Member News

Norwich small business specialist, TaxAssist Accountants on Aylsham Road, is celebrating a double appointment to its five strong team. The practice, part of the Norwich-based franchise of independently owned businesses providing tax and accountancy advice to small businesses across the UK, has made the appointments follow a period of significant growth.

Robin Johnson took over TaxAssist Accountants in Norwich in 2012 and, in the face of challenging economic conditions, has seen a ten per cent rise in business year-on-year and client numbers top 400. In response, he has appointed Jennie Douse and Liz Andrews, who each have a wealth of knowledge in the industry, to join the team as accountant and bookkeeper respectively.

“At a time when demand for our services continues to grow, I am delighted to welcome Jennie and Liz to our team – they are already proving to be real assets and we’ve had great feedback from our clients,” said Robin.

“Alongside the new staff members, we’ve also introduced a cloud-based solution for clients which allows us to do things quicker and provide real time information, as well as quarterly and annual reports. It’s proved really popular with many of our existing clients and I’m confident more and more clients will come to us with the new technology in place.”

With the new staff appointments and technology, Robin is looking to recruit further in the new year and is also planning to open a second shop in the city.

TaxAssist Accountants Norwich is a local business itself, operating across Norwich providing tax and accountancy advice and services to over 400 small businesses.

November 2016

Aston Shaw is proud to be this year’s corporate sponsors of renowned local artist David Dane’s latest exhibition “Visions”. It has been two years since David Dane last presented an exhibition of his distinctive paintings. A long-term client of Aston Shaw and much loved Norfolk resident, David’s depictions of the Norfolk Broads and surrounding rural landscape have been displayed worldwide.

In 2015, David suffered the worst possible tragedy, the loss of his beloved son. This has forever changed the artist’s life and has had a major influence on David’s craft; his most recent works invoke an undeniable sense of spirituality. David’s latest exhibition “Visions” is very much in homage to his late son, William.

Over the past forty years or so that David has been interpreting the Broadland scenery in his own mystical style, many people have commented on David’s extraordinary ability to capture the essence of the Broads. This remarkable talent has propelled him to become one of the best-selling artists of fine art prints in the UK. His most famous piece is the Romantic Mill which has sold hundreds of thousands of copies.

Having long been regarded as a firm that is ingrained within the local community, Aston Shaw are proud to have supported David as his accountant throughout his career and hope his latest exhibition proves to be another massive success. Dominic Shaw, Director, comments “We are really proud to be associated with David and to have the opportunity to support him and his extraordinary talent. We will be attending his latest exhibition in our numbers and hope to see the place packed out!”

David Dane’s new exhibition “Visions” presents a brand new collection of original paintings and high-quality Giclée prints. The exhibition is being held at one of the most beautiful venues on the Norfolk Broads, “The Boathouse”. Formerly “The Eel’s Foot” public house, the venue is situated right on the edge of Ormesby Broad. The exhibition opens Saturday 19th November and continues until Sunday 27th November, open daily between 11am-4pm.

TaxAssist has been named as one of three finalists in the Best Franchise £25k – £99k Investment category at the 2016 Best Franchise Awards to be held on 30th November

The accountancy franchise was selected for the Royal Bank of Scotland-sponsored awards as a result of feedback from its franchisees, which was gathered by research specialists Smith & Henderson.

To be shortlisted, a company must have previously taken part in the Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark survey. Franchisees are asked to anonymously provide scores for categories including initial training, ongoing support and whether they would recommend their franchise to a prospective franchisee.

TaxAssist Accountants hopes to continue its string of successes, having received awards at the Best Franchise Ceremony every year for the last five years.

Sarah Robertson, Group Operations Director at TaxAssist Accountants, said: “Being nominated yet again for a Best Franchise Award is fantastic news, and follows hot on the heels of being awarded Five-Star Franchisee Satisfaction by Smith & Henderson.

“These awards are based on how pleased our network is with the TaxAssist business model and the comprehensive support we provide, which makes them extra special.”

Steven Frost, Director of Smith & Henderson, said: “We would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to these franchisors who have already shown themselves to be among the very best in the country.

“All the finalists have received outstanding feedback from their franchisees who completed our independent and confidential Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark survey, which uniquely identifies the franchises that live up to their franchisee’s expectations.”

The winners of the 2016 Best Franchise Awards will be announced at the Best Franchise Conference in Milton Keynes on Thursday 30th November 2016.

