Member News

Abellio Greater Anglia is working with Norfolk County Council to encourage more people to explore the Norfolk and Suffolk countryside and help boost local rural economies.

The train operator is supporting the County Council’s bid to increase sustainable tourism around the Norfolk Trails – a 1200-mile network of countryside footpaths looked after by the Council – by helping to promote one of the trails – the Angles Way – with posters at five stations along the route.

The new signage, which is now in place at Great Yarmouth, Diss, Beccles, Somerleyton and Oulton Broad North tells rail passengers about the beautiful countryside walks that can be discovered in the vicinity of the rail stations, and right along the Angles Way trail which runs through the Waveney Valley for 93 miles between Thetford and Great Yarmouth.

Great Yarmouth station’s new signage will be officially unveiled at on Thursday 26th June at midday by Mick Castle, Norfolk County Councillor for Yarmouth North and Central, and Alan Boagey, Abellio Greater Anglia’s Area Customer Service Manager.

Aimed at daytrippers, tourists and local people, the Angles Way promotion is designed to encourage more people to explore the Norfolk / Suffolk countryside on foot using the Angles Way and its associated short circular walks, and to drive more customers to the many small local businesses which provide services to walkers along the route and vital local jobs.

The signage at rail stations that are located along the Angles Way trail will help to promote the walks to travellers, but also highlight the opportunities to use rail travel to access the walks in a sustainable way.

The signs were provided by Norfolk County Council with Rural Development Programme for England funding and the advertising space was provided free of charge by Abellio Greater Anglia.

Each end of the footpath can be accessed by rail at Thetford, Great Yarmouth, Diss, Beccles, Somerleyton and Oulton Broad North and a regular bus service runs along the A143, enabling walkers to make use of public transport links.

The Angles Way connects with the Peddars Way and Icknield Way Path at Knettishall Heath, and the St Edmund’s Way near Thetford, allowing longer walks to be undertaken. Great Yarmouth is also a hub for walking and cycling as it already has 3 long-distance trails – Weavers Way, Wherryman’s Way and Angles Way and will also host the new English Coast Path in the future.

Abellio Greater Anglia’s Area Customer Service Manager, Alan Boagey, said, “Several of our rail stations offer convenient and direct access to the Angles Way so we were delighted to become involved with the project to promote sustainable tourism opportunities and encourage more people to explore the beautiful countryside of Norfolk and Suffolk.”

Chairman of Norfolk County Council’s Environment Committee, Cllr Toby Coke said: “The Angles Way passes through miles of wonderful countryside and is part of a Norfolk-wide network of countryside footpaths, called the Norfolk Trails, which are worth millions of pounds to our county’s economy. We are really pleased that Abellio has joined with us to support the Norfolk Trails. This campaign will help attract more walkers to our county, particularly out of season. These are people who will use the services provided by thousands of local businesses, which in turn generate vital local jobs in our communities across the county.”

County Councillor for Yarmouth North and Central, Mick Castle, added: “This campaign is a great way of showing residents and visitors how easy it can be to get out for a day in the Norfolk countryside by taking the train to Great Yarmouth to walk along the Angles Way.

“Great Yarmouth is also really well placed to benefit from our project to get more people to use the Norfolk Trails, because our town is not only a hub for three of these flagship walking routes, with The Weavers Way, Wherryman’s Way and Angles Way all meeting so close to our railway station, but we also have so many businesses that can offer really fantastic services to these walkers.”

More information about the Angles Way can be found at www.norfolk.gov.uk/trails.

Cycling fever is taking over Cambridgeshire and Essex right now, as the Tour de France 2014 gets set to whoosh through our local streets in a flash of bright coloured lycra on July 7th!

With one of the world’s biggest sporting events happening on our doorstep, we wanted to grab the opportunity to inspire your teamwork techniques and nudge them up a gear or two.

You don’t have to be a Tour de France devotee to appreciate our advice, but the teamwork in the race is quite complicated. But fear not – we’re going to keep it simple! Basically, a team needs to be selfless and utterly committed to help its team leader win the Tour’s various stages, and even the overall competition.

