Concentrating at work had never been easier Silent Room is the oasis of silence in the middle of a modern office SILENT ROOM ensures indoor air quality as well as acoustic and visual comfort, enabling employees to focus during phone conversations, video conferences or creative tasks without distracting others. We offer a variety of design options for you to be able to create a personalised design and desired office mood. The interior and exterior finish can be selected separately. Both melamine and upholstery can be used for the exterior panels. Our range of materials and colours complement each other harmoniously and create a warm, homely and relaxing atmosphere. GET A QUOTE
About Escape. Make a statement with Escape pod, offering the perfect breakout, intimate meeting space or quiet spot to ‘escape’ the busy office environment. Escape pods are made up of connected segments to make a circular space. Choose from 4 segments for an open pod, up to 7 to create an acoustic enclosure. These pods are designed with a high quality composite shell with acoustic foam interior. As they are a modular design, you are also to move and reconfigure however you wish. Available with a variety of additional options, including table, USB power points, LED lighting and external and internal colour, fabric and branding.
Care Home Reception, Norfolk NorseCare provide compassionate, high-quality, award-winning care and support to nearly 1,500 people in residential care homes and housing with care schemes. Before: Previous reception layout Brief To provide a functional and attractive piece of furniture for a reception area in a busy client facing position in a very modern and well-designed residential care facility. Lydia Eva Court is a modern, purpose-built home care home in Gorleston, near the East Norfolk coast. The home provides excellent residential care for up to 89 people in six separate areas and specialises for those living with dementia. The furniture needs to provide a focal point for visitors., the client requires a meet and greet area for the building, also a comfortable workspace for an admin function. The furniture needs to be resistant to cleaning chemicals and finished in finishes complementary to the building design and decor. Solution Fitting the limited space perfectly, in proposing Tera reception furniture iQ Workspace fulfilled the brief with a solid looking range finished in high pressure laminates in a range of colours which perfectly suited the client decor and construction modules that provides a generous workspace for staff. Best of all, as a non-bespoke solution, it offers excellent value for money. iQ Workspace provided photorealistic visuals which were replicated by the finished installation. The visuals gave the client an accurate representation of the look of the space prior to ordering ensuring that all stakeholders and staff knew exactly what to expect from the design. New Layout
The UK fee income of The TaxAssist Group, rose 7% year on year from £50.7m in 2021 to £54.3m in 2022. The TaxAssist Group of companies, which includes the TaxAssist franchise network, TaxAssist Payroll, TaxAssist Tax Consulting and TaxAssist Financial Services continues to go from strength to strength, with UK fee income growth of 7% reported in the latest Accountancy Daily league table. Daren Moore, TaxAssist Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “Our impressive rate of growth demonstrates the continued success of our business model and our new initiatives, which have broadened the range of complimentary services our network can provide, helping to both attract and retain clients and create new fee opportunities. Financial services in particular represents an enormous opportunity, and we will continue to introduce additional TaxAssist service offerings over time. “The TaxAssist Group has a unique ownership structure, c.60% owned by franchisees, which ensures franchisee success is at the heart of our strategy. This partnership between franchisor and franchisee working together is our strength and the power that drives the TaxAssist brand. It is also a unique structure in the accountancy world. “With more than 200 franchised areas already in operation across the UK, the TaxAssist Accountants network is continuing to expand and now has over 400 shops and offices providing a visible presence for the brand on high streets and showcasing our ever-increasing range of services. “With ambitious growth targets for the next five years, we believe The TaxAssist Group is perfectly positioned to push for a top 20 position in the years to come.” To see the list of the Top 75 accounting firms and an analysis by Accountancy Daily click here. A TaxAssist Accountants franchise can provide the systems and support you need to be successful. If you’re interested in finding out more about building a practice, buying an accountancy practice or converting an existing practice to TaxAssist Accountants, call 0800 018 8297 or submit an enquiry here to register your interest. May 2023
Four of our stations have been nominated as the best-loved in the region, as part of this year’s World Cup of Stations, which this year has been deliberately organised to coincide with Community Rail Week. The annual competition, supported by the Rail Delivery Group, is this year being jointly run with the Community Rail Network, to showcase community rail and the benefits the railways bring to residents, the environment, and the local economy. It highlights the best examples of where local partnerships or volunteers have helped improve the station for customers and the local community alike. In the East, Beccles and Lowestoft, in Suffolk, Southminster, in Essex, and Thetford, in Norfolk, all managed by Greater Anglia, have made it to the East “final” or Group Stage, with the vote held on Monday. Beccles was nominated for its thriving community-owned café and meeting space in the old station building. The community room is available for rent for or business gatherings, training days, exercise classes, and more. Lowestoft has seen the development of an amazing community hub in the original station building by three local volunteer station adopters (working as the Lowestoft Central group), with the help of the Wherry Lines CRP and the support of Greater Anglia. They have created a multi-purpose room which can be used for exhibitions or meetings and developed a tourism hub and shop. Southminster has become home to the first Men’s Shed in England to be located at a railway station. Thetford has become a wildlife friendly “mecca” due to the remarkable efforts of the local volunteer station adopter team who spend many hours on the station. As well as creating lovely station gardens which received a “Thetford in Bloom” award and a ‘Wildlife Friendly Stations’ accreditation, they have installed bat and swift boxes to help support the populations of these threatened species. Over 100 nominations were whittled down to 48 by TV presenter Tim Dunn, covering four from each of 11 regions, plus Tim’s four bonus stations selection. The winning station from the East will go through to a semi-final on 25 May against the winners of the South East, South West and London heats. Winners of next Thursday’s votes go through to a final next Friday (26 May) when this year’s winner will be crowned the UK’s best-loved station. You can vote for your favourite from the four nominated East stations – Beccles, Lowestoft, Southminster or Thetford on Monday 22 May on Twitter via #WorldCupofStations or @RailDeliveryGrp.
