🌟 Save the Date – Charities United is back for 2026! Join us for our next quarterly Charities United on Tuesday February 10th for a space to connect, collaborate, and celebrate the amazing work happening across Norfolk’s charity and CIC sector.
📣 Calling all local charities and CICs! Do you have a venue you’d love to showcase? Or a project, initiative or story to share? We’re looking for hosts and speakers for our 2026 Charities United events.
This is your chance to: 🏛️ Show off your space 🎤 Share what you’re up to 🤝 Simply connect with sector colleagues and partners
📬 If you’re interested in speaking, hosting or sharing, drop us a message – we’d love to hear from you!
HR Forum: With Blue Heron Training, guest presenters Ed Grimes & Ed Godwin on Facing the Future with AI in HR.
Join us for our latest online HR Forum where we’re diving into one of the hottest topics right now: AI in HR.
We’ll be joined by guest presenters Ed Grimes and Ed Godwin from Talent Unlimited, who’ll help us make sense of what AI really means for HR.
We’ll cover:
What AI actually is (and what it isn’t)
How you’re probably already using it, without even realising
How AI is being used in businesses right now
The real fears (and the myths we can leave behind)
How to become an AI champion in your own organisation.
Expect real talk, practical takeaways, breakout discussions and time to connect with other HR professionals who are navigating the same challenges.
This event is for HR professionals looking to stay updated on industry trends and best practices. Whether you’re already experimenting with AI or not sure where to start, this session is for you. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to learn from experts and connect with peers in the field.
Free to attend. Book your spot and join the conversation.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND? CEOs, MDs, founders, and senior leaders of ambitious mid-market businesses across Norfolk and beyond. Whether you’re new to AI or already experimenting, this session is for you.
TAKEAWAYS: ✔ Clear understanding of AI’s real business impact ✔ How to approach AI commercially, without the jargon ✔ Practical next steps for your business ✔ Fresh thinking on AI’s role in people nd marketing ✔ Network with peers navigating similar challenges
This advanced workshop is designed for small business owners who are ready to take their AI projects to the next level. Through guided mentoring, live demonstrations, and peer collaboration, you’ll explore how to build scalable, secure, and context-aware AI solutions tailored to your business needs.
Whether you’re refining a GPT, building a new automation, or testing a fresh idea, this session offers practical insights and hands-on support to help you move from experimentation to implementation.
What You’ll Learn ✅ Check-In & Applied Insights
Reflect on what worked and what didn’t in your previous AI projects
Share key insights, challenges, and standout outcomes with the group
Identify common patterns and learn how to scale GPTs and automations into repeatable, embedded workflows
🔐 Private AI & Sensitive Data
Introduction to privacy-first AI using local/private LLMs (e.g. StudioLM)
Learn how to run internal knowledge assistants entirely offline—ideal for legal, confidential, or IP-sensitive tasks
Discuss the trade-offs between privacy, cost, and trust, and debunk common myths around AI privacy
🔧 Advanced Tool Integration (MCP)
Deep dive into Model Context Protocols (MCPs) and advanced tool usage
Explore how AI can retrieve, integrate, and reason across multiple data sources and services
Build smarter workflows that connect your GPTs to live databases, spreadsheets, and applications
🚀 Mini Hackathon & Mentoring
Choose a goal: improve a GPT, build a new automation, or test a new idea
Receive live feedback, optimisation tips, and troubleshooting support
Share progress and insights with the group to learn from diverse use cases
Workshop Outcome
By the end of this session, you’ll have:
Built and tested multiple working prototypes tailored to your business
Gained clarity on when to use public vs private AI
Hands-on experience with advanced GPTs and tools that go beyond simple prompting—grounded in context, automation, and real-world business needs
Who Should Attend
Small business owners with prior experience using AI tools
Entrepreneurs looking to scale or refine their AI workflows
Anyone seeking practical mentoring and advanced use case development
Spaces are limited – reserve your place today and take your AI projects to the next level!
