Join together with colleagues and take part in the 2018 Active Workplace Challenge and be in with a chance to win prizes!
Active Norfolk’s 2018 Workplace Challenge is back for eight weeks, running from January 8th with the aim of encouraging you and your colleagues to reduce your stress, improve your wellbeing and re-energise by building in 10-minute bite-sized chunks of activity into and around the working day.
Just adding small chunks of activity throughout the day can all add up; switching the lift for the stairs, walking to work, challenging the boss to a table tennis rally or taking part in a Midday Mile. So together let’s make every minute count!
Throughout the eight weeks there are some amazing local and national prizes up for grabs thanks to our sponsors.
It’s free to get involved! Click here for more information.
As he launches the 2018/19 police budget and council tax consultation, Norfolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Lorne Green, is asking ‘Would you pay more council tax to help fund policing?’
PCC Lorne Green will soon have to decide whether to increase or freeze the policing element of council tax to fund next year’s policing service, and he wants to know what the Norfolk public thinks.
By law, the PCC can only raise policing council tax by a maximum of just under 2% – a cap fixed by central government. But, as well as giving Norfolk’s communities the chance to vote for a freeze or a 2% rise for 2018/19, for the first time Lorne will be asking if they would be willing to pay even more if the central government cap is lifted – a possibility in mid-December.
“What I am asking is do you support a freeze, keeping policing council tax at last year’s level or do you support a rise? And, if so, please tell me the maximum amount you would be prepared to pay,” said Lorne.
“I am now 18 months into my work as your PCC and, during my time in office, I have become increasingly aware of just how challenging the financial situation is for policing in our county.
“Grant funding from central government continues to reduce year on year but policing costs are increasing, along with demands for service. If austerity continues, Norfolk Constabulary will need to make cuts of between £2 million and £3 million every year just to cover inflation. The Government has made it clear it expects me to increase the policing element of council tax by the maximum I can to help bridge the gap. That budget gap in 2018/19 is estimated to be £6.8 million.
“The Chief Constable has recently announced a new policing model for Norfolk which he says will ensure the Force is best placed to tackle the biggest threats to the safety of our communities, while also maintaining neighbourhood policing and being more sustainable in the current financial climate. He also says, however, that further difficult decisions will be needed to balance the 2018/19 policing budget.
“I, along with other PCCs, have been lobbying central government to look again at police funding and lift the council tax limit above the 2% maximum. This would allow PCCs more flexibility to set council tax levels in response to funding challenges and local policing needs.
“To help inform my budget decision if that were to happen, I would like to know what you would be prepared to pay next year for policing in Norfolk.
“Some 58% of Norfolk’s policing budget is funded by central government, meaning your council tax makes up the rest so I want all Norfolk residents to have the opportunity to have their say.”
You can also share your views by telephone on 01953 424455, by email to TellLorne@norfolk.pnn.police.uk, or by writing to the PCC at OPCCN, Jubilee House,Building 8, Falconers Chase, Wymondham, NR18 0WW.
Flagship staff across the business are once again helping those in need by filling and decorating charity boxes with food. In total 16 boxes will be delivered during December as every working day a local Flagship Ranger will take them to one of the following charities: St Martin’s Trust in Norwich, The Woodbridge Salvation Army, Newmarket Open Door, and the Norwich, Mid Norfolk and Thetford Foodbanks. The boxes full of non-perishable food items will be given to people in time for Christmas, many of which would go hungry at this time of year. St Martins Housing Trust will use the food as part of their annual Christmas meal for their service users and other members of the community. Any surplus food will be given to people using their ‘Under-1-Roof’ resource centre which aims to provide them with skills they need to help compete for jobs. As a housing provider for people in need, some of Flagship’s customers may themselves receive the charity boxes. Deputy Chief Executive at Flagship Helen Walsham said: “Last year was a huge success as our staff were really enthusiastic about decorating and filling the boxes. I’m really pleased we have decided to do something similar again for some fantastic charities who make a huge difference to people who are less fortunate than us.” Once the boxes have been delivered by Flagship, the charities will distribute them among people in their communities. Derek Player General Manager at St Martins said, “The people we support are facing a major crisis in their lives, whether they are sleeping rough, sofa surfing or in temporary accommodation. Flagship’s donations will be welcomed by our service users and will help them feel valued and remembered at this time of year.” Hannah Worsley, Project Manager at the Norwich Foodbank said: “Flagship’s donations last year helped us to provide the equivalent of 187 meals to local people in crisis – this is such a help to us, as December is our busiest month; we expect to give out over 1,000 food parcels during December this year. We’re delighted that the staff at Flagship are getting behind us and other charities once again, thank you all for your support.”
