Member News

A financial comparison site developed in Norfolk is now competing with the country’s top household names after being shortlisted for the prestigious Website of the Year Award.

Reflection PR is supporting its client Knowyourmoney.co.uk to challenge nationally renowned comparison sites such as moneysupermarket.com and confused.com.

The Norwich-based company was set up by three entrepreneurs who built up their digital media expertise while working for online agencies, Google and insurance company Aviva.

Knowyourmoney.co.uk users can compare the details of current accounts, business banking, loans, mortgages and breakdown cover. The site aims to simplify financial product information to enable clear comparison for consumers.

Their experience, tenacity and decision to remain independent from bank or insurance company ownership has paid off – www.knowyourmoney.co.uk has now hit 400,000 visits a month.

As the number of knowyourmoney.co.uk users continues to grow towards half a million each month, the website has achieved national recognition by being shortlisted for Website of the Year Award.

The Know Your Money team is asking for support from across the region to push knowyourmoney over the line in this national competition. Votes can be cast from October 3rd – 11th November.

To vote – follow these instructions:

Vote athttps://websiteoftheyear.co.uk/vote/knowyourmoney/ Activate the vote via email Forward the activation email tocompetition@knowyourmoney.co.uk

More than 70,000 visitors passed through the breakdown cover comparison tables last month, making Know Your Money one of the largest comparison sites for breakdown cover in the UK.

This success has been attributed to the strong partnerships with brands such as The AA, The RAC & Green Flag as well as the introduction of a simple to use comparison table.

Know Your Money’s Breakdown Channel Manager, Jamie Wright said: “Keeping on top of search trends and a close handle on what people are actually looking for on search engines such as Google and Bing, along with excellent brand partner relationships and a well-optimised site, has enabled us to deliver sustained growth in this channel”

Head of Business Development Mike Jones hopes to replicate the great results from the breakdown cover campaign into the recently launched credit card channel and is keen to continue the growth as the website expands and further staff are employed.

“Knowyourmoney.co.uk was started as the team believed we could offer consumers a clear and straightforward comparison service, where customers can save time and money.”

“Over the last three years we have grown into a comparison site capable of competing with the big household brands for premium positions within Google. The Website of the year award is a real opportunity for the team at knowyourmoney.co.uk to gain national recognition for the fantastic effort they put in.”

More than 30 business people attended the launch of North Norfolk District Council’s Coffee Means Business networking event organised by Genix, the business engagement specialists.

The first networking event was held at North Walsham on 23rd September. These monthly, informal events give businesses the opportunity to chat over coffee, make new contacts, gain knowledge and inspiration.

North Norfolk District Council has appointed Genix to organise and host Coffee Means Business in the North Norfolk area as they could see there is a need for a regular networking opportunity for businesses which didn’t involve expensive membership fees.

North Norfolk District Council has appointed Genix because it is a not for profit organisation which, for over 20 years has been supporting businesses. In Norfolk Genix provides, free business advice sessions for established businesses and start-ups, subsidised business skills courses and events for ambitious small businesses and self-employed people.

Cllr Nigel Dixon, Cabinet Member for Business and Economic Development said: “It was a good informal session and a chance to hear directly from companies in our region; I’d encourage other businesses to get involved and come along to the next session on the 20 October at the Red Lion in Cromer.”

Alex Till, Chief Executive of Genix said, “It was fantastic to have so many businesses attend Coffee Means Business. We’re very grateful for the support of North Norfolk District Council who understand the importance of helping businesses to grow ensuring future employment and apprenticeship opportunities for the area and increasing the prosperity of the county.”

Gary Parker hosts Coffee Means Business and commented, “My thanks to our sponsor, Ruth from Different Dimensions who demonstrated why having a website that is user friendly and designed for the right target market will bring more sales for a business. Ruth’s examples showed what happens when we get it wrong and how Different Dimensions can provide the information a business needs to ensure its future customers buy from them and not a competitor.

“Genix aims are to support business growth in Norfolk and Coffee Means Business provides businesses with an informal, friendly environment in which to network, establish new business contacts and make sales.”

Coffee Means Business will next be held on Thursday 20 October at The Red Lion Hotel, Cromer from 9.30am until 11.30am. There are no membership fees, just £2 towards coffee payable on arrival and booking isn’t essential.

