Customer information is being improved at rail stations across the Abellio Greater Anglia network with the installation of new Customer Information Screens.
159 new screens are being installed which will display train running information in a clear, easy to read format.
Audley End, Battlebridge, Billericay, Bures, Burnham-on-Crouch, Chappel and Wakes Colne, Cheshunt, Cromer, Dovercourt, Great Bentley, Great Chesterford, Great Yarmouth, Halesworth, Harwich Town, Hatfield Peverel, Hoveton and Wroxham, Kelvedon, Lowestoft, Needham Market, Newmarket, Oulton Broad North, Reedham, Saxmundham, Shenfield, Sheringham, Stowmarket, St Margarets, Sudbury, Thetford, Thorpe Le Soken, Thurston, Ware, Wickford, and Witham stations are all benefiting from the investment.
The project will see the old customer information screens replaced with the latest LED technology. This will mean a real improvement in the provision of information for customers at the stations with brighter, clearer screens.
Andrew Goodrum Greater Anglia’s Customer Service Director: “We have been focusing our efforts on improving information provision for our customers and these new screens demonstrate our commitment to providing up-to-date information, in a clear, user-friendly format.”
Norse Commercial Services has pledged the company’s support to the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA).
Paul Bonham, Commercial Director at Norse said: “We are delighted to be supporting the East Anglian Air Ambulance, a vital local service that over the last 15 years has helped over 16 000 people in a wide variety of life-threatening situations. As a company we have exciting plans to involve a number of our different divisions in helping to promote and raise money for the service, and I know our staff will be equally keen to show their support. We are really looking forward to working with the dedicated staff and volunteers at EAAA and to helping them to continue providing their often crucial emergency response.”
The company will be placing ‘Proud to Support East Anglian Air Ambulance’ stickers on Norse vehicles minibuses, school buses and maintenance vehicles, helping to raise funding and awareness of the work of for the EAAA.
The company’s catering division will also be looking at opportunities to help promote ‘Tea@1500’, events the EAAA is running to celebrate its 15th anniversary year.
EAAA Norfolk Fundraising Manager, Holly Lambert said: ‘We are enormously grateful for Norse’s support of EAAA and are very much looking forward to working with them on a number of campaigns and initiatives. The EAAA does not receive regular direct government funding and so is dependent on our generous supporters to help raise the £8.6 million needed every year to keep our life-saving service flying’.
Peri’s Leisure, the family run company behind Norwich’s most popular nightlife venues,Mercy XS, Roccos and Elements all on Prince of Wales Road, Norwich are the latest company to sign up to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) nook business network scheme.
The nook business network asks for companies small, medium and large throughout Norfolk to commit to raising either £10,000, £15,000 or £25,000 over the duration of the appeal in return for a number of benefits and support the charity will provide. These funds will in turn help EACH to build the nook; a new purpose built children’s hospice in the heart of Norfolk.
The Peri family, who have a long history of supporting charitable causes, signed up to the scheme after learning Courtesy Taxis were members. Both companies are based in Prince of Wales Road and know each other well.
The Peri’s opened Roccos Bar and Restaurant on Christmas Day last year and the family – Steve, Dawn, Ibish, Dogan, Nicole and Reece – decided to support families who had been involved with domestic abuse and violenceand invited them to join the family for Christmas lunch, enjoy some entertainment, with the children receiving Christmas gifts that were supplied by the family, members of the public as we as local businesses.
There were a number of gifts that were left over and Dawn contactedEACH to offer these to the charity for the children at the hospice and to utilise in the EACH shops to raise funds.
Dawn, who along with Steve, are the owners of Peri’s Leisure, said: “We had a great Christmas Day helping others but realised we had bought far too many gifts whichmeant we had a lot left over. We have a very good relationship with Mark Streeter, of CourtesyTaxis, also on Prince of WalesRoad and he suggested that I speak with EACH, as he had just committed his company to raising funds by signingup tothe nook business network scheme. When Gary popped over to collect the gifts and explain more about the appeal I knew we could get involvedand help more and so was more than happy to sign up to the scheme as well.”
Gary Cook, the nook appeal corporate fundraiser, said: “It was great to meet with Dawn and collect the giftswhich will be put to great use but to also have the family offer its support even further with a fundraising target of £25,000 is absolutely fantastic.
“We are really looking forward to working with the Peri’s as well as Toby Middleton who manages the venues to see how we can garner the support of the thousands of customers they see each and every week.”
The New Anglia Growth Hub continues its work to support new and existing businesses in Norfolk and Suffolk by providing a clear path to business support, with easier access to sources of funding, grants and expert advice.
The hub marked their first anniversary with a reception at the Anglia Farmers pavilion at the Royal Norfolk Show in July. (Pictured: Clarke Willis, Chief Executive of Anglia Farmers with Mark Pendlington, Chairman of the New Anglia LEP).