More information is available from www.bestfranchiseawards.co.uk

November 2016

PRESS RELEASE

Tiger Eye announce most successful year to date

Tiger Eye have announced that 2016 has been their most successful year to date. Launched by Dave Wilson in 2005, over the last decade Dave has grown the business to currently 12 members of staff. Tiger Eye are a niche IT consultancy, specialising in document and email management for professional services firm. Tiger Eye are one of only a handful of official UK iManage Partners- iManage is the global market-leading software solution for document and email management. In 2016 Tiger Eye have taken on a growing number of customers, and a significant number of large support contracts.

To support this growing customer base, several new staff have joined the team this year in the support team and in project management, handling the day-to-day project co-ordination of new customer roll-outs. Among them, Cerys Burcher is managing Tiger Eye’s recently launched legal knowledge management software Blueprint, as well as looking at expanding both thelocal and European customer base. “It’s fantastic to be working with such a genuine and friendly team, in such an exciting and innovative sector,” she enthused.

Asked what has driven the growth, Managing Director Dave Wilson comments, “Our new customers talk about how they are drawn to our partnership approach. Matt Cleverdon (Strategy & Innovation Director) and I take the time to really get to grips with what people are looking to achieve in any new implementation, and what they expect from their support partner. People come to us for solid, professional advice, based on decades of experience in the industry.”

About Tiger Eye

Tiger Eye is a niche IT consultancy, specialising in Work Product Management, and a UK iManage Partner implementing iManage solutions across Europe. We focus on providing high calibre consultancy from an experienced, senior team, working in close partnership to plan bespoke solutions that meet all our customers’ business needs, and provide expert technical support and customised development solutions to our iManage customers.

For more information please contact:

Cerys Burcher

Strategic Programme Manager, Tiger Eye Consulting Ltd.

01603 293509

cerysb@tigereyeconsulting.com

www.tigereyeconsulting.com

Finn Geotherm – the leading heat pump installer in Norfolk, has won the Rural Enterprise Award in the prestigious Eastern Daily Press (EDP) Business Awards 2016.

The Rural Enterprise category, sponsored by West Raynham Business Park, celebrates rural businesses who are innovating and creating jobs and opportunities across the county. From artisans to start-ups, to companies who have found new opportunities through innovation and diversification, this award recognises the dynamic individuals and enterprises who are passionate and proud to be rural, but whose ambitions are not limited by their location. Winners of the EDP Business Awards were chosen from hundreds of entries received from companies across Norfolk, Waveney and Fenland.

Celebrating its 10th year in business, Attleborough-based Finn Geotherm has grown from three employees installing 6kW heat pumps to a 20-strong team designing, specifying and installing 350kW systems for pan-European companies.

Guy Ransom, commercial director of Finn Geotherm, said: “We are very proud to be located in rural Norfolk. This location is our heartland and one where renewable energy systems provide the best possible alternative to hard-to-access fossil fuels for both domestic and commercial customers in all types and sizes of homes and premises. We are absolutely over the moon to have been awarded the Rural Enterprise Award. The EDP Business Awards are one of the region’s most prestigious business award schemes and to win this award, especially in our 10th year of business, is testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire team here at Finn Geotherm.”

For more information on Finn Geotherm and ground and air source heat pumps, visit the website or call 01953 453240.

Setting up a business might not be the first activity people would associate with being an undergraduate, but it’s a growing phenomenon amongst students. In fact, 113 UEA graduates became self-employed and 19 started up their own businesses in 2014/15. With an increasing demand from students and graduates, UEA are seeking help from like-minded entrepreneurs.

“We’ve a strong culture of enterprise here at UEA. We are looking for mentors to help us support the journey of our student and graduate entrepreneurs,” said Finbarr Carter, Enterprise Development Officer. “We provide a variety of services such as coaching, access to funding and connecting them with networks. However a one-to-one relationship with a mentor can make a huge difference to their chances of future success, opening their eyes to the challenges and rewards of running their own business.” Research shows that small businesses that receive mentoring are 70% more likely to succeed.

UEA has a growing Mentoring Programme and we are looking to increase our diverse range of mentors to reflect the backgrounds of their students, particularly in the fields of product development, technology, retail, catering and art. Finbarr explains “They can be from large or small organisations and don’t need previous mentoring experience. They just have to be passionate about what they do and keen to share their enthusiasm and expertise with the next generation of business owners.”

Elaine Reilly, owner of the Mustard Coffee Bar in Bridewell Alley, Norwich, and Mustard at UEA’s Enterprise Centre, has been a mentor for two years. “I find it extremely rewarding,” she said. “Mentoring is a two-way experience because every person you encounter brings knowledge and ideas. It’s a great way of making you review your own business practices.”