Exciting opportunities – 2 x Project Manager posts
Passionate about property and devoted to development, you’ll discover all kinds of inspiration here on the beautiful East Norfolk coast. Our area is rich with heritage and famous for its unspoilt beaches, charming villages and breathtaking countryside. You will be at the heart of ambitious plans to shape a future every bit as exciting as Great Yarmouth’s storied past.
Great Yarmouth is firmly in the centre of the European shipping and offshore energy industries. The town boasts world-class knowledge in the offshore industry, with deep water outer harbour. Great Yarmouth boasts a growing retail experience and leisure market which the Borough Council is at the heart of supporting.
Our current projects:
Exciting project opportunities within the Project Management Office include:
· Town Centre redevelopment in line with the Masterplan.
· Seafront redevelopment, incorporating the potential delivery of a new leisure centre for the Borough.
· Preservation of the Venetian Waterways and Boating Lake, having secured more than £1.7m from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund.
· Preservation and renewal of the historic and nationally significant Winter Gardens.
Role:
As a member of our newly developed and expanding Project Management Office, you will enjoy a real influence on the continued growth and prosperity of the borough. Roles will be instrumental in the economic growth of the Borough with varied remits.
Project Manager:
Degree standard & PRINCE2 essential
2 Posts – Permanent and 2 Year Fixed Term Contract
Full Time or Part Time – all applications considered
Band 7: £28,485 to £31,601
The Project Manager role will have responsibility for a varied portfolio of projects, particularly in relation to the delivery of the Town Centre Masterplan, with the opportunity to expand and develop within the team. Your knowledge and experience is key and should include: PRINCE2 project management, an ability to process complex information, deliver against competing deadlines, communicate amongst many internal and external stakeholders, as well as influencing, persuasion and negotiation skills.
For this role, it is the pride you take in achieving ambitious goals that will set you apart.
The role will be in line with priorities identified in the Council Corporate Plan and the economic growth of the Borough, and regeneration projects.
For an informal chat, please contact Michelle Burdett on 01493 846812 or Kate Watts 01493 846547.
Closing date: 8th December 2017
Presentation to Panel will be held on 4th January 2018 and, if successful, you will be invited to attend an interview on 5th January 2018.
We offer a friendly working environment with attractive terms and conditions including generous holiday entitlement, flexible working and membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme. You can apply online at gybc.engageats.co.uk. Please note CVs are not accepted. The Council operates an equal opportunities policy and we welcome applications from all parts of the community and all personal circumstances. We are open to any potential applicant, whether the post holder is seeking temporary employment for a specific period of time, or has specific circumstances that means full time work is impractical (those returning to work after a period of time off / requiring school hours / compressed week).
Norfolk County Council is excited to host a free Work and Health Event at The King’s Centre in Norwich on 2 February 2018 from 9.15am to 4pm (lunch included).
This free event is for businesses that would like to improve the health of their workforce. Stress, depression and anxiety, as well as some physical conditions such as back, shoulder and knee pain are amongst the biggest causes of absence from work.
Improving the health of your workplace will not only reduce the number of working days lost, it will also create a happier workforce with higher morale and better mental health. This can lead to increased productivity and better staff retention rates.
Featuring prominent speakers, including the Chairman of the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, as well as workshops, you will have the chance to:
Learn how to deal with workplace health issues
Explore different forms of workplace health provision
Understand how to increase your disability confidence
Find out the tools available to help assess your company’s health needs
Learn how to address skill shortages in your workplace
Find out about untapped labour markets to help survive labour shortages
Network with other businesses
Our new workplace health provider, Thriving Workplaces, will also talk about their innovative free service that aims to support businesses to improve their workplace health.
Their range of services includes: Strategic workplace health analysis, digital diagnostic tools, workplace health champion training and support, policy development, mental health first aid training. They can also facilitate access to NHS Health Checks for employees.
To secure a place at this free event, please book here by Friday 19 January 2018 where you will find more details including an outline agenda for the day.
If you have any questions about the event please email michele.taylor@norfolk.gov.uk
This event is brought to you by Norfolk County Council’s Public Health department in collaboration with the Employment and Skills team.
As part of their wide-ranging support and information services for those affected by cancer in Norfolk and Waveney, Big C has launched a new free telephone support line.
This is a useful resource for HR managers and senior managers who may know someone in their team currently affected by their own cancer diagnosis, or that of a relative, or colleague.