In such a gruelling race, losing team spirit is not an option. Although it’s probably safe to say that your organisation won’t have such extreme activities in your employee engagement strategy, you can still take a few bits of advice inspired by these elite athletes.

1. Make the most of people’s strengths Just as in a team in your office, a Tour de France team will also be made up of people who have their own responsibilities and strengths. Focusing on who can contribute what talents and skills for the good of the wider team is a must in succeeding. Combining those strengths so people complement each other’s abilities and encouraging collaboration can create a powerful team.

2. Setting the pace A Tour cyclist may slow down a group of different team members (known as a peloton) to let someone catch up after a puncture or similar incident. Also, teams set the pace to help their team leaders achieve their goal. So you see, adjusting the general speed is essential to people’s motivation and to their success. Back in the office, your team members can set the pace by supporting each other in busy times. Keeping an eye on how each other is managing workload is not just good office etiquette, it’s crucial in avoiding burnout and other problems.

3. Everyone needs support Each team has a support car, which carries essentials such as water, mechanics and equipment. Other team members wait on the route to hand out bags of food, drinks and energy gels. Although somewhat in the background, this element of teamwork keeps the riders on form as they endure the three weeks of racing. Also providing a key role is your office support professional who keeps things ticking over. Whether you need help with an admin database or you need a super-organised person to arrange an event, their support is part of your firm’s lifeblood.

4. Clear communication Using communications to keep everyone focused and to find effective solutions to problems is a key element to successful teamwork. For instance, Tour de France sporting directors talk to race officials and their team members by radio. Whether it’s warning of upcoming challenges or team updates, getting ahead in cycling’s most prestigious race can depend on clear communication.

5. Adapting to change Just as Tour de France teams need to work together to overcome changing conditions such as worsening weather, your team needs to be able to deal with change without losing sight of the ultimate goal. Preparing them in advance of change can help of course, but if unexpected events impact everyone’s drive and motivation, they need to somehow carry on. But developing a supportive teamwork culture can result in people pulling together quite naturally to adjust to new circumstances.

How the Tour teams pull together to get their leader into that coveted yellow jersey is testimony to their ability to unite despite the punishing challenges of the race! In the similar way, team members in a business can pull together, contributing their unique abilities to achieve key business objectives.

Multi-million pound plans for a new children’s hospice in Norfolk have received a major boost after being granted planning permission.

East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) submitted proposals for the £10m project in March for a greenfield site at Framingham Earl to replace their hospice in Quidenham and are delighted that planning has been approved. The new Norfolk hospicewould meet the increasing demands for the charity’s services and provide even higher quality care.

EACH’s current Norfolk hospice in Quidenham has provided care and support for more than two decades and has been a home from home for many families. It is howeververy restricted in its facilities and the development of a new hospice will bring the county in line with the services EACH offer in Cambridgeshire, Essex and Suffolk.

EACH are set to launch a major fundraising appeal later this year and if you would like tofind outmorethen please contact Mark Loades – Norfolk Partnerships Manager for EACH on 01953 666771 or mark.loades@each.org.ukor visit www.each.org.uk

Boost for bus users as Norwich International Airport is included in Park and Ride service

The airport Park and Ride service is to be changed from Monday 30 June to include Norwich International Airport.

This new connection from Airport Park and Ride on Aylsham Road, in Hellesdon will provide people with a direct service to the airport and into Norwich city centre.

The project costing just under £10,000 has been carried out as part of the £2.6m Better Bus Area Initiative. This has allowed Norfolk County Council to put a new bus shelter at the airport and make improvements to the roads to prepare for the new bus route.

Norfolk County Council secured the £2.6m of Government funding for a series of major public transport improvements that will make bus travel faster for passengers, visitors and commuters in Norwich – and deliver a boost to the city’s economy in the process.

The package of improvements has allowed the County Council to fast track a range of transport improvements previously agreed in the Norwich Area Transportation Strategy (NATS). The package will deliver around 30 projects and brings benefits to bus users, cyclists, pedestrians, coach, taxi and car users.

