Member News

We are out and about and on display this weekend!

Tourists walking down a Elm Hill will find this lovely display of the stars of our Christmas show, Beauty and the Beast, as well as a flock of puppets made by the pupils of Angel Road School with a little help and a lot of facilitation from their friends in Norwich Puppet Theatre’s Education and Outreach Team.

Over the weekend of 16th and 17th families of all ageswithout Norwich vs Ipswich Play off tickets can try their hand at making puppets like those in the Norfolk and Norwich Festival Children’s Garden Party in Chapelfield Gardens:https://www.nnfestival.org.uk/festival/children/the-garden-party4.

And over May Half Termwe have more activities on offer! This half term children can get creative and enjoy making their own characters at a themedpuppet making workshop. At the end of eachsession participants will have a wonderful working puppet to take home for a show! 5-11 years: Knights, Princesses and Monsters. Friday 29 May, 11am-12.30pm: Create a knight in shining armour, a beautiful princess or the monster who wants to take over the kingdom! 4+ years: Family Puppet MakingSaturday 2 May, 11am-12.30pm :The spaceships have landed!This is a fun-packed Aliens and Astronauts workshopfor children, mums, dads andgrandparents to create a cast of galactic puppet characters together.

More detailshttps://www.puppettheatre.co.uk/whats-on/workshops

And if you would like to know how your business could help, please contact the team to discuss opportunities to get your brand placed in our unique spaces, or in support of our outreach work with children, please call01603 615564.

With millions of people visiting the polling stations earlier this month in the UK General Election to decide the future Government, local charity East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) is asking people to cast more votes to help support their vital work.

EACH is just one of many charities hoping for success in the Community Fund run by Aviva;one of the UK’s leading insurers. Open to Aviva customers, employees, insurance brokers, financial advisers and the general public – Aviva asked people to submit projects and explain what a difference support from the Community Fund could make.

There are four categories: Health, disability and wellbeing, supporting the younger generation, supporting the older generation and community support with funding available from £1,000 up to £25,000.

EACH is entered in the health, disability and wellbeing category and is hoping to secure funds for their £10 million nook appeal for a new purpose built children’s hospice in the heart of Norfolk. If EACH secures enough votes the charity could be entered into the finals where a judging panel will award the funds. Voting closes on May 30th – to vote for EACH visit: https://community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/2197/

When you visit the site you’ll need to register where you’ll then be given 10 votes which you can use to vote for EACH, or you can spread then around.

Continuing the voting theme, EACH is also looking for votes as part of the John Lewis Community Matters scheme. Every three months John Lewis shops select three community groups to help and customers use a token to vote for the organisation they’d like to support.

EACH is currently one of the beneficiaries of the Community Matters scheme at the John Lewis store in All Saints’ Green, Norwich. The Community Matters boxes will be located in the catering areas of the shop and EACH is encouraging people to supportthem every time they shop in the store.

Gary Cook, The Nook Appeal Corporate Fundraiser, said: ” With the country gripped by the recent election fever, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to inspire the local community to vote for EACH in two very important fundraising schemes.

“We’re delighted to be involved with such respected businesses as John Lewis and Aviva and would like to encourage as many people as possible to vote for us in the Aviva Communty Fund and Community Matters scheme at John Lewis in Norwich.

“Your votes could make a real difference to the lives of local life threatened children and young people as well as the families using EACH services.

22 April 2015

The new principal and chief executive of the College has officially started his new role this week.

52 year old David Henley joins the College with an excellent track record in education.

Mr Henley – who is married with two daughters – has joined Easton and Otley having previously been the Principal of Bicton College in Devon for five years.

His first position in education was as a technician at Oaklands College in Hertfordshire, before progressing to teach engineering subjects.

Since starting out, the son of a farmer – who grew up in Yorkshire – has gained over 30 years in land-based education and training that includes ten years as Principal of Kinston Maurward College in Dorset.

