co.uk/level2infoodallergen

Flagship Group is continuing its commitment to solving the housing crisis as work starts on site this month for nine houses on Music House Lane in the centre of Norwich.

The development known as ‘Kings Gate’ will be Flagship Group’s first open market scheme in Norfolk, the sale of these homes will enable Flagship to invest in their core purpose, providing homes for people in need.

Planning consent was obtained for the nine open market townhouses and terraced homes in 2017 with works due for completion in June next year.

Kings Gate will consist of four two bedroom and five three bedroom houses. These bespoke homes will help towards the ongoing regeneration of this area of the city. 

Tony Tann, Managing Director of Flagship Homes (Development) said: “We are excited by this development, it is a great addition to our growing portfolio and shows that we continue to diversify in our offering to help solve the housing crisis in the East of England. 

“We are proud to be building high quality homes in a great location which will have appeal to a wide range of people.”

 In light of GDPR regulations, deadly data breaches are the subject of discussion in offices and business meetings nationally.

There is a public focus on the businesses accountable, with the public being more aware of their personal data rights than ever before. Most data breaches happen accidentally in your employee’s inboxes, either by sending an email to the wrong recipient or clicking on a link that isn’t secure. Have you ever sent the right email to the wrong person?

Simple mistakes such as these can now cost companies clients, income and also their reputation. Several businesses have come under scrutiny recently, after mistakenly sending sensitive information to the wrong recipient, just through a click of a button.

Over breakfast at St Giles Hotel, Tiger Eye Consulting will help you to make sense of how you can avoid the dreaded data breach in your inbox.

The seminar will explain the simple truth behind data breaches, and present two solutions, with presentations from Tiger Eye, MimeCast and Tessian. With spaces booking up fast, grab your spot to avoid missing out: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-secure-is-your-email-system-breakfast-seminar-and-networking-meeting-tickets-49894855857?aff=twitter1  

Great Yarmouth Borough Council is now inviting not-for-profit small and medium-sized enterprises to apply for grants of between £1,000 and £7,500 to offer innovative employability training courses helping residents in the borough.

The new Inclusion Project will assist long-term unemployed and economically inactive residents who face complicated life challenges and who are most disconnected from community support, including from entry-level training, volunteering and work placement opportunities.

As part of the initiative, which is funded by the borough council and the European Social Fund, the council is making available £120,000 over three years to not-for-profit SMEs in order to develop employability services that address gaps in the training currently available and meet residents’ needs.

Following a successful project launch recently, which was attended by 14 SME organisations, the council is putting out its first call for grants applications to provide employability skills. Applicants can be based anywhere in the UK, but must deliver their proposed new services within the borough and be prepared to match-fund their requested grants, either from other funding sources or in kind.

Eligible enterprises interested in finding out more or applying should contact Tracey Read, Inclusion Project Coordinator, via tracey.read@great-yarmouth.gov.uk or 07468 764753. The closing date is October 25.

Cllr Andy Grant, chairman of the housing and neighbourhoods committee, said: “This is a great opportunity for not-for-profit SMEs to help drive towards inclusive economic growth in the borough by assisting those furthest from the workplace into training, education, volunteering and ultimately jobs. We invite any eligible SMEs interested in these exciting grant-funding opportunities to get in touch.”

Businesses are reminded they have until noon on Monday, October 15 to enter the Spirit of Enterprise Awards 2018, the most prestigious annual celebration of business excellence in the Great Yarmouth borough.

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. 

The awards have nine categories, the winners of which will be considered for the sought-after title of 2018 Business of the Year by overall award sponsor Noritake Itron.

Time is running out to enter, as businesses only have until noon on Monday, October 15 to put themselves forward for the various categories. The awards are free-of-charge to enter online at www.soea.co.uk and finalists will be profiled in a supplement in the Great Yarmouth Mercury, with winners appearing in a further supplement.

The finalists and winners will also be showcased at a glittering awards ceremony and gala dinner at the Town Hall’s prestigious Assembly Room on Friday, November 23.

Each award is backed by a local organisation. Sponsors choose the winner in their category from three finalists shortlisted by a local independent panel or by the category sponsor themselves.

The categories and sponsors are:

• Great Manufacturing/Engineering – sponsored by P&S Personnel
• Great New Business – sponsor to be announced
• Great Business Growth – sponsored by Bateman Groundworks
• Great Business Idea – sponsored by Aston Shaw
• Great Customer Services – sponsor to be announced
• 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

The media partners are the Great Yarmouth Mercury and The Beach radio station.