King’s Lynn, UK – Tulips for Tapping 2023, which saw a welcome return this year has been hailed as a huge success. Visitors from all over the UK flocked to the tulip fields near the Sandringham Estate in West Norfolk to walk among the tulips, capture photos, purchase tulip-related merchandise and enjoy refreshments from local food and drink traders. The event, which won the “Hospice UK – Innovation in Income Generation” award in 2022, built on the success of previous years and offered visitors a rare opportunity to see and experience the stunning beauty of the tulip fields. Visitors were able to purchase fresh tulips grown by Norfolk Tulips and enjoyed the popular Norfolk Hospice Gin, sold by Whatahoot. “We are thrilled with the response we received for Tulips for Tapping this year,” said Lindsey Atkin, Community & Corporate Fundraising Manager at The Norfolk Hospice. “The record number of visitors is a testament to the hard work of everyone involved in organising the event, as well as the support of local businesses.” The success of the event would not have been possible without the support of Roydon Hall Farms for the use of their land, the team at Norfolk Tulips for once again allowing the opening of their wonderful crop to visitors, tulip grower Mark Eves of Belmont Nurseries, and the dedicated team of volunteers. The event wasalso made possible by the support of local businesses including T M Browne, Rural Broadband, Algeco, Rudd Marquees & Baco Compak. The event was a great success, raising £140,268 for the Norfolk Hospice. “We are so grateful for the support of everyone who attended the event, and for the generous donations made to the Hospice,” continued Lindsey. “The funds raised will help us continue to provide vital support and care for those who need it most.” Tulips for Tapping has become a beloved annual tradition for visitors from across the UK. With the success of this year’s event, organisers are already looking forward to planning for an even bigger and better event next year. Anyone who would like to support the event, through sponsorship or by volunteering, is encouraged to contact the Hospice via their website: www.norfolkhospice.org.uk
The Greater Norwich Growth Board is inviting you to take part in a consultation on green spaces in and around Norwich. Well-designed green spaces are vital to our way of life. They include features that can be natural, like woodland and rivers, or man-made like parks, allotments, hedgerows, playing fields, cycleways, footpaths and even road-side verges. As an interested party, we value your views on green spaces, their benefits, and how you would like to see them improved. Your views are essential to informing the Greater Norwich Growth Board’s new Green Infrastructure Strategy which will cover the areas of Norwich, Broadland and South Norfolk. The new Green Infrastructure Strategy aims to deliver:
A fresh approach to managing and improving existing green spaces to make sure they benefit as many people as possible, with a focus on inclusive access.
A strategy for creating new green spaces in the area that will benefit people and nature.
The consultation is open for six weeks from 10 May to 21 June. Everyone who responds to the consultation will be entered into a prize draw to receive an annual family membership pass for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. To participate in the survey and be entered into a prize draw to win an annual family membership pass for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, please visit https://www.greaternorwichgrowth.org.uk/projects/giconsultation/
The latest two episodes in the Tourism Business Chat podcast series celebrate the relaunch of the Tourism Business Survey 2023. In April, a seminar was hosted to reveal the results to an audience of sector leaders and, in a double release, listeners can hear insights from key business leaders, and from the panel session recorded live on the day – perfect for those unable to attend the event in person. Chris Scargill, a Partner at Larking Gowen, and the host of Tourism Business Chat, spoke to Oliver Paul, co-owner of Suffolk Food Hall, Tarnia Robertson, a Hospitality Consultant and Business Coach (and former MD of Ufford Park) and Elliott Attew, Manager of Deer’s Glade Caravan and Camping Park, about the results of the survey in the bitesize Tourism Business Chat episode. They reflected on concerns around trends and sustainability shown in the survey data, along with changes to customers’ wants and needs. They also bring home the important message that businesses must be allies to other businesses and bring the community into the heart of their decision making. In a special bonus episode, recorded live at the event, the team of experts at Larking Gowen discuss the results of the survey along with commentary from Andy Wood, CEO of Adnams, Claudia Roberts, CEO of Zoological Society of East Anglia, which operates Banham Zoo and Africa Alive, and Mary Sparrow, owner of Hippersons Boatyard, in Norfolk. This episode also contains an insightful talk from Valerie Watson-Brown, from the Visitor Economy Network Initiative, who discusses the innovative project driving careers in the sector, and includes live questions from the audience there on the day. You can listen to both episodes by visiting www.larking-gowen.co.uk/tourism-insights, or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you find your podcasts, just search for Tourism Business Chat. These bitesize and bonus episodes are the perfect accompaniment to the full survey results brochure, which you can download by visiting www.tourismsurveys.co.uk/ The survey is designed to gain valuable insights into the performance and practices of businesses in the Tourism and Leisure industry in East Anglia. Businesses can use the information to inform the development of new products or services, marketing strategies and other business practices that could help them to better meet the needs of customers and stay competitive in the market.
