Member News

Two new appointments have been made at TMS Media as the Great Yarmouth-based company continues to grow.

Stephanie Pimlott has joined as operations manager and will liaise with clients and help the business to develop.

She has spent the past 12 years as business liaison and development officer at Great Yarmouth Borough Council, promoting the town as a business location and supporting companies looking to open a base in the area. Previously she was operations co-ordinator for EEEGR (East of England Energy Group).

This new role comes at a time of expansion for the company, which was established in 1989 and represents clients in a wide range of sectors – from energy and marine to tourism and the arts.    

Richard Balls has joined as a journalist and copywriter, strengthening TMS’s PR department. He was a news reporter for 20 years, working for national newspapers in Ireland before joining the Eastern Daily Press and later the Evening News, where he was news editor.

For the past 10 years he was communications manager at Norwich City Council, leading a team covering internal and external communications, websites, design and print, and providing strategic support for the leadership of the authority. He is also a published author.

TMS Media is a full-service agency, providing everything from graphic design and publicity to web development and exhibition services and employs 15 people. It has

project-managed the recent SNS 2018 conference held by East of England Energy Group at Norfolk Showground.   

Steve Scott, managing director at TMS, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to add Stephanie and Richard to the team at a time when our client list is growing. Their combined experience will help the business to grow and further enhance the service we offer.” 

Attleborough based renewable heating expert Finn Geotherm, has met Mid-Norfolk MP, George Freeman to discuss the enormous opportunities for heating homes across the county and beyond using low carbon renewable energy, which can also substantially reduce energy bills.

The meeting took place at Orchard Close in Watton, an affordable housing scheme built by Flagship Group, where Finn Geotherm has installed an award-winning district heating scheme using ground source heat pump technology. The scheme has cut energy bills for tenants by two-thirds and carbon emissions from heating and hot water by three-quarters.

Guy Ransom, commercial director at Finn Geotherm, said: “It was very useful to be able to show George Freeman what can be achieved using heat pump technology. Heat pumps could not only go a long way towards helping the government achieve its Clean Growth Strategy, but also in saving consumers money on their heating bills, particularly in rural areas such as Norfolk where ‘conventional’ heating choices are limited.”

George Freeman MP, said: “Can we reduce household heating costs, reduce carbon and grow our local economy? Yes, and the answer is here in Norfolk. Finn Geotherm is providing a heat exchange system that dramatically reduces household costs. That’s world class innovation, pioneered in Norfolk, creating jobs in Norfolk, and improving the quality of life for all of us here in Norfolk.”

Guy Ransom added: “The dual ogres of fuel poverty and high carbon emissions caused by outdated heating systems remain a huge problem throughout the UK, and particularly for the social housing stock of rural areas such as East Anglia. These problems can however be solved via the use of ground source heat pumps, a tried and tested, highly efficient technology.

“We are calling on the government to grasp the extent to which heat pump systems are a huge part of the solution to solving our fuel poverty and carbon emission problems.”

For information on ground and air source heat pumps and Finn Geotherm, visit www.finn-geotherm.co.uk.

KLM UK Engineering were delighted to support Catton Grove Primary who entered the Region event for the Greenpower goblin racing at Scottow Park, Coltishall. After a gruelling morning of sprint and time trials the Catton Grove cars (called Killa KLM and Catton Groove) began heats for the big final. The first heat ended in controversy with a car bumping Catton Groove off the track taking one of our cars out of the race. However, in another heat Killa KLM took first place and progressed to the semi finals. The semi final was very close but yet again Killa KLM raced its way into the final with an excellent drive from Kye, 9 year old. The final was over 4 laps of the course – Killa KLM had a great start and took the lead early on – Milan, a year 5 student from Catton Grove Primary as well as the team captain led the race from then on and won the final comfortably! The Catton Grove team have learnt everything from the expertise of Glenn Wilkin from KLM UK Engineering who has become a superstar at Catton Grove. Glenn has taught the children about the mechanics and upkeep of the car as well as aerodynamics, friction and all other race winning elements. A great engineering working partnership!

Boadicea®, the brand new, excitingly unique gin is set to make its official launch this coming June.

Hand crafted in East Anglia, Boadicea Gin is distilled from Royal Norfolk barley. The unique finish comes from a sumptuous recipe of ancient botanicals.

East Anglia is the land of the Iceni, the ancient British tribe led by Warrior Queen Boadicea, famed for her uprising against Roman rule in the first century.

