Member News

Ian Bartholomew Appointed Director of Business Development & Sales at KLM UK Engineering Limited

Paris, Amstelveen, 8 September 2017 – Ian Bartholomew has been appointed as Director of Business Development & Sales at KLM UK Engineering Limited as of 11th September. KLM UK Engineering is a wholly-owned AFI KLM E&M subsidiary specialising in maintenance & training solutions for regional and narrow-body aircraft fleets.

Ian started his aviation career at KLM UK Engineering, holding various positions including the role of Materials Manager. In 2003 Ian joined The Monarch Group as Marketing Sales Manager and went on to become Sales & Marketing Director, Commercial Director & finally to Accountable Manager & Managing Director, with Ian’s latest role at Etihad Airways Engineering in the Middle East. Ian has over 30 years of experience in the industry and will be a great asset to KLM UK Engineering.

On learning of his appointment, Ian Bartholomew said: “I am very proud to be returning to KLM UK Engineering Limited as Director of Business Development & Sales. With my previous experience within the Company and with Monarch Aircraft Engineering Ltd & more recently with Etihad Airways Engineering I will bring knowledge and experience to the business and look forward to working with the team.’  

THRIVING businesses are invited to step into the spotlight by entering the Spirit of Enterprise Awards 2017, which marks its 10th anniversary this year with the introduction of a special category, Business of the Decade.

Considered the most prestigious annual celebration of business excellence in the Great Yarmouth borough, the annual awards scheme is organised by enterpriseGY, Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s business support service.

Businesses are encouraged to put themselves forward for the various awards by noon on Monday, October 16. The awards are free-of-charge to enter online at www.spiritofenterpriseawards.co.uk and finalists will be profiled in a supplement in the Great Yarmouth Mercury, with winners appearing in a further supplement.

The special anniversary category, Business of the Decade, is open to all businesses in the borough – large or small – regardless of whether they have entered the competition before.

The finalists and winners will be showcased in the press and at a glittering awards ceremony and gala dinner at the Town Hall on Friday, November 17. The media sponsors are the Great Yarmouth Mercury and The Beach.

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.

This year, enterpriseGY is delighted to announce that the main sponsor is Stephenson Smart, chartered accountants and business advisors, who will choose the 2017 Business of the Year from the winners of the other categories.

The categories and sponsors are:

·         Business of the Decade – sponsored by Norse

·         Great Manufacturing/Engineering – sponsor to be announced

·         Great New Business – sponsored by Noritake Itron

·         Great Business Growth – sponsored by Bateman Groundworks

·         Great Business Idea – sponsored by Seahorse Guest House

·         Great Customer Services – sponsored by Greater Yarmouth Tourism and Business Improvement Area Ltd (GYTABIA)

·         Great Family Owned Business – sponsored by Birketts

·         Great International Growth – sponsored by Pasta Foods

·         Great Investment in People – sponsored by P&S Personnel

·         Great Community Contribution – sponsored by Potters Friends Foundation

The Spirit of Enterprise Awards help to highlight the borough’s many and varied successful businesses, supporting one of the council’s priorities, which is to work with partners to help champion and enable economic growth and job-creation in the area.

In a joint statement, the council’s political group leaders, Cllr Graham Plant, Cllr Kay Grey, Cllr Trevor Wainwright and Cllr Adrian Myers, said: “The Spirit of Enterprise Awards are this year celebrating 10 fantastic years of recognising and raising the profile of top-performing firms across the borough.

“This wonderful showcase of successful businesses helps to boost confidence in the strength of the local economy, helping to create favourable conditions for investment, sustainable growth and job-creation.

“For the businesses themselves, having the chance to shout about and be recognised for their achievements brings important benefits, including raising their stature and reputation, and boosting staff morale.

“There are lots of brilliant businesses across the borough and we look forward to some strong contenders this year for both the title of 2017 Business of the Year and the special anniversary category of Business of the Decade.

“We must also take this opportunity to thank the 2017 sponsors, including main sponsor Stephenson Smart, without whom this wonderful celebration of business excellence would not be possible.”

This year, help and advice with entries is available from TMS Media, which is working in partnership with enterpriseGY, by calling Steve Scott or Rachel Moore on 01493 662929. Video entries are also welcome.  

Leading East Anglian insurance broker Alan Boswell Group is celebrating this week, having been shortlisted for two prestigious industry awards, thanks to its ongoing commitment to providing outstanding customer service.

The company has been named finalists in the Independent Broker of the Year and Commercial Broker of the Year categories at the Insurance Times Awards 2017.

The entries for both accolades focused heavily on the Group’s commitment to providing outstanding service and added value. With a firm focus on client needs, the company launched Alan Boswell Risk Management in April 2017, providing health and safety and engineering inspection services to businesses throughout the UK.