For more information

Contact Genix – leanne@genix.org.uk www.genix.org.uk 07496713103

Lawson, Communications Manager at NNDC on sue.lawson@north-norfolk.gov.uk on 01263 516344.

Norwich’s growing cycling culture has taken another step forward as leading cycle courier company Outspoken Delivery has added a second tricycle to its fleet. The new cargo trike is the first from UK manufacturer Iceni Cycles, unlike previous trikes that were purchased from Europe.

Outspoken’s German-made trike is already a common sight around the centre of Norwich quietly delivering hundreds of parcels every week and helping to reduce the number of delivery vans. The second trike is set to add to the 6,000 miles alreadytraveled in 2016 and expand the areas of the city covered.

Cargo tricycles carry the weight of three people in goods ranging from printer paper to supplies for hair salons, motorcycle parts, window displays and everything else. The Iceni trike has a number of innovative features including T45 aircraft-grade steel for strength and lightness, vital for the hills in Norwich city centre.

Richard Jennings of Outspoken Delivery Norwich said:”Email has meant that there are fewer documents moving around the city, yet the number of parcels is growing. We are moving from two-wheeled bikes that can carry 60kg to three-wheeled trikes that are similar to a small van but unlike a van they are emission free.

“We work our trikes hard every day so it’s great to collaborate with a British manufacturer to produce a strong and reliable machine. Our couriers have really taken to the Iceni trike.”

“We saw a gap in the market for a nimble, lightweight tricycle that could be used by a family to carry children or by courier companies, ” added Iceni Cycle’s Clare Emery. “We’ve designed in an electric assist option for heavier loads and longer journeys. We’re excited to see one of our first trikes on the streets of Norwich.”

Algorithms are everywhere. Our children are even taught about them at school, but have you ever found yourself wondering what an algorithm actually is? Maybe you’ve thought they’re something used by computers and created by computer programmers, but don’t really know what they are?

The dictionary defines an algorithm as:

“A set of rules for solving a problem in a finite number of steps.”

Algorithms come in all shapes and sizes. They can be extremely complicated, but they can also be very simple and easy to understand.

Examples of more complex algorithms include those used to price financial products in a bank or to determine the best route between two points in a satellite navigation system. Simpler algorithms include those used to sort lists of numbers, such as Bubble Sort.

Bubble Sort

Bubble Sort is one of the easiest algorithms to understand. As its name suggests, it’s an algorithm used for sorting. Often the easiest list of things to sort are numbers. Bubble Sort works by comparing each number in the list to the number next to it and swapping them with each other if the numbers are in the wrong order. This process is performed again and again until a pass over the list requires no swaps. At this point the list is sorted. Knowing when to stop sorting the list is just as important as knowing how to sort the list. As we know when to stop (when a pass has no swaps), Bubble Sort can be used for lists of any size.

The easiest way to demonstrate Bubble Sort is with a simple example. Take the list of numbers:

3, 2, 1

We can use Bubble Sort to reverse the list. The first time we pass over the list the first two numbers are 3 and 2. 3 is greater than 2 so we swap them over:

2, 3, 1

Next we compare 3 and 1. 3 is greater than 1, so we swap them over:

2, 1, 3

There are no more pairs of numbers to compare on this pass and there were two swaps (3 & 2 and 3 & 1) so we pass over the list again. The first two numbers on the second pass are 2 and 1. 2 is greater than 1, so we swap them over:

1, 2, 3

Even though we have successfully reversed the list, we’re not finished. Next we compare 2 and 3. 2 is not greater than 3 so we don’t swap them. There are no more pairs of numbers to compare on the second pass and there was a single swap (1 & 3) so we pass over the list again.

1, 2, 3

The first two numbers to compare are 1 and 2. 1 is not greater than 2, so we don’t swap them. Then we compare 2 and 3. 2 is not greater than 3 so we don’t swap them. There are no more pairs of numbers to compare on the third pass and there were no swaps so we’ve finished and successfully reversed the list.

Sorting Algorithms in the Real World

Bubble Sort is taught to trainee software engineers as it’s easy to understand and implement. However, it’s rarely actually used in the real world as it’s inefficient and there are other more efficient sorting algorithms, such as Quicksort, which are only a little more difficult to understand implement.

Sorting occurs in all sorts of systems in the real world. One example is in the software used to sort mail into the order a postman will deliver it as he walks along his round. Postcodes and other address elements are read into the system and sophisticated algorithms used to sort the mail into the correct order.

