Leanne Castle and John Clarke of MENTA are looking forward to welcoming business owners to Coffee Means Business on Tuesday 21st May which is being hosted at the Hawk and Owl Trust near Fakenham.
Host, Leanne Castle comments, “I’m sure it will be a useful morning for businesses to make new contacts over coffee and pastries. Reserve Warden, Nigel Middleton will give an informative talk about the work of the Trust.”
Delegates will be invited at the end of Coffee Means Business to take a short, guided stroll round the reserve and during the morning live streaming from nesting boxes will be on view.
Coffee Means Business is open to all business people to attend, there are no membership of joining fees, just £5pp payable on arrival. The morning starts at 9.30am and finishes at 11.30am.
For further information visit www.menta.org.uk and go to the networking and events tab
Prasanth Ganguly expands his practice to cover Milton Keynes and Newport Pagnell
The Mayor of Newport Pagnell, Paul Day, joined Prasanth Ganguly on 15th May to celebrate the official opening of a new TaxAssist Accountants shop on 78 High Street, with a party for the local business community.
Prasanth set up TaxAssist Accountants in Milton Keynes in December 2015 and has enjoyed steady growth over the past three and a half years, looking after 275 small businesses in the area.
In response to increasing demand from existing small firms and new businesses starting up, Prasanth decided the time was right to open his second shop in Newport Pagnell.
“I’ve been on the lookout for highly visible, shopfront premises for some time and the High Street is the perfect location,” said Prasanth.
“The opening event gave us an excellent opportunity to thank our clients, as well as meet other businesses and our neighbours in Newport Pagnell, so they can see what we can do for them. We were delighted that the Mayor, Paul Day, kindly agreed to cut the ribbon and declare our fantastic new shop officially open.”
Prasanth, who has a background in engineering and finance joined TaxAssist Accountants after 26 years spent working for large global companies at a senior level.
He was however no stranger to franchising, as he was actively involved in helping his wife set up a tuition franchise, before being inspired to set up his own franchise operation.
“Though I enjoyed my career, my experience in project finance and personal involvement in taxation, along with a desire to be self-employed, brought me closer to TaxAssist Accountants. After attending a discovery day, meeting the team and getting to know the wider successful family out there, I was totally convinced that the opportunity was right for me.”
If you would like to find out more about joining the TaxAssist Accountants network, please give Nikki Haythorne a call on 0800 0188297. The next step is to attend a discovery day at the Support Centre in Norwich.
A special event showcasing how Norwich Airport is becoming more dementia friendly is being held on Friday, May 24th in support of Dementia Action Week.
As part of the airport’s commitment to supporting people with hidden disabilities, it will be hosting the information event alongside Age UK Norwich, the Alzheimer’s Society and Home Instead Senior Care.
For someone with dementia, travelling through an airport can be a frightening experience, something Norwich Airport, a member of Norwich Dementia Action Alliance (DAA), is working hard to change.
In partnership with other DAA members, the airport has developed innovative tools like a video walk-through so people with dementia and their carers know what to expect.
They are also encouraged to visit the airport before their day of travel so they can rehearse with staff exactly what will happen. Other changes have included improved signage, flooring and allowing more time for check-in.
Local people are invited to visit Norwich Airport on May 24th to see what it is doing to become more dementia friendly, and get information about dementia and support available to people later in life.
Jamie Price, Norwich Airport Security Manager, said: “We know that for some people with dementia, visiting public places such as an airport can be an overwhelming experience.
“Thanks to expert advice we have made a few simple changes to improve that experience for people with dementia and their families and we hope it will give them the confidence to visit the airport.
“Our mission is to make sure that those living with hidden disabilities and their families have the opportunity to enjoy their journey through our airport and receive all the help and support they need.
“We are committed to Norwich Airport being a dementia-friendly environment and are proud to be taking part in the information event. We encourage as many people as possible to come along on the day.”
Mark Johnston, from Home Instead Senior Care, said: “Almost all of us know someone affected by dementia and so we all have a reason to take action and learn more about it. When it comes to fighting dementia, awareness is key and we are passionate about supporting people to live well with dementia.”
Pure Resourcing Solutions (Pure) was recognised at the recent 2014 FDs’ Excellence Awards, held on 1 May. The awards, sponsored by the ICAEW, saw Pure shortlisted for the third consecutive year for the prestigious Recruitment Firm of the Year Award. Pure were thrilled to be acknowledged once again for the award.