Written by Lee Hart, Head of Knowhow Energy Overview Headlines: ✓ Gas and Electricity Wholesale prices are lower. ✓ EU Gas Storage levels are a healthy 64% full. ✓ LNG deliveries continue to arrive in Europe. Since our last Energy Report, Gas and Electricity Year Ahead Wholesale prices are lower. Milder temperatures and the opportunity to increase EU Gas Storage levels to 64% full compared to last week’s 62%, is one reason why Gas and Electricity prices have continued their downward trend. The target of 90% by November seems to be achievable, assuming we are able to divert Gas into Storage during the warmer months. We are still receiving good supplies of LNG which are replacing some of the reduced Russian Gas flows. Energy markets are very conscious that LNG may begin to head towards Asia as the Chinese economy grows beyond expectations. Wind’s contribution to generation over the last week fell to just 16% compared to 21% in April, requiring the use of more Gas at 39% and an increase of Electricity imports from the continent, which accounted for a high 18% of supplies. As we saw in 2022, if France has more issues with their Nuclear reactors, then imports will fall and we will have to rely more heavily on expensive forms of domestic generation. The Met Office forecast for the remainder of the month suggests temperatures will be at seasonal norm with the possibility slightly stronger winds. Wholesale prices are currently in the region of a fifth of the peaks we saw in 2022, but still show a premium against 2020 and early 2021. It is generally considered unlikely that we will see those low levels for some time. There has been little price movement over the last four months, although there is a downward trend for annual contracts starting in 2023 and 2024. Concern remains that an unexpected event, which has not been factored into costs, could once again see increases, so we would advise discussing your options for contracts ending in 2023 with Indigo Swan. Read the full report below
As Gold Partner Sponsor, TaxAssist Accountants will promote its brand to thousands of businesses across the UK at major industry awards. James Mattam, TaxAssist Group Business Development Director, has also been invited to the judging panel and will be presenting an award at the ceremony at Wembley Stadium on 1st December 2023 on behalf of TaxAssist Accountants. “We are always keen to champion small and medium enterprises and are delighted our clients are able to enter the awards with a TaxAssist discount. We know there are thousands of talented businesses within our client base who have every chance of entering and winning,” said James. “With representatives from more than 1,200 small and medium sized businesses expected to attend the event in Wembley, it will provide an opportunity to support and share in our vision to raise the profile of industrious, hardworking and enterprising businesses nationally. “Business awards are a sought-after accolade of achievement, a veritable endorsement of success in business which offers exceptional marketing and PR opportunities, as well as increasing credibility and standing in the eyes of peers and customers. This is a fantastic initiative for both our target client market and the TaxAssist brand and we look forward to taking part and showcasing the wide services our accountants offer.” For more information about the National SME Business Awards please visit their site here http://www.smenationals.co.uk/ A TaxAssist Accountants franchise can provide the systems and support you need to be successful and stand out from the crowd. If you’re interested in finding out more about building a practice, buying an accountancy practice or converting an existing practice to TaxAssist Accountants, call 0800 018 8297 or submit an enquiry here to register your interest. May 2023
This programme is funded by the UK Government, and delivered by Barclays Eagle Labs.
The Digital Growth Grant Ecosystem Partnership Programme aims to boost the growth of UK tech start-ups and scaleups for the next two years. Successful applicants will access an ecosystem connecting them to business growth experts through dedicated programmes and mentoring. The Digital Growth Grant objectives are defined as:
Deliver support services to the digital sector, particularly in transformative/emerging technologies. These services should address key challenges faced by a wide range of tech companies from the seed funding stage to series A/B, their first or second round of financing.
Grow regional support networks for tech startups and scaleups. Activities should deliver concrete improvements in three areas: investment, innovation and business growth. Support should be tailored to local needs and tech specialisms, and should be developed in partnership with local bodies and existing tech groups.
Ensure founders and firms can access digital entrepreneurship and investment readiness training, with tailored advice to help develop their skills to start and grow a tech business
Clearly signpost startups and scaleups to existing initiatives in the private and the public sector across the UK that can help them access finance, talent and markets.
The programme is backed by a £12 million UK government grant. There is a minimum request of £50,000 per application, which must be fully utilised and funded activity must have been completed by March 2024. Applications close 31 May 2023 Find out more here