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Every week we will be posting a ‘behind the scenes’ story of our furniture. It gives a short summary of how the furniture was inspired and creates a feel for the furniture.

Click on the link to view the Short Story

Age UK Norwich is calling on the community to lace up their walking shoes and make a difference this May by participating in their “Run or Walk 80k for Dementia Awareness” challenge. In celebration of their 80th anniversary, the charity aims to raise vital funds and awareness for dementia support services in Norwich.

Throughout May, participants are encouraged to walk or run a total of 80 kilometres, either individually or as part of a group. This can be achieved through daily walks, brisk park strolls, leisurely countryside hikes, or any combination that suits their fitness level. This challenge offers a perfect opportunity to step away from screens, breathe in the fresh air, and improve both physical and mental health while making a tangible difference in the lives of those affected by dementia.

The 80k target holds significant meaning, symbolising Age UK Norwich’s 80 years of dedicated support for adults over 50 in the region. The challenge directly addresses the critical issue of dementia, which affects thousands of individuals and families in Norwich.

“Having recently had a loved one diagnosed with dementia, I have seen first-hand the incredible work Age UK Norwich does to support those affected, both for the individual and their families.” says Age UK Norwich employee. “Since I joined the charity last April, I’ve seen the real difference our clubs and information services make. That’s why I’ll be running 80k in May – to ensure my grandma, and others like her, receive the vital support they deserve.”

Funds raised through the challenge will directly support Age UK Norwich’s crucial initiatives, such as:

• Dementia Support Clubs: Providing safe and supportive spaces for individuals living with dementia and their carers.
• Information and Advice: Offering guidance and resources on all aspects of dementia, from diagnosis to care options.

How to Participate:

1. Sign Up Today! Register for the Walk/Run 80k for Dementia challenge.
2. Begin Fundraising: Download the sponsorship form and create a JustGiving page at [Link to Sponsorship Form/JustGiving page]. Additional fundraising materials are available at [Link to Fundraising Materials].
3. Get Walking/Running! Track progress using a fitness app or the provided tracker.
4. Share Your Journey: Inspire others by sharing progress on social media using the hashtags #Walk80kForDementia and #TeamAUKN.
5. Celebrate Your Success! Upon completion, participants will receive a certificate of achievement.

“Every step you take makes a difference,” adds Dan Skipper, Chief Executive Officer at Age UK Norwich. “Join us in this important challenge and help us support those living with dementia in Norwich.”

Age UK Norwich encourages everyone to sign up today and contribute to this vital cause. Let’s walk 80k for dementia.

Sign up here: Walk 80k in May for Dementia Awareness

Roll up; roll up for cheaper fuel bills!

Norwich Big Switch and Save launched on the 21st January, the highly successful scheme will open for registration for eight weeks.

It is a simple idea. Get enough households to band together. Ask the energy companies for the best deal they can offer the group as a whole. And move, en masse, to the one provider with the lowest price It’s an easy way for people to engage in the energy market. You have a trusted third party (Norwich City Council) who’s actually doing all the leg work and making it simpler. They go out and carry out an auction and hopefully get the best possible price for the consumers involved During the first tranche, a total of 1,768 households signed up. Two thirds were offered a better deal than their current one, with the average saving being £165 for the year (the top saving was a whopping £500). It is estimated city homes saved approximately £54,000 as a result.

The website opened on the 21st January, all you need to do is provide basic information of yourself and your gas and electricity usage. So get your bills at hand and go to www.norwich.gov.uk and press the Big Switch and Save link

Norfolk Police and crime issues affecting the business community, January 2013 update:

Crime in Norfolk is falling, with 11.6% less crimes being recorded this year (for the period to the end of December 2012) compared with the same time last year. Current issues of concern in relation to business crime are:

• BROADLAND – Thefts of outboard motors – There has been a spate of marine crimes, with outboard motors being stolen from boats at a business premises in Brundall. Police are working to gather intelligence to identify possible offenders. Anyone with information is asked to contact Norfolk Police on 101. Boat owners are asked to follow simple measures to keep their boating equipment safe. This can be viewed here.

• SOUTH NORFOLK – Catalytic convertor thefts – 20 thefts of catalytic convertors have been reported in Norfolk this year, with nearly all occurring in the south of the county. A similar spate has been recorded in Suffolk. 4 x 4 vehicles have been targeted, with the majority of vehicles hit being Ford Rangers. Police will be striving to stop criminals carrying out these crimes by deploying Automatic Number Plate Recognition Intercept Teams (ANPRIT) teams on the main routes in and out of the affected areas and continue focussed crime reduction work in an effort to prevent further crimes.

Vehicle owners are advised to consider the use of additional locks and security to protect catalytic convertors. Full advice is available here.

• COUNTY – Thefts from motor vehicles – During the past month, a number of thefts from vans have been recorded, with a business premises being repeatedly targeted. Parts such as wheels and wing mirrors have been taken. Officers are carrying out targeted patrols in affected areas and reviewing intelligence in an attempt to locate offenders. Business owners are reminded to ensure that premises holding vehicles are kept secure and well lit, and to ensure that good CCTV systems are in place.