The prestigious event saw Tim Score from ARM Holdings in Cambridge accept the well-regarded FTSE 100 FD of the Year award. Also, Joe Lister from UNITE group took home FTSE 250 FD of the Year.
Established by Real Business and supported by the CBI, the FDs’ Excellence Awards recognise finance directors and service providers that support Britain’s finance community using the results of a survey, in which UK finance directors and financial decision-makers recorded their opinion.
Ian Walters, Managing Director of Pure, said “It is such an honour for us to be recognised on a national basis. Although we are based in the East of England, our exceptional reputation as a first class recruitment consultancy firm has ensured that we were considered alongside larger, nation-wide companies.
Ian adds, “Although we may not have taken home the award this year, we continue to be inspired to develop Pure to provide our clients and candidates with excellent customer service and specialist regional recruitment knowledge.”
Pure was judged, alongside other shortlisted companies, on criteria including business knowledge, innovation and quality of advice. The firm continues to enhance its expertise and develop new and relevant initiatives such as the Best Employers Eastern Region, Women’s Leadership Programme, auto-enrolment seminars and senior finance forums which add value for our broad range of clients.
To find out more about Pure’s professional recruitment services, contact Anna Hill, Marketing Manager, on: 01223 209888 or Anna.Hill@prs.uk.com.
Team Hatch Brenner Solicitors will once again be joining judiciary, law firms, chambers, government departments, and in-house legal teams from around the city to complete the 10k Norwich Legal Walk on Thursday 6 June, raising money for free legal advice charities in Norwich and the Eastern region.
The walkers are all fundraising to help improve access to justice for those most in need.
The Eastern Legal Support Trust (“ELST”) is coordinating the walk. As part of a network of Legal Support Trusts, working with the Access to Justice Foundation, ELST support the provision of specialist legal advice through law centres, advice agencies and other free legal advice organisations. They do this by providing the organisations, on application, with grant funding.
The Access to Justice Foundation are hoping to raise an overall total of £5,000 from the Norwich walk.
Dawn Parkes, Hatch Brenner Managing Partner commented: “The Norwich Legal Walk is always a great event and a good opportunity to support the poorest and most vulnerable people in our community, for whom access to justice can be out of reach. We are pleased to once again support ELST and will also be pledging 50% of the money raised to our charity partner MAP, the Mancroft Advice Project. Both ELST and MAP provide vital support to vulnerable people in Norwich and beyond.”
The Eastern Legal Support Trust added: “The Norwich Legal Walk helps support families living in terrible housing conditions; people who have been unfairly dismissed or who are discriminated against at work; elderly people who need support to stay living independently; people who suffer disability or illness and their carers; and women and children who have been trafficked to the UK to become domestic or sex slaves.
“The need for free legal advice centres has grown in the past few years. The recession has increased poverty and reduced support services. Meanwhile funding for the advice centres themselves has reduced. We simply can’t overcome the effects of the huge reduction in government and local authority funding over the past few years. What we can do is to ensure that many of the people most in need get help who would otherwise have been denied.”
The walkers will set off from the Forum at 5.30pm on Thursday 6 June.
To donate, please visit the Hatch Brenner fundraising page at:
The Rt Hon Norman Lamb MP joined Mental Health First Aiders from Flagship Group as the company marked Mental Health Awareness Week.
The North Norfolk MP, a passionate mental health campaigner, heard first-hand from some of Flagship’s qualified Mental Health First Aiders about the impact the training has had in supporting others. The housing provider has 75 trained Mental Health First Aiders and 100 people on the waiting list to receive the training.
The MP, a former Minister of State for Health, also found out how the company is embedding mental health support to improve wellbeing, including through bitesize workshops, a wellbeing forum, awareness sessions, and a confidential contact point for employees to use.
Mr Lamb talked to Flagship staff reaffirming that ‘mental health shouldn’t be inferior to physical health.’ He also explained the importance of leadership in supporting mental health in the workplace. The MP also spoke about the importance of opening up, commenting that ‘the fear of sharing and also coping with mental health can be overbearing’.
Norman Lamb commented: “It is so encouraging to see that Flagship has a culture where people can come forward and get help.
“Organisations should do more to support their staff, it is enlightened self-interest for business to focus on the wellbeing of people as Flagship is both in individual and the organisation benefits. It’s the right thing to do.”
The visit was the culmination of a week of events which also saw ex-Norwich City and Bordeaux footballer Cedric Anselin give a moving talk about his own experiences with mental health.
