Member News

Kevin McCloud’s visit to an awe-inspiring new house designed by Norwich-based Hudson Architects will be seen by millions of TV viewers on Thursday 24 November, as a contender for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) House of the Year award.

Le Petit Fort by multi award-winning Hudson Architects features on Grand Designs: House of the Year, on Channel 4 at 9.00pm on Thursday 24 November.

With its breath-taking coastal views, Le Petit Fort is an outstanding family home situated on the west coast of Jersey and cleverly set within the retained walls of an earlier building. The house references nearby Napoleonic and WWII defences and provide a truly imaginative, carefully considered contemporary design of a style Hudson Architects have become renowned.

Anthony Hudson, director at Hudson Architects, said:

“Le Petit Fort was such an exciting home for the practice to design. We were able to create generous spaces whilst working with outstanding craftsmen and using such rich materials such as Jersey granite, timber and a special weathering steel known as Corten. We are thrilled to learn that it is in the running for the RIBA House of the Year Award and will be watching on Thursday to see what Kevin McCloud thinks of it. We hope that it will inspire other people to consider building their own home.”

Hudson Architects was founded by Anthony Hudson in 2002, and has grown into a talented 21-strong team with a skillset encompasses everything from cutting edge design to historic building conservation.

Known locally for a great many inspiring projects such as:

• OPEN Youth Venue
• Norwich University of the Arts ‘Boardman’ & ‘Cavendish’ House.
• Norwich Castle Keep designs.

Tech Nation 2016 provided the most detailed analysis to date of how the digital sector is driving economic growth, showcasing the innovation and energy of tech hubs across the UK.

In 2017 Tech City UK will take an even more in-depth look at how the digital economy is evolving, giving a greater voice to the UK’s tech communities and highlighting the considerable progress they are making.

To do this we need to hear from everyone who works or operates within the sector. So whether you’re part of a tech business, an academic, investor or another member of the ecosystem please take just seven minutes to complete the survey and share the link with your network.

Around 40 companies who complete the survey will be featured within the report as a case study!

Complete the survey here.

Microsoft are just one of the growing number of leading technology companies trying to crack the code of cancer using AI, but this big upcoming project is something that really impressed me.

On November 1st, I visited Microsoft’s Future Decoded Business Day 2016 at the ExCel in London. I sat in the Auditorium hearing about all the new really cool stuff going on at Microsoft where I learnt about the new project, of the most precise quantification to kill a cancerous tumour.

This AI looks through the pixels of a radiology scan, and does the job that would take a doctor 1-2 hours to segment the organs and allows the doctors to produce a quantitative analysis on which parts of the tumours are cancerous.

Microsoft’s goal here is not to replace doctors, but the capabilities of machines are to work as complements to the capabilities of experts.

This is just one of the many ways Microsoft are trying to “solve” cancer. Adding to the new Microsoft Research machine-learning project, aiming to absorb all documents and help predict which drugs and combinations can be most effective.

Although the research is still very early stages, Working with Artificial Intelligence, Microsoft are aiming to crack the code of Cancer for 10 years time.

We build a lot of things here at TVC but back in February our manufacturing department approached us about a very different project. Hearing of the return of the classic TV show, Robot Wars, they wanted to build a fighting robot!

Whilst we were too late to enter the first series presented by Dara O’Briain in the Spring, they were still inspired to put their skills to the test with the hope of making the second series. Competitions are also held around the country by the Fighting Robot Association, formed by the original roboteers of the hit 90’s show.

We’ve pleased to say that whilst operational requirements have slowed progression (our staff are completing this as an extra-cirricular project as it were), that things are beginning to move forward again and the base plate of the robot has arrived! There will be some welding going on this week so hopefully we should have something a bit more robot-like to share with you soon!

Let the welding commence!

Do you run or work in a tech or digital services company? Or do you provide services to the tech and digital sector? Whatever your involvement, Tech City UK wants to hear from you – today.

Norwich made it into the first TechNation report in 2015, which recognised the city as one of 17 nationally important tech clusters. Our neighbours in Ipswich joined us in the 2016 report, helping establish TECH EAST as an important part of the UK’s thriving tech ecosystem. Now we need your help to ensure the region puts in another strong showing for the 2017 report.

