We started off the week with a BIG welcome toGML Consulting Ltd, the latest Norwich based business to jump on board our digital signage networks across Norfolk!
The ad was designed by GML themselves, using both motion graphics and informative content, the advertisement slowly flicks through and displays each service the agency has to offer. The lavish use of the vibrant colours certainly increases impact, attraction and engagement from our captive audiences.
GML Consulting are an established, web development, creative design and digital marketing agency. Based in Norwich, GML supply, support and deliver to their ever increasing portfolio of national and international clients. GML have grown into a complete marketing and creative company that complements any business. Proud award winners for ‘Best use of electronic media’ GML continually work to deliver each project to this high standard.
So why use DOOH? It’s simple really; these days’ consumers go out of their way to avoid traditional advertising methods. TV adverts can be skipped, emails are often disregarded and attempts to bombard consumers with online adverts often causes irritation. DOOH is an innovative medium for marketing that allows companies to strengthen their marketing campaigns by creating content that is subject to a high level of proximity, impact and attraction.
We finished off lastweek by welcoming Regency Security Groupto our digital signage networks across Norfolk! The ad was created by Impact Media Group using a combination of static imagery, a clever use of personal messaging targeted to the audience and some basic motion graphics to draw the eye.
Established in 1993, with commitment to both customers and staff alongside a strong ethos of a standards driven approach, Regency Security has grown to become one of the premier security companies in the UK providing a complete range of security services to an ever changing marketplace. These services include; Door Supervision, Close Protection, Event Security & Stewarding, Guarding, Mobile Patrols, Key Holding , Alarm Response and tailor-led Training Courses from an award winning, fully accredited Training Company.
Digital-Out-Of-Home, synonymous with new creative options for your communication: Modern and innovative, DOOH is the new communication solution for advertisers looking for a means of communication with a high level of proximity, impact and attraction. Thanks to the great flexibility of its utilisation and content, digital advertising can be adapted in different environment. Well used, it becomes an inevitable venue that enhances the recognition, reputation and allocation of the brand.
Norwich solicitors Cozens-Hardy LLP are pleased to announce that Chartered Legal Executive Rebecca Edwards has accepted the firm’s offer to become a partner.
Ms Edwards, who specialises in residential conveyancing, is the first non-solicitor to be offered a partnership.
Said Jane Anderson, Senior Partner:
‘We are absolutely delighted that Rebecca has joined the partnership. She has made a massive contribution to the firm through her hard work over the past 18 years.”
Ms Edwards who started working at the firm back in 1997 as a conveyancing assistant, said:
“I am delighted to have accepted a partnership and I feel very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to progress my career with the firm. It’s a great place to work and I look forward to many more years advising clients on all aspects of house ownership.”
Here at Pure we’re looking ahead to Professions Week and highlighting a profession very close to our hearts: recruitment!
Professions Week takes place from 9thNovember, and is designed to increase awareness among young people about different professional careers and the routes into them. As a professional recruitment company we’re well placed to advise candidates about starting out within a profession and about developing a long term career path, particularly within our keyspecialismsof Accountancy, Financial Services, HR, IT and Marketing.
But we also want to promote the fantastic professional career opportunities available within the world of recruitment, too. It is a profession which has a far wider impact than just finding people jobs – although that element is always rewarding. Finding, supporting and encouraging future talent is essential for local organisations to grow and succeed, and this has a huge impact on the regional economy.
The role of a recruitment consultant involves developing and managing lasting relationships with clients, and supporting them with their recruitment needs by sourcing the most suitable candidates. It is a career which is ideal for people who are energetic, tenacious, naturally outgoing, empathetic and who enjoy working as a team.
Day-to-day life includes identifying and evaluating employer recruitment needs, screening and interviewing candidates, meeting prospective employers and candidates at networking events, and advertising job vacancies using a range of media. Other services a recruitment consultant might provide include personality profiling, psychometric testing, interview and induction support and industry workshops and seminars.
There are fantastic progression opportunities within the industry with consultants able to develop their career into senior management roles such as managing consultants and associate directors. Take a look at ourteampages to see the many different roles and read about people’s progression stories.
Many recruitment consultants are university graduates, and at the start of this year we launched our first ever graduate training programme. We currently have three graduate trainees working for us who are receiving comprehensive training and taking on a variety of challenging tasks. They will then progress to the position of Recruitment Consultant at the end of the 12 month initiative. They have all come from a variety of degree backgrounds, bringing a selection of transferable skills.Ellie Steinfeldthas a Psychology degree,Gemma Pritchard-Joneshas a degree in Criminology and Security Studies andJade O’Brienhas a degree in Business Management.
