The Maids Head Hotel is working with Wilkinson’s of Norwich to create a special afternoon tea blend for the hotel. Sam Masters, Food Services Manager, visited Wilkinson’s shop on Tuesday, August 14, to get the process going.
Sam, assisted by Debbie Harris Owner/Director of Wilkinson’s selected a Darjeeling and a Ceylon tea which were then blended and tasted to check the mix. The tea will be sampled by staff at the hotel before the final mix is agreed and the tea is added to our Afternoon Tea menu.
Ten of Wilkinson’s Teas from Breakfast Blend, to Gunpowder Green, Cornucopia and Decaffeinated Ceylon are a special feature of our Afternoon Tea menu, which is served daily from 12noon to 5pm.
Here at Round House we are going through fundamental changes, to become a more customer centric organization and to be considered “Best in class”. We have a clear vision and strategy that will help us to form close partnerships with our existing and prospective customers, our suppliers and with the local community. In the first ¼ of this year we have seen growth of over 30% compared to last year and have invested in new equipment, recruitment, training and development of our staff as well as bringing in the next generation of talent with our new graduate scheme. We have restructured our board of Directors and management team to deliver the next phase of our strategy to drive through the improvements needed on our journey towards becoming a world class metal fabricator. With the implementation of 5s and Lean manufacturing initiatives we will become more cost competitive and reduce lead times as well as offering some new services like upstream design support to our customers. The full integration of our MRP system will enable us to capture live data, manage capacity, schedule more efficiently and will further improve our level or responsiveness to customer demand.
The effects of these changes can be seen already and due to our growth in revenue 18% more staff and will offer further job opportunities for the local community as the effects of the fundamental changes we have made continue to grow our business.
Our team at Round House believes in “working together, winning together”
East Anglian accountants and business advisors, Larking Gowen, has been shortlisted in the Best Rural Professional Services category of the Rural Business Awards for the eastern region. “We’re delighted to have made the shortlist for this prestigious award,” says Larking Gowen Partner, Ashley Smith. “This is a real pat on the back for the team. I’m delighted their expertise and commitment have been recognised in this way. We have been advising rural businesses since we were founded in 1888, and are now one of the largest agricultural accounting specialists in the UK. In fact, we’ve supported many clients through generations.” Now in their fourth year, the Rural Business Awards, in partnership for the first time with Amazon, recognise the contribution of rural businesses to the regional and national economy. Award categories reward excellence in manufacturing, food and drink, retail, education and training, among others, as well as rural professional services. “Each year, the Rural Business Awards highlight the strength and diversity of rural businesses here in the East,” says Ashley. “In our work, we see that sense of shared community and support everywhere. We’re proud to be in the company of such outstanding businesses from our region.” The winner of each category will be announced at a ceremony in October at Trinity Park in Ipswich. Finalists will be put forward to the national awards, and winners announced early in 2019.
The Norfolk Enterprise Festival will take place on the 22nd September from 11am – 6pm, in the beautiful grounds surrounding the West Acre Theatre. The vibrant festival will be hosting Norfolk-based entrepreneurs, start-ups, micro businesses, and SMEs from across the whole county! We’ll also be welcoming investors for the ‘Angels Den’, interested in becoming part of the most exciting projects happening in Norfolk today.
All attendees are welcome to have families in tow. Be prepared for creative arts workshops, forest schools, nature trails and delicious local food and drink stands, as well as inspirational speakers from the top of Norfolk’s business community. Let’s inspire Norfolk and ensure it’s a hub of entrepreneurial activity! Register now for this free event
Visit our website for live updates of the event programme. We have a few last spots for speakers, so if you own a business and wish to share your knowledge contact us through our website! www.norfolkenterprisefestival.co.uk
In March 2018 the New Anglia Enterprise Adviser Network hosted ‘Bridging the Gap’ – The New Anglia Careers and Enterprise Conference which involved over 150 delegates in discussions around the importance of effective employer engagement and career education. Our ethos, to place students at the heart of the event; starting with a ‘real life’ recruitment process we offered positions to eleven student volunteers, who helped to support and run the event.
Students reflected post event;
“I really enjoyed my interview; it was equally challenging and stimulating and gave me experience of an interview situation …. I was pleased to be able to contribute to a conference where the importance of providing young people with experiences that inspire them and raise their aspirations…was highlighted.” – Yr 13 Student, Taverham High School
“The conference was an amazing experience. I learnt so much …. The highlight of the event for me was standing up in front of so many people, being able to say I had performed as well as I could. Coming away and saying that I was so proud of myself was an amazing feeling.” – Yr 10 Student, Wymondham College
“The skills I most enjoyed using on this day were communication skills. There were points that were more difficult than others, but we dealt with it as a team; when we couldn’t find something out we used our initiative and worked together to solve problems.” Yr 9 Student, Litcham High School
“I am still unsure on what I would like to do …. I am interested in engineering and I met a female engineer who spoke to me about her life and what it takes to be a successful woman in STEM” – Yr 10 Student, Wymondham College
The students summed up the themes of the day as collaboration, inspiration and exploration. Their ask of delegates; to continue to increase business engagement with education.
