Now more than ever we need to support our teams in the workplace. They may be working from home, anxiously using public transport to get to work, or battling to soothe their childrens mental health, not to mention their own anxiety about what the future will bring.
When did you last invite everyone to get together and support them ? It’s crucial right now to offer a safe regular interactive space so that your team can hear some positive news and learn some simple techniques to enhance their wellbeing and general health.
From the benefits to massage, explaining the Menopause, diet and weightloss, stress managment and how to embrace change, we have a long list of key topics to offer in monthly capsules.
Sign up for a minimum of 6 months, choose your topics and we will do the rest.
Get in touch at www.wellbeinginternational.co.uk or phone us on 01379 677335.
Full fibre broadband connections offer the fastest and most reliable speeds available, and the Department of Digital, Culture Media and Sport has recently announced a UK-wide £67mGigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, which is open to Norfolk businesses and residents.
Gigabit vouchers can be used by small businesses and the local communities surrounding them to contribute to the installation cost of a gigabit capable connection. Businesses can claim up to £3,000 against the cost of connection, either individually or as part of a group project.
It is also possible for multiple businesses to pool their vouchers i.e. if there are 10 businesses on a business park and they all apply, that’s £30,000 towards the connection costs (for installation and other year 1 costs).
If you have a project that you are thinking about or an area of your business that you feel isnt secure enough do get in touch so we can help take at least one trouble off your mind. We specialise in CCTV, Fire Detection, Intruder Alarms & Access Control.
Established in 1989, Dragon Security Systems supplies and installs the very latest electronic safety & security systems in Norfolk, Suffolk and the surrounding areas for a wide variety of clients including domestic, public and commercial.
We specialise in the design and installation of systems to suit any budget, and our work always comes with an extended and lifetime warranty. Our qualified engineers are available on a 24/7 basis to carry out emergency attendance and repairs; this service is also available for systems previously installed by others. As part of our complete service package, our team can also carry out preventative maintenance checks.
Ashtons Legal has appointed Sheila Small as a commercial property partner in the firm taking the total number of partners to 36. She is joined by a further 350 staff across East Anglia and Leeds. It is the firm’s second partner appointment in three months – Andrew Skuse joined the residential property team in August.
Sheila specialises in strategic land and development work. Sheila has moved to Ashtons from her role as in-house counsel for a land promoter and developer in the east of England. Her background and experience gives her considerable insight into the full spectrum of work involved in both commercial and residential development schemes, from initial scoping and viability prior to land acquisition through to planning, delivery and disposal. She also has experience of large-scale infrastructure projects, predominantly in the health and education sectors, which together with her knowledge of development work will prove invaluable to Ashtons’ existing client base.
Sheila says: “I am really pleased to have joined Ashtons Legal’s thriving commercial property team in Cambridge. The team has a great reputation, good feedback from legal guides Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners and I am looking forward to working with such a dynamic and progressive team of lawyers”.
Sheila adds: “My previous experience has given me the opportunity to look at legal implications from a different perspective and I am excited to be able to share my insights into development work and the local and regional property markets with a broad range of clients”.
Edward O’Rourke, CEO at Ashtons says: “Sheila’s appointment enables us to strengthen further our property presence in the Cambridgeshire area. I am delighted that in these tough times we are stable and strong and able to attract new talent to the firm”.
The Norwich and Norfolk Eco Awards celebrate projects and schemes with a strong ecological or environmentally-friendly ethos, or groups and organisations which can show they adopt a sound eco approach to their business.
The awards recognise local unsung environmental heroes, who put the environment at the heart of their work. It’s free to enter and easy to apply, open now for applications until 1 December 2017.
All category winners will receive a trophy and certificate, as well as permission to use Eco Awards branding for marketing purposes.
The winner of the primary school category will also receive brand new tablet devices for their school.
The awards are hosted jointly by Norwich City Council and Norfolk County Council.
Vote for your eco hero To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the awards, we’re giving you the chance to nominate someone (or yourself) for a new Eco Hero category. The winning eco hero should be able to demonstrate a passion for protecting or improving the environment. Our judges will shortlist four potential eco heroes in December, and there will be a public vote throughout January to choose the winner. So the nominees will have plenty time to drum up lots of support and get as many votes as they can.
Break charity launches Coffee Break van during lockdown, offering real work experience to young care leavers
Working on the van has given Jack Nicholls, 21, new hope. Jack shares his story this Care Leavers Week (26th October – 1st November)
A mobile coffee van business, launched by charity Break in September 2020, is giving young care leavers the chance to gain real work experience and new skills to improve their employment prospects.
The Coffee Break project supports young people aged 18 and over after they have left the care system and are living independently. By helping them acquire new skills, it aims to boost their confidence and help them secure paid employment; enabling them to go on to live fulfilling, independent lives.
An idea developed by Break, a leading children’s charity in East Anglia, the mobile coffee van is currently based in Norwich two days a week, serving hot and cold drinks, sweet and savoury snacks. The van is staffed and managed entirely by young care leavers with guidance from trained barista and project manager Joe Walden.
One of the young people who has been instrumental in launching and running the initiative is Jack Nicholls, 21, from King’s Lynn.
