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A local firm of independent financial advisers is settling into life on the outskirts of Norwich after their recent office move. Having taken on six new members of staff since February this year, Face to Face Finance is growing fast and was in desperate need of more space. Managing Director Julie Hunt explains:

“Our city centre office on Rose Lane had served us well for 11 years, but with the team continuing to grow, we were getting a bit crowded – the only space left for my desk was on the landing! So we took the decision to move to our new premises at the Cringleford Business Centre where there’s room for us to grow.”

The firm puts their unprecedented growth down to their focus on customer service. As the name suggest, their ethos is to conduct as much of their business as possible face to face with their clients. Julie continues:

“Some of the areas of work we cover can be complicated or difficult for our clients to discuss. Making them feel comfortable and able to ask any questions they may have is important. It enables us to give them the very best financial advice for their individual circumstances – it’s very personal.”

As the team continues to grow, this emphasis on a personal service remains the same. The firm positively encourages visits to their new office where a warm welcome awaits from Julie and the team:

“Our office is always busy. But we encourage a relaxed environment – you’ll find us in our slippers! Believe it or not, it’s been proven that wearing slippers can make for a more productive workforce, and we stand by that! I’m extremely proud of our hard-working team.”

A historic Anglo-Saxon site and visitor centre near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, has cut its carbon emissions by 70% and created more welcoming facilities for visitors, thanks to a heat pump system installed by renewable heating experts Finn Geotherm.

West Stow is the site of an early Anglo-Saxon village, occupied from AD 420-650, over 400 years before the Norman Conquest. The reconstructed Anglo-Saxon village attracts visitors from schools, tourists and locals throughout the year. It is surrounded by West Stow Country Park, a stunning 125 acre site featuring trails, heath and woodland.

West Stow’s visitor centre and the country park café had previously been heated by an oil-fired boiler, which was inefficient and expensive. With West Suffolk Council committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030, a more environmentally friendly and effective solution was needed.

Finn Geotherm specified and installed two Lämpöässä Eli 60 ground source heat pumps, to provide all the heating and hot water for the visitor centre, museum and café. Heat is collected from the ground using bore holes – Finn Geotherm carefully installed 14 boreholes, each one 147metres deep, near the village’s collections building. The boreholes, created in a ‘closed loop system’, feed the heat pumps which are situated in a purpose-built plant room adjacent to the village’s museum. The system is also designed to provide passive cooling, using the ground’s temperature to maintain a comfortable environment for visitors in summer and provide exact temperature control within the facility’s museum precious artefact centre.

By installing this renewable energy heating system, West Stow has cut its energy use by 70%, making a significant impact on carbon emissions and heating bills, as well as delivering a much more sustainable system, which will last three times longer than a conventional boiler.

The installation also qualifies for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), a Government scheme which assists with the project’s capital cost by providing quarterly payments for 20 years.

Glynis Baxter at West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village, said: “Our village showcases some of the earliest forms of heating – a fire pit dug in the ground with a hole in the roof of the house to let out the smoke – so it is brilliant for us to have the contrast of a heat pump, the latest in renewable technology, heating our facilities. The new system enables us to maintain a steady warm temperature all year round, which is ideal not only for our artefacts, but for visitors too.”

Guy Ransom, commercial director for Finn Geotherm, said: “We are delighted to complete this installation at West Stow, which has had a big impact on the site and created a more welcoming centre for visitors. It is good to see West Suffolk Council taking its commitment to cutting carbon emissions so seriously and stepping away from fossil fuels. This heat pump installation is a great example of the potential of this technology to provide sustainable, environmentally friendly heating that can be retrofitted in any location – from AD 420-650 to modern day.”

Cllr John Griffiths, Leader of West Suffolk Council, said: “This investment, and others we are making to improve energy efficiency and cut fuel bills in property we own, is part of our commitment to address the climate emergency. We have also been able to take advantage of Government funding which is available to individual home occupiers as well. Technology has brought us a long way since the firepit and details of what grants can be used for and how to apply can be found on our website and at www.greensuffolk.org.”

Key features of the project:

• 70% reduction in carbon emissions
• 70% reduction in energy use
• Highly effective, efficient heating
• Passive cooling in summer
• Steady temperature to help maintain artefacts

For more information on ground and air source heat pumps and details on Finn Geotherm, visit www.finn-geotherm.co.uk.

The gift of time, flexibility, and balance are some of the benefits people have enjoyed during the last year.