Anyone calling the Telephone Support Line will be able to speak to a Big C nurse or member of the support team, who have the local knowledge and expertise to help answer any questions they may have.
For free information and support, contact the Big C telephone support line on 0800 092 7640.
To speak to a Big C Nurse, call:
Wednesdays & Fridays6.00pm – 7.30pmTo speak to the Big C centres during the day:Monday – Friday9.30am – 4.30pm Calls are free of charge from all consumer landlines and mobile phones. If you are calling from a business phone, please check with your provider whether there will be a charge for calling 0800 or 0808. For more information visit:
Barford+Co, established in 1974, has a reputation for providing personal, high-quality agency, planning and professional services to a range of corporate and private clients, local authority and developers throughout Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, and into Hertfordshire to the south, and Northamptonshire to the west.
Brown & Co, Property & Business Consultants, already employs 220 staff and will now be operating from 13 UK offices from the Humber to the Thames together with offices in Poland, Romania and the Caribbean.
Shelia Smyth, Director at Barford+Co will become a partner in the Brown & Co business. She commented “All the team here in St Neots are pleased to be joining Brown&Co. We have an enormous amount in common and I believe that all our clients can only benefit from such a friendly and professional merger”. Charles Whitaker, Managing Partner at Brown&Co added “This merger gives us a major presence throughout the Cambridge, Peterborough and Bedford triangle. Our intention in due course will be to amalgamate the St Neots and Huntingdon offices together, which fits with our strategy to develop larger centres of excellence, offering our full range of services to create and add value to our client base spanning agriculture, land, commercial and residential property”.
Former president of the Great Yarmouth Chamber and Director of the Norfolk Chamber, Gary Williams, has recently re-joined the Chamber of Commerce with his growing Great Yarmouth based, consultancy business, COS Solutions Ltd.
COS Solutions calls upon Gary’s 35 years in senior management roles in Oil, Gas, Renewable and Marine businesses, having successfully started and grown numerous award winning companies and steered them to success both domestically and internationally. Gary, along with some likeminded associates, is working with a number of companies around the UK and locally to help secure sustainable growth in new markets, sectors and regions.
One of the areas that SME’s and start-up’s struggle with is finding the time to pull themselves away from the day to day running of the business and create a strategy for business development, and then of course, to implement this. COS Solutions can help with this many ways, from independent advice, strategy revue and down to earth, sleeves rolled up involvement in helping businesses achieve their potential. With 35 years of networking under our belt we can open those doors.
We also provide support in other areas through the associates we work with and whether this is IT, raising finance, bid writing, HR support, client meetings, to mention but a few, we can provide the right person to help and within, we believe, a very affordable budget.
Having held a number of non-executive directorships within trade and membership associations in the past, Gary is keen to become re-involved in this area and is currently seeking roles that his experience in building and running businesses and practical problem solving will add value to other organisations.
Gary stated “I suppose at heart I am an entrepreneur, I love meeting and working with people and the challenge and enjoyment I get out of securing increased but sustainable growth for any business, is one of the reasons I get out bed in the morning”.
COS Solutions is looking forward to bringing the knowledge and experience it has to other businesses in the region, not just in the energy sector as all of this is, of course very transferable to all sectors.
It has been announced that the Royal Norfolk Show Ball 2018 will raise funds for Norfolk’s cancer charity, Big C.
To inspire the ball’s ‘Roaring Twenties’ theme, Big C team members and volunteers visited Norwich’s Maddermarket, which was itself founded as a theatre in 1921, for a celebratory photoshoot.
The team rifled through the Maddermarket’s treasure-trove costume department and were kitted out in dazzling 1920s flapper dresses, beads and boas for the ladies and dashing period evening wear for the gentlemen.
Clive Evans, Director of Income Generation and Communications at Big C says “A big thank you to the Maddermarket for helping us to celebrate our announcement as next year’s Norfolk Show Ball charity. Thanks also to the City College Hair and Media Make-Up students who did a wonderful job in creating an authentic look and the UEA who provided volunteers for the shoot. We are really looking forward to being transported back in time to the atmospheric ‘Roaring Twenties’. It is a fascinating and glamorous era and it promises to be a fabulous event.”
Funds raised from the Royal Norfolk Show Ball will go towards a new Big C Community Centre in Norwich which is scheduled to open late 2018. The four existing Big C Centres in Kings Lynn, Great Yarmouth, Gorleston and at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) provide emotional and practical support and information for anyone affected by cancer in the local community. Each year approximately 8,000 people are given a cancer diagnosis in Norfolk and Waveney. In 2016, the number of visits to Big C’s centres increased by 12%, compared to the previous year.