Tech City UK is conducting a detailed survey of the nation’s tech clusters between 17 November and 5 December 2016. It wants to hear from everyone involved in the tech community – from tech entrepreneurs and individual developers to those who provide services to the sector, whether lawyers, accountants, recruitment consultants or ad agencies. That includes the people who work in the companies,not just company representatives.

The survey will take you less than 7-minutes. In return, your company has the chance of appearing in the final report. Tech City UK will select around 40 companies from across the country to feature in case studies.

Please follow this link to complete the survey nowhttps://www.techcityuk.com/blog/2016/11/tech-nation-2017/

But don’t stop there…

Please also take a moment to share this survey with your business network on social media. Rememer to use the hashtag #TechNation on Twitter and Facebook. Because the more people who respond from Norfolk, the better it is for our region’s ability to attract talent, investment and jobs.

Thank you.

PS: Follow us on twitter: @HuwSayer / @Business_Write

East Anglian recruitment company Cooper Lomaz is proud to be a sponsor of the inaugural Nelsonspirit Future Leaders Crew, a fantastic programme for young people in Norfolk.

“I am delighted that Cooper Lomaz is sponsoring this fantastic programme to help inspire and grow young leaders into the leaders of the future. As a business leader myself, it is an honour to be able to help young people develop the skills necessary to become a leader too” – Charlotte Cooper, CEO of Cooper Lomaz

The Nelsonspirit Future Leaders Crew is a leadership programme for Norfolk young people aged 16/17 who aspire to be the leaders of tomorrow.

Nelsonspirit is offering high potential sixth formers, selected from schools across the county, the opportunity to work and learn together as a ‘crew’ in close engagement with the leaders of today. Over 12 months and 7 half day meetings, the crew will be exposed to master classes and mentoring with MDs and CEOs from business and charities. The crew will also enjoy bespoke workshops on leadership development, and, we offer the opportunity to deliver a leadership project in a charity.

Founder and Chairman of Nelsonspirit, Nigel Cushion, says “We are excited to be launching the Nelsonspirit Future Leaders Crew in Norfolk this autumn. Leadership is the key ingredient that takes businesses and communities forward, and it is fabulous that the 5 pilot schools have engaged to help us inspire young people and select the leaders of tomorrow.” he continues “We look forward to delivering the master classes and linking the young people with 40+ leaders of today in our regular adult crew, as well as supporting them delivering leadership projects in charities. Our inspiration comes from Nelson a great Norfolk leader of yesterday, but we are also inspired by companies like Cooper Lomaz, the leaders of today, who are prepared to join us and invest in, the leaders of tomorrow.”

The Future Leaders Crew not only represents a fantastic opportunity for young people to develop their leadership skills, but, the programme will also help with important decisions on their future.

The programme gives successful applicants access to leading employers, experience and insight of work and is evidence for CVs & UCAS, thus supporting any future job or college applications.

The aim of the Nelsonspirit Future Leader Crew is to support, inspire and grow all participants to the programme by guiding them on their individual leadership journey and bringing them into contact with business and charity leaders.

This is the first year of the Future Leaders Crew and Nelsonspirit has worked with 5 high schools around the Norwich Area – Open Academy, Norwich School, Wymondham College, Taverham High and Norwich High School for Girls in order to bring a wide variety of 24 applicants from all backgrounds and walks of life.

The 24 applicants will now be taken through to a selection morning on 13th November 2016. Following that, the successful applicants from this round will form the crew which will begin in late November.

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About Nelsonspirit:

Nelsonspirit was founded in 2008 by Norfolk businessman Nigel Cushion following the death of his close friend Dr Hal Belknap.

Hal believed that all leaders have an active role to play in their local community. His life creed was that “There are those in your community who need your help – reach out to them. Helping others is one of the best ways to help yourself”

Nigel realised that all communities anywhere in the world have fantastic local leaders in business and in charities, but most tend to work in isolation.

Nelsonspirit – Named after great Norfolk leader, Horatio Nelson – is about bringing leaders together in close engagement to help each other on their leadership journey.

Www.nelsonspirit.co.uk

About Cooper Lomaz Recruitment:

With its roots in Norfolk and Suffolk, Cooper Lomaz is now pushing into regions beyond East Anglia, providing benchmark recruitment services for candidates and clients alike. Whether you’re looking for a new job or a new employee, Cooper Lomaz Recruitment Consultants are committed to delivering an unrivalled range of recruitment services covering permanent, contract, and interim appointments. They boast to have over 25 years’ experience recruiting in the East of England. Our team of over 60 specialist consultants deliver our award-winning, intelligent recruitment services.