• COUNTY – New scheme to tackle fraud – Norfolk and Suffolk Police have joined a national scheme aimed at enhancing fraud investigations and improving the efficiency with which these investigations are carried out. From 14 January 2013, both forces started using Action Fraud – the UK’s national fraud reporting centre, which will act as a central point of contact for all information about fraud and financially-motivated internet crime. Full information is available here.

• Business Safety Reducing the risk of crimes against your business will help to support its long-term success. Security and crime prevention should be integral to any business plan, not just a reaction after the event. Norfolk Police can assist with advice on a number of methods to reduce business crime, what to do if a crime is committed against your business, and steps you can take to make sure that your business recovers as swiftly as possible from any criminal activity. More advice is available here. A DVD containing business safety advice is also available. To request a copy, contact Norfolk Police on 101 and ask to speak to your Crime Reduction Officer.

• Join Police Direct Police Direct is a high tech messaging service provided by Norfolk Police, which is designed to bring you up to date information about crime and policing issues in your area. We can send you information by email to your computer, by text to your mobile phone, or by leaving a message on your landline. To sign up for free, click here.

Ian Robotham, Associate in the dispute resolution team at Steeles Law reports on the latest development in the “Interest Rate Swap Scandal”.

Update

During the summer of 2012, Steeles Law reported on the outcome of the Financial Services Authority’s review of the conduct of banks when selling interest rate derivative products to SMEs (click here for a link to that article). In that article, we provided our comments and suggested that, in our opinion, loose ends had been left by the FSA.

It will shortly be revealed whether the FSA has attempted to address, and succeeded in tying up, those loose ends!

As regular readers of our articles will know, the FSA and major banking institutions reached an agreement in June 2012 whereby, amongst other things, the banks would provide redress to non-sophisticated customers to whom it sold Structured Collars and would review the sales to non-sophisticated customers of other interest-rate hedging products.

Whilst further progress of the agreement has been perceived by some as being too slow, to ensure that all customers in scope of the agreement with all the banks are treated fairly, the FSA has over the last few months required those banks to develop a methodology explaining how they propose to conduct the redress and review of past business.

In doing so, the FSA has required the relevant banks to conduct a pilot scheme involving a selection of each bank’s affected customers to assess each bank’s approach and ensure that it is delivering the right outcomes for customers. The FSA stated that it would be actively involved in reviewing the bank’s methodology and conduct of the pilot scheme, and would require changes where necessary.

It has recently been reported in the media that the outcome of the pilot scheme is due to be published on Thursday 31 January 2013.

Please refer back to our website for an update on the outcome of the pilot scheme and our comments as to how this will affect SMEs who have unfortunately found themselves embroiled in the “Interest Rate Swap Scandal”.

At Steeles Law we have acted and continue to act for a number of clients involved in disputes with banks including the mis-selling of complex financial products. If you or your business has entered into a hedging agreement, whether that agreement remains in place or not, we would like to hear from you. For a no obligation discussion about interest rate hedging products call us today.

If you require do require assistance please contact Ian Robotham.

It may be cold outside, but rest assured summer is coming…and the UEA is pleased to announce the launch of its new Summer Internship Programme.

With this programme you can secure a 2nd year UEA undergraduate to work with you full-time or part-time for between four and eight weeks during July and August.

The programme is currently offering a 40% subsidy on the cost of the student’s wage to SMEs; but availability is limited and the subsidies will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Internships are a proven way to get help with a project, launch a new initiative or even bridge the staffing gap over the summer holiday period. Typical activities include marketing, research, social media, IT, project management, events, PR, carbon reduction projects or lab support. Whatever you have in mind, get in touch and we can explore the possibilities.

UEA internships are also very easy to set up, with minimal paperwork, and support is available throughout the internship. You have no PAYE administration.

The deadline for submitting intern job specifications is Wednesday 6 February 2013. Don’t delay – get in touch and ask us for a template.

There is also an innovative networking and speed interview event on 11 and 12 March 2013, so save the date!

To find out more, visit www.uea.ac.uk/internships, email internship@uea.ac.uk, or call us on 01603 593917.

Norfolk based charity BUILD provides social, leisure and learning opportunities to young people and adults with disabilities, and has done so since 1967. To meet the challenges of changes in public sector funding, and a decrease in charitable income, it is planning a series of community based fundraising activities this year and is looking for commercial partners.

An opportunity exists for a partner to support a group of UEA Medical Students planning a five a side football match which will last for over 43 hours in September 2013 to re-write the Guinness World Record. Underlying sponsorship is required to fund the requirements (set by Guinness) to film the action, and fund referees and appropriately qualified time-keeper’s fees, as well as the welfare support systems required for such an endurance activity.

Sponsors will have the opportunity to be associated with the record attempt, the pre-event media launch and marketing activity, and the post event reception, as well as accessing BUILD’s employee shadowing programme which provides muitual staff development opportunities.