Chair of governors, Sally Bendall, said “We welcome David to this region and are delighted to have him leading the way forward for the college. His agricultural background and leadership experience make him the perfect choice to continue to position Easton and Otley College as a front runner in land based education both locally and nationally.”

On his new role, David Henley, said “I feel privileged to be able to lead Easton and Otley College on the next chapter of an already impressive journey. I’m excited by the challenge ahead and can’t wait to get started. I would like to pay tribute to my predecessor (David Lawrence) and will be looking to make my own mark, whilst also building on the strong legacy that he has made.”

“I’m also looking forward to working in this wonderful part of the UK, establishing new friendships and partnerships in the local communities and business world, whilst building on the many solid links that we have in East Anglia and beyond.”

David will be taking over from interim principal, Christina Sadler. Christina said “I’ve enjoyed my time as interim principal and will be continuing to work hard to support David in his new role. He has an impressive range of skills and a superb knowledge of the educational sector. The college is delighted he has chosen to work with us as we set about continuing to make a positive difference to the lives of those who choose to study and work with us.”

“I would also like to thank David Lawrence OBE – the former principal of college- for his outstanding contribution to education and we wish him all the very best for the future.” she added.

David Lawrence had to step aside as Principal for health reasons earlier this year. A celebratory event to mark his 22 years at Easton (before the merger of Easton and Otley) and then Easton and Otley College will take place in June 2015.

Vice Principal, Clive Bound will also be stepping down from his role in July. A successor for Mr Bound – who has spent seven years in his role – has yet to be announced.

Since 1995 we have provided high quality products and services and being located in a modern and spacious premises will help us to serve our customers to even higher standards. With this year bringing not only a new premises but 20 years in business and a year since we began our official manufacturing of ASAMS subsea MPI equipment, we are confident that wewill continue to not only offer the same professional service to meet our customers’ needs but,no matter the size or complexity involved, with so many years of experience, we are sure we canprovide solutions for even the most demanding requirements. Photos of our official opening ceremony will follow shortly.

We are also looking forward to watching our sponsored parties in action over the coming months. With the talented James Cowton riding inthe Isle of ManTT in place of injured team mateRob Barber and East Anglian Game FairJunior Sporting Clay Shoot winner Charlie Soanes, the summer is set to be as exciting as the beginning of 2015 for TVC.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers and suppliers for their support and look forward to continuing our relationship into the next 20 years.

If you read our blogs regularly, you’ll probably know that Pure is a real supporter of employee engagement. It works for everyone – it adds to the bottom line while giving people a great place to work.

Through our ownBest Employer awardswe’re seeing more and more fantastic engagement strategies being created by employers of all sizes around the East of England. Whether they’re charities, manufacturers, accountancy firms, media agencies or retailers, employers of all kinds are seeing the benefits from truly engaging with their people.

But we remain curious as to what other organisations are doing, since we want to learn from it ourselves, and we’re sure that you would like to keep up to date on what’s happening in the world of employee engagement too.

So we’ve been looking around for more inspiring examples of what employers are doing at the moment. Here are just a few that might just whet your appetite if you’re thinking of ramping up your own engagement activities.

1. State Street staff give TED talks

State Street, America’s second oldest financial institution is responsible for 12% of the world’s assets. Yet, this long-established organisation is moving with the times and embracing technology in its employee engagement activity – the firm has an exciting partnership withonline talk series, TED.

Employees submit presentation ideas for their own TED talks, and those shortlisted are coached by TED to refine their presentations. Employees present their work at the TED@State Street event held each year. Colleagues, friends and families are invited to attend, and presentations even go online onTED’s website.

2. Sainsbury’s very own heroes

Sainsbury’s employees’ receive recognition and rewards for outstanding contribution to charity and community support through the retailer’s Local Heroes scheme. Some staff have even been rewarded a trip to St Lucia to find out more about how Fairtrade supports banana farmers on the island, and their local communities.