Meet the Trainer Giancarlo Erra is a seasoned tech-creative entrepreneur and business consultant with over 25 years of experience across multiple industries. As a professional touring musician, his unique background bridges the worlds of technology and creativity, giving him a distinctive edge in using innovative solutions to drive business growth and streamline operations. As a former developer and technical director, Giancarlo has led projects ranging from full?stack development and system administration to AI-driven applications, providing tailored consultancy to SMEs and startups. His extensive experience includes founding Promethean Box Ltd, an umbrella company including AI-driven startups like Tweetify It, a tool for generating personalised social media content, and Copyforge, which helps automate blog and article creation. As the founder of YourVault.AI, he is currently developing private AI solutions to help small and micro-businesses deploy AI models securely on their own data. A public speaker and mentor, he regularly organises AI Summits and hackathons, helping businesses and individuals easily adopt AI tools and focusing on practical applications that deliver real value
Registration at 9am, workshop starts at 9.15am. There will be a refreshments on arrival and mid-morning.
Eligibility: These small group in-person workshops are open to any trading business, freelancer, or charity based North Norfolk, Great Yarmouth, West Norfolk & King’s Lynn districts in Norfolk, UK. Norwich, Breckland, South Norfolk & Broadland please contact your district council for business support.
Due to our funding , spaces are limited to one per company. If you would like to check availability for additional spaces please contact jo.barnard@newangliagrowthhub.co.uk
LinkedIn continues to be the leading platform for professional networking and business development—and its potential for micro to medium-sized businesses is immense. This practical and insightful session is designed to help you harness LinkedIn as a strategic tool to build relationships, elevate your personal brand, and drive meaningful business growth.
Meet the Trainer
Mark White, known as “The LinkedIn Professional”, after a 12 year career in international sales & marketing, Mark has dedicated the last 15 years exclusively to training teams and individuals on LinkedIn, with the focus primarily around its application to business development, marketing, personal branding and recruitment.
These small group in-person workshops are open to any business, freelancer, or charity based in North Norfolk, Great Yarmouth, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk.
Chamber Co.nnects are fortnightly network meetings for its members to network and chat with other businesses in a digital space.
We believe networking is key during difficult times to help with mental health, continuation of business and access to help and advice from peers. Each network meeting will have a guest speaker and will be focusing on a current topic.
Enjoy from the comfort of your own home with no early starts or commute and make sure to make a coffee and bring a smile to this online video meeting.
Who’s it for?
Business owners, managers, entrepreneurs, start-ups, young businesses and anyone who wants to connect and engage with other businesses in the Norfolk area.
Topic – Flexible working
As we ease out of lockdown, many workers will be returning to the workplace after long periods of furlough or working from home. Whilst some are keen to get back to old routines, many have now adapted to their new ways of working and spending extra time at home. We will look at the types of flexible working requests employers may be presented with and how to manage these.
As well as providing internal HR support, she advises a wide range of clients on all aspects of the employment relationship through the Firms HR Consultancy Service. Claire graduated with a 2:1 in Business Management in 2010 and since, gone on to complete her Level 5 CIPD qualification in Human Resource Management.
About Lovewell Blake
As well as being the oldest accountancy firm retaining its original name, Lovewell Blake is also one of the most innovative in serving clients. With specialist teams covering the needs of particular professions and business sectors, we serve more than 10,000 businesses, private and charitable clients across a wide range of sectors throughout East Anglia and beyond.
Our teams comprise experienced and highly-qualified experts in all areas of accounting, auditing and tax planning who can be contacted at any one of our local offices across Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.
Agenda
09:30 – Welcome from Chamber. Go through format and any updates (5-mins) 09:35 – 45-second introductions from each delegate (15-mins) 09:50 – Guest speakers (15-mins) 10:05 – Q&A for speaker (10-mins) 10:15 – Discussion topics and networking (45-mins) 11:00 – Close
Due to this event being for members only, it has been set-up for manual approval, so event details will be received shortly after registering rather than immediately.
Join the MacInnes team for this unique evening. Learn about single-malt Scotch and enjoy a few drams of their finest Whiskies, accompanied by hearty sharing platters.
Join us online on Thursday 26 November (6-7:30pm), as we officially launch the Norwich Institute of Healthy Ageing (NIHA).
NIHA is a new research centre made of more than 200 researchers from across UEA. They will work with the community, local government and researchers from the Norwich Research Park on a range of projects to improve health and lives in the region.
From UEA, researchers from Norwich Medical School, the School of Health Sciences, Norwich Business School, the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Computing Sciences will work collaboratively, with support from UEA Health and Social Care Partners.
They will be joined by colleagues from Quadram Institute, the Earlham Institute, the John Innes Centre and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital to research areas including nutrition, physical activity, smoking cessation, sleep, social activity and medication adherence. Researchers will also look to understand behaviour change and the implications of behaviour on health and wellbeing.