Official launch dates and venues Fittingly, the soft launch of the new gin will take place at Caistor Hall Hotel in Norwich on June 22nd (by invitation). Built in 1797, the hotel is situated in the village of Caistor St Edmund, previously known as Venta Icenorum and founded during the AD 60s during Queen Boadicea’s reign. The official launch will be held at the Royal Norfolk Show which opens to the public from 27th to 28th June. Visitors will have the opportunity to sample and buy Boadicea Gin as well as sample a taste of a delectable Boadicea® Sapphire Martini, a refreshing cocktail.Sapphire blue in colour, the cocktail perfectly complements the dashing blue of the Boadicea® bottle.

Boadicea Gin is the creation of husband and wife team Matt and Steph Brown, the people behind Wild Knight® English Vodka and Nelson’s Gold®, two successful premium spirit brands that, like Boadicea Gin, have close connections with the East Anglia region. “The blue bottle is a fitting tribute to Queen Boadicea” Speaking for both of them, Steph says: “Boadicea Gin came about as we saw an opportunity to create something really special which ties in perfectly with our part of the country. We are distilling it using Norfolk barley as a base and infusing it with delicious botanicals like nettle, which dates back to Iceni times.”

On the subject of the dynamic blue bottle, Steph is keen to elaborate on the story behind Boadicea Gin. “In Iceni times, Caesar the Roman invader, wrote that the Britons ‘dye their bodies with woad which produces a blue colour’. So we decided to colour our bottles blue in a fitting tribute to Boadicea, head of the Iceni tribe.” Boadicea Gin is perfect sipped at room temperature, blended with the finest tonic and served over ice, or mixed into a fittingly sophisticated cocktail.

For more information visit: www.foundingdrinks.co.uk

Business Networking and Marketing Ideas at Fakenham Racecourse

Saving money is important to small businesses and how to avoid costly marketing and advertising mistakes vitally important.

This month’s GENIX Coffee Means Business networking event is to be held on Tuesday 19th June. It will provide businesses with the opportunity to network in an informal and friendly setting and to gain an insight into how to put together a marketing plan.  

Rob Davies of One on One Communications will share his top ten tips of what should be included when writing a marketing brief.

Coffee Means Business will be held at the Prince of Wales Stand at Fakenham Racecourse and business guests will have a fantastic view of the track whilst enjoying tea, coffee and networking.

Leanne Castle of MENTA commented, “We are pleased to welcome businesses from any sector, whether they’re home based or a larger concern employing staff. That’s one of the great things about these monthly events, you always meet a great cross section and variety of businesses. It’s a great way of mixing with and meeting new contacts.”

The event starts at 9.30am and finishes at 11.30am, there is free parking on site and the cost is just £5, payable on arrival.

There will be a free business card raffle for a bottle of wine chosen and supplied by TFW Fine Wines.

See more information regarding GENIX and Coffee Means Business .

An exciting and entirely unique opportunity has arisen for a skilled and experienced professional to join the Active Norfolk team and be a part of a national pilot with Sport England that champion’s physical activity in a whole-system approach to improve the lives of older people in Norfolk.

As part of the senior team both within Active Norfolk and Sport England, you will be part of a wider cohort of 8 similar posts across England that is piloting a new way of working founded on the principles of co-production, co-ownership and accountability.

The main purpose of this role is:

• To build high level relationships between Sport England nationally and local delivery (via County Sports Partnerships like Active Norfolk), thereby strengthening the connections within the system at national and local level, informing decision making at all levels. (relationships)

• To develop a deep understanding of local and national insight relevant to the role and ensure it’s used to inform national policy and programmes and local delivery, identifying challenges, opportunities and learning both nationally and locally to maximise engagement in sport and physical activity. (understanding and insight)

• To create additional leadership and influence within Sport England and the CSP area, contributing to system change within the sector and the wider system. (leadership)

• To facilitate new behaviours and ways of working within Sport England and CSPs, as well as between Sport England and CSPs, by modelling these behaviours and supporting colleagues to adopt and implement in their own work. (behaviours)

This is a two-year fixed term contract until September 2020, with an excellent remunerative package.

Closing date for applications is Wednesday 20 June, 2018.

Click here for more information and to apply for this exciting opportunity.