Toby Coke, Chairman of the Environment, Development and Transport Committee at Norfolk County Council, said: “This has been a long awaited development and will be a welcome addition to Norwich International Airport. It will make journeys for people a lot easier and provide a much needed direct service to the airport. The airport is an incredibly valuable asset to the county and the extension to this service will be a great benefit to businesses and the local economy.”

Phil Gadd, Property and Contracts Director for Norwich International said: “We are delighted to work with Norfolk County Council to enhance the connectivity for people and businesses in the region, it is hoped this new service will be ideal for commuters and airport employees living in Norwich and travelling to work in the airport and surrounding businesses in addition to providing a greater choice of onward transport options for our passengers.”

The first bus leaves the bus station at 0700 and arrives at the airport at 0720, and then is back in Norwich at 0754. The last service to the airport leaves the bus station at 1830 arrives at airport at 1907 and arrives back in Norwich at 1929.

Details of fares are available here: https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/Travel_and_transport/TravelNorfolk/Park_and_Ri…

Passengers travelling more than once per month can save money by using a holdall smartcard® www.norfolk.gov.uk/holdall

Passengers are reminded that overnight parking is not permitted at the Park and Ride site. For political comment Cllr Toby Coke (UKIP) Chairman of the Environment, Development and Transport Committee, on 07717 881289 Cllr John Timewell (Liberal Democrat) Vice Chair of the Environment, Development and Transport Committee, on 01692 535074 Cllr Martin Wilby (Conservative) on 07920 286618 or 01379 741504 Cllr Terry Jermy (Labour) on 07742 157967 Cllr Andrew Boswell (Green) on 07787 127881 Cllr Richard Bird (Independent) on 01485 532565

For further information please contact: Media Team at Norfolk County Council Tel: 01603 228888 Email: pressoffice@norfolk.gov.uk

Same sex couples will be able to convert their existing civil partnerships into marriages from 10 December 2014. This provision was included in the Marriage (Same Sex) Couples Act 2013, although the Government delayed implementation. Same sex couples have been able to marry since March 2014.

The Government announced on 26 July 2014 that civil partnerships will remain available to same sex couples only and not to opposite sex couples.

This is following a report by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport who launched a consultation regarding this issue in January. The consultation received in excess of 10,000 responses which found:

• There was no united call for change from respondents to the consultation at this stage
• Less than a third of respondents supported abolition of civil partnership;
• The majority were against closing civil partnership to new couples;
• Over three-quarters were against opening up civil partnership to opposite sex couples;
• Several important organisations thought it was too soon to consider making changes to civil partnership – this should wait until the impact of extending marriage to same sex couples is known;
• Other organisations, in contrast, put forward a case for opening up civil partnerships to opposite sex couples now, for example because civil partnership and marriage were different relationships and couples should have equal access to both.

The report concluded: “In time we will know how many same sex couples are marrying and how many entering a civil partnership, and how many couples are remaining in civil partnerships rather than converting them to marriages. At present we do not have this information, and civil partnership conversion to marriage will not be available until December 2014.”

Emma Alfieri from Steeles Law’s family team commented: “The decision has been heavily criticised, as some campaigners feel that it is unfair that same sex couples now have a legal advantage over straight couples, as they can now enter into a civil marriage or a civil partnership. In contrast, opposite sex couples only have one option which is marriage.

This is an ongoing debate but the Government’s view is that it is too soon to consider making further changes to civil partnerships at this stage and this issue should wait until the impact of extending marriage to same sex couples is known.”

The Family Law Team at Steeles Law will update on this as matters develop.

To view the full report click here.

Norwich Sunblinds entered two teams for the Fritton Lake Triathlon Team Relay 2014 on

Sunday 15 June 2014 in aid of the Norfolk & Norwich Association for the Blind .

The photo above is of the two Teams

Team A: Julian Roberts, Paul Solomon and Fiona Garwood

Team B: Tommy Copsey, Gary Bailey and Julie Adamson

They all completed and received a medal each

On Friday 20 June, Fendercare Marine opened the doors of its Great Yarmouth base to showcase its expansion of lifting products and services over the last two years.