Cllr Graham Plant, the council leader, said: “This awards scheme is another way that the council is supporting the local economy, boosting investor confidence by showcasing the many brilliant businesses of all sizes and sectors from across the borough.

“We always have great feedback, with past winners saying the recognition has helped to boost staff morale, their profile and their reputation with customers. This is a fantastic opportunity and a great celebration of business excellence that has only been made possible thanks to the sponsors, including main sponsor Noritake Itron.

“It is completely free-of-charge to enter – so if you think you could win a category or even be crowned 2018 Business of the Year, then please make sure you submit the entry form by noon on Monday, October 15.”

Andy Stubbings, of Noritake Itron, said: “We are honoured to be the overall award sponsor for the Spirit of Enterprise Awards, having previously sponsored the Great New Business category for several years.

“Entering these awards is a chance for businesses to showcase their achievements on the public stage, helping to boost their stature, reputation and staff pride. There are some excellent businesses right across the borough and we know it will be hard to choose the 2018 Business of the Year.”

Entrants and potential sponsors seeking more information are invited to visit www.soea.co.uk or call Michaela Smith-Moore on 01493 846380.

Abate Pest Management recently worked with Stonbury, specialist contractors to the water industry, on the 1953 Dennington Water Tower in East Suffolk to replace bird netting as part of the tower’s refurbishment project.

Abate was awarded the project due to their bird proofing specialisms and that they are Safecontractor and Chas accredited. Health and Safety would certainly play a big part in this project, especially when the water tower is nearly 200ft tall.

“Even before the survey began a full health and safety induction was given” said Jon Blake MD of Abate. “Like any project where we work at height, safety measures such as double lanyard clipping to ladders automatically takes place.”

The water tower project included a complete guano clean of the outer void, which is the area between the outer wall and the huge water tank. When the clean was complete all of the wires and fixings were replaced and new finer gauge netting was installed. Jon also said, “as the tower is fitted with communication masts, we also installed zips at access points to allow engineers to unzip the netting rather than just cutting into it, this will reduce additional maintenance in the future.” 

Working at heights always gives a different outlook in pest control, the team certainly had some amazing views over the Suffolk countryside. 

Visit our website to view more images from this project and to learn more about our bird poofing services. 

On November 1st, NANSA is supporting disabled people to take part in a fashion show organised by Karen James-Welton also known as The Fabulous Miss K who runs her own vintage and stylist business and Sarah Henry who runs The Vintage Shed.

NANSA has worked for over 60 years to improve the lives of people in Norfolk with physical, sensory and learning disabilities.

NANSA is a local independent charity and believes that all people with disabilities are entitled to full inclusion in society.

NANSA aims to empower people in Norfolk with disabilities to achieve their life aspirations. 

The show follows a sell-out fashion show held earlier this year which was based on the idea of having a women’s vintage fashion show for all, to highlight the need of making fashion accessible and wearable no matter what.

NANSA were delighted to be asked to take part in the show and are thankful to Karen and Sarah who supported 3 of NANSA’s Train and Trade trainees modelling their own clothes at the fashion show.

Tom Garrod, NANSA Chief Executive, who attended the show earlier in the year commented: “The NANSA trainees excelled in their catwalk performances and the increase in their self-confidence was clear to see.

These young women are no different in their interest of fashion than any other woman and there is no reason for others to perceive them any differently. NANSA actively seeks opportunities to challenge the perceptions of disability and to offer every client the chance to achieve whatever they want to achieve in life and it’s great for us to work with partners like Karen and Sarah to enable this to happen”

The event was such a success that another fashion show is planned for November 1st and is being held at The Oaklands Hotel, Norwich. NANSA will be supporting 4 trainees modelling their own collection taken from a selection of items donated to their 5 charity shops based in and around Norwich.  

Sarah Henry said “Due to their excellence on the catwalk at the first show, the trainees were part of the pre shoot which advertises the Every Woman Vintage Fashion Show taking place next month.”  

NANSA’s Head of Charity Trading, Amanda Lockwood, commented:

“Charity shops provide the ideal opportunity for people to buy into the “anything goes” fashion trend we are currently seeing. Our trainees love working with fashion.  Being asked to provide models and show our collection at the “Every Woman Vintage Fashion Show” means that NANSA can be part of challenging the perception of who fashion is for. Fashion should be for everyone and we are passionate about making this a reality.”