Recently marking its 7th Birthday, Norwich-based Gnaw Chocolate have just launched an exciting range of new healthier chocolate bars. The innovative new bars have required significant investment in the Gnaw factory and to ensure their business growth continues, there are also three additional members of the Gnaw team. Handcrafted in Norfolk with 35% healthy ingredients, natural flavours and no added nasties; the bars are made with seeds, fruits, nuts and Granola – grown in the finest Norfolk fields. “The new chocolate bars with granola have received a great reception so far, from both consumers and retailers. People are more conscious than ever about the importance of maintaining a healthier lifestyle and parents are also increasingly mindful of the occasional treats they give their children. With this in mind, our New Product Development team have developed these indulgent chocolate bars with a healthy twist”, states Matt Legon, Gnaw’s Founder. As with all Gnaw products, the new bars themselves are handcrafted, but the new 35g bars required their own packing line which required a significant investment into the manufacturers Livestock Market factory. The business has also invested heavily in their team in recent months. Gnaw prides itself on its customer and retailer support and with this in mind, Rebecca Buck joined the U.K sales and customer support team. Rose Hotten, relocated to Norwich to take up the position of Production Manager, overseeing all production and Angi Davies joined as Marketing Communications Manager. “It has been a really exciting time to join the Gnaw team. The new Chocolate and Granola bars are not only scrumptious, but these inventive products are wonderful to launch”, Angi explains. “The new range are all suitable for Vegetarian’s and those practicing the rapidly growing trend of Veganism can also savour the dark bar’s luxurious flavour. These healthier chocolate bars are also great news for those with food intolerances – all three are Gluten- free and the dark bar is also dairy-free”, Angi continues. There are currently three bars in the range; Milk Chocolate with Peanuts, British Granola & Seeds, Milk Chocolate with Cranberries, Raisins, British Granola and Seeds and Dark Chocolate with Orange, British Granola & Seeds. Gnaw plans to continue their expansion of this bite sized range with the addition of even more crunchy and delicious flavours.

In December 2016, Paul Greenan joined TaxAssist Accountants after buying a franchise resale in Newbury, Berkshire from retiring franchisee Richard Adams. A year and a half later, we catch up with Paul to see how he found the process, what he’s learnt and what his plans are for the future. A commercially experienced accountant with more than 20 years of business experience, Paul had always wanted to run his own practice. “I had been watching TaxAssist Accountants grow over the last 10 years, but the timing was never right to explore this any further.  However, in 2016 I was working as a contractor and was starting to think about my next role.  I then saw a TaxAssist resale opportunity was available in Berkshire which piqued my interest,” explained Paul. Having been involved with business sales in the corporate world in his previous life, Paul was pleased with just how smoothly the resale process ran. “Overall, the process was pretty seamless but that’s not to say there weren’t any hurdles to overcome though,” he said. “I raised the finance to purchase the practice through a mixture of personal savings and a bank loan and the TaxAssist five-year business plan was critical in securing the latter.” Richard had run the practice since 2004, opening a shop in 2009 and had two staff members. “Richard stayed in the business for an initial three months handover and then for a further two months on a contract basis.  He also came back to help with the 31st January 2018 Self-Assessment Tax Return deadline. This was great, as it was very much business as usual for the clients.” Having the right staff has been key for Paul as the business has grown and although he now has an additional three members of staff, including an apprentice, he admits meeting demand can sometimes be a challenge. “The business has grown primarily from referrals from existing clients, inbound leads and walk-ins. I have been to a couple of 4N meetings and I am a member of BNI Bourne in Newbury.  I have found the latter to be more productive because working as an accountant requires building trust and that can only be gained over time.” Being in the Thames Valley, IT consulting businesses are prevalent, but Paul has a good mix of clients. “This makes things more interesting, as well as reducing the risk to the business should one particular sector experience a downturn or be impacted by a change in tax legislation,” he said. “I’ve found having a genuine interest in each person’s circumstances and being helpful, no matter whether they become a client or not, pays off.  The best example of this was an Inbound lead who didn’t become a client.  She found our meeting so informative she told her friends, which has led to four new clients from that one initial meeting.” While the shop on Bartholomew Street is performing well, Paul knows that to take the practice to the next level, he needs to move the focus away from him. “The fee bank was £182,000 when I bought the business and it has grown to over £260,000 in less than 18 months, which I’m pleased with. But to grow further, the plan is to build capacity by introducing technology and training the team.  Once in place, I will be considering smaller satellite shops in my territory.” From speaking to Paul, it is clear that he is enjoying his new life. “Before buying the business, I was concerned about having to be a salesman; but, I needn’t have worried because I enjoy consultative selling as well as meeting lots of interesting people. The support from TaxAssist has been excellent and just knowing the Support Centre is there, is a great comfort. I should have made the decision to join TaxAssist years ago!”

Parent and son franchisees David, Anne and Ben Dixon, and their team of seven staff, look after over 900 clients across their four TaxAssist Accountants offices in Epping, Bishops Stortford, Harlow and Brentwood. David joined the franchise in 2002 with his son coming on board as a franchisee in 2014 as the business expanded. A qualified Chartered Management Accountant, David worked as a Group Financial Controller for a listed motor dealership group before joining the franchise. “I was initially attracted to TaxAssist Accountants because of the significant support – the whole package is incredibly solid which I found very reassuring,” states David. “The initial training taught me new approaches to accounting while reinforcing what I already knew. It gave me the confidence that I would be able to bring success to the business – refocusing my existing skills to ensure I had a full understanding of the TaxAssist Accountants’ model. “Being a part of the franchise over the last 16 years has been incredibly helpful. The rate of development with TaxAssist Accountants is strong and there’s a great deal of potential there for franchisees. “It’s been an enjoyable journey since 2002 and we’ve met many interesting people and businesses over the years. It was a great decision to join TaxAssist and we have built up a substantial practice which we are incredibly proud of. “We look forward to welcoming more clients and helping them navigate through the many changes ahead with the advent of Making Tax Digital in 2019.”