In contrast, childcare, communication, and IT were the biggest challenges as we adapted to a world of work that looked very different.

The Engaging People Company wanted to find out what it was like for people working during a pandemic – what was good, and less good, and what could be taken forward into a post-Covid world.

As well as hearing about benefits and challenges, there were some great examples of employee engagement shared too. Around communications, appreciation, social engagement, and wellbeing. For example, one employer offered unexpected incentives like free takeaways.

Looking ahead, people want continued flexibility, from their organisation, along with technical tools and engagement and communications. From managers, things such as mental health support, communications and trust are important.

Some people decided to change their career aspirations as a result of the pandemic – for reasons such as pursuing a new purpose or spending more time with family.

Director Michelle Gant said: “The survey offered some great ideas but it’s a toe dip in the water.

“What matters is that employers ask their people: find out what matters to them, what they need, then listen, and respond accordingly.  And keep asking. Because people’s views change – especially as society starts opening up more. Keep listening. Keep responding. Employee engagement, it’s not a one-off thing. It’s an ongoing journey. 

“Rather like the last year.”

Read the full report here: Employee-engagement-survey.pdf (engaging-people.co.uk)

Freebridge Community Housing and King’s Lynn Foodbank team up to raise funds

Freebridge Community Housing is teaming up with the King’s Lynn Foodbank to help raise funds

through a Charity Golf Day at Middleton Golf Club later this year.

Employees from Freebridge, along with teams from partner organisations that work with both

Freebridge and the Foodbank, will be hitting the fairways to raise money on Friday 28 September

2018.

Every year Freebridge employees vote to support a charity through various fundraising activities,

and this year the charity chosen was the King’s Lynn Foodbank.

The King’s Lynn Foodbank is part of a nationwide network of foodbanks, supported by The Trussell

Trust, working to combat poverty and hunger across the UK.

Freebridge’s Chief Executive, Tony Hall, said: “Over the years Freebridge employees have had

great success in raising funds for some of the wonderful charities that work in and around West

Norfolk. The last Charity Golf Day we held in 2015 raised over £5000 and we’re hoping for another

successful day on the course.

“We’d love to be able to match the amount raised previously so would welcome teams from

organisations across West Norfolk to join us to help support this extremely worthwhile cause.”

For more information on what’s included and how you can get involved with a team or sponsorship, call Freebridge on 03332 404444.

Bryan Turner Kitchen Furniture is a long-established market leader providing exceptional luxury kitchen design for discerning clients throughout the UK.

Our high-quality kitchen furniture is individually made for our clients, and each room design is a result of our talented designers’ careful attention to detail.

We are committed to continuous investment and improvement and are seeking an additional highly talented kitchen designer who has proven experience in the luxury sector. Our Head Office is in Norfolk with this role being mainly based at our new studio near Cambridge.

Essential to this role is enthusiasm, a willingness to learn and a focus on excellent customer service. We expect you to put our clients first, meeting their every need in order to build a strong and long-lasting rapport with them.

A proven track record in kitchen design using CAD programs is essential, as well as sales experience, working to targets, artistic flare and technical ability.

OTE £50,000-£60,000 p/a (salary plus uncapped commission package)

If you are ambitious and passionate about design, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Job Type: Full-time

Preferred education: Degree level

Required experience: Kitchen Design: 5 years +

Required licence or certification: Full UK Driving Licence and own vehicle

To apply or for further information please email kate@bryanturnerkitchens.com

We are back for series three with a bang! There are not many with more experience or passion for the tourism sector than Peter Williamson, former Chair, now Vice Chair of the Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO), Norfolk & Suffolk Tourist Attractions.

Peter is the former owner of the hugely popular Merrivale Model Village, but when he sold the village in 2017 retirement didn’t suit him, so he returned to work by launching The Old Penny Arcade. This attraction allowed him to pursue his passion of refurbishing vintage fairground and amusement arcade machines, where families can revel in exchanging their modern money for big old pennies! His love for the leisure sector and the promotion of tourism in East Anglia is infectious, and his insights into the future recovery of businesses in this region make for a must listen.

Peter chats to Chris about how attractions need to invest in order to improve the customer experience, and how that’s not just about plumbing in new toilets! They discuss how investment needs to be made in new experiences, because this is the key to ongoing survival (past the initial excitement of the post-pandemic freedoms).

They chat about the changes COVID-19 brought and sped up, and how they will probably continue into the future. They discuss why businesses should embrace these changes, particularly with remote bookings, and how this will help with day-to-day planning, and potentially make expenditure savings in areas such as staffing.