The Fendercare Marine Equipment and Lifting Services Open Day was attended by a wide array of existing and new customers, as well as members of the local Great Yarmouth community. The guests were treated to displays of marine equipment products, lifting equipment, rope splicing demonstrations, working at height equipment and load monitoring. During the day, Fendercare Marine MD, Eric Plane, presented a donation cheque to the RNLI which was followed by a rescue demonstration from the Gorleston RNLI team.

Fendercare Marine Equipment and Lifting Services, based on Breydon Road, Great Yarmouth first opened in July 2012 to provide shoreside support to the wind farm vessels. Since then it has doubled its warehouse capability to offer onshore crane inspection and testing; mechanical and electrical lifting equipment; hydraulic equipment and winches; lifting tackle and load/stress monitoring equipment with many products available for sale or hire. These products and services are available to the renewable industry, the offshore oil and gas sector together with onshore industrial sectors, creating a truly unique and versatile energy and lifting support base. As part of the expansion, Fendercare Marine also sublet new office space and provided a specially made Inspection Warehouse for their technician teams to Viking Life-Saving Equipment Ltd – a market leader in maritime and fire safety.

Fendercare Marine Equipment and Lifting Services Sales Manager, Richard Howes commented “We are delighted to have welcomed so many people to our Open Day. Our guests were surprised by the sheer volume and scope of products and services we can offer and it has been a great opportunity to showcase everything we can do. We are proud to have an extremely knowledgeable team of technical experts and today was also about sharing this professional expertise with our customers.”

On Friday 20 June, Fendercare Marine opened the doors of its Great Yarmouth base to showcase its expansion of lifting products and services over the last two years.

The Fendercare Marine Equipment and Lifting Services Open Day was attended by a wide array of existing and new customers, as well as members of the local Great Yarmouth community. The guests were treated to displays of marine equipment products, lifting equipment, rope splicing demonstrations, working at height equipment and load monitoring. During the day, Fendercare Marine MD, Eric Plane, presented a donation cheque to the RNLI which was followed by a rescue demonstration from the Gorleston RNLI team.

Fendercare Marine Equipment and Lifting Services, based on Breydon Road, Great Yarmouth first opened in July 2012 to provide shoreside support to the wind farm vessels. Since then it has doubled its warehouse capability to offer onshore crane inspection and testing; mechanical and electrical lifting equipment; hydraulic equipment and winches; lifting tackle and load/stress monitoring equipment with many products available for sale or hire. These products and services are available to the renewable industry, the offshore oil and gas sector together with onshore industrial sectors, creating a truly unique and versatile energy and lifting support base. As part of the expansion, Fendercare Marine also sublet new office space and provided a specially made Inspection Warehouse for their technician teams to Viking Life-Saving Equipment Ltd – a market leader in maritime and fire safety.

Fendercare Marine Equipment and Lifting Services Sales Manager, Richard Howes commented “We are delighted to have welcomed so many people to our Open Day. Our guests were surprised by the sheer volume and scope of products and services we can offer and it has been a great opportunity to showcase everything we can do. We are proud to have an extremely knowledgeable team of technical experts and today was also about sharing this professional expertise with our customers.”

SSCS are to be featured in July 2014’s edition of Dockyard Magazine which is running a special focus on ‘Diving & Underater Services’, and will include information on associated products, services and projects.

The article provides some insight into our scour protection side of the business which has been operating for 30 years within the oil and energy markets, as well as on a number civil and environmental projects.

A sneak preview of our full page spread is attached to this article.

There’s still time to get your staff involved in the 2014 Best Employer survey! Closing at the end of July, the online questionnaire is free to all employers who want to develop their employee engagement strategy, and give people a great place to work.

Usually costing around £2,000, the survey responses are presented in insightful, tailored reports, which give organisations guidance as to how to improve and advance engagement. In fact, Essex firm Benefit Cosmetics is a big supporter and uses their report to keep a close eye on staff opinion.

Although Pure and eras ltd have designed the survey to be quick and easy to do, we also understand that people may feel that they’re too busy to answer the questions. Our 10 terrific tips will encourage your workforce to take a few moments to contribute to your Best Employer mission!