The next time someone mentions algorithms to you, remember it’s a set of rules for solving a problem in a finite number of steps.

A European leader in the regional jets & narrow body aircraft market and having an internationally acknowledged expertise on the BAe146/Avro RJ, Fokker 70/100, Boeing 737 & Airbus A320 Family, KLM UK Engineering has extended its services to include the Embraer 170/190 Family to meet the growing demands from its customer base. This latest offering compliments the existing portfolio at KLM UK Engineering’s facility, where it can maintain 5 lines of heavy maintenance, provide onsite workshop support and operates a technical training college delivering Part147.

Peter van der Horst, Managing Director – “We are delighted to be adding the E170/190 to our heavy maintenance portfolio and will provide a competitive rate, high quality product & short turnaround times to both existing and new customers. We have been delivering line maintenance support for a number of years on the Embraer product and will start our first heavy checks inNorwichwith the KLM Cityhopper Fleet starting in October”.

We’re supportingThe Timber Projectthroughout the whole of October by promoting an urgent donation drive across our full network of screens in Norwich. The Timber Project is a non-profit organisation devoted to providing basic shelter and hygiene facilities for refugees stranded in Greece and along the Balkan route.

While the situation is complex, their work is simple: the team design and buildtimber structures that offer small pieces of solace, protection and dignity to those forced to flee their homes. Their projects are aimed at addressing the most urgent needs of refugees along the Balkan route. The Timber Project have built shower units for a camp of 500 people in Serbia and a learning centre for the children in Kelebija. They also strive to improve conditions in the camps by designing and building children’s playgrounds as well as communal structures that have been used to create women friendly spaces and wifi stations amongst many other applications.

The team have managed to raise just over £8,000 of their £10,000 target. So lets reachtheir goal plus more and help the thousands of war torn refugees get some shelter over their heads before the dreaded winter comes. Any donation is fine, small or large, every pennyhelps!

To make a donation click herehttps://www.gofundme.com/thetimberproject

On the weekend of the 24th-25th September, accountants from East Anglian Accountancy firm, Aston Shaw headed to the Lake District to undertake the firm’s most challenging charity event yet – all in support of local children’s charity, EACH and their Nook Appeal.

Unfortunately, the weather was not on the team’s side and they had to endure heavy rain, hail, and 60mph winds. The treacherous weather only made what is already a gruelling challenge all the more difficult. Despite these difficult conditions, the team pushed on and covered some 44 kilometres (33 miles) and climbed a total height equal to half that of Mt Everest, all this within a combined time of 24 hours!

“I’m aching so much, but it was well worth it. An amazing weekend!” – Sophie Towler, Assistant Client Manager, Norwich

“Amazing determination and enthusiasm by all involved, through injuries, gale force winds, hailstorms and heavy rain. It was a great challenge to be part of especially as we have raised money for such a good cause.” – Vincent Crouch, Audit Manager, Norwich

“Seeing the team carry out the 24 peaks challenge was a great experience, everyone at Aston Shaw put in a great effort battling 60mph winds, rain and of course the tough terrain! I was pleased to be part of the team effort.” – Christopher Lock, Client Manager, Ipswich

Through this event and other fundraising initiatives taken by the firm, Aston Shaw has now almost reached their goal of raising £10,000 for EACH. With donations continuing to trickle in, Aston Shaw has hopes of raising more money this year than the previous one. You can help Aston Shaw raise money for EACH by visiting their JustGiving page and making a contribution: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Aston-Shaw

This is not the first time staff members from Aston Shaw have taken on a daring challenge for charity. Last year, the firm committed to raising £10,000 through a sponsored skydive alongside various other fundraising activities.

EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk and relies heavily on donations from fundraising activities. The money raised will largely go towards the nook appeal; EACH is raising money for a new, bespoke hospice to be built in the heart of Norfolk. The new hospice will be much better equipped to provide the services that the children need, and will bring new facilities for the children to enjoy.

TaxAssist Accountants’ business model has helped its first franchisee in Australia, Avendra Narayan, enjoy a highly successful six months providing small business services to Sydney’s Liverpool district.

Since opening his welcoming and highly accessible shopfront on Scott Street, in March 2016, Avendra along with his daughter Priya Narayan and two members of staff, have already signed up more than 20 small businesses. With a fee bank in excess of $30,000, Avendra’s shop is already well ahead of his one-year target projections.