The new partnership will also work with the wider community, Public Health Norfolk, Norwich City Council, Norfolk County Council and the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to ensure that the research is translated into real change for better local and wider public health.
The online launch event will be hosted by UEA Vice Chancellor Prof David Richardson and Institute Director Prof Anne-Marie Minihane.
A keynote speech will be given by George MacGinnis – Challenge Director, Healthy Ageing, UKRI followed by ‘Pecha Kucha’ presentations and an ‘Ask me Anything’ Q&A, where members of the public can submit questions for the panel. We are asking for questions to be submitted in advance.
This hands-on workshop is designed specifically for small business owners who want to harness the power of AI to streamline operations, improve customer service, and unlock new efficiencies. Whether you’re just starting out or ready to build your first automation, this session will guide you through practical applications of AI using real business data.
What You’ll Learn – From Concept to Practice
A quick recap of how large language models (LLMs) work, prompt logic, and the structure of Custom GPTs.
Live demonstration: building an advanced Custom GPT using uploaded documents and tailored instructions.
Understand how Custom GPTs simulate agent-like behaviour without added complexity.
Interactive GPT Building
Hands-on session: create or refine your own Custom GPT tailored to a real business task (e.g. customer support, HR, onboarding).
Receive live feedback and one-on-one troubleshooting to improve structure, tone, and retrieval logic.
AI Automations
Explore the automation platform Make.com and learn how to integrate AI into workflows using real data (emails, forms, documents).
Demo examples: trigger GPT actions from business emails or Google Sheets, extract and summarise documents, and log or email outputs.
Define automation use cases to develop further in Session 3.
Introducing Tools (MCP)
Learn about Model Context Protocols (MCPs) and how LLMs can now interact with external tools and services.
Demo: ask a natural language question → AI queries a live database or Google Sheet → structured output.
Begin mapping potential use cases for your business.
Outcome
By the end of this session, you’ll have built your first real-world GPT or automation flow and gained the skills to design AI processes that interact with your business data and documents in real time.
Who Should Attend
Small business owners
Entrepreneurs
Freelancers
Anyone curious about applying AI to real-world business tasks
What to Bring
A laptop
Sample documents or business scenarios you’d like to work on
Enthusiasm to explore and experiment!
Spaces are limited – reserve your spot today!
Meet the Trainer Giancarlo Erra is a seasoned tech-creative entrepreneur and business consultant with over 25 years of experience across multiple industries. As a professional touring musician, his unique background bridges the worlds of technology and creativity, giving him a distinctive edge in using innovative solutions to drive business growth and streamline operations. As a former developer and technical director, Giancarlo has led projects ranging from full?stack development and system administration to AI-driven applications, providing tailored consultancy to SMEs and startups. His extensive experience includes founding Promethean Box Ltd, an umbrella company including AI-driven startups like Tweetify It, a tool for generating personalised social media content, and Copyforge, which helps automate blog and article creation. As the founder of YourVault.AI, he is currently developing private AI solutions to help small and micro-businesses deploy AI models securely on their own data. A public speaker and mentor, he regularly organises AI Summits and hackathons, helping businesses and individuals easily adopt AI tools and focusing on practical applications that deliver real value
Registration at 9am, workshop starts at 9.15am. There will be a refreshments on arrival and mid-morning.
Eligibility: These small group in-person workshops are open to any trading business, freelancer, or charity based North Norfolk, Great Yarmouth, West Norfolk & King’s Lynn districts in Norfolk, UK. Norwich, Breckland, South Norfolk & Broadland please contact your district council for business support.
Our B2B exhibition brings together over 150 exhibitors and more than 1,000 attendees, celebrating the very best of Norfolk’s business community. Not only this, it brings together industry leaders, entrepreneurs and decision-makers.
As the same as previous years, our eat, chat, chill area is a breakout meeting area that offers free WiFi and comfortable seating. It is the perfect place for meetings, networking, or simply catching up on emails. We encourage everyone to use this space, whether you’re an attendee or exhibitor.
We still have exhibition space available to book, so if you are looking to showcase your business at this year’s event you can view available stands and book here or get in touch with our events manager, Shelley Rudling on shelley.rudling@norfolkchambers.co.uk
There is also plenty of free parking available at the Showground. On-site, we will have a variety of local food, coffee and refreshment vendors.
The venue has disabled access ramps which lead to the main venue hall.
This is a must-attend event, let’s celebrate the diverse business community here in Norfolk.