Cedric, who at the height of his career played against teams such as AC Milan, talked about how he felt when his football career faltered, and that subsequently, he struggled with his own mental health.
Cedric also shared how he hid his mental ill health before hitting his lowest point and reaching out to fellow former footballer Clarke Carlisle. Now, manager of Norwich United FC Cedric has taken the decision to talk openly and told the room that his experiences ‘make me the person I am today’ and ‘we must educate ourselves to care about each other.’
He said: “I’m so humble to share my story and to encourage others to open up about mental health during Mental Health Awareness Week.
“It is magnificent of Flagship to promote mental health in the workplace and I think other companies should take this as an example, helping and educating each other it’s ok, to not be ok.”
Throughout the week, staff also tried their hand at Laughing Yoga and Meditation sessions, providing people with the opportunity to try out some practical techniques to support wellbeing. And, teams from across the group had the chance to play on the pitch at Carrow Road in a football tournament which helped to promote physical wellbeing.
David McQuade, Chief Executive said: “We are creating a stigma-free workplace, where we can have open and honest conversations about mental health, where our people can access support, and where wellbeing is promoted.
“We were delighted to meet with Mr Lamb to discuss the importance of mental health in the workplace, and share with him what we are doing. It was also a privilege to hear Cedric Anselin talk so openly and honestly about his own struggles with mental health.
“We have marked Mental Health Awareness Week with some thought-provoking and interesting activities but for us it doesn’t stop here and we will continue to make sure that Flagship is a place where mental health is supported.”
Larking Gowen is pleased to announce its role as sell-side
advisor to Dynamic Fluid Solutions Limited (DFS) in its successful acquisition
by Vestum AB (publ), a Swedish-based group specialising in infrastructure
services and products.
DFS, headquartered in Suffolk, is a leading UK supplier of
industrial pump and pipework systems, primarily serving the water and
wastewater sectors. DFS will now form part of Vestum’s Flow Technology segment.
With a strong reputation for bespoke pumping solutions and a
high proportion of recurring rental revenue, DFS has become a trusted partner
across a wide range of industries requiring water movement solutions.
The acquisition marks a strategic expansion for Vestum into
the UK market, positioning the group to benefit from significant upcoming
infrastructure investments, including the UK’s AMP8 water investment programme
and the development of Sizewell C nuclear power station.
Larking Gowen prepared the confidential sales documentation,
financial model and acted as lead advisor on negotiations as well as supporting
throughout the due diligence process.
“We are delighted to have advised the shareholders of DFS
on this landmark transaction” said Jack Minns, Corporate Transactions
Partner at Larking Gowen “The deal reflects the strength of DFS’s market
position and the strategic value it brings to Vestum’s Flow Technology segment.
It has been a pleasure working with the team at DFS and we wish them continued
success as part of the Vestum group.”
Larking Gowen worked closely with Prettys Solicitors, based
in Ipswich, who provided legal advisory services to the shareholders of DFS
throughout the transaction.
“It was a pleasure to work alongside Larking Gowen on
this transaction, supporting the shareholders of DFS through the legal aspects
of the sale” remarked Daniel Bilson, a Partner at Prettys Solicitors “The
collaborative approach between our teams ensured a smooth and efficient
process, and we’re delighted to have played a part in helping DFS take this
exciting next step.”
Ben Buckmaster and Luke Steward from Dynamic Fluid Solutions
Limited added,“We’d like to express our sincere
thanks to the Prettys team, led by Dan, and Larking Gowen’s Corporate Finance
team, led by Jack, for their outstanding support throughout the sale of our
business. Both teams were not only highly professional and knowledgeable, but
also a real pleasure to work with.
They guided us through the process with clarity and calm,
while helping to build a positive and constructive relationship with the buyer.
The teams dovetailed extremely well, working seamlessly together to make the
transaction as smooth and efficient as possible. Their dedication,
responsiveness, and commitment to achieving the best outcome for us were
evident throughout.
We would absolutely work with them again in the future,
and couldn’t recommend them more highly to any business going through the sale
process.”
This deal underscores Larking Gowen’s continued commitment
to supporting ambitious businesses in the industrial and infrastructure
sectors, delivering expert advisory services across the full lifecycle of
corporate transactions.
Following an employee satisfaction survey carried out by independent research agency WorkBuzz, TaxAssist Accountants has been named as a ‘5 Star Employer’.