Cooper Lomaz recruits in a number of specialist industry sectors including Accountancy, Engineering, Insurance, I.T. and Food Manufacturing and placed 22nd in The Times 100 Best Small Companies to Work for in 2015.

https://www.cooperlomaz.co.uk

Sixty young scientists from across the region were invited to the Top of the Bench Science Investigation Day, where they were tasked with chemical conundrums around the theme of the Olympics.

The main aim of the event, which has been hosted at Briar Chemicals for over 15 years, was to challenge budding young scientists to undertake experiments they had not witnessed before, and draw clear conclusions from their results.

A team of Harrison Death, Year 11, Michael Walker, Year 10, Elita Tmava, Year 9, and Charlotte Smith, Year 9 from Sprowston Community High School were victorious at the Top of the Bench East Anglian heats and will go on to compete in the national finals next year.

Headteacher Andrew John said: “I am absolutely delighted with the success of our students being the regional winners in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Top of the Bench Competition. We have one of the bets science faculties in the county, and I am so proud of their latest achievement. A superb team effort.”

Dr Sean Thurston, an education coordinator of the East Anglia section of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “The Top of the Bench regional heats were a fantastic event that brought together schools from across the region to compete in a range of chemical challenges. It’s been a while since East Anglia had a national winner… so fingers crossed for this year!”

The winning team of four from Sprowston Community High School will go on to compete in London at Easter 2017, and the pupils are very much looking forward to the challenge. 15 schools took part in the event, with Bury St Edmunds County Upper in second place and Gresham’s School in third.

Tim Green, site manager at Briar Chemicals, said: “It’s a pleasure for us to host this event again this year. It’s a great way to challenge these young chemistry students and the tasks are not easy. It’s always an interesting morning which often throws up surprises.”

Whilst the panel of judges marked the experiments, the young scientists were given a tour of the Briar Chemicals site so they could see the chemistry working on an industrial scale.

The national Top of the Bench competition is for 14 -16 year old students studying chemistry. Royal Society of Chemistry Local Sections run heats during the autumn term to select a team to represent the section in the UK final the following year.

The Royal Society of Chemistry organise the finals to take place in the following spring which includes a short test of factual chemical knowledge and a practical chemical problem solving team exercise.

First prize is awarded to the best overall school performance, with five teams receiving runners up prizes. The Jacqui Clee Award is given to the student who has demonstrated an outstanding individual contribution to the day.

To find out more and apply to take part please contact your nearest Local Section Secretary.

FreeSeminar Ready for Growth Event to Take Place in Norfolk

Claire Brooks, managing director of Suffolk based, Box-it East, the confidential document storage company, will be the keynote speaker at ‘Ready for Growth’, an event for Norfolk businesses taking place on Wednesday 23rd November at North Walsham.

The event has been organised by Genix the business support organisation and Alex Till the CEO of Genix said, “Our aim is to inspire and inform local businesses. We’re thrilled that Claire has agreed to speak. She’ll talk through how she has expanded the business, building new secure warehousing and employing staff. Claire has a wealth of experience from project planning, customer care, sales, finance and HR. We’ll no doubt gain some top tips for growth and hear about the pitfalls to avoid.

“This will be a useful morning for any business, ambitious to expand and my thanks to Neil Burr of DesignTec who is sponsoring the event.”

During Ready for Growth there will be ideas from DesignTec on how to grow a business online and Larking Gowen Chartered Accountants will explain how to cover the costs involved when growing a business and managing cash flow.

There will also be the opportunity to ask questions of a panel of business support organisations Genix has brought together and free refreshments and networking opportunities.

Ready for Growth has been commissioned by NNDC and Cllr Nigel Dixon, Cabinet Member for Business and Economic Development said: “The event is designed to support traders and businesses who are looking to expand their business and benefit from the insights of fellow entrepreneurs and business support organisations. I would urge businesses to come along to the event and find out more.”

Ready for Growth, is free to attend and takes place at Scarborough Hill Country Inn, in North Walsham on Wednesday 23 November, from 9.30am until 12.30pm. Booking is essential and spaces are limited. To book go to www.genix.org.uk/?p=seminars or call Genix 0800 096 3013.