After living in care for most of his teenage years, Jack moved to his own flat in 2017 and has received ongoing support from Break’s Moving On Team. In recent times, his confidence and self-belief had suffered after a series of bad job experiences. But after joining the Coffee Break team and with the additional support of Joe Walden Enterprise and Youth Development Lead at Break, or the ‘the coffee van man’ as he’s affectionately nicknamed, Jack has broken this cycle, discovering newfound confidence and a sense of purpose.
Joe Walden Enterprise and Youth Development Lead from Break explains; “The world of work can seem scary and daunting for any 18 year old, but for someone leaving the care system, with no family support around them, it comes with lots of extra challenges. The Coffee Break van means young care leavers can discover what they’re really capable of, by engaging them in ‘real’ work, offering training opportunities and the chance to learn new skills which they can take with them for life, all offered in a safe space. If someone is late for work, or they make a mistake, we address it and we help them learn from it without destroying their confidence. It’s all carried out in a supportive way, without the fear of potentially losing that job.”
Jack and a team of five other young people aged between 17 and 21 have kickstarted the project. Mentored by Joe, they created a business plan, sourced suppliers, created the branding, designed the layout of the van and considered all the health and safety implications of launching a mobile catering business. They have also completed barista and food hygiene training; skills and qualifications that can help them find work in the future.
Joe adds; “The Coffee Break van is not just about serving lattes. Our young people have gained real business skills that will benefit them for life. Last summer, they joined forces with the UEA Business School to devise a business plan, assessing the project’s viability and costing it all up. They drew up a bid for funding and presented their case to the Break board of trustees and corporate supporters. In July, the funding was approved and by the end of August everything was set up and ready to go. These young people have essentially launched a business. Something many of them thought they would never achieve. And it’s all been done during a global pandemic.”
Part of its Staying Connected services, Break aims to roll out the Coffee Break project to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough too where the charity it also continues to offer support to care leavers after the age of 18, and for as long as they need it. There are also plans to start a small-scale coffee roastery in Norfolk, supplying the van as well as Break’s charity shops.
Break’s Coffee Break van is available to hire. If you’d like to book it for your office or organisation, please contact coffee@break-charity.org
Help us to build back better after the pandemic – that’s the message from Norfolk County Council’s leader to the Chancellor.
Council leader Councillor Andrew Proctor has written to Rishi Sunak, ahead of the comprehensive spending review later this month.
The letter says:
Dear Rishi
Thanks for all your support over the last few months, which has helped us to protect and support our communities during the first phase of the pandemic. I also welcome your economic measures, including the extension of the furlough scheme and additional help to the self-employed.
In the current circumstances, I appreciate why you are planning a one-year comprehensive spending review this year, but you know that we need far more certainty for our long-term funding especially for all aspects of adult social care. Recognising, but remaining concerned, that longer term solutions to adult social care and children’s social care funding have been delayed, we need additional, one-year support to cope with the spike in demand that followed the initial lockdown phase and which is currently moving through our system.
I know that Northern colleagues have spoken up for additional resources – but it’s important not to forget the East, which is a net economic contributor and, therefore, making a positive return on your investment.
Economic support and recovery will rightly be a key focus of your plans for the next year. I am keen to see opportunities where we can work together to support the skills agenda and accelerate our infrastructure projects – whether roads or broadband – which will revitalise the economy and offer hope to the thousands who are already losing their existing jobs.
I am sure you realise that support for social recovery is equally vital. Councils have played a key role in supporting the thousands of additional people who came forward for help during the first wave in Norfolk and this new level of need is not going to subside quickly.
Continued hardship funding will be required for those who, by no fault of their own, have lost their jobs, seen their earnings plummet or their businesses, especially small businesses, decimated. This funding should be channelled through councils as the most effective way of supporting our communities.
I would also welcome a marker about future intentions. A commitment now that next year’s comprehensive spending review will finally address the issue of sustainable long-term funding. We continue to support our vulnerable residents such as adults with disabilities and poor mental health, but our resources are finite without having to raise taxes disproportionately and so that certainty would be appreciated by all councils.
With the right blend of investment in social care and community support, economic recovery and infrastructure, Norfolk can help you to build back better and ensure there is a positive legacy from this traumatic pandemic.
I would be very happy to speak to you about more detailed examples of where, with appropriate support from Government, we can work together and deliver on our shared objectives of economic and social recovery.
People Management and Development disruptor Human Capital Department offer a recruitment service which is different to what is typically offered by recruitment and employment agencies…
“Our pricing model is different – rather than charging 10% or 15% of starting salary we charge a Fixed Fee of £995 for each recruitment assignment” said Peter Lawrence, Director of Human Capital Department.
The quality of service we provide is also assured – we are a member of the Chamber of Commerce and our consultants are individual members of the Chartered Insitute of Personnel and Development [CIPD], which is our quality mark and means we are qualified to guide employers to ensure that they adhere to rules and regulations and apply best practice recruitment and selection processes and procedures.
We go the extra mile, as well as conducting the initial pre-screening interviews and providing a short-list of suitable candidates, we can sit in on recruitment interviews if required, and can take up references to complete the process.