If you would like to support NANSA by attending the fashion show, please follow the Facebook link for tickets and more details or search Facebook “Every Woman Vintage Fashion Show”.

https://www.facebook.com/everywomanvintagefashionshow/

Tickets are also available from NANSA’s Magdalen Street charity shop. Details can be found on the NANSA website: https://www.nansa.org.uk/shops.aspx

TaxAssist Accountants expands Support Centre

Growing Franchise takes a further suite at Broadland Business Park

The TaxAssist Group, the award-winning national network of accountants for small businesses, has expanded its Norwich Support Centre, moving into a second suite at Bankside 300 on Broadland Business Park.

TaxAssist, which has more than 220 franchised areas in the UK, Republic of Ireland and Australia, and operates from over 300 shops and offices, moved its Support Centre to Broadland Business Park at the end of 2014 when it took a suite of 5,033ft2 (468m2).

Their new expansion sees them increase by an additional 4,797ft2 (446m2) by taking the neighbouring second floor suite.

Karl Sandall, Chief Executive of the TaxAssist Group, said: “We chose to move our Support Centre to Broadland Business Park with an eye on expanding our operations when the need arose.

With the many exciting UK and global developments ahead for the TaxAssist network in the coming months, the time has come to do just that as we grow our existing team of 45 highly experienced staff.

We are confident the modern serviced offices offered by Bankside 300 will continue to play an important part in our expansions.”

James Allen, partner at Roche Chartered Surveyors, said: “TaxAssist’s expansion into the final available suite in Bankside 300 is very good news indeed.

This is a highly successful business that fits Broadland Business Park’s profile very well and underlines the popularity of the Park for companies looking for Grade A office space in a very attractive landscaped environment.”

TaxAssist Accountants is one of the largest networks of franchised accountants specifically servicing the small business sector.

In July 2018, the UK network had over 69,000 clients and gross recurring annual fees in excess of £45 million.

There are over 200 franchises operating across the UK, with a further 200 territories still available. If you’d like to find out more about operating a TaxAssist Accountants franchise, please call 0800 0188297 or visit the website www.taxassistfranchise.co.uk

Police have issued a warning to businesses to be vigilant to cold callers following two incidents in Norfolk and Suffolk. It comes after a company based in Harleston, Norfolk received a call on Monday 17 September from someone claiming to be ‘Sergeant Mark Shepherd’ from Suffolk Police and asked to speak with the director. He then stated he ‘was doing a campaign involving going into schools and talking about safety issues and requesting sponsorship’. When the call recipient declined, the caller put the phone down. On Wednesday 26 September a company based in Hadleigh, Suffolk received a similar call from someone claiming to be ‘Mark Shepherd’. He stated he was from the media department of the police and was asking for charity donations. When challenged he stated he was a freelancer and provided an invalid phone number. Later in the day a further call was received from a man to a sister company which shares the same address and was answered by the same member of staff. The man was challenged after he repeated his request to speak to a director and he then gave his name as ‘Steven Gerrard’ before the call was ended. Officers have this advice: Never give out personal information about your bank account to anybody over the phone. If someone calls claiming to be a police officer, ask for their identification number and police force. Hang up and call 101 using a different phone. If you can’t use a different phone, wait at least five minutes before calling back. A genuine police officer will not mind waiting while you check. Police and banks will never ask you to give out personal details such as account numbers or PIN numbers. If you have given out information which could compromise your bank account security in any way, call your bank to cancel your cards as soon as possible. Never hand over money to someone at the door to be sent off elsewhere. Anyone with concerns about such calls should contact Norfolk Police on the non-emergency number 101 or 999 if a crime is in progress. Alternatively, contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

 Cold Calling Alert – Cold callers offering to sharpen and coat blades and tools – 27 September 2018

Businesses need to be aware of cold callers visiting premises offering to sharpen and coat tools and blades. This follows an incident where a member of staff at a company was approached by individuals offering this service quoting a price ‘per unit’. The cold caller also offered a free sample of the service which was accepted. Following this an agreement for a number of items to be sharpened and coated was agreed. Since then the company has been invoiced for a vastly inflated amount as the cold caller is stating the unit in the ‘per unit’ price relates to ‘per centimetre’ not ‘per item’. Always be very wary of claims made by cold callers to your premises and never agree to services, buy items or for return visits if approached in this manner. If you are looking to contract work out only deal with reputable companies you have researched and chosen yourself, and always obtain a written quotation from them in advance of the work commencing. If you receive a cold call to your business from someone offering to sharpen and coat tools or blades we would advise that you decline the offer, ask the cold caller to leave your premises and then report the incident to us via our partners the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06.