Peter believes that customers and their expectations have changed and whilst businesses need to meet those expectations, they also need to consider revamping how they provide their service to customers moving forwards e.g. just because you CAN open 7 days a week, doesn’t mean you should.

A theme running through this chat is reinvention, with Peter discussing the need for businesses to look at how they can ‘bring families together’, and how social media will be key for reputations. He reminisces about a time that he managed to turn a complaint at the model village into global PR gold, proving the old adage of ‘sex sells’ really works! This episode is worth a listen for this anecdote alone and is a fantastic example of how to turn a negative into a positive, and the power media can have over your business.

Peter believes that businesses need to embrace the inevitable changes that will come from life after lockdown but harnessing the themes of tradition and nostalgia might still be good for business in the ‘new normal’ tech era, particularly for seaside town attractions.

You can check out the work of Norfolk & Suffolk Tourist Attractions here Find out more about The Old Penny Arcade here.

If you are enjoying Tourism Business Chat, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. We would also love to hear your feedback, leave us a review, this helps others find our podcast! 

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Gareth John, Chief Executive of First Intuition Cambridge comments on the scale of change in apprenticeship uptake in the accountancy industry and reasons for this, as well as why now is the best time to sign up an apprentice:

I have been training accountants for nearly 25 years, and in that time the biggest change I have seen in our industry has been the dramatic uptake in apprenticeships since 2015. Just five years ago only around 5% of new learners studying with First Intuition were apprentices, today it is more like 80%. What was once a niche aspect of our business has now become the norm. Every single class we teach now contains apprentices, and some classes are made up entirely of apprentices. This considerable change has come about for a number of reasons but is mainly due to the additional skills training in place for apprentices, the extra structure and support they have to their studies, and the financial benefits to businesses.

Better skills

Not only do accountancy apprentices learn the core technical skills they need to do their job, but they also develop wider soft skills and behaviours that are equally essential to career success in the industry. Skills that are built into programmes include communication, commercial insight, problem-solving, strategic thinking, resilience, teamwork, negotiation and leadership, all of which can take non-apprentices years to develop through experience alone.

Support in building interpersonal skills is particularly important for young people right now, where the pandemic has resulted in increased isolation and lack of opportunities to build such skills. Many school leavers have missed opportunities to gain essential soft skills through part-time jobs and being a part of normal school activities, such as organising plays and captaining sports teams. We covered this topic in greater detail in our virtual webinar ‘onboarding the COVID generation’ Furthermore, apprenticeships are a great way to upskill existing staff which will be important if firms cut headcount.

Better structure and better support

It can be easy for trainees to come off track with their studies when they are not part of a structured programme to help them progress reliably. Apprenticeship programmes offer robust structure and support for learners through a close relationship with their assigned Coach who offers personalised support and helps ensure they are on top of their studies. As a result of this, apprentices tend to move through their qualification faster and with higher first-time pass rates. This benefits businesses as trainees learnt knowledge and skills translate into their work quicker and more effectively.

Financial benefits

Using apprenticeship funding to pay for accountancy qualification training can save many thousands of pounds in course fees. As well as the 95% government subsidy of the training costs for non-levy employers, there is also an employer’s National Insurance exemption if the apprentice is aged under 25. Levy paying employers can utilise their levy pots.

A particular reason for the shift in apprenticeship uptake during the pandemic has been the generous government financial incentives available for businesses who recruit trainees as apprentices. These incentives were recently extended and increased, making them even more appealing. For eligible apprentices aged 16 to 18, employers will receive £4,000 if they start employment between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2021. For those aged 19 and over, employers will receive £3,000. Apprentices will have an additional two months after the deadline of 30 September 2021 (until 30 November 2021) to start their training programme.

It is also worth being aware that non-levy employers can now reserve apprenticeship funds up to six months in advance. This means that employers who do not pay the Apprenticeship Levy are already able to reserve funds for their Autumn intake of new starts.

There has never been a better time to support apprenticeship programmes

The detrimental impact of the pandemic on jobs has meant apprenticeship incentives for businesses are better than ever as the government encourages companies to recruit and develop staff. This coupled with the skills gap of young adults shortly entering the workplace and financial restraints on businesses means there has never been a better time to sign up apprentices.

Have you ever wanted the thrill and excitement of standing in an eccentric costume in front of thousands of people? Have you ever wanted to dance, sing and show off your “circus skills” to that audience? Well, this year Buy Local Norfolk are giving you the chance to do just that… in the name of business of course!