This sits alongside the introduction of core brand values, which reflect the firm’s vision to be the natural choice for friendly, expert advice on insurance and financial services. These values have been disseminated throughout the business, and are reinforced by the business’ ongoing training and appraisal process.

In support of the applications, the company pointed to the positive impact these actions have already had, including increased client retention rates and consistently positive customer feedback on independent review site Feefo.

The news comes just a fortnight before the UK Broker Awards 2017, where the Group has been shortlisted for the Customer Service Award.

Says Marketing Manager Lee Boswell: “Having been named Independent Broker of the Year at the Insurance Age Awards 2015, it’s thrilling to be a finalist once again.

“Our clients are at the heart of everything we do and this is reflected in our mission statement. We’re proud to be nominated for these awards, because it truly reflects our teams’ commitment to achieving our vision.”

The winners of the Insurance Times Awards 2017 will be announced at a ceremony on 7th December at the InterContinental London at The O2.

Attleborough based renewable heating expert Finn Geotherm, has been shortlisted in a prestigious national awards scheme for its district heating installation for housing association Flagship Group.

The Heating & Ventilating Review (HVR) Awards 2017 celebrate innovation in the building services sector. The awards recognise and reward companies across the country that demonstrate excellence in their field, outstanding technology or exceptional customer service and true innovation in the way they operate or in what they produce.

Finn Geotherm’s installation for Flagship Group has been shortlisted for the HVR Sustainable Project of the Year Award. The ground source heat pump system is delivering domestic heating and hot water for 30 flats at Orchard Close in Watton, Norfolk. The first domestic heating scheme for communal use in the East of England, it will cut Flagship customers’ heating bills by two thirds, creating annual savings of hundreds of pounds. In addition, it enables Flagship to dramatically reduce its maintenance costs and CO2 emissions. The project is expected to be the first of many for the housing association, with Flagship hoping to roll out other ground source heat pump systems to other customers as part of its plan to create more affordable and environmentally friendly homes.

Guy Ransom, commercial director at Finn Geotherm, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been shortlisted for the HVR Awards which recognise the country’s most significant heating products and projects. Being placed as a finalist is both a testament to the forward-thinking strategic approach of Flagship and the hard work and skill of the team at Finn Geotherm in delivering the best possible solution for the organisation and its tenants. We thoroughly enjoyed working together on this project and hope we can soon be celebrating its success together too!”

Matt Smith, Compliance Manager at Flagship, said: “To be shortlisted for this award is fantastic news. We have worked hard to get the scheme up and running, so to be recognised in this way is a great achievement for everyone involved. We are continually trying to improve the service we offer our customers while at the same time reduce our carbon footprint, and the system in Watton has allowed us to do both.”

Winners of the HVR Awards will be announced on 26th October 2017 at a black tie event in London.

For more details on the Flagship installation, see https://finn-geotherm.co.uk/case-studies/. For information on ground and air source heat pumps and Finn Geotherm, visit www.finn-geotherm.co.uk.

Community groups supported by Freebridge fund

Freebridge Community Housing have donated £5000 to seven community groups across West Norfolk through the Freebridge Community Fund.

Each year Freebridge invite charities and community groups to apply for up to £1000 for projects that have will have a positive impact on health and wellbeing, the environment, support residents or bring communities together.

As always the fund received a high number of deserving applications, with the final selection being made by a judging panel comprised of Freebridge tenants and employees.

Groups who received funding spent an enjoyable lunch at Providence Street Placeshaping Community Centre on Wednesday 6 September with their fellow recipients, the judging panel, Freebridge Chairman of the Board, Ray Johnson, and Freebridge Director of Housing, Robert Clarke.

Robert Clarke, Director of Housing at Freebridge, said: “The Freebridge Community Fund is a fantastic opportunity for us to donate much needed funds directly to richly deserving charities and community groups in our region. The number of applications we received only serves to highlight the fantastic work that is done by so many those groups.

“The Freebridge vision of supporting a better West Norfolk is something that continues to be an important aspect of the organisation, the Freebridge Community Fund and our other work with community groups out of Providence Street Placeshaping Community Centre are integral to fulfilling that vision.”

This year the recipients of funding were:

• Solace End of Life Support – £500 – To support operational costs and to train more volunteers to help with an increasing number of clients.

• West Norfolk Mind – £450 – To purchase a Tier 2 Spice Time Credits Membership in order to apply the Time Credits Model to aid volunteer recruitment and retention.

• West Norfolk Riding for the Disabled Association – £550 – To help provide riding lessons for 13 weeks on Wednesdays for children, young people and adults with physical and learning disabilities.