Not only is Pure a fantastic place to start a career in recruitment, but we are committed to supporting our trainees to achieve their goals and to building long term careers with us. We hope to repeat our graduate trainee programme again soon. Follow us onTwitterandFacebookfor updates on when applications are open again, and read our previousblog postto discover some of the many benefits of applying.
St Albans saw a 33ft (10m) deep sinkhole appear in Fontmell Close earlier this month; the council are now suggesting that surveys are showing a significant anomaly or possible void underneath the houses. So how do sinkholes happen?
In 2014, the UK press reported seeing an increase in sinkholes appearing across the country*. It has been suggested that the emergence of these sinkholes may be down to climate change and human activity, and with our unpredictable weather conditions will we be seeing more?
Why do they happen?
Sinkholes may have a natural or man-made origin, but typically they are caused by underground voids or loose zones triggered by stress changes as a result of saturation or vibration, either from construction or from existing development (like leaking drains).
Sinkhole is a common term for holes that appear without apparent reason to the layperson. According to the British Geological Survey (BGS) web site** there are various different types of sinkhole:
Surface dissolution or soluble rock: limestone or chalk that dissolves in rainfall or acidic groundwater (see map opposite).
Where a thin layer of loose, superficial material such as sand, clay or soil covers soluble rocks beneath; the soil can be washed into the widened crevices leading to the development of a cavity (suffusion sinkhole).
Where more cohesive material such as clay creates a large sinkhole before finally collapsing (drop out sinkhole).
Sinkholes caused through gradual cave collapse; this is where the collapse gradually spreads up through overlying strata causing subsidence at the surface. These can sometimes extend into rocks creating a caprock sinkhole.Mining can also be significant in causing sinkholes by water intercepting clay-filled voids which subsequently collapse, or by dewatering and lowering of the water table (dene hole).
Some sinkholes can occur as a result of weak unconsolidated material by flowing water, where loose material is removed by a process called ‘soil piping’, creating large voids within the sediment.
What are the impacts?
Sinkholes are not restricted to the UK, and reported international examples tend to add to public unease. One example of a sinkhole caused by mining was seen in Russia where an accidental release of brine in certain parts of the mine caused a sinkhole of up to 80 meters***. Generally in the UK sinkholes are smaller, but can still cause concern and extra costs in the built environment.
The sinkholes we see in the UK can be indirectly caused by human activity, occurring alongside constructions where rain water has been concentrated to a patch of ground such as roofs or tarmac, burst water mains or irrigation. As a result, residential areas are impacted the most affecting infrastructure. The British Geological Survey warn that sinkholes are going to be an ongoing feature of our landscape, particularly if ground remains saturated for long periods of time. Often it is difficult to identify an absolute cause, and subsequently apply a liability to affected parties where damage occurs that has to be paid for.
Many UK case reports are from the south east, because of dense property and infrastructure development where the geology may be thin unconsolidated sand and clay superficial deposits overlying weathered soluble chalk bedrock.
There is a clear planning and environmental conflict between sinkhole risk and the sustainable use of surface water drainage to land. Sinkholes may be used as evidence why sustainable drainage cannot be adopted.
Land stability is a material concern in the UK planning system with a responsibility not only to minimise the risk and effects of land stability, but to ensure development doesn’t occur in unstable locations as well as improve unstable land where possible.
Could more sinkholes be on the way?
Delta-Simons did record an increase in sinkhole activity in 2014, but so far in 2015 there have been fewer events. Possibly because the rainfall has been less extreme nationally, and maybe events on the verge of collapse were triggered last year.
What may have changed is our client’s awareness of the sinkholes and requests to perform specific desk studies and ground investigations to identify risks have certainly increased. See how we can deliver clear understanding of ground conditions, visit our geotechnical services.
Launch plans have been unveiled for first International Aviation Academy-Norwich. Arjan Meijer, Managing Director at KLM UK Engineering and his team joined business leaders and academics at Norwich Castle for the unveiling of the detailed plans for the Aviation Academy due to open late 2016. The academy will be located close to Norwich International Airport terminal and will be equipped to provide training to 200-300 students at any given time. The aim being to prepare either for further or higher education, or higher apprenticeships at the academy. The academy will be the first in the country to create a ‘real world’ learning environment that includes a full size working aircraft. It will focus on offering a broad education and skills training in aviation and will raise the standards of learning using innovative teaching techniques.
We are happy to announce that after an impressive response with the Dacia brand, the Holden Group have decided to bulk their digital signage portfolio, by promoting the Volvo brand on our screens across Norfolk. Combining both animation and video footage of the V40 T2 R-Design along with it’s attractive monthly cost, the advertisement certainly grabs the attention of our captive audiences.