Leading independent insurance brokers and financial planners, Alan Boswell Group has given £50,000 towards a Big C funded cancer research project being undertaken at the Norwich Research Park in Norfolk. This is in addition to the group raising £15,000, in 2017, for the Norfolk and Waveney based charity.

Dr Dan Brewer will work with Professor Colin Cooper to research and discover new sub-types of cancer. Understanding these sub-types of the disease is important to help predict survival, inform treatment options and suggest new drug treatment strategies to improve the lives of those affected by cancer.

Dr Chris Bushby, Chief Executive at Big C, said “We are extremely grateful to the board of directors at Alan Boswell Group for their commitment and partnership in this significant cancer research project, which will benefit those affected by cancer locally and far beyond. It is a fantastic example of a corporate organisation pledging their involvement and financial backing to help accelerate the progress of cancer research and enhance our understanding to better prevent and treat the disease. We would welcome approaches from any other organisations interested in this area of support.” 

Group Executive Chairman Alan Boswell, comments: “Everyone has a story about somebody close to them who has been affected by this disease. We’re extremely proud to help support the amazing research undertaken right here in East Anglia.”

 Big C has a long-standing partnership with Alan Boswell Group, which has seen the company raise nearly £100,000 over the past 20 years for those locally affected by cancer.

To learn more about the work Big C does to improve the lives of those affected by cancer in Norfolk and Waveney, please visit www.big-c.co.uk

The Eastern Landlords Association (ELA) has formed a strategic partnership with Birchwood Energy Norwich to support its members with the procurement of the best Gas & Electricity supply tariffs and contracts. 

With so many suppliers and tariff options to choose from, selecting an energy supplier and correct contract structure can be an overwhelming task. Birchwood Energy takes this task onboard and will offer all ELA members a no obligation energy contract audit.

The process is simple. Members of the Eastern Landlord Association engage with Birchwood Energy who will carry out detailed analysis of their current supplier and then procure the energy via a tendering process on their behalf. Birchwood Energy does not charge for the service as they are paid by the energy provider, making it a well worth exercise. It is reported that 86% of customers who used Birchwood Energy saved money on their gas or electricity contracts.

Warren Munday, Director or Birchwood Energy said: “we are delighted to form a partnership with the Eastern Landlords Association. Helping landlords who tend to have multiple properties is a real pleasure and we are looking forward to creating many new relationships. Our mission is to ensure each and every customer finds the very best way to fulfill their energy requirements, whilst driving down costs and improving energy efficiency.”

To obtain a no obligation energy contract audit, please call Birchwood Energy on 01603 754112 or email warren@birchwoodenergy.co.uk.

We’re constantly growing at Netmatters, our most recent example being our merging with Gapton Computers. This move represents the creation of one of the region’s largest full-service technology agencies.

We thought we’d mark our most recent expansion by purchasing a new building. This space has been renovated so it links seamlessly to our business premises. Take a quick look to see how it went. There are certainly some moments worth pausing on!

If you’re looking to expand to new premises or update your current workspace, we can handle it from start to finish. You can have your office installed and decorated and then get your IT equipment and software migrated over by us. We’ll work promptly and professionally, so your business is up and running as quickly as possible.

We believe in focusing on the new, an attitude that has proven successful when helping our clients succeed. Here are just some of the other ways we help our clients make new starts for their long-term goals:

• Wireless and Paperless Offices – Embracing new digital channels makes sure everyone can get up to speed regardless of location.
• Voice Activated Technology – With 2018 seeing an increase in voice-search and voice-activated products, communication will be cutting-edge and efficient like never before.
• Broadband and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Systems – Streamlining communications with cloud-based solutions, and supplying a fast, consistent internet supply.
• Remote and Onsite IT Support – Remaining proactive in identifying threats and vulnerabilities, so your business can focus on what’s important.

One thing that links all of these services is flexibility. We want reliance on physical premises and hardware to be a thing of the past. If you want to future-proof your business and embrace all things digital, make Netmatters your first port of call.

Whether you need help moving your office, require fast and friendly IT support or want to overhaul your business communication platforms, contact Netmatters today on 01603 704020 or fill out our contact form here.

Originally posted by Netmatters Ltd