Avendra said: “I could not be happier with the way my business is growing. Following TaxAssist Accountants’ shopfront business model has worked superbly as having a highly visible business encourages walk-in clients. The shop concept combined with the high referral rate from clients who have been impressed by the level of service they have received, means that my business continues to grow.

“The marketing and technical support I have received from the TaxAssist Accountants’ team has been excellent, and I am keen to expand my business further by acquiring a second exclusive territory and shop in the near future.”

Terry Murphy, the Master Franchisee for New South Wales, Queensland and ACT has been delighted by the success of his first franchisee.

“I have been most impressed by the exceptional start Avendra has made. He really is a great ambassador and standard-bearer for the TaxAssist Accountants’ brand as we begin our expansion across New South Wales and beyond.

“Avendra has taken on board all of the training and advice provided to him, and has networked with enthusiasm, building strong working relationships within his local community. I could not have asked for a better example for other franchisees to take inspiration from.

“We are also delighted that two more franchisees have joined TaxAssist Accountants in Chatswood and Sydney CBD since Avendra started trading, with further expansion planned in the near future.”

Oursuccessful Women’s Leadership Programme has opened its application for thefirst programme of 2017 and will be taking place inJanuary and March 2017.

Developed by Pure and People and Performance, the programme has been designed to develop talented aspiring female leaders, equipping them with the tools needed to evolve organisational culture at the same time as removing workplace barriers, the programme will be in two modules held in January and March: Module one taking place on Wednesday25 and Thursday26 January and Module two taking place on Wednesday 22 andThursday 23March 2017.

Held over two modules, the programme is beneficial for organisations and delegates alike.

For organisations, the programme sets to challenge how your culture defines gender equality strategy; helps identify and sponsor talent; be aware of unconscious bias and how to remove it from your organisation as well as support women to be authentic and effective leaders

For delegates, this course will: provide a support network with peers facing similar issues; help define your ambition and provide tools and practical examples to realise this; empower, support and guide – through mentoring and strategic modelling – the future leaders. Why women only? Historically women have tended to be the primary carer in the household, making their experience and opportunities very different to mail counterparts. This environment encourages women to share and explore their experiences within a supportive setting, without being judged, whilst stretching them to step fully into their authentic leadership style.

Lynn Walters, Co-founder and Director of Pure, comments: “The programme’s generous sponsors could help two aspiring women fulfil their career ambitions, while helping to make positive change and setting standards and expectations for other women. Diversity is widely understood to be fundamental to the sustained growth of any business and therefore, having a talent pipeline of future executives including both male and females will lead to increased future profits and help boost the bottom line.”

To find out how to apply and check their eligibility for the places, candidates should emailLucy.plumb@prs.uk.comorcall Pure on 01473 250990.

Pure runs the Women’s Leadership Programme in partnership with People & Performance, a strategic HR consultancy.

Monthind Clean LLP is pleased to announce that they have successfully achieved exor accreditation, demonstrating their ability to meet the rigorous pre-qualification requirements within the private and public sectors.

The East Anglia-based firm recently received accreditation from exor, whose standards are recognised as being amongst the highest in their industry. Tony Felgate, Monthind Partner, said: “At Monthind, we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients; exor accreditation demonstrates our capabilities and further underpins the trust our clients place in us.”

Established in 1997 to supply an efficient, outsourced supply chain service, exor understands that the management of risk is a central issue in the procuring of goods and services, adopting a thorough and robust approach to independently check and validate supplier information. Only suppliers and contractors that can attain and maintain these high standards will gain admission to the approved exor supplier database.

John Kinge, Technical Director of exor said, “Organisations need to be able to ensure that their supply partners are reliable, financially stable and compliant with all relevant legislation. A third party accreditation scheme can be an efficient way in which to manage complex compliance issues such as these.

With robust supplier management in place, the company at the top of the supply chain will have the confidence they need to outsource vital services, which removes the hassle of verification and gives piece of mind that they are adhering to regulation and industry best practice.”

Accreditation is a process in which certification of competency, viability and compliance with legal requirements and current codes of practice is presented.

The exor accreditation scheme assesses, reviews and audits suppliers’ procedures and documentation; suppliers can then be included on a database which demonstrates they have met the highest standards in the market place in procurement risk management.

A start-up micro-company targeting safe, clean, local and sustainable lead-acid battery recycling in India and other parts of the developing world has moved into laboratory space at Norwich Research Park.