– DOOH is an advertising medium which cannot be turned off, closed, missed or minimised. It’s live, data driven & dynamic along with being contextual, relevant and useful to its viewers. – 86% of consumers say digital screens are noticeable – 80% of consumers find digital advertising screens to be informative – 72% of consumers recall advertising on digital screens
Holden Group Ltd is a family owned; Norwich based business specialising in the supply of New and Used cars, Vans, Service, MOT and Parts. Established in 1928 and representing the Renault UK, Dacia UK, Honda UK and Volvo Car UK brands, Holden has earned its reputation as a company you can trust and rely on.
Rostrons are very excited to be one of the first accountants in Norfolk to launch a mobile taxapp.
We are always thinking of ways to supportgrowing businesses in the region and and make their lives easier.The new Rostrons App will help you in a number of ways.
Information at your fingertips The App is packed full of really useful tax tables, calculators and important dates. You can access the Appfor free, anywhere you have an internet connection on your iPhone, iPad or Android phone.
Special Rostrons’ App features will save hours of your time:
Never lose a receipt again with the receipt manager
Track your daily, weekly and monthly income using the inbuilt income tracker
Manage your mileage on the go with the GPS mileage tracker
For Rostrons’ clients the App has the added bonus of giving direct and secure access to your financialrecords and key financialinformation at any time.
How do you download the App for free?
We are listed in the Apple and Android stores under Rostrons and you can find more information and links on our web site on https://www.rostrons.com/useful-info/
We have enjoyed overwhelminglypositive feedback about the App from our clients and professional contacts who are finding the information it provides invaluable. We think it will benefit many growing businesses in Norfolk. We would like to share it with you and please do recommend it to anyone you think may find it useful.
Norwich-based outsource call centre business OpenContact is taking over the skyline of London after partnering with another iconic tall building, 20 Fenchurch Street aka “The Walkie Talkie”, to provide telephone booking services for the restaurants in the Sky Garden at the top of the 38-storey skyscraper. This follows an ongoing partnership with The Shard, Europe’s tallest building, which began in 2012 when OpenContact was appointed to handle the telephone bookings for their viewing galleries – The View from the Shard.
OpenContact’s Managing Director, Fiona Temple said “I am very proud of our associations with these buildings in London. As prestigious London attractions they demand extremely high levels of customer service, and this is something that the team at OpenContact have been delivering for all of our clients for the last 15 years. We now have a very strong foothold in the visitor attraction market, and plan to grow further based on our experience.”
OpenContact are also enjoying further growth thanks to their long term partnership with the UK’s number one forest adventure company Go Ape, for whom they have been providing call centre services for over 11 years. Go Ape’s owners, Adventure Forest Limited have just launched a new business in Glasgow: Air Space, Europe’s largest indoor trampoline park, and OpenContact are again providing the telephone booking services.
Needless to say, vertigo is not an ideal condition to suffer from for the OpenContact team, as they get to visit all of their client’s locations as part of the training programme, to ensure they can talk knowledgeably and enthusiastically about the experiences with customers.
The team has grown by over 15 people in the last 8 months, and currently employs 58 in total, with aims to grow this further in 2016. Sales have also grown by 25% year on year. Fiona Temple says “This growth, through existing clients and new client acquisitions, means that not only can we create additional employment in Norwich, but also invest in the business in terms of technology, infrastructure and training. All of which adds to the continuing growth and strengthening of the local economy.”
Delta-Simons – environmental consultancy for commercial and residential developers -presented atInogen’sWorldView Conference in Beijing last month. Directors,Alex FergusonandDamian Robinson, made the trip to China for the 23rd conference hosted by Inogen Associate, ESD China.
In 2014, Chinese outward direct investment (ODI) entered a new stage, with more Chinese companies investing in more industries in more countries. According to the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, non-financial ODI in 2014 reached US$102.9 billion, an annual increase of 14.1 percent*. China is increasingly seeking to invest in advanced, innovative countries with the UK ranking as third globally out of 144 countries, according to the Pinsent Masons and Cebr Infrastructure Investment Attractiveness Index**. Chinese investment is happening in a range of new sectors including real estate, construction, infrastructure, high technology, agribusiness and manufacturing.
As such, stakeholders are seeking to better understand the environmental and social risks faced by Chinese investors. By learning from and avoiding the mistakes of other countries, China can better manage the investment risks associated with environmental and social issues, whilst simultaneously becoming a leader in integrating sustainability into overseas investments.
Alex Ferguson presented an overview ofbrownfield redevelopmentin the UK to the conference, stating “The UK has a mature real estate market with a cycle of development of land. Due diligence is required at each stage to consider environment andsustainability, ensuring that investment value is protected”.