Once you have the right person on board we can also advise on Induction and Performance Management ensuring things go smoothly from day one.
Bringing the love of the countryside into the home, Norwich Sunblinds are launching their own Norfolk fabric designs.
Over many years spent visiting local homes and helping customers choose the fabrics for their handmade blinds, Norwich Sunblinds have a very good idea of what people want.
After listening to their customers, and noticing in particular that a lot of customers had poppy designs on their kitchenware, they decided to create their own designs.
Talented local artist, Mandy Clarke, has designed the fabrics, which are available immediately as a limited edition print.
The design is printed onto the fabric and can then be made into bespoke blinds. The fabric is water resistant and wipeable, which makes it ideal for kitchen windows.
There will be only 100 of each blind, and the lucky owners will receive a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist.
Fiona Garwood, Director of Norwich Sunblinds says:
“We wanted some cheerful floral countryside-type fabrics, which would sit well on kitchen windows, and particularly wanted a poppy design, as lots of clients have poppy designs on their mugs and dinner plates.
The bramble fabric has some beautiful colours that will blend in with lots of colour-schemes. These clever designs bring the outside in on a dull winters day.”
The fabric designs are exclusive to Norwich Sunblinds and will be launched at the Chamber B2B exhibition in Norwich on Thursday 12th October.
If you get to the stand early enough you will have the chance to grab a £50 off voucher! This voucher can be used when you order any blinds, curtains or shutters worth over £150.
Georgina Postlethwaite, Sales and Marketing Manager at Maids Head Hotel Norwich is happy to say that the hotel is remaining open for businesses workers.
‘We made the decision to stay open to support local organisations and we will be offering business guests room service of breakfast and dinner. We look forward to welcoming our leisure guests back from 3rd December’.
Following the latest Government guidelines, we are delighted to announce that to support local businesses we will be staying open to provide accommodation to those who are travelling for work related purposes. We are able to provide room service of both breakfast and dinner.We very much hope to be able to reopen our doors for leisure guests from Thursday, 3rd December and we are taking bookings, so please just click on the Book Now buttonRest assured we have followed the Government guidelines and put into place all the recommended COVID-19 secure measures to provide you with that all important peace of mind.We are proud to announce that we have been awarded the We’re Good to Go Industry Standard mark which means that we have followed Government and Industry COVID-19 measures and we have a Risk Assessment in place and processes to maintain cleanliness and aid social distancing. See our risk assessment here Hotel Risk Assessment.
Below is a quick walk through of all the good practice we have introduced to provide our guests with that all important reassurance:
In and out routes of the Hotel and managing the flow of guests
Automatic entrance doors (arriving soon)
A thermal imaging camera to check the temperature of all guests and staff
An App to download for ease of check in and check out
Infra red hand sanitisers available at all entrances and throughout the Hotel
Meticulous deep cleansing plans in place for ALL areas of the hotel
Health and safety champions appointed in each department
Branded masks for staff to wear
Work place assessments written and available on request for all areas of the hotel
Electrostatic cleaning system purchased to deep cleanse all rooms and public areas every day, bedroom doors “sealed” after cleaning
Thoughtful social distancing measures throughout the Hotel and WinePress Restaurant
Running maps and Norwich maps to be able to go and explore the outdoors
Flexible cancellation terms
If you would like to discuss this with a member of the team then please give us a call on 01603 209955, or email reservations@maidsheadhotel.co.uk. We are offering flexible cancellation terms and we will of course continue to take direction from the Government.
Our AA 2 Rosette WinePress Restaurant and Bar sadly will not be open but we will be able to provide a “knock and drop” service of both breakfast and our casual dining menu for guests to be able to dine in their own rooms. Please note that following Government guidelines face masks are also now mandatory, kindly wear your face covering when entering or exiting, and whilst moving around our hotel. .
We look forward to hopefully having the opportunity to welcome you soon.
In what has been a very challenging year for so many businesses, Credo is delighted that it’s work to support a wide range of companies and SMEs has seen them land a prestigious national award.
With the current covid restrictions, the awards ceremony was switched from its usual glamorous location in central London to being held online, but for the Credo team this hasn’t taken any of the gloss from being named Broker of the Year over some very strong competition.
Credo MD Ian Tims commented “I am absolutely delighted that Credo have won this prestigious award, and it is testament to the hard work of our team to ensure we are offering the best advice and service to our customers”.
Credo Asset Finance is in it’s 20th year of trading and at the heart of this has been a real focus on customer service and listening to the needs of our clients. This has led directly to the development of a range of unique products and access to a wide-ranging portfolio of lenders which ensures we can tailor a finance solution whatever the individual or businesses circumstances.
“It was also important that we expanded our digital footprint to better meet the needs of tech-savvy individuals, and to ensure that our customers can communicate with us through which ever channel they prefer to use – be that in person, over the phone, or digitally” explained Ian.
We are saddened that our Founder, Simon Gray, who passed away in September from a short battle with cancer is not here to celebrate with us, but we honour him with this award and will carry on his legacy to help many more businesses secure the funding they need to succeed and grow.