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Business Companion has advice on how to spot and avoid scams targeting businesses

If statues could talk, what stories would they tell?

We were pleased to welcome some local legends to the studio recently:

The iconic City Hall Lions…

Polymath and author Sir Thomas Browne…

Anchoress and theologian Julian of Norwich…

The mysterious feral child Peter the Wild Boy…

One of Shakespeare’s original players, the comedian Will Kempe…

Well they weren’t literally in our studio – but they were here in spirit! 

10 of Norwich’s most historic statues have been given the power of speech. Talking Statues is an exciting project designed by Sign London and led by production agency Creative Nation. Just by swiping your smartphone you can hear these statues telling their stories!

We at JMS were delighted to be able to record some of those stories. We welcomed into our voice booth comedian Adam Buxton; writer, poet and director Molly Naylor; local comedy duo The Nimmo Twins; writer and broadcaster Keith Skipper; poet and writer Luke Wright; and BAFTA Award Winning actress Olivia Colman. Zoe Telford and Stephen Fry also contributed their vocal talents to the trail. 

So next time you are wandering around our UNESCO City of Literature take a moment to pause and listen to some of the fascinating tales our county’s heroes have to tell.

If you are looking to record audio or hire a studio, give us a call on 01603 811855 or visit https://www.jms-group.com/ to find out more.

OPEN Youth Trust:  Conference and Event Manager – Role Profile 

Main Place of Work/Location:            20 Bank Plain, Norwich, NR2 4SF 

Responsibilities:                                 Booking and managing conferences and events 

Responsible to:                                   Head of Operations

About the Trust

OPEN is a multi-purpose venue, in the heart of Norwich, committed to delivering world class live music and outstanding conference facilities, which funds OPEN Youth Trust, a charity that provides opportunities that make a positive difference to the lives of young people in Norfolk.

About the Role

Permanent – 40 hours per week including some evenings and weekends to reflect the needs of the Trust.

You will work with the wider events team and be responsible for sourcing, booking and managing a portfolio of conference and events using the OPEN Venue and its variety of rooms.

You must be a proactive and highly organised individual with the skills and experience, energy and commitment to help generate and manage the commercial income from the conference and events related activities of the OPEN Youth Trust. You will demonstrate an approachable demeanour with excellent communication skills and a passion for customer service.

Salary and Benefits

£20-22k (dependant on experience)

Pension and private health scheme

Reporting Structure

The jobholder will report to the Head of Operations and work alongside the Live Events Manager (responsible for music, comedy and public events), the operations, hospitality and technical teams, ensuring a seamless account management experience. 

Competencies, Skills and Experiences

• Essential                                      
• Business Development/Sales                     
• Event management background                 
• Customer focused                          
• Commercially and financially aware
• Planning and Organisational skills   
• Self-motivated                                           
• Team player                                              
• Desirable
• Licensing knowledge
• Charitable affiliation
• Catering/hospitality experience
• Technical understanding
• Marketing background
• Line Management experience
• Ability to work on one’s own initiative 

As an OPEN team member, you will be:

• Professional, friendly, fun and caring
• Positive, ambitious, proactive, customer focused
• A team builder, celebrating success, demonstrating commitment and pride
• Passionate and knowledgeable about OPEN’s core objectives and values

Main Purpose of the Role        

As part of the events team, the Conference and Events Manager will have the following main objectives

1.     To promote and sell the conference and events facilities within OPEN to both local and national markets

2.     To book and administer all conference and events bookings using the Artifax booking system

3.     To work closely with the wider team ensuring all information supplied is accurate, complete and applicable for each event

Detailed Responsibilities:

Events

• Managing administrative functions to ensure specific events are delivered efficiently and effectively
• Develop a portfolio of daytime or evening events for conference clients
• Consulting with the Head of Operations and Head of Hospitality and the wider team to review arrangements for all venue bookings
• Passing on technical requirements of the hirers and putting clients in touch with the relevant technicians and duty managers
• Develop the business to ensure that the individual requirements for each event are met, dealing with any issues that may arise
• Developing events from proposal right up to delivery, ensuring that the precise requirements of the client are handed over to the delivery team and understood  
• Booking a range of events throughout the year within budget, that meet or exceed expectations financially and to the satisfaction of the client
• Setting, communicating and maintaining timelines and priorities for each event that you develop
• Communicating, maintaining and developing client relationships so that they want to return
• Managing external and internal supplier relationships 
• Ensure that the highest levels of customer service are delivered and maintained at all times
• Work with the Head of Operations and Head of Finance on the commercial calculators for each event to ensure profitability within set margins
• Work with the Head of Finance on post event treasury and reporting
• Work with the Head of Marketing to ensure that all public events are added to the Trust’s website and promoted accordingly
• Liaise closely with the hospitality team regarding specific catering requirements on events

Account management

• Achieve agreed financial sales targets for Conference and Events 
• Work with the Duty Managers to ensure a seamless handover of events
• Manage the relationship between OPEN and the client successfully in order to retain their business and achieve cross sales of other facilities and services
• Attend regular networking events and exhibitions to promote and market OPEN’s facilities
• Sell the benefits of the outstanding technical and hospitality facilities of the venue to prospective clients
• To create a record of all new business, prospecting and related activity for the Head of Operations each month
• Conduct regular market research and develop an awareness of the local Conference and Events markets., to develop new business income streams and help determine strategies to increase sales.

Over and Above

Every day try to add to the Team Culture to make sure others feel supported and enjoy the benefits of your valuable professional skills and experiences.

Sometimes you’ll be asked to carry out other duties and responsibilities of a similar professional nature to those described above.

Most of all enjoy your work because your efforts will make a positive long-term difference to the lives of many young people in Norfolk.

This job information cannot be all encompassing. It is inevitable over time that the emphasis of the job will change without changing the general character of the job or the level of duties and responsibilities entailed. Consequently, this information will be periodically reviewed, revised and updated in consultation with the post holder to reflect appropriate changes.

How to Apply

If you want to make a positive difference, help secure financial self-sufficiency and sustainability for the Trust and are able to work in innovative ways, visit our website www.opennorwich.org.ukto download an application form or pick one up from the venue’s Box Office.

Applications must be made by email only.  Please send a completed application form and covering letter to HR@opennorwich.org.ukby 5pm on Friday, 12 October 2018. Successful candidates will be invited to attend interviews during the week commencing 15 October and any job offer will be subject to a Disclosure & Barring Service check and references.

For further information about the role please email Alex Walters, Head of Operations alex.walters@opennorwich.org.uk

World-class data centre MIGSOLV has partnered with data networking expert Next Connex to provide customers with unprecedented access to Jisc’s super-fast Janet Network.

The UK’s national research and education network, Janet, has more than 18 million users in colleges, universities and research centres, who utilise it to connect to the internet and securely share information. MIGSOLV’s connection with Next Connex will provide rare access to Janet for other public-sector and commercial organisations.

“We’re pleased to be working with Next Connex to offer such an opportunity.” said David Manning, Managing Director at MIGSOLV. “The Janet Network opens up a vast new marketplace for businesses who provide secure online services. As we provide enhanced connectivity to more than 250 carriers, this super-fast network is another great service for our world-class data centre.”

Outside the education sector, the Janet Network is widely used by public and third sector organisations, including government departments and scientific bodies. For similar organisations like charities and NGOs, connecting to it can provide a way to create relationships, share information and become involved in national and international programmes. As part of the Government’s digital-first strategy, the Janet Network may provide commercial companies with a secure way to supply their online products and services to otherwise hard-to-reach public sector customers.

“Our joint connection offers customers access to a high quality and resilient network that’s used to support the best in UK research and innovation.” said Richard Auld, Commercial Director of Next Connex. “We’re delighted to be helping MIGSOLV provide such an opportunity through their top-class facilities.”

Next Connex design, build and support bespoke high-performance network infrastructure and specialise in integrated data networking and hosting solutions. MIGSOLV’s Gatehouse in Norwich is a world-class data centre which houses and protects data and hardware for organisations in sectors including IT, energy and cryptocurrencies. The partnership will allow customers to quickly obtain a dedicated high-speed link to the Janet Network through MIGSOLV facilities.

For more information call 01603 510323 or visit www.migsolv.com