In addition, Inogen Associates from across the globe presented on the specific opportunities for investment in the USA, Brazil, Western Europe, Australasia and Africa, as well as China and the wider Asian economy. This demonstrates the Inogen Alliance’s ability to deliver global services in the EHS and sustainability sectors.
Delta-Simons is an associate ofInogen, a global corporation providing multinational organisations with environmental, health and safety solutions. The Inogen business model provides a single point of contact for all environmental health and safety and sustainability services through the employ of 4,300 resources within a global network of consultants.
As if working in TV commercials production wasn’t magical enough – we recently dialed-up the fantasy still further with a tie-in to the massive global Disney success ‘Frozen’!
Our friends at Accord were masterminding a campaign for Rubies, the suppliers of magnificent replica costumes for children, in which they wanted 2 girls to picture themselves not only wearing the costumes, but entering their own imaginary version of Frozen!
Our pre-planning involved set design and build – bright positive colours and furnishings all geared to a pan-European market; sourcing child actors – twolookalikes for the main characters Anna and Elsa ( so 200 auditions later…); and finally a forest, blanketed in snow (in June).
The Elvedon Estate in Thetford provided the perfect forest, the genius set-dressers Snowboy made a sweltering June day look like winter in the Alps, and our two stars (Gabriella) and (Elizabeth) apart from looking so perfectly like their animated heroines, put in hours of work on camera without ever once losing their smiles!
Being vetted at every step by both Accord and Disney does crank-up the tension somewhat, so it was an immense joy when the production got two thumbs up! It felt like fantasy land. We even broke out the drinks. On ice, naturally.
A new bus advertising campaign has been launched to raise awareness and funds for our nook appeal.
A photo of Leigh Smith and her daughter Beatrice, feature in a new advertising campaign in 106 buses across the Norwich network operated by First Bus. Leigh, husband Toby and son Elliott have received support from EACH in caring for Beatrice who was diagnosed with the rare heart condition, restrictive cardiomyopathy, and sadly died holding her parents’ hands at Great Ormond Street Hospital on 24th February 2014 – she was less than three months old.
After Beatrice died, the family travelled to our Quidenham hospice where they received care and support until Beatrice’s funeral. The family continue to receive wellbeing support. Leigh attended the launch of our nook appeal in November 2014 in the presence of EACH Royal Patron HRH The Duchess of Cambridge.
The new adverts are aimed at raising awareness of the our £10 million nook appeal to build and equip a new children’s hospice for Norfolk, which is needed as the current hospice in Quidenham is restricted in its facilities and development. The campaign has been made possible thanks to the generosity of bus company First Eastern Counties.
Ady Culpin, PR Manager First Midlands, South East and Essex, said: “First Eastern Counties are pleased to be supporting EACH and endorse the excellent work they undertake in providing care and support for families and their children who have life-threatening illnesses. As a local community provider, carrying thousands of people on our buses around the area every day, we can provide a platform to spread awareness and encourage our customers and staff to get involved in supporting EACH.
“Today, we will be fitting posters on our buses as a first step in supporting the charity, with additional events and initiatives planned for December and January to raise funds and awareness for EACH.”
Leigh said: “It was very emotional to see the adverts in place for the first time. I’m just so proud of what Beatrice has achieved and how her story and photo is helping to raise awareness and funds to help such an important cause, not only to our family, but to the hundreds of families across the region relying on EACH care and support.
“The support and kindness shown to our family in the most difficult of times was, and is, immeasurable. EACH, and every single person we’ve met throughout Beatrice’s journey was and is truly exceptional and world class. We will forever be grateful to them for everything they have done for our beautiful girl and they will always be a massive part of our lives.
“There is no price that can be placed on this, nor anything than can mend our heartache and bring our little girl back, but giving, and telling how these very special organisations have helped us allows us to say thank you in a small way.”
Gary Cook, EACH nook appeal Corporate Fundraiser, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be working with First to raise both vital awareness and funds for our nook appeal and would like to thank them for their very generous support.
“To be able to advertise completely free of charge in 106 buses across the Norwich network, means we’re be able to reach a wide audience, whom we hope to inspire to donate to our cause. The beautiful picture of Leigh and her daughter Beatrice is an inspiration to us all, reminding us of the importance of the care and support services offered to local families.
“We’d like to thank Leigh’s friend Rob Dodsworth, ofRob Dodsworth Photography,who took the beautiful photo of Leigh and Beatrice and has allowed EACH to use the image to raise vital awareness and funds.
“In our new advertising campaign we’re asking people to text NOOK10 followed by either £3, £5 or £10 to 70070. It really is that simple and will make a real difference to the local life-threatened children, young people and their families we support across Norfolk.”