Citrecycle – based in the Accelerator Suite at Norwich Research Park’s Innovation Centre – has developed a sustainable process to profitably revolutionise the recycling of lead-acid batteries, a procedure that currently has a damaging effect on human health and the natural environment in many developing countries.

Chief Executive Officer Joshua George said Citrecycle is now seeking funding to establish its first plant in India, where recycling lead acid batteries is big business – much of it conducted by unregulated operators. The template could be scaled and adapted for use anywhere in the world.

“Our focus is the safe disposal of batteries and a clean, green way of recycling the lead they contain,” said Mr George. “Our process is more sustainable, more environmentally friendly and benefits the local community.”

“Recycled lead is highly prized because of its value, but it is very toxic to anyone who handles it without proper protection. The high temperature smelting process used to recover the lead, releases a lot of harmful particulate into the air which can have a catastrophic effect on the health of people who breathe the air and drink the water,” he said.

“Our process for recycling lead is more efficient, more profitable, more sustainable and more environmentally friendly.”

Mr George and his colleague, Chief Technical Officer George Lane are delighted to be based at Norwich Research Park’s Accelerator Suite.

“The Accelerator Suite is great as it gives us access to both equipment and business support. Everything was ready and waiting for us when we arrived which enabled us to get to work straight away,” said Mr George.

Major companies involved in the lead-acid battery industry have shown interest in Citrecycle’s emission-free process which uses natural solvents while reducing carbon output by more than half.

“It’s a win-win,” said Mr George. “It doesn’t pollute the environment or adversely affect the health of the local community. It’s less hazardous for the collectors and recyclers – and it is more profitable for them.”

Dr Kenny Lang, Business Development Director at Norwich Research Park said: “The Accelerator laboratories and offices were developed to help businesses at the start of their journey. A shared environment, we offer access to support and access to equipment to ensure new businesses are given the greatest possible chance of success.

“Accelerator has been really well received and I am delighted to welcome our latest occupier Citrecycle to the Park.”

Picture Caption: Business Development Director Dr Kenny Lang, welcomes Citrecycle innovators George Lane (centre) and Joshua George to Norwich Research Park​

With over 135 customer sites in Norfolk and employing over 190 staff in the County, Norfolk has always been an important region in Monthind’s portfolio. The opportunity to support a local fundraising event, whilst raising money for its chosen charity, Macmillan Cancer Support, led the company to join over 2,500 cyclists of all ages and abilities and enter a team in the Tour De Broads. Between them, Simon Biggs, Tony Payne and Chris Brown raised an impressive £2000 for the charity.

Monthind’s Sales and Marketing Business Manager, Tony Payne, says: “The Tour de Broads is a fantastic event; you can choose to ride just three miles or up to 100 miles, and the longer routes incorporate 16 Broads, four rivers and countless beautiful Broads National Park villages. The hardest part is not stopping off to enjoy your surroundings for a few hours, but it opens your eyes to the amazing countryside on our doorsteps, and I now have a long list of day trips planned.”

As East Anglia’s leading contract cleaning company, Monthind Clean LLP wanted to work with a charity that resonated with all of their 1000 + staff across the region. Statistics show that one in four people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point, so it is almost inevitable that everyone will be affected by the disease, either directly or indirectly, during their lifetime. Monthind teamed up with Macmillan Cancer Support in 2015 and such was the success of the partnership it has continued to work with them this year. Tony explains; “In June last year some of our management team took part in the Yorkshire 3 peaks challenge. We also held a Charity Golf day at Ipswich Golf Club, a cake sale, and a coffee morning. These and other fundraising ventures meant that last year we managed to raise almost £10,000 for Macmillan.”

Monthind has two regional offices in Norfolk, in Norwich and Gorleston, which is the home of its Specialist Cleaning Administration Hub. The company’s team of highly trained operatives provide East Anglia’s biggest corporations with a full package of services including daily office cleans, specialist window cleaning, biohazard, deep and forensic cleans, janitorial supplies and services along with property maintenance, concierge services and caretaking operations. Tony concludes: “It is important to us, as a company, to balance our corporate goals with our social responsibilities; we involve ourselves in local events, and raising money for a national charity that brings benefits to local people is a high priority for us.”

For more details on future Monthind Clean events in aid of Macmillan, as well as the services the company provides, please call 01206 215300.