We currently have 90 mentors across the whole mentoring programme working with students and graduates and we’d love to have you join us. The mentoring can be one-off or ongoing over six months and can be in person, over the phone, by email or over services like Skype. Mentors get to choose how much time they commit and what kinds of topics they discuss with mentees.

If you’d like to become a mentor or for further information, please contact UEA on 01603 597637 or visit https://www.uea.ac.uk/business/talent/share-your-knowledge

Avanor Healthcare Ltd, manufacturers of the Perspi-Guard® range of antiperspirants and deodorants, are pleased to confirm that AVEPHARMA s.r.o are appointed exclusive distribution partner for Slovakia.

Scott Duffy, Managing Director of Avanor Healthcare Ltd, said: “We are confident that the AVEPHARMA team have the expertise, professionalism and dedication to consumers needed to successfully integrate our brand into the Slovakian market and uphold our brand’s ethos of providing excellence in terms of efficacy and value.”

He continues:”Their commitment to our brand has been shown in excellent product sales achieved since launching in 2015. We look forward to continuing to work with AVEPHARMA and build on the success of the past 18 months.”

AVEPHARMA s.r.o are leading Slovakian distributors of pharmaceuticals, FMCG, OTC, Veterinary and Medical products.

www.Perspi-Guard.sk

TaxAssist Accountants has strengthened its recruitment team by promoting Daren Tillson, previously TaxAssist’s Software Training Manager, to head up its UK franchisee recruitment.

Since Daren joined TaxAssist Accountants in 2014, he has proven himself to be a highly capable member of the team. He has experience of delivering training, project management, pre-sales, support management and overall operations management. In the two years he has been working for TaxAssist, he has gained an in-depth knowledge of the network and the inner workings of the franchise industry.

Daren said: “I’m really excited to be heading up the recruitment team. I’m keen to meet and work with prospective franchisees, who are interested in exploring the TaxAssist business opportunity and helping them to make the move to join our growing network.”

Sarah Robertson, TaxAssist Accountants Group Operations Director, added: “In the two years I’ve known Daren, I’ve been very impressed with his knowledge and ability. His warm, personable manner makes him an ideal candidate to take on this role in our busy recruitment department.

“We receive high levels of interest in both new and resale franchise opportunities as our network continues to grow, and I am looking forward to working with Daren to ensure that our fantastic business opportunity is seen by as many people as possible.”

November 2016

Monthind Clean LLP took part in the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce’s 18th B2B exhibition on 13th October 2016, and we are delighted to announce Chloe Griffin, Broadland District Council Tourism Officer, and Barry Lynes, Rider Co-ordinator at Kickstart as the winners of our event competition. Visitors to Monthind’s stand were invited to enter a draw for the two prizes of £100 voucher.

We were represented at the event by Sales and Marketing Business Manager, Tony Payne; Company Partner, Simon Biggs; Business Development Managers, Tara Culshaw and Richard Angelo; and Norfolk’s Business Manager, Kevin Lamb. The team was busy all day, but took the time to peruse the other stands, and were impressed by the quality of the products and businesses exhibiting. Simon Biggs says: “Events like the Norfolk B2B Exhibition allow companies to demonstrate their capabilities to potential clients. In Monthind’s case we spoke to a number of decision makers who had not previously considered outsourcing their cleaning and maintenance, and some who were unhappy with their current providers. By meeting and talking in a relaxed environment, we make those connections that can lead to valued contracts.”

Norwich based video production company, Eye For Business, has completed a major rebrand and nowEye Film islaunching its new website just in time for the release of its latest TV project, Bare Roots, coproduced with Mustard TV as part of BBC East’s Inside Out Programme.MD Charlie Gauvain explained “Having been around for over 40 year’s the company’s reinvented itself many times over. But, after Frank Prendergast, the founding director, died in 2013 it’s taken a while to come to terms with losing someone so important and to identify the direction in which we wanted to go. We are bringing together the two strands of the business, one area working primarily on broadcast projects and the other producing high quality corporate video and training services. The new rebrand and website sees these two come together and we’re excited to have a raft of new projects to celebrate with”.’Bare Roots’ as Eye Film refer to the eight minute film,formedpart of the BBC’s Inside Out programme following achance meeting between Eye Film and an entrepreneur who created, designed and built a vertical, soil less growing system in his own kitchen, sparked an interest in this potential agricultural revolution.Eye Film, based in Norwich, but operating across the UK, produceeverything from feature films to television documentaries, promotional films to training videos and everything in-between. Telling stories for over 40 years, they helptheir clients capture the power of video marketing with engaging, creative and dynamic approaches. See their work for yourself and contact them at www.eyefilm.co.uk.