And when not running one of the UK’s biggest supermarkets, CEO Justin King is listening to ideas from staff, and putting some of them into action. ‘Tell Justin’ is a scheme where people send their suggestions directly to him by text, email or postcard, and each message receives an individual response within six weeks.

3. Wellness scheme for international Mars staff

Multinational giant, Mars, runs a global wellness initiative for its employees, or associates, calledWinning with Wellness. The company offers discounted gym memberships, wellness weeks, health screenings, support for people who want to stop smoking, free activities such as yoga, football and badminton, on-site physiotherapy, on-site massage, theatre trips, among other activities, at sites around the world. Everyone is encouraged to get involved, and, importantly, activities are adapted according to the culture of each regional Mars site.

4. Engagement app at Heathrow

With most of Heathrow’s employees working across different areas of the huge airport, the staff engagement is a real challenge. So they developed an app for staff smartphones – it’s the ideal way to communicate with people on the move or working shifts. The content is regularly updated by employees themselves, sharing important information such as security notices and daily briefs.

5. Royal Mail staff website

With similar issues to Heathrow Airport, Royal Mail employees are located all over the UK, without desks or access to traditional employee communications, creating significant challenges for the company to keep people engaged. The company’s very own employee website,My Royal Mail, provides colleagues with relevant and topical content, input from the CEO, information about employee benefits, employee shares, charity news, competitions and opinion polls.

6. Pure’s wellbeing and fundraising combo

We couldn’t resist including our very ownPedometer Challenge, which combines our wellbeing strategy with our work for charities. Our staff in our offices in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich and Norwich take part in lunchtime walks, recording their mileage on pedometers as they go. Distances are logged and when we reach a combined target of 500 miles, Pure makes a corporate donation to our chosen charities.

If you want more information about employee engagement and its benefits to your organisation and its workforce, why not give us a call on 01223 299888.

We were delighted to welcome Chloe Smith, Conservative MP for Norwich North, to our Norwich office to meet our apprentice Kori Moore, and to discuss how the “Norwich for Jobs” scheme had benefitted us. The Norwich for Jobs project, which has proven to be a great success, aims to encourage local businesses to invest in young people and to connect young people with opportunities. Chloe, who has been heavily involved in the project, was keen to see how Kori had progressed and what skills he had learnt since commencing his apprenticeship with the Practice. Kori stated that his apprenticeship had “given him the opportunity to pursue his dream of a career in architecture in a supportive and creative environment”.

In the last year we have welcomed two new apprentices to our experienced team and both havebecome valued assets to us, exceedingexpectations in all respects. It’sbeen fantastic watching both develop their skills and improve their employability. Our Senior Associate, Andrew Clarke describesNorwich for Jobs as a “fantastic initiative” andhe hasbeen delighted with Kori’s progress, describing his technical design expertise as above and beyond what would be expected.

Swarm is really pleased to welcome Megan Kennedy who has become the newest member of the Operations team at Swarm HQ in Wymondham.

Megan’s main duty is to work closely with businesses who wish to employ a Swarm apprentice and identify the right individual that has the potential to deliver impact and also matches the needs of the role/organisation.

Jessica Juby, Operations Manager at Swarm, comments on the position and how important it is in starting the process of driving enterprise within organisations, “Megan has only been here a short while so far and I can really see the positive impact she’s having on the team and the business. Having worked in similar roles before, Megan already knows what going the extra mile is to get the perfect match between employer and apprentice. Everyone, Megan included, is delighted to have the freedom to put forward fresh new ideas.”

Chris Perry, Swarm’s Managing Director, said, “It’s really exciting that due to Swarm’s growth, we welcome another member of the team to really make sure our businesses are getting the best service as possible in the recruitment process.” He continues to say, “Megan has a passion for supporting young people into apprenticeships and as we are putting her through Swarm’s enterprise Level 3 training, we look forward to empowering her to make a real impact in the team.”