Tudor Lodge is pleased to announce the launch of its very own online tech magazine: TechRound.co.uk. The website is dedicated to the thriving tech and start-up scene in the UK and the website offers interviews with start-ups, industry insights and tech journalism in an magazine format.

Why we created TechRound

Tudor Lodge specialises in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) which refers to the techniques used to get a website higher up on Google’s search results and other search engines too including Bing and Yahoo. We have been trading for just over two years and have achieved some great results with our clients including Be Wiser Insurance and you can read some of our other case studies on the Norfolk Chamber directory.

One of the biggest factors that helps a website’s rankings on Google is getting strong PR mentions, links and citations from other websites. We tend to constantly reach out to journalists and even pay for articles to be published on behalf of our clients. By creating our own tech website and strengthening the domain through strong links and quality content, we can give our clients a bit of a boost by adding their link to the TechRound website. Its also quite a nice thing to offer a new client that as soon as they come on board, we can give them some PR and a strong link.

How this can benefit Norfolk Chamber members

As part of our commitment to the Norfolk Chamber who have always supported our work, we are happy to offer interviews, articles and press releases for free to Chamber members. This is something that we are already charging companies for, but we would be delighted to help you or your clients get some exposure and of course, a nice link will help their rankings on Google too! So if you have any ideas that you would like to contribute, feel free to email us at info@techround.co.uk and we will get back to you on the same day!

Renewable heating expert Finn Geotherm, has become accredited by Constructionline – the leading provider of procurement and supply chain management services.

Constructionline is a resource for public and private organisations, such as health trusts, housing associations and private companies, looking for high quality suppliers and contractors. In order to qualify under the Constructionline scheme, contractors must complete rigorous health and safety compliance and provide details of its business competence. The accreditation provides reassurance for public and private organisations that they are dealing with the best suppliers in the industry.

Guy Ransom, commercial director at Finn Geotherm, said: “We are very pleased to become Constructionline accredited. Having already been working with a number of public and private organisations, Constructionline will simplify the tender and appointment process, enabling us to continue installing more great energy-saving, heat pump systems for our customers.”

For more information on Finn Geotherm, visit www.finn-geotherm.co.uk. For details on Constructionline, see www.constructionline.co.uk.

Are you approaching the staging date to have your company’s workplace pension scheme in place?

Business owners and Management have enough to deal with, without the deadlines and the consequences of non-compliance for Automatic Enrolment.

Combine this with the requirement to pay the contributions and you can see why many employers view this as burdensome.

However, if you approach it from another angle it is a fantastic opportunity!

Regardless of your company size and structure, if you consider our tips, the associated costs with Automatic Enrolment won’t be wasted, and instead can be viewed positively.

Read our four reasons how it can help you attract and retain the best talent if implemented effectively.

You can get in touch with Ryan Oates for more information on 01603 760866 or Ryan@sgcorporateservices.co.uk.

One way to grow a business is by spotting a new niche and diversifying. That’s exactly what one local forward-thinking marketing agency has done with the launch of their new website inkonfabric.co.uk.

For the past three years, Example Marketing and Web Design has been working with businesses across Norfolk to help get them noticed by potential customers. One aspect of that work is helping business owners get the most from exhibiting at trade fairs and events. Owner, Emma Raines, explains more:

“We’re often contacted by businesses who’ve booked space at a trade show, but have no idea how to make the most of the opportunity. One of the things we help them with is making sure their stand has impact and looks great – first impressions are really important. Through researching options available for good value exhibition kit that can be reused at a number of different events, we identified the Ink on Fabric range as one of the very best solutions.”

Fabric exhibition stands are fairly new to the market. The basic design is a lightweight aluminium frame with a printed fabric cover that’s simply slipped over the top and zipped in place. They’re proving to be an excellent alternative to traditional pop up curve stands and roller banners.

“The fabric scheme addresses a lot of the downsides of more traditional reusable stand options. They’re easy to store and transport and are really quick to assemble. The covers can be easily replaced, or you can shove them in the washing machine to keep them fresh.A really practical solution for small and medium sized businesses who exhibit at several events each year.”

The new inkonfabric.co.uk website enables business owners to purchase the range of products online. Customers can either upload their own artwork, or request design as part of the package. Emma continues:

“We’ve tried to make the process as simple as possible. We’re hoping that by creating a site which specialises in the fabric range we can make more people aware of the options available to them. We think switching to fabric could really boost businesses’ exhibiting power.”