This year the Lord Mayors Procession is expected to be bigger than ever. The floats are expected to be filled with acrobats, animals and other family favourites with Norwich taking over the Circus theme to show off our history as a Circus town.

Why Get Involved? : The Procession is a great way to get your business recognised especially if you operate as a B2C, hand out stickers and sweets and let the community see you as the business that takes goes the extra mile!

What Do We Need? : You would be needed for two evenings, Friday the 6th to help construct the float and Saturday the 7th to dance for the masses!

If you would like to get involved please email me on jake.marchant@tactile-solutions.co.uk or call me on 07411 946518.

For more information about the Lord Mayors Procession click here. 

Christmas comes around fast, and your customers will already be thinking about gifts, plans, and celebrations. If you want to stay front of mind, now’s the time to get your festive emails ready. Whether it’s a simple Merry Christmas message or a November campaign showcasing your products and services, the right newsletter keeps you connected with past and current customers. Done well, it feels personal, builds loyalty, and can even drive sales without adding to your to-do list.

Published on 19 July, the Experian Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) report for the first six months of 2018 ranked Larking Gowen’s Corporate Transactions team joint first in the region, with the firm advising on ten deals for the East of England and a further two deals nationally. James Lay, Partner at Larking Gowen and head of the Corporate Transactions team, says, “We are absolutely delighted to feature prominently again in the Experian Market IQ league tables for the volume of deals completed. These latest results demonstrate the high level of experience and expertise within our growing Corporate Transactions team. It is very pleasing to be able to advise our clients, both buyers and sellers, on so many transactions. We are finding the market place very active and have had good success leveraging our national and international networks to broker deals for our clients.” Jack Minns, Manager of Larking Gowen’s Corporate Transactions, added, “We have concluded some exciting deals over the first half of the year, generating great returns for our clients. There are many more deals in the pipeline for the rest of the year and beyond.” The East of England contributed 7.6% of the total number of transactions recorded in the UK. There were 3,279 reported deals in the UK, which is approximately 14% down on the 3,807 deals recorded during the first half of 2017. However, this fall is generally seen as a robust return given the uncertain economic and political climate, and there was an encouraging increase in deal activity in the second quarter of 2018 after a relatively subdued first quarter. Although there was a 25% reduction in the number of large deals, the number of deals in the SME segment, on which Larking Gowen focus their attention, was up from 448 to 514, an increase of 15%. For more information about Larking Gowen Corporate Transactions offering go to: https://lgcorporatetransactions.co.uk/

This week’s chat is a real eye opener. Engagement with media can be make or break for some businesses – ever wondered what it suggests when you say “no comment”? Experienced journalist, and owner of Mediapro, Maria Veronese lets you in on what the journalist really thinks when you say that, and why it’s always best to try and take control, particularly if you find yourself at the center of a PR disaster! Mediapro offers media training to help business leaders learn how to talk confidently on the record, sticking to key points, and how to get your point or story across effectively. As Maria explains; “an interview is just a conversation with a purpose”.

As a regular face on BBC Look East, Maria offers insight on the difference between what she calls ‘PR puff’ and an actual news story, and how it’s always important to be transparent. Maria is also passionate about flexible working, particularly for working parents, and those with caring responsibilities, something she embraces in her role on the Board of Directors at the East of England Co-op.

Ian also asks Maria about the approach local news took during lockdown, and she explains how it was so important to help keep communities informed and connected. She also looks back on the stories in her career which were hard to cover, and how these stories can impact the journalist, including the times she covered a catastrophic earthquake in her hometown in New Zealand, and when she covered the Ipswich ‘Suffolk Strangler’, and Soham murders.

Learning how to embrace the media in your business will be key as we move out of lockdown, and into the new normal, which includes the world of 24 hours news, which has been bolstered by the events of the last year. You might find yourself in need of some media training one day, and Maria offers a peek behind the curtain into what you need to consider, and why.

You can learn about Mediapro and their services here

Catch Maria’s ‘Auntie’s Bloomers’ moment, and encounter with the ostriches here!

You can visit the Co-op here

Maria’s views are her own, and are not those of the BBC. 

You can listen to this episode by clicking on the button below, or we would love it if you could subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, or wherever else you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss out on any episodes! If you could also leave us a review we would love to hear from you, and it helps others find our podcast. 

You can catch up on all episodes of Business Insights Chat, including conversations with Coes, Turners, Archant and Suffolk Food Hall, here 

Listen here!