The New Anglia Enterprise Adviser Network gives schools, colleges and businesses the chance to do just this. Volunteers work with education to help them increase and improve the quality of student employer encounters. Find out more here – https://newanglia.co.uk/the-new-anglia-enterprise-adviser-network/.
JD Cooling Group who were recently awarded London Stock Exchange’s ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’, were delighted to welcome The Mayor to their offices on the North Lynn Industrial Estate.
As part of the visit, Councillor Nick Daubney officially presented the prestigious award to JD Cooling Group’s managing director, John Dye in front of members of the team.
He said of the company, “It was good to meet the management and staff behind this success story. I really appreciated the time taken to show me their operations and welcomed the opportunity to discuss and learn of both future opportunities and forthcoming challenges. JD Cooling is a forward-thinking innovator and clearly an important and conscientious employer. The Stock Exchange 1000 Award is very well deserved.”
John Dye, said, “It was a pleasure to meet the Mayor of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, Councilor Nick Daubney. On behalf of everyone, I would like to thank him for his time and the opportunity to personally introduce him to the JD team and our successes.”
When Big C’s founders embarked on their vision to deliver outstanding cancer care in Norfolk and Waveney, it’s unlikely that, 37 years ago, even they could have dreamt of the positive impact of the wide-reaching and innovative care services that are today provided locally by Big C and the substantial investments made into cancer research and medical equipment made by the charity.
Having been through their own cancer journeys and endured lengthy travel to receive treatment, David Moar and Clive Bamford, passionately wanted to ensure that local people had access to the very best treatment and support, close to where they live. 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 three Big C centres located at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, in Kings Lynn and Great Yarmouth and a hub at the Louise Hamilton Centre in Gorleston. These centres provide an oasis of specialist emotional and practical support for those with a cancer diagnosis and their loved ones away from a clinical environment. Since current CEO, Dr Chris Bushby, joined the organisation in 2015, the charity’s turnover has risen from £2.5 million to £2.9 million. Outgoing Deputy CEO and Director of Operations, Nikki Morris, has shown outstanding leadership in her role as Deputy CEO, in strategic business planning and as an ambassador for the charity. She has also been instrumental in creating innovative, caring support and information services in Big C’s acute and community facilities, which are recognised as pioneering. Nikki has helped create and deliver a robust panel of scientific expertise to review complex cancer research projects and helped develop the processes needed to achieve the management of investment into medical equipment. Nikki, with her team, also developed a comprehensive educational strategy with two streams of focus and priority – health and wellbeing and careers in medicine, research and the third sector. Nikki leaves the charity in September after seven years, to take up a role as CEO of a national London based charity and therefore Big C is currently recruiting for her role (see below). Dr Chris Bushby, CEO at Big C, says, “Nikki’s passion has been 110% in support of providing the best outcomes for those individuals, families and communities affected by cancer and we know that she will take this passion to her new Chief Executive role. I and the Trustees are delighted for Nikki and we are not surprised at this achievement. We are currently recruiting for a new Deputy CEO and Director of Charitable Operations and we are very keen to hear from interested candidates keen to bring their specialist knowledge of cancer and ideas, to become the clinical lead and ambassador for the charity. They will be joining Big C at a very exciting and pivotal moment in its history as we forge ahead with our focused programme of strategic growth and positioning.” Deputy Chief Executive & Director of Operations Norwich, Norfolk, East Anglia £60,000 per annumIn addition to Deputy Chief Executive responsibilities, as Clinical Lead, you will strategically develop and lead our Charitable Operations across Norfolk, Waveney and areas of East Anglia. This includes our Support and Information services, Big C’s Research and Equipment Grants process and also Big C’s Education Programmes. For further information, or to apply, please see https://www.big-c.co.uk/vacancies. Closing date: Monday, 27 August 2018 Interviews: Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 September 2018
We have a fabulous second floor #officespace available to let from 03/09- a rare chance to come at work at our great facility opposite Norwich Train Station.
The current tenant is expanding; the room currently has 9 desks and a self containd meeting pod which comfortably sits 4.
As we all our rooms- there is natural light and airconditioning.
There is Car Parking available. You also have use of or Rehydrate Room- which has a Bean to Cup Coffee Machine- so on tap awesome coffee and 13 types of Kandula Tea!
There are a multitude of electrical sockets, we are VOIP ready .
The office is let on a monthly rolling contract
Contact us for further details – virtual tour and video available.
The Maids Head Hotel was delighted to host the Lord Mayor of Norwich, Councillor Martin Schmierer, the Norwich in Bloom team and the Britain in Bloom judges for lunch at the hotel on Thursday 2 August.