As a Swarm apprentice, Megan has already proven her ability to spot opportunities to refine and make systems more efficient and has been contributing to the development of the operations function.

On joining the company, Megan commented, “It’s great to be a part of this rapidly growing organisation and seeing how they’re innovating with apprenticeships. It’s a sector that I’ve always wanted to work in and I’m looking forward to growing my career with them.”

Swarm looks forward to growing the team even further as awareness of Swarm grows throughout the East of England and beyond.

Ends

• Fire damage continues to be most costly claim for landlords
• Escape of water will affect 1 in 20 landlords each year
• Wilful acts of vandalism and theft accountable for 11% of claims

Landlords are leaving themselves vulnerable to a multitude of risks, according to new research from Alan Boswell Group*, costing the industry millions. Nearly one in three (29%) of all claims made by landlords is for escape of water, while electrical fires do the most damage with an average claim for £53,000.

Fire incidents still account for largest insurance claims

Risk to life is the most important reason to ensure that fire precautions are taken seriously but the risk to financial health should also prompt landlords to improve prevention, detection and tackling fires.

Whilst electrical fire accounted for just 13 claims out of the 2697 claims made by landlords clients of the group in the past twelve months (less than 0.5%), the total cost claimed was a whopping £687,395 giving an average claim value of £52,876 – almost double that of any other claim type.

Along with accidental fire, unknown cause and arson, electrical fires made up the top four places in the list of highest value claims with over £3m worth of claims made last year – 32% of the total value of claims.

Water damage most common reason for insurance claim

With fire being the most costly element it was left to water to be the most prevalent. Flooding and escape of water accounted for over 845 claims. That figure represents over 30% of all claims and was almost 5% of all Alan Boswell Group landlord clients. Indicating that 1 out of every 20 landlords are likely to suffer water related damage in any given year!

Claims were of a lower value however. Flooding averaged over £13,000 per claim, but escape of water averaged £2,400. It is clear that keeping those pipes well lagged makes good commercial sense.

Mother Nature had a hand in a considerable number of other claims. Storm damage generated 470 claims costing nearly £1m, subsidence another £600,000 worth of damage.

But it is often human nature (or lack of) that leaves us feeling most affected. Theft, accidental damage, liability and malicious damage accounted for nearly another 1,000 claims worth nearly £2m.

Health & Safety for Landlords

With nearly £10m in claims made by landlord clients of the company in the past year, Alan Boswell Group are recommending that Landlords stay well ahead of legislation when it comes to health and safety.

“Landlords should not be reacting to changes in the rules. They should be making them.” Said Steve Cox, Account Executive at Alan Boswell Insurance Brokers. “With tougher regulations coming into force later this year making it a legal requirement for landlords to have smoke detectors in their properties we would hope that all landlords are already meeting this basic requirement. Proactively working towards providing the safest environment will make their properties appealing to prospective tenants whilst arguably reducing costs in the long term.

“Being reliant on your landlords’ insurance policy to cover any financial losses is not always guaranteed and, clearly, does not cover any losses to life.”

The company offer a range of Landlords’ Insurance products and have recently won general Supplier of the Year at the annual Landlords & Lettings Awards as well as having three of their Landlord Insurance products rated five-stars by Defaqto, more than any other company.

*Research was carried out by Alan Boswell Group among 21,821 Landlord Client

About Alan Boswell Group

Alan Boswell Group (ABG) is a Top 20 UK Independent Chartered Insurance Brokers* and regional Independent Financial Planners with over 220 staff based across five locations – Norwich, Attleborough, Bury St Edmunds, Peterborough and London. Established in 1982 the company offers a wide range of insurance broking and financial services from landlords’ insurance and self-drive hire to pensions, protection and investment advice. Alan Boswell Group are proud sponsors of NCFC and look after the insurance for the Championship Club.