The sum of around £2,500 is being sought to underwrite the event, so that all money raised by the players and supporters can go directly to the charity, and its beneficiaries.

If you are interested in further discussions about this, or other opportunities for partnership working with BUILD Charity, please call the Chief Executive, James Kearns on 01603 618029 or e mail james.kearns@buildcharity.co.uk.

HM Revenue & Customs are introducing Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax from 6 April 2026. This will change the way sole-traders and landlords keep their records and report their income and expenses.

What is Making Tax Digital for income tax?

Digital records must be provided on a quarterly basis plus the usual year-end tax return.

For more information, take a look at our article: Making Tax Digital for Income Tax | Lovewell Blake

It’s the third week of ‘behind the scene’ of the furniture. This is Wymondham Collection inspiration, Enjoy!!

As The View from The Shard, the visitor attraction at the top of the tallest building in Western Europe opened to the public at 9am on Friday 1st February, the team at Norwich-based outsource contact centre, OpenContact, were in party mood as they joined in with the launch celebrations.

OpenContact were appointed to handle the telephone booking and customer service enquiries by The View from the Shard back in July 2012, and have been taking advance bookings since the building’s inauguration. Telephone enquiries have doubled month on month for the contact centre, and last week was the busiest yet, as publicity gained momentum in advance of Friday morning’s grand opening.

OpenContact’s Managing Director, Fiona Temple, said “All of our team have now visited The View from the Shard during January, which means they can now talk to customers in a knowledgeable and enthusiastic way, having experienced it for themselves.”

Tickets for the opening weekend – Friday 1st, Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd February – were sold out for the “multi-sensory experience to 244m (800ft) above one of the greatest cities on earth”. The view at level 69, offers unrivalled 360 degree views of London to a distance of 40 miles, and on level 72 there is an open-air platform where guests are exposed to the elements, and can experience the sounds of the city below.

OpenContact had a launch party for the team at their Roundtree Way headquarters in Norwich on Friday morning to celebrate the opening and to reward the hard work the team have put in to develop an excellent partnership with their client. Fiona said “We are extremely proud to be representing such an iconic attraction, and are delighted to be working in partnership with the team from The View, who see us as an extension of their organisation and an integral part of their operation. This is exactly what we always aim for in developing relationships with clients. It helps guarantee success, with customers receiving the high quality service they expect from our clients’ brands.”

The upturn in business from The View from the Shard comes just as OpenContact acquire 3 new Norwich-based virtual receptionist clients for whom they provide a message taking service, as well as commencing work for a holiday park based in Devon. Welcome Family Holiday Park appointed OpenContact to handle their booking and customer service calls from the beginning of January, resulting in a bumper start to the new year. Fiona goes on to say “This has been a very strong start to 2013, and with some very exciting prospects in the pipeline, I’m very confident we are going to have a great year, creating more jobs and moving forward with our technology investment programme.”

The finalists of the Great Yarmouth Spirit of Enterprise Awardshave beenofficially announced and we are very excited to share with you that we have been short listed for Great Business to Business Service Award.

The Great Business to Business Service Award has been sponsored by Bateman Groundworks Ltd. It is open to businesses that can demonstrate exceptionally high standards of service or have implemented working practices to improve their service to other businesses that has resulted in consistently strong sales and exports. The award is for businesses that can demonstrate that they have identified areas of weakness and then worked to improve these areas; or that they have consistently promoted a culture or approach that promotes excellent service.

Commenting on the news Matt Buck, Head of Customer Experience said “It was fantastic to learn that we are finalists in the category of Great Business to Business Customer Service in the Spirit of Enterprise Awards. Awards are so much more than a decoration for the company mantle-piece! Amongst many benefits, they are an independent approval for the hard work of an organisation and it’s people; they serve as a marker of what we expect of our organisation, and what others can expect of us; they boost the spirit of the team delivering the award winning performance and spur the team to achieve more.

“Our investment and work within the realm of customer service has been extensive and is not about to stop, with some important projects underway in 2013 that we hope to be able to announce shortly. We obviously hope to win the award category overall, but ultimately the most important thing is that we continue to strive to place great service at the heart of our organisation.

“The judges for the category are from a very successful business working with large public and private sector clients. They absolutely know what great business to business customer service means and winning the award would therefore be a fantastic recognition of our efforts. Fingers crossed please!”

There are two further finalists for this category including Albies Taxis and Prevent Fire Limited.

About the awards

Now in its sixth year the prestigious awards ceremony takes place on 15th March 2013 at The Zest Rooms, Potters Leisure Resort.

The Awards evening is a high-profile celebration of all that’s outstanding in business and enterprise in the Borough of Great Yarmouth, focusing on and recognising the achievements through innovation, entrepreneurial thinking and sheer determination of businesses of all sizes and from every sector.

The official award supplement will be published in the Great Yarmouth Mercury on 1st March 2013.

For more info visit https://www.soea.co.uk/index.php or look for #SOEA on twitter.