A busy Britain in Bloom judging morning included visits to Grapes Hill Community Garden, the Plantation Garden, Eaton Park, Edith Cavell Academy, Westlegate and All Saints Church, the Great Hospital and the Adam and Eve pub.
We wish Norwich in Bloom a very successful outcome from the judging day.
CyberScale, a Norfolk cyber services company, is launching a new and innovative cyber security service for small and micro-businesses. Starting in August in Norwich, the new programme will give small businesses the chance to gain an insight in to cyber security and risk reduction that is usually only accessible to larger organisations. The six-month Cyber Security Foundations programme combines training sessions, support and practical guidance tailored for small and micro-businesses.
Darren Chapman, founder of CyberScale, stated, “Last year 43% of businesses said they had cyber security breaches. Small and micro businesses struggle to deal with this, without the resources of larger businesses. That is where the Cyber Security Foundations programme comes in. It is a practical, tailored and easily understandable programme aimed at helping small business leaders to be aware of the issues, reduce their risks and build sensible, personalised security improvements in to their day to day activities.”
The programme involves an innovative approach including monthly face-to-face workshops, individual action planning, security “quick wins”, direct access to advice through video conferencing, updates on the latest threats and progress monitoring. Practical advice will include securing and backing up your data, preventing malware damage, avoiding phishing attacks, using passwords to protect data, keeping your mobile devices safe, use of Cloud services, handling data breaches and standards and policies for your business.
Darren continued, “This programme is designed specifically for small and micro businesses. It takes a pragmatic approach, providing straightforward information to understand the risks and to create a plan with practical changes tailored to your business. Cyber threats are a daily occurrence and their impact can be devastating for businesses and individuals, so it is essential that organisations are prepared and protect themselves, but that this doesn’t get in the way of making a success of their business.”
The first two programmes commence in late August. A programme of morning sessions is available at the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce in Norwich and a lunchtime sessions programme will be delivered at the SugarBeat Eating House, Swainsthorpe. On completing the programme, participants will receive certification of their commitment to Cyber Security and may decide to move on towards attaining the formal Cyber Essentials accreditation.
Darren concluded, “An effective Cyber Security strategy isn’t just about IT, it is far more than that, including your people, processes and preparations – all covered during the course of the programme.”
CyberScale was set up in 2017 by Darren Chapman to deliver pragmatic IT security support and solutions to businesses large and small. CyberScale offers Cyber Security assessments, Data Protection and GDPR data security support, Advisory services and Awareness Programmes. Its particular aim is to enable businesses to prepare and protect themselves without getting in the way of doing business, hence Pragmatic IT Security.
Darren has worked in IT for over 20 years, in technical, consulting and management roles for large and small companies, with a focus both Security and User Experience. Darren is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), having gained this accolade in 2017. This is the most sought-after qualification in the field of Information Security, requiring at least 5 years verified experience in the field of Information Security, passing an exam and ongoing learning. He has also previously gained numerous other qualifications in the IT field including MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer), PRINCE2 (Project Management) and ITIL (Service Management).
The KLM UK Engineering team celebrated Norfolk Day last week in the sunshine with a visit from an ice cream van, a lunchtime BBQ and a charity raffle! We raised £400 for East Anglian Air Ambulance, a big thank you to our team for being so committed & generous. We look forward to Norfolk Day 2019!
When Musical Keys’ Fundraiser, Alison Cooper, discussed the idea of a Sky Dive to raise money for the charity, her husband volunteered. Seeing the difference the charity makes to the lives of people living with disability and additional needs, Lee Cooper wanted to do his bit to help with fundraising. He was keen to get going and no sooner had Alison set up the online campaign Lee had already raised £255 by the end of the same day!
Lee is being joined by Martin Hewetson and Martin’s son, Henry. Martin is Director of Norwich based Independent Financial Advisors and Norfolk Chamber of Commerce members, Kent Carlyle Wealth Management. The company are Musical Keys most recent Corporate Supporters and Musical Keys have developed a strong partnership with the team since welcoming them as a local supporter.
‘When I was presented with the opportunity to raise money for Musical Keys by jumping out of an aeroplane I quite literally leapt at it’, said Martin ‘Musical Keys is such a fantastic charity, who make a huge difference in our local communities and our business is proud to support them. By getting involved in the skydive I can satisfy my need for an adrenalin boost whilst raising funds for a very worthwhile cause.’
Thanks to Lee’s dedication and Martin and Henry’s local contacts, they have raised £1,700 of their £2,000 target. However the need for funds to help the charity develop its work is ongoing – if you would like to help them smash that target and contribute the work of Musical Keys, you can donate via TotalGiving https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/musicalkeys_skydive
Musical Keys offer those living with disability and additional needs, the opportunity to engage with music and arts activity, helping them to develop personal and social skills, gain confidence and express themselves in a fun, inclusive environment. Groups provide a support network for parents, carers and families and those who access our services have described them as a life line!