A number of Norfolk Chamber members have enlisted the guidance of the Hub’s ten business growth advisers and they include Howarth Engineering Ltd based on the Rackheath Industrial Estate. The company has over 40 years’ experience making components for the telecoms, marine, automotive and power generation sectors and the company specialises in CNC milling and turning services.
They have been Chamber members since February 2008 and have attended informative training and networking events and exhibited at Norfolk Chamber of Commerce’s B2B exhibition in 2014 and will be returning this year.
Stella Rice, business growth adviser covering North Suffolk and South Norfolk met with Karen Plummer, Business Development Manager at the company, to discuss their business expansion plans and the many different types of support the Hub could offer with these.
They already have three apprentices in place and are now exploring how the Employer Training Incentive Pilot (ETIP) may be able to help with the costs of several training projects. ETIP is a joint venture between Norfolk and Suffolk Chambers of Commerce to incentivise non-mandatory training by offering 25% money back up to £1,000 per employee. The business must be a small or medium enterprise, the learner must be over 19 years of age and the grant can cover non-accredited training.
Stella has also pointed Howarth Engineering in the direction of the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) as they will be expanding into an additional manufacturing unit. MAS offer support via their specialist consultants to businesses with the potential to improve and grow. They will be helping the company with their new processes, layout and systems for the additional manufacturing unit.
Karen commented: “This is an exciting time for Howarth Engineering, I would like to thank Broadland District Council Economic Regeneration Team, New Anglia Growth Hub, the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and MAS for all of their help and advice as we are able to implement our vision of expanding in a more efficient and effective way. The funding will allow us to accelerate our plans faster than we could on our own.”
Stella added: “For a long established family business, Howarth Engineering has an exceptionally clear vision of where their future lies. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to assist and support them to fulfil their exciting growth plans.”
Simons Landscaping Ltd are the latest company to sign up for the nook business network scheme to raise funds to enable East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) to build the nook, a new purpose-built children’s hospice in the heart of Norfolk.
The nook business network scheme asks for companies small, medium and large throughout Norfolk to commit to raising either £10,000, £15,000 or £25,000 over the term of the appeal. The firm is a perfect fit for EACH as it was established over 30 years ago and provides its landscaping services in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge; the same areas that EACH covers.
As well as raising significant funds for the charity, the company will also look to promote the appeal to its suppliers, customers and clients encouraging them to offer their support to this appeal.
Simon Cruickshank, Director, Simons Landscaping Ltd, said: “We’re a family run business who are the leading landscape gardeners in Norwich, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire and we’re pleased to support the nook appeal. As parents ourselves, we can imagine how other families must feel when they need to rely on hospice care for their children. In going through such heart-breaking situations EACH gives families the best in worst possible situations, and we hope our support goes some way to helping those families.”
Gary Cook, the nook appeal corporate fundraiser, said: “It’s fantastic the team at Simons Landscaping want to help us achieve our financial target to enable us to make our vision of a new hospice for local life-threatened children and their families a reality.
“Simons Landscaping work is very much in the same community that EACH serves and it’s this community whether it is individuals, schools, community groups or in this case the business sector that will, by working together, help provide the funds for this much needed hospice.”
Anyone who is interested in finding out more about the appeal or the nook business network, should contact the Norfolk Fundraising Team on 01953 666767 or funding@each.org.uk or for more information on Simons Landscaping please visit www.simonslandscaping.co.uk
Leathes Prior is proud to announce that Ben Wild, trainee solicitor in their Insolvency Team, has been selected by The Law Society of England & Wales to undertake secondment to their Brussels office in September.
The Law Society established its Brussels Office in November 1991 which is situated in the heart of the EU district. Traditionally, Ben would have been due to begin his third seat, moving to a new department at Leathes Prior in September. However, with Leathes Prior’s backing, Ben will be joining the Brussels Law Society Team for six months instead.
The tasks Ben will embark on cover a broad range of subjects, from international criminal law to international tax law, and will involve daily monitoring of EU policy and legal developments. He will also be tasked to undertake in-depth research, carry out trend predictions and provide bespoke advice to law firms and solicitors on EU law issues.
Ben was named as one of just two trainees to be selected for the secondment, following a rigorous selection process. Dan Chapman, Partner and Training Principal at Leathes Prior said: “The Brussels Office offers a unique opportunity for Ben to gain a working knowledge of EU law, which has a part to play in any practice. Keeping an open mind and investing in opportunities such as this one, inevitably ensures that the firm provides the best possible service to our clients whilst also being able to enrich the experiences of our trainees.”