To celebrate TaxAssist’s achievement, staff were invited to a special presentation event over lunch, which saw Karl Sandall, Group Chief Executive Director, receive the award certificate from Steven Frost, CEO of WorkBuzz.
“We are delighted with the results of this survey. We are above benchmark compared to businesses of a similar size and industry, so this is quite an achievement,” said Karl.
“We recognise just how important it is to have happy, engaged and experienced Support Centre staff in Norwich at the heart of our organisation.
This in turn benefits new and existing franchisees who can feel reassured they are being well looked after by a stable support team.
“As part of the survey, WorkBuzz created a ‘word cloud’ derived from asking what three words staff would use to describe the TaxAssist Accountants culture. Again, we are delighted with the response to this question and, in particular, seeing words such as friendly, caring, progressive, family and supportive.” The biggest challenge facing many organisations is recruiting and retaining the best talent. With the UK’s ever-changing job market, the expectations of employees are rising – they have faster career progression expectations and demand instant change based on their feedback. The WorkBuzz 5 Star Employer Award was launched to overcome these challenges and recognise employers of choice.
What makes gaining WorkBuzz 5 Star Employer status unique, is it is based on feedback from thousands of employees, who complete regular, confidential Engagement Surveys.
Steven Frost said: “For several years, we’ve been helping leading organisations gather feedback from their employees, improve employee engagement and reduce staff turnover. Through the WorkBuzz 5 Star Employer awards, we will now be able to recognise employers who are truly leading employee engagement to improve the working lived of their people.”
If you are interested in finding out more about joining the TaxAssist Accountants network of franchisees, please call Nikki Haythorne on 0800 018829. We look forward to hearing from you.
The first ever World Food Safety Day will be celebrated on 7th June 2019 to draw attention and inspire action to help, prevent, detect and manage food borne risks and so contributing to food security, human health, economic prosperity, tourism and sustainable development. It is a joint initiative between the World Health Organisation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
Any food safety incident is one too many, it affects the health of consumers as well as the food trade.
The United Kingdom Food Standards Agency is promoting World Food Safety Day and raising awareness of the food withdrawal and recall system that exists in the UK.
The Grand Norwich Duck Race has grown into one of the biggest events of the summer calendar for Break, as well as Norwich, raising £87k to date to #changeyounglives with a much-loved local charity. The event this coming year will be held on bank holiday Sunday, the 25 August, in conjunction with the Ribs of Beef, Broads Authority and Norfolk SUP Company. Ducks are launched from St Georges Bridge and race to Fye Bridge (Ribs of Beef) – the winner of the corporate race gets the Crystal Duck Trophy! As a Norfolk Chambers of Commerce Member, we are offering you the EXCLUSIVE chance to own a duck for just £90 – a saving of 10% on the normal £100. For this, you get a large 32cm duck along with acrylic paints and then you can create your own #ducktransformation – corporate logos on, or feathers and fur – it’s all up to you. It represents a small part of your marketing budget for the year, plus a charity donation, all in all adding up to a great way to join in on a hugely fun event and support Break. You can see ideas on ducks and decoration by looking back at 2018 ducks here. Following the race the ducks get preened ready for the #GNDR19 Auction at the Maids Head on Thursday 5 September where there is an opportunity for you to re-enter the duck next year if you buy him/her back. “I gained more twitter followers and interaction with my duck than ever before as part of the Grand Norwich Duck Race” Keith, Select Planning. We then ask you to join our quacking crew on twitter @norwichduckrace . . . gone are the days of tweeting into the abys – now you have a group of like minded local companies and individuals to tweet to and meet at our regular events and get togethers. We already have a ‘Tweet-Up’ arranged for Thursday 15 August at the Ribs of Beef, a lovely social where we can put faces to twitter handles! To book your duck today please click here.
Fakenham residents have clubbed together with a locally based wildlife charity to buy a significant wildlife site just a stone’s throw from the centre of the town, protecting it against the danger of development.
Protecting the land began 5 years ago with the purchase of neighbouring meadows, but this latest purchase completes the conservation jigsaw in the area. Star Meadow has been bought by a number of local residents in collaboration with Hawk and Owl Trust, a national wildlife conservation charity that has its headquarters based at nearby Sculthorpe.
The meadow is on the west side of town behind the Tesco superstore and is part of an area of meadows just off of Gogg’s Mill Road and, on 22 May, some of those who donated funds were able to explore the area they have helped to secure.