• South West Norfolk Youth Opportunities Project (SWAN) – £1000 – To deliver employability and training courses for young people who are in danger of exclusion from formal education and older young people who are in danger of becoming finding themselves not in education, employment, or training.

• West Norfolk Befriending – £1000 – To contribute towards volunteer expenses and office costs.

• The Purfleet Trust – £1000 – To run a winter night shelter on Friday and Saturday nights between October and March 2017/18.

• 4transform – £500 – To help fund activities of a new group, who are planning to run and publicise craft, art and upcycling sessions, for women experiencing domestic abuse.

Jackie Westrop, trustee of the SWAN project, said: “We are able to provide more help and support to young people because of grants like the one we have had from Freebridge.

“We will use it to encourage and support young people to build positive relationships, skills and contacts as they get ready for the world of work, without such grants our work in the community would be a great deal harder.”

Norfolk Community Foundation manages the fund on Freebridge’s behalf. Any community or voluntary group wishing to find out more about the Freebridge Community Fund can visit https://www.norfolkfoundation.com/Freebridge-Community-Housing-Fund or telephone 01603 623958 or email jennybevan@norfolkfoundation.com

It’s not always easy to get an affordable, functional website, especially if you’re a charity. Funds are often limited and spending thousands of pounds on a new website is not always the top priority. At Spartan Panda we believe a great website can make all the difference.

We have decided to offer a FREE £10,000 website makeover package to one lucky charity, with the aim to launch it in time for Christmas.

If you would like to be eligible for this fantastic opportunity, please register your interest with us. We have asked anyone nominating to contact you for your permission prior to doing so.

All that remains is for you to promote this competition and encourage your supporters to vote for you! Charities interested in entering will need to get as many nominations as possible, as the charity with the highest number of nominations will have the best chance to be the winner. The winner will be drawn in the first week of October and the result will be posted on or around 6th October.

Nominations can be made here: https://spartanpanda.co.uk/competition/christmas-charity-giveaway Results will be posted here: https://www.facebook.com/SpartanPanda/

Hillington Square Football Club scores Norfolk FA Community Award The Hillington Square Football Club, based out of Freebridge’s Providence Street Placeshaping Community Centre in King’s Lynn, was awarded Best Inclusive Project at the Norfolk Football Association Community Volunteer Awards.

The awards were judged by a national panel of experts which included World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst. The ceremony was held at Sprowston Manor Hotel on Friday 25 August 2017 and winners received various prizes including match tickets, coaching bursaries, kit or equipment.

The sessions remain free of charge and the 15 to 20 children who regularly attend each session range between 8-14 years old, and come to the club from a variety of cultural backgrounds to take part in games and training drills.

The Norfolk FA put Freebridge employee Alice Henderson and one of the clubs members, Andris Vasilevskis, through their level 1 coaching qualification so that they could continue to develop the footballing skills of those involved.

Alice Henderson, team coach and Freebridge employee, said: “I am delighted that the volunteers and young people that attend these football sessions have been recognised for their commitment to the club.

“A lot of the young people are the same children I met when I first began coaching them, and seeing them develop their skills, both on the pitch and socially has been great.”

Through their close links to Freebridge and Providence Street the Football Club have also been able to get involved in a number other activities and community events in and around the area, including the Hillington Square Summer Fete.

Robert Clarke, Director of Housing at Freebridge, said: “It’s great to see that one of the groups that we are supporting through our Providence Street Placeshaping Community Centre has received such a clear endorsement.

“To receive recognition from a judging panel made up of such iconic names is testament to the hard work that all those involved have put in to make the club a success.”

KLM UK Engineering was delighted to host the Graduation Ceremony for 10 x Year 4 apprentices Tuesday 29th August at their Technical Training College, located within the newly opened International Avaition Academy Norwich. The now ex-apprentices completed a four year study programme which consisted of City & Guilds and EASA CAT A aircraft engineering qualifications as well as on-the-job training, both at the companies hangars in Norwich & at one of its line stations in Edinburgh. The apprentices have also spent time in all the support departments of the company so they have a full understanding of how everything works & is interlinked. 

We wish our new recruits a great career & future with us and in the industry. Congratulations!

The Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) has awarded Blue Sky Professional Development approval to deliver the Foundation Level 3 Certificate in Learning and Development (L&D). This qualification is ideal for trainers and line managers who are responsible for stages of the training cycle. The course covers identifying learning needs, designing and delivering training and evaluating the success of learning interventions. Also included are two further units that help students with their own personal development, as well as the business context. Alternatively, if individuals just want to study one or two topics they can undertake an Award.

‘This new qualification fits in with our current portfolio of CIPD and ILM courses’ according to Kate Woods, Director of Blue Sky, ‘We offer all levels of CIPD Human Resource qualifications and Learning and Development often goes hand in hand with this as it all forms part of an organisations people management strategy.’