In 2015, over 1,000 people in Norwich were diagnosed with cancer. Currently the Norwich area is served by Big C’s acute centre at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, which last year provided support more than 15,000 times.
Mr Evans continues, “Cancer affects us all in different ways and supporting people affected by cancer is integral in optimizing their health and wellbeing. Big C has a long history of providing outstanding services to help people through their cancer journey. This new community Centre, in addition to our current centre at the hospital, will mean that more people will be able to access Big C support where and when they need us most.
“We are currently seeking corporate sponsors to support the Norfolk Show Ball and we would be delighted to hear from anyone interested in joining with us to help raise funds to help local people affected by cancer.”
The 2018 Royal Norfolk Show Ball will be held at the Norfolk Showground on Friday 22nd June.
Corporate sponsors interested in supporting Big C at the Norfolk Show Ball, please contact fundraising@big-c.co.uk / 01603 619900. Tickets are now on sale for the event, please visit norfolkshow.big-c.co.uk to find out more.
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
Full Mix Marketing have strengthened their expanding team with a new marketing and design specialist, as they continue to provide all the marketing businesses need to grow.
Charlotte Baxter has joined the Norfolk based marketing agency as they celebrate winning a number of significant new clients. With experience gained in a leading digital marketing agency and delivering social media for a UK brand, she becomes the latest addition to their talented team.
“We’re delighted to have someone with Charlotte’s skills and drive on board” says Sarah West, Full Mix Marketing’s Managing Director. “She already demonstrated the creativity and professionalism we need to deliver the results our customers expect”
The new Marketing & Design Executive joins Full Mix Marketing during a period of sustained growth which has already seen them move to larger offices. A graphic design graduate and self-confessed ‘design geek’, Charlotte will help the agency serve new clients in sectors including logistics, engineering, technology and professional services.
“I’m excited about being a part of Full Mix Marketing and their client’s success” say Charlotte. “I’ve seen how important it is for businesses to get their marketing strategy right. It’s great to be in an environment where the customer comes first and everything is carefully delivered to get results”
Full Mix Marketing provide all the strategic, digital and offline marketing businesses need to grow, ranging from single elements like advertising and social media, through to becoming a company’s fully outsourced marketing department.
“Our clients are looking for us to deliver genuine knowledge and expertise” concludes Managing Director, Sarah. “Charlotte has a strong degree from a good university and an excellent understanding of what works and what doesn’t. She’s creative and driven to deliver results for us, our clients and herself”.
More details of Full Mix Marketing can be found at www.fullmixmarketing.co.uk.
Spire Solicitors has scooped the coveted Law Firm of the Year Award at the 2017 LawNet Awards, held at the Crowne Plaza, Heythrop Park Resort, Oxfordshire in front of 210 employees from some of the nations most recognised firms under LawNet.
The Law Firm of the Year award, sponsored by Wilkinson Read & Partners recognises firms who provide a clear, strategic business growth plan and provide proof of sustainable improvements in financial performance, as well as above all, dedication to their market.
Other aspirants for the award included, Biscoes Law Limited, and last year’s winners, Gardner Leader LLP.
James Knight, CEO, commented: “Spire is thrilled to have been recognised as leaders in the LawNet market, continuing our strategic and clear growth since our initial merger in 2013. The past 4 years since Spire was born have now shown award recognised progression, as well as, market success, entirely down to the level of service our firm and all within offer.
Knight continued: “I could write this success is down to multiple factors which you see from other firms, such as infinite events throughout the year, blanket marketing and standard practices; however, this isn’t what we do. We’re fully committed to offering the best service possible as well as striving to be different; meaning our organic growth in the UK market is down to the success of our dedicated 170 strong staff, which all hold the same vision, changing the perspective of Legal-as-a-Service.”
Spire Solicitors has held yet another fantastic year with the recent additions to the team, including Corporate Finance Expert, Matthew Downing, who joined the firm as Partner, previously Head of Corporate & Commercial at Ashtons Legal, who were shortlisted for two awards at this year’s ceremony.
Spire would like to extend their congratulations to other winners and shortlisted firms at the awards dinner.
After the successful merger of Hood Vores & Allwood Solicitors, Greenland Houchen Pomeroy Solicitors and Overbury Steward & Eaton Solicitors in 2013, Spire Solicitors LLP now represents one of the largest, and most progressive legal firms in Norfolk, with a presence of 8 offices across the county and over 170 employees, as well as a portfolio of services for all.