The whole area, once known as Back Common, is along the old course of the River Wensum before it was canalised and the river moved to its current course. With a rich history, but never having been ploughed, these meadows represent a rare link with natural habitats and will revert to wild flower meadows relatively quickly with the reintroduction of careful grazing and habitat management.
Fakenham resident Robin Parker (74) bought the neighbouring fields – known as Edmundson’s Acres – in 2014 and, with the help of Hawk and Owl Trust, is already turning these into a nature reserve with special emphasis on wildflowers and invertebrates.
Star Meadow will be added to the area being conserved which already consists of a Site of Scientific Interest and a Norfolk Wildlife Trust County Wildlife Site, and all lie within a Special Area of Conservation and will help provide a link between the Hawk and Owl Trust’s Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve and Norfolk Ornithologists’ Association’s Hempton Marsh to the west and Pensthorpe and Senowe Park to the east.
Star Meadow was previously owned by Tesco, who had hoped to develop the land but as access was difficult the meadow had been left. Robin saw the opportunity to buy the land and immediately set about investigating ways to raise the funding to ensure that the land was removed from the danger of further town development and save the orchids, Bog Bean and Ragged Robin (all scarce wild flowers) that could be found growing there. Barn Owls, Tawny Owls and Otters are frequently seen and the meadow is a site for the rare Desmoulin’s Whorled Snail.
Robin approached the Operational Director Adrian Blumfield at the Sculthorpe Moor Hawk and Owl Trust Nature Reserve who was keen to help.
As the Trust already work with Robin – who is also one of the volunteers at the Trust’s Sculthorpe reserve – on Edmundson’s Acres it was an obvious collaboration, but Robin also galvanised other Fakenham residents who were equally keen to preserve the area and prevent it being developed.
The Trust used its management expertise and through the lengthy negotiations persuaded Tesco to sell the land. It is down to the generosity of Robin and eight other concerned residents and the Hawk and Owl Trust that the necessary funds to buy the land were raised and donated to the Trust.
Conservation management has already begun and, in the short term whilst the very wet site is being carefully and gently turned back into havens for wildlife access to the area will be via guided walks, which will be advertised in the town and at Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve
Robin Parker, said “Star Meadow is a wonderful place, joining up with Edmonson’s Acres in the important and beautiful River Wensum valley, and securing this place will enable us to protect this site for wildlife and the community for ever.”
Adrian Blumfield, Chief Operations Director of Hawk and Owl, said “This is a fantastic place in the centre of Fakenham, which many residents didn’t even know was here.
It will now take several years of conservation work to restore the land and we plan to engage with the residents and schools when we are able to offer activities. It is through Robin’s skills and the generosity of all the donors that has made this possible!”
Contact information – available for interviews.
Adrian Blumfield (Chief Operations Director, Hawk and Owl Trust) Office: 01328 850598 (8am to 4pm) Email: admin@hawkandowltrust.org.uk
Su Gough (Communications and PR Officer) Office: 01328 850 598 (direct dial) (8am to 4pm) Mobile: 07769 270994 (anytime) Email: su.gough@hawkandowltrust.org.uk
Businesses are being invited to tell the Department for International Trade (DIT) what they think about the UK’s proposed post-Brexit trade remedy measures.
Trade remedies are currently an EU competence, with investigations, decisions and monitoring of initiatives such as anti-dumping duties performed by the European Commission.
As part of its preparations for Brexit, the DIT is preparing an independent UK trade remedy framework to be implemented by a new mechanism to investigate cases and propose measures.
It is proposed that a new body should be created to investigate trade remedy cases and make recommendations on the basis of clear economic criteria.
The DIT points out that the EU currently has over 100 measures in place on imported products originating from 25 different non-EU countries (with China the main culprit).
Where those products are important to UK industry, the Government is intending to maintain existing trade remedy measures in order to provide certainty to businesses and to ensure continuity.
In order to develop appropriate safeguards, the DIT wants to identify UK businesses that produce goods currently subject to EU anti-dumping or anti-subsidy measures, or to an associated ongoing investigation.
The consultation seeks views from those businesses on whether they support, are neutral to, or oppose the UK maintaining existing measures under its independent trade remedy framework.
Any existing measure that does not receive an application to be maintained, or does not meet the required criteria, will end once the UK regime begins to operate. Further information about the consultation can be found at www.gov.uk.
The deadline for responses is midday on Friday 30 March 2018. Responses received after this time will not be considered.