Alan Boswell product news https://www.alanboswell.com/news/ For an introduction to what we do and how we do it, please click here https://www.alanboswellgroup.com/about-us/ Follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/abgroup

* Insurance Age Top 100 Independent Brokers 2015

Allman Woodcock Ltd has successfully helped deliver the completion of two new industrial premises in Gorleston. The units consist of high specification office and commercial accommodation, with car parking and yard spaces. They have been speculatively developed by Great Yarmouth Borough Council, with Allman Woodcock providing an Employer’s Agent and Quantity Surveying services.

Our services included assembling a design team, selecting a contractor and administering the construction contract to deliver the project. Construction of a further two units has recently commenced and these are anticipated to be completed later in 2015.

For further details of Beacon Park and the completed buildings please visit www.beaconpark.co.uk

The Hippodrome at Great Yarmouth; the family run entertainment venue, is 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.

Run by the Jay family, who have supported the charity previously, they’ve set themselves a target of £15,000. They’ve already got their fundraising off toa flying start with a donation of £5650 which was raised at bucket collections at both their Christmas Spectacular as well as their recent Easter show of Pirates Live. Funds were also raisedby Jack Jay, one of the stars of the show, getting sponsored to shave off his magnificentpirate beard and the end of the Easter run of the hit show.

Peter Jay of The Hippodrome, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be supporting EACH with their nook appeal. The work that they do in terms of caring for and supporting local families at an unimaginably difficult time is fantastic and we want to play our part as a local family running a local business in doing what we can to help ans support and make the vision of a new children’s hospice in Norfolk a reality.”

Gary Cook, the nook appeal corporate fundraiser, said: “It’s great the Jay family – Peter, Christine, Ben & Jack as well as the cast and crew of the shows have decided to support our nook appeal by signing up to our business network scheme.

“Our plans and vision for our new children’s hospice will really benefit local families. The productions staged at The Hippodrome have a real onus on family entertainment so the audience is made up of mums, dads, grandparents and children so it’s great all these families can play their part in supporting other local families at a time when they need it most.”

Anyone who is interested in finding out more about the appeal or the nook business network, should contact the Norfolk Fundraising Team on 01603 666767 or funding@each.org.uk and for more information about The Hippodrome please visit www.hippodromecircus.co.uk

We’ve talked about the virtues of Sky AdSmart for a little while now, and our latest production in collaboration with media agency Media Managers was for local client Norwich Sunblinds. We’ve produced radio commercials for Norwich Sunblinds in the past, so it is great to work with the team again, this time for TV.

The commercial is set in a customer’s home and we capture the staff discussing options and installing the products which in turn ‘transform’ the rooms throughout the house as the commercial progresses. Livening up the dining room, living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom with everything from bright, bold images through to softer pastels/florals and colourful stripes.

The commercial plays out on Sky from April 2015.

Leading specialist tour operator, Omega Holidays are delighted to announce a new 7 night escorted holiday by air to the beautiful Devon, Cornwall and the Eden Project departing on Sunday 26th July 2015.

The holiday includes return flights, seven nights 3* hotel which includes 3 course dinner and full English breakfast, transfers and admission to the Eden Project, and full day excursions to Torquay and Dartmoor National Park. The holiday is priced from £599 per person.

Omega Holidays will also be offering a flight only option on the service from just £99.00 return.

Dino Toouli, Head of Sales at Omega Holidays commented “Having successfully operated an evening excursion to view the Northern Lights earlier this year, and a new programme of holidays to the Black Forest region of Germany and Austria this summer, we are delighted to add this fully escorted holiday to the popular regions of Devon and Cornwall from Norwich International.

Richard Pace, Airport Operations Director & General Manager said “The south west is a very popular summer destination and we are happy that Omega Holidays have taken the opportunity to include this region to the summer flights from Norwich this summer, we are sure this will prove to be a popular option for local holidaymakers.”

For further information visit www.omega-holidays.com or contact your local travel agent.