Blue Sky’s first L&D students begin in September studying via blended learning. This combines monthly group workshops with an experienced tutor and distance learning materials. One of the benefits of this course is that it is modular which means that you can start at the beginning of any unit so there are start dates throughout the year.

The CIPD Certificate in Learning and Development can also be used by organisations to deliver in-house training programmes. Blue Sky have worked with local companies to tailor programmes in Leadership and Management and HR, and will be offering the same service with L&D.

For further information contact Kate Woods on kate.woods@blueskypd.co.uk

A team from Pure’s Ipswich office has spent a day volunteering with Anglia Care Trust, decorating a house in Ipswich ready for a family supported by the charity and in need of permanent roof over their heads to move in.

Anglia Care Trust, based in Ipswich, supports people in Suffolk through community safety and housing services, plus advice, guidance and advocacy. The Trust approached professional recruitment specialists Pure to see if they would be interested in volunteering, and providing some extra helping hands, and the team at the local Ipswich office in Princes Street was keen to help.  

On Thursday 17 August, twelve team members from Pure took on the challenge of helping to prepare the two-bedroom house ready for the family supported by the charity. A team of six took on the morning shift, with the second team taking over in the afternoon. Between them they managed to get the living room, kitchen and one of the bedrooms painted.

As a socially responsible business, Pure has always actively supported local charities through fundraising, volunteering and donations. Employees are also encouraged to take part in volunteering projects and are supported by the organisation to do so. 

Lucy Plumb, Executive Assistant at Pure and part of the volunteering team, said: “It’s extremely rewarding to be able to support charities through fundraising and donations, but there’s something extra special about actually getting to go out and do something hands-on. It gives you the chance to see how your hard work can really make a difference to people’s lives. We’ve all really enjoyed helping out and it really does help to reinforce our culture of teamwork and support.”

The house is expected to be completed and ready for the family in about six weeks’ time. 

Leathes Prior will be supporting Harfest by sponsoring the Farmers’ Market at the event this year, which is hosted by the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA). The fantastic event, which celebrates Norfolk’s harvest, will take place on Saturday 7th October on the picturesque grounds of Norwich Cathedral. The autumn fayre is free to attend and is therefore an excellent option for all of the family.

Leathes Prior is delighted to be sponsoring the Harfest Farmers’ Market as the RNAA bring the farm to the city, right to the firm’s doorstep in the Cathedral Close. Leathes Prior regularly supports the Royal Norfolk Show and with an increasingly strong presence in agriculture and equine across Norfolk and Suffolk, the teams are delighted to be supporting such an excellent family event.

The Cathedral Cloisters will be transformed into a Farmer’s Market where you can sample from a variety of the very best food and drink Norfolk has to offer. There will also be plenty of fun for the family and activities to take part in, with live entertainment all day including local bands and performing arts groups.

You can also take part in the Great Norfolk Scarecrow Competition and take a tour of Mr Mawkin’s Farm to visit Jelly the Jersey and her calf, miniature donkeys, Norfolk Horn sheep and much more.

Harfest will be kicking off at 10.00am on Saturday 7th October, with things drawing to a close around 4.00pm, and there is a Harvest Thanksgiving Service at Norwich Cathedral on Sunday the 8th at 3.30pm.

You can find out more about Harfest on the RNAA website here.

Brown&Co Norwich have kick-started their September Residential Marketing campaign with a colouring competition in association with Norfolk based Langleys Toy Shop in The Royal Arcade, Norwich.

All UK Brown&Co offices will be launching their campaigns in September, with individual colouring competitions in local schools. But Norwich, being a City based office, decided that a collaboration with a local toy store would be more effective. Norwich Marketing Executive, Juliette Tompkins said “With the summer holidays in full swing, and Langleys being the popular store it is, it was a no-brainer to link up for our competition.”

The design of the September Residential Marketing Campaign is based around a doodle mind map theme with the slogan ‘Got Property on your Mind? This expanded to the idea of a colouring comptition to involve our local communities.

Since the competition launched at the beginning of the summer holidays, Langleys Manager Chris Goulding has been over the moon with the number of entry forms flying off the counter, hopefully leading to lots of completed entries to judge. The competition is for children of all ages, and the image to colour-in is a pretty town scene with detail suitable for older children too! Entry forms are available from Langleys Toy Store, Royal Arcade, Norwich or from the Brown&Co Office, The Atrium, St George’s Street, Norwich, NR3 1AB. Completed entries can be taken back to both locations too. The winner will recieve a Lego House Creator Set and the competion closes on 5th September 2017.  Winners will be notified on the week comencing 18th September 2017. Good Luck!