You can keep up with developments by following Ben’s blog, ‘The Brussels Spout’ which will be accessible on the Leathes Prior website from September 2015.
Ben said: “This for me typifies everything that Leathes Prior is about: enabling commercially sound creativity and initiative whilst demonstrating a keen desire to invest in their staff. I doubt any other law firm in the county would have supported me the way Leathes Prior has done.”
Charity fundraising challenges are not only an important part of a company’s corporate social responsibility. They can also have a far wider impact on reinforcing a culture of teamwork and camaraderie, making the organisation one which a potential new recruit will aspire to join.
This is something our director, Lynn Walters, experienced first-hand when she was talked into taking on the gruelling 24-hour, National Three Peaks challenge, alongside five other members of the Pure team.
Lynn said: “Although I was aware that taking part in a charity challenge would be a great thing to do, I was still overwhelmed by just how positive the experience was.
“As a socially responsible business we’ve always actively supported local charities. Our companywide events have already raised almost £98k since we started in 2002. We also support our employees in any charity challenges they wish to undertake themselves, giving them additional time off to enable them to complete their chosen goal and kick-starting their fundraising with a £250 donation.
“But it’s been several years since I was directly involved in a challenge like this, and it reminded me just how this investment of time and money can bring many other returns. While it was only six of us who actually climbed the Three Peaks, it felt like we had the whole company with us, every step of the way.
“Our training stories were shared via our intranet, making everyone feel engaged in our mission. Even those who hadn’t signed up to do the actual climb were inspired to create their own fundraising attempt. A spin-off pedometer challenge was organised, with a team walking in their lunch breaks until they clocked up 500 miles between them. So we went from having six team members involved, to more than 70, and across all four of our offices.
“On the day before the challenge, we were given an amazing send off by all our colleagues. Throughout the weekend we were constantly receiving messages of support via text and social media. Overall it took us 26 hours to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowden. For me the best part was sharing it with an amazing group of people who all supported each other, laughed, cried and celebrated in equal measure. And that included all our colleagues supporting us back at home as well.
“A supportive and team-focussed culture is one which many businesses strive to achieve. It took me climbing 10,300 feet to remember that one amazing way to help maintain a culture like this is to bring everyone together through the common ‘feel-good’ factor of charity activity. It’s also a fantastic way for senior managers and directors to connect and share experiences with their team.
“Thank you also to everyone who has sponsored us. So far we have raised around £6,500 for two important charities, Arthur Rank and Thrombosis UK, which is more than what we had ever hoped for.”
Easton and Otley College scooped several awards at this year’s Royal Norfolk Show.
In livestock competitions, students showed Marlingford Holsteins (cows) picking up a third place, two fourths, a fifth and a first place and King George V trophy for the ‘cow producing 50 tonnes of milk’ category on the first day. On the second day they collected two first places in the young handler’s classes. Norfolk Horns (sheep) were also shown but just missed out on major prizes this year.
The main stand gave visitors the chance to experience interactive happenings, ranging from a table tennis playing robot to snake handlingreceived a runners up award for having the best trade stand.
The horticulture and floristry stand received a gold medal for their creative table garden and peacock design. Individually in terms of floristry, Easton and Otley students picked up a first, second and third place in the floristry ‘class competition’ showcasing positive female role models with the winner, Grace Lester from Framlingham Earl in Norfolk, receiving a total of 99 out of 100 for her design based on Charlotte Bronte.
Elsewhere, current horticultural apprentice Harry Dreadhelped his employer,’Andrew Thacker Landscape Services’ receive a silver gilt award for their garden design.
Assistant Principal, Christina Sadler and Director of Enterprise and Marketing, Clare Dyble, judged a young farmers competition where members (of the young farmers) designed games to promote careers in food and farming to visiting schools. (The winner was Wymondham young farmers who invented a game called Guess Moo – loosely based on the old school eighties game called Guess Who).
New College Principal, David Henley enjoyed his first Royal Norfolk Show, meeting up with this year’s show president, Robert Carter.
In the main ring, the Household Cavalry wowed audiences with their displays. One of the troop included former Easton and Otley student, Tom Alden who was able to briefly catch up with former teacher, Hilary Francois, back at the college.
College spokesperson, John Nice, said, “The Royal Norfolk Show is a fantastic event and we are always delighted to play our part. We were thrilled to pick up so many awards this year. Well done to students and staff for all their hard work.”
Click on the link below to view photos taken on the days:
We thought you’d like to know that over the last few weeks we have picked up a few awards for arranging, negotiating and managing energy contracts for our clients.
Late last month we went to the National 2015 Energy Live Consultancy Awards (or TELCAs) in London. They are like the Oscars for energy consultants. The awards are judged anonymously by two independent panels, made up of energy professionals from the likes of Starbucks, Sainsbury’s & Tesco’s.