Freebridge Community Fund supports seven special causes

Freebridge Community Housing have donated almost £6000 to seven community groups across the region as part of their vision for ‘supporting a better West Norfolk’.

Community groups which promote health and wellbeing, the environment, support residents or bring communities together can apply for up to £1000 for projects that have a positive impact within West Norfolk.

Recipients are invited to lunch with the judging panel made up of staff and tenants, they have the chance to share their charities cause and the plans they have for the donation.

Tony Hall, Chief Executive of Freebridge said: “This fund is all about helping people, and it reflects our vision of supporting a better West Norfolk. The local nature of the fund gives us the opportunity to offer support to the grass roots level that needs it most.

“Once again this year we have allocated funds to some much deserving and hard-working charities, who will use the money to improve the lives of many people in our region.”

One such charity is Friends in Bereavement, a free confidential service which offers comfort and support to the bereaved. They received £800 from Freebridge and these vital funds will help the charity to continue their work.

Gillian Porter from Friends in Bereavement said: “We had been to other places to try and get funding and then we were recommended that Freebridge may be able to help. This grant will go towards continuing to employ supervision and for the training of our staff.”

Along with Friends in Bereavement six other charities received funding:

• Docking Playing Fields Association- £452 to refurbish a piece of equipment that is deemed unsafe on the play area.
• Home-Start King’s Lynn & West Norfolk- £1000 to support volunteer travel expenses.
• Methwold P.C. – £800 to purchase a disabled hoist to provide access to WC facilities.
• National Osteoporosis Society King’s Lynn & District Group – £1000to continue to run the support group and associated exercise classes.
• Pandora Project £1000 to expand the service and have more volunteers available to support clients.

West Norfolk Riding for the Disabled Association – £500 to launch a new 6 day-a-week scheduled bus service in June 2016 through villages, businesses and health facilities in 5 different Parishes in North West Norfolk.

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

Briar Chemicals invited people to immerse themselves in science and get hands-on with Chemistry at the first ever Norwich Science Festival.

The Chemistry Day, sponsored by Briar Chemicals, was organised by the East Anglian section of the Royal Society of Chemistry and attracted over a 1,200 people from across the region.

Norwich’s first major science festival provided a fantastic opportunity for everyone to take part in a variety of experiments includingbuilding atoms, making rainbows, exploring the chemistry in your own kitchen, writing secret messages and making slime spheres.

For older students, there were more complex experiments; investigating how food dyes work and identifying different materials using a research grade spectrometer.

Dr Sean Thurston, education coordinator for the Royal Society of Chemistry (East) said: “Research by the Royal Society of Chemistry has shown that people have, on the whole, a positive view of chemistry – but really don’t understand what a chemist does day to day. Events like this let us fill in those gaps in the public knowledge. The day aims to show people how chemistry is all around them in their everyday life, while showcasing some of the fantastic scientists we have in East Anglia.”

A team of volunteers from Briar Chemicals hosted the ‘making slime spheres’ experiments; an activity that fascinated all ages. Tim Green, site manager at Briar Chemicals said: “For many years we have worked with local schools promoting science learning as fun and it’s fantastic to be able to work together with other local specialists, to provide free access to everyday science, in a fun and informative environment for youngsters. We want to inspire young people with the wonder of science, and hopefully encourage them to become scientists of the future.”

Briar Chemicals gave short career talks throughout the day, engaging with audiences of all ages. Carmina,a student work placement at Briar Chemicals, is currently studying a Chemical Engineering degree at Loughborough University is keen to encouragemore girls to study STEM subjects.

The first ever city wide Norwich Science Festival, which took place from 18-30 October 2016, celebrated the vibrant and ground breaking aspect of the city. Norwich has long held a world-class reputation for leading scientific discovery, including research at the University of East Anglia on ways to improve crop yields to tackle global food shortages.

Festival highlights included pioneering scientist Lord Robert Winston, a leading expert on fertility and IVF, ‘the people’s astronomer’ Mark Thompson of Stargazing Live and Ben Garrod, an evolutionary biologist and award-winning broadcaster, co-presenting ‘Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur’ with Sir David Attenborough.