1. Announce the opening of the survey

When the survey is live and open for participation, announce it to everyone at an all-staff meeting. Or if this isn’t possible, ask managers to let their teams know and encourage everyone to take part. This way, the news will filter across all teams.

2. Maintain momentum through meetings

With the school summer break just around the corner, you need to keep up the motivation among people who are probably thinking about holidays, barbeques and other exciting plans. To keep them interested, ask line managers to give regular updates at weekly meetings, encouraging people to complete by the closing date.

3. Add an incentive

Although the survey is not a competitive activity for staff, offering a token incentive may help things along. How about a prize draw for participants? Why not give away a small picnic hamper or store vouchers? Not only does this add a nice touch, but it also tells everyone that you value their opinion.

4. Hold an inspiration session

Many employers already engage with staff through inspiration sessions, where they invite visitors into the office to give lunchtime talks. Ask a 2012 Best Employer award winner to tell everyone how they’ve benefited from the survey and what their employer does to make work enjoyable.

5. Message from the top

Support from senior management can make such a difference. By asking people for their honest opinion and explaining the reason for the survey, a CEO or MD can really drive along participation. Workers feel they are contributing to a bigger vision and understand why they need to take part.

6. Posters and email banners

Whether it’s in reception, on noticeboards or even in the loos, posters are a great way to maintain everyone’s focus on the Best Employer survey! Internal email banners are also fantastic reminders since the survey is just one click away. If you’d like to use the Best Employer logo or use a poster template, contact Anna Hill, Pure’s Marketing Manager: anna.hill@prs.uk.com.

7. Appoint Best Employer champions

Since the survey happens every other year, you’ll probably have employees who were not around when you took part in the last one or maybe this is your first year of participating. Why not identify Best Employer champions who can encourage new staff to answer the questions. They can also give longer term workers friendly reminders too. After all, it’s for everyone’s gain.

8. Make a commitment

By pledging to your employees that you’ll address any concerns that arise from the survey responses, you encourage their trust. But you must follow up on this promise, otherwise you’ll risk losing respect in the long term, and you may find it very difficult running surveys in the future.

9. Engage staff all year-round

Although it may seem obvious that staff who are already engaged will need less prompting to get involved, it’s still worth mentioning. If you’re thinking of taking part in the 2016 Best Employer survey, take measures now to create an engagement strategy. Use our case studies of previous Best Employer award winners for some brilliant ideas!

Good luck and we hope your survey results get you a glitzy Best Employer award in the autumn! Get in touch with Pure to find out more: anna.hill@prs.uk.com or call 01223 209888.

Norwich Sunblinds are very grateful for the support of our customers over the last few years.

As everyone knows the economy has been difficult, and without our loyal customers we would have not survived during the last few challenging years.

With this in mind we have decided that we would like to give back to the local community, so over the next few months we will contribute £1.00 for every blind and pair of curtains we sell this year to local charities. each month we will be supporting a diffeent local charity.

Our staff are excited to find out each day how many blinds/curtains are sold to contribute towards the charity.

We wanted to support MS-UK for the month of May 2014 supporting people with MS.

The month of June 2014 we are supporting Norfolk & Norwich Association for the Blind.

The photo is of Fiona Garwood, Lesley Brinkley (Norwich Sunblinds) presenting the cheque for £1,012.00 to Robby Copsey on behalf of MS-UK who had made a fantastic effort in the London Marathon for their charity.

SSCS have joined EEEGR as part of our continued drive to be heavily involved with the promotion of skills and services available from within the East of England to supply to the oil and energy markets.

Our lifting division currently services multiple key local players who are involved with a number of notable oil & gas and offshore wind projects providing lifting and testing services utilising our large load testing capabilities, as well as supplying materials including webbing and wire slings.

EEEGR are a non-profit, business-led group committed to the sustained development of the energy sector in the East of England and the continued success of our members.

The group members operate throughout the energy sectors from oil, gas, wind, wave & tidal, bio-energy, and nuclear through to decommissioning, carbon capture & storage (CCS), distribution and transmission and conventional generation.