We are over the moon to have won…
– Most Trusted Consultancy – 2015 – Small Consultancy of the Year – 2015
Pictured above are the wonderful Sophie, James and Tina collecting an award from Andy Taylor, Npower (left) and the Editor of Energy Live News Sumit Bose (right). Just to put that in perspective there are about 500 energy consultants in the UK, 41 of them were in the final, 12 awards up for grabs and we picked up two, lovely stuff.
Also, Emily Groves (our founder & MD) entered the Institute of Directors Awards and won Young Director of the Year for the East of England. We hope that winning these awards go some way to demonstrate how good we are at what we do and if you are thinking about ways to cut costs or which consultant to use we hope you will consider us.
Local independent finance firm, Nurture Financial Planning based at Yare House in Norwich, are the latest company to sign up to the nook business network supporting East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) vision for a new purpose-built children’s hospice in the heart of Norfolk.
This new corporate scheme devised by the charity encourages companies small, medium and large to commit to raising either £10,000, £15,000 or £25,000 over the duration of the appeal in return for a numberof benefits and support the charity will provide.
The company, who place great emphasis on their social responsibility, have supported a number of different local and national charities over the years raising thousands of pounds, were quick to offer their support for the nook, not only looking to raise £15,000 over the appeal term but also to work at promoting the appeal to customers and clients alike.
Simon Linstead, Managing Director of Nurture Finanacial Planning, said: “As a company we take our corporate responsibility very seriously and after seeing press coverage of the proposed new hospice and finding out more about the nook appeal we were delighted to support by signing up to the business network. EACH is a local charity helping local families at a time when they need it most and as a local company we feel both proud and fortunate that we can play our part.”
Gary Cook, the nook appeal corporate fundraiser, said: “We have had a really positive start to 2015 in terms of local company support via the nook business network scheme and it is fantastic that Simon and his team at Nurture have agreed to support us also.
“With a £10 million appeal target, the financial element of the fundraising is hugely important but it is also imperative that as many people as possible know of our vision of a new children’s hospice in Norfolk giving them the opportunity to join us and help us achieve our goal. Therefore the awareness that Nurture will provide along with their financial contribution is absolutely fantastic and I am really looking forward to working with them throughout the appeal and beyond.”
Anyone who is interested in finding out more about the appeal or the nook business network, please contact the Norfolk Fundraising Team on 01953 666767 or funding@each.org.uk or for more information on Nurture Financial Planning please visit www.nurturefp.co.uk
Local solicitors are all in a spin for cancer charity Big C
Norwich solicitors Cozens-Hardy LLP are delighted to confirm that the Cozens-Hardy Cycle Ride, in aid of Big C, will take place next Sunday 19th July at Blickling Estate.
Having raised over £1,000 for Big C with the inaugural event last year, the firm is hoping it can build in the success of 2014 and generate even more funds for Norfolk and Waveney’s local cancer charity.
The event offers three scenic 25-mile routes, each starting and ending at the stunning venue of Blickling Estate. Riders can choose which – and how many – loops they wish to ride on the day, a format that offers great flexibility to individuals and those riding as a team. The event will be run under British Cycling rules, but there is no restriction on the type of bicycle you can ride – last year witnessed shoppers alongside mountain bikes and road bikes!
Anna Farquharson, Marketing Partner, commented:
“Cycling is a hugely popular sport and we wanted to structure an event which was accessible to everyone, whether they are a regular cyclist or a novice. By bringing all the loops back to our event village, no one is ever far away from a drink refill, cake or pizza, or their supporters and teammates. We’ve also negotiated preferential rates for Blickling Hall, gardens and grounds for participants and their families, so hopefully there is something for everyone.”
Amy Sale, Big C Community Fundraiser enthused:
“We are delighted that the Cozens-Hardy Cycle Ride is running for a second year. The event format is brilliant and I know that Cozens-Hardy had really positive feedback about the routes last year. We would particularly like to encourage local businesses to enter a team – it’s a really well organised, fun day out in the Norfolk countryside and for every person entered, you are effectively donating £3 straight to Big C.”
Entry to the event can be made on the day or in advance via the event website ww.thecozens-hardycycleride.co.uk. The cost is £20 per head, of which £3 goes directly to Big C. Children under 16 years ride for free when accompanied by an adult. If riders want to raise more funds for Big C, sponsorship forms can be found on the website.
We are offering free coworking spaces to 8 individuals on Thursday 16th July at No8 Thorpe Road, Norwich!
We are releasing 8 of our coworking spaces free of charge to the first 8 individuals who contact us. The spaces will be available on Thursday 16th July at No8 Thorpe Road.
We are releasing these desks for international collaboration day 2015.
For more information on these free coworking spaces click here