The Maids Head Hotel has linked up with a new supplier, Wilkinson’s of Norwich. Wilkinson’s, which has been in business in the city for 46 years, is supplying loose leaf teas to the hotel, with a special Maids Head Blend in production.
Ten of Wilkinson’s teas from Breakfast Blend, to Gunpowder Green, Cornucopia and Decaffeinated Ceylon are a special feature of the Maids Head’s popular Afternoon Tea, which is served from 12noon to 5pm.
Debbie Harris, Owner/Director of Wilkinson’s for the last 13 years said: “We were honoured to be asked to supply the stunning Maids Head Hotel, with its long history of providing hospitality in the city. We have chosen 10 teas to cover all tastes, ranging from Breakfast Blend to a gentle Chamomile.”
“We are also excited to be working with Sam Masters, the Food Services Manager, on developing a special blend for the hotel. The Maids Head is a wonderful location to sit and relax over Afternoon Tea and enjoy one of our special loose leaf teas.”
Christine Malcolm, General Manger, the Maids Head Hotel said: “We work with local suppliers acroiss all aspects of the business and are very pleased to have established a close relationship with Debbie and her team at Wilkinson’s. I am a particular fan of their Early Grey tea and look forward to tasting the new Maids Head Blend.”
Wilkinson’s teas available at the Maids Head Hotel are as follows: Breakfast Blend, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Peppermint, Gunpowder Green, Rooibos, Chamomile, Cornucopia, Peach and Decaffeinated Ceylon.
In this week’s episode of Impromptu Business Chat, Mark and James respond to a listener suggestion to chat about the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence in business, particularly to review the hidden meanings within business communications. As usual, they provide 3 top tips, and along the way they take inspiration from FT’s podcast ‘Tech Tonic’, Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, and hit US comedy Friends!
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We are extremely excited and proud to be named as finalists for the SBID International Design Awards 2021 in the Retail Design Category for our interior design project at Taank Optometrists.
This project was very exciting to work on and it is great to see all of the hard work being recognised and rewarded. We are up against some very pretigious companies and votes count towards the final award so we would be very grateful if you had a few moments to vote for us.
East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) is asking supporters to help apply the finishing touches to its nook appeal and, in doing so, leave a lasting legacy at its new Norfolk hospice. The nook appeal has just surpassed the £8 million mark – the official total is £8,050,000 – and EACH wants to generate a large part of the remaining funds through a new campaign called Pave the Path. Pave the Path is your chance to sponsor a red clay brick that will line the garden path and be laid once building of the nook is complete. Everyone who sponsors a brick will be invited to view the path once it is complete. Tal Williams, EACH Community Fundraiser for the nook, said: “Building of the nook is well under way and we need your support to finish! The nook will transform the care we can provide to families and by sponsoring a brick lining the garden path you will be investing in the future of children’s palliative care for years to come.” Bricks are 210x105x65mm and sponsors can have a name of their choice engraved over two lines – up to 15 characters on each line including spaces and punctuation. There are two sponsorship options. A brick with black lettering is £100 and a brick with gold lettering £150. Pave the Path will run until early 2019 or, as there are limited bricks available, until all have sponsors. For full details go to www.each.org.uk/pave-the-path. Visitors to the Royal Norfolk Show can also find out more by going to the EACH stand
Our latest Blog post explores the Riverlane Office design in more detail and explores the key design features we integrated to transform this space. “This month, Layrd Design is delighted to share details of its latest interior design project for an innovative quantum computing firm based in the heart of Cambridge. The development for Riverlane saw Layrd Design supply a complete interior design package – along with project management services – for a 500m sq office in Cambridge city centre…” Read the full article here
The biggest issue I am currently hearing from employers is the acute shortage of qualified, experienced accountants and how hard it is proving to retain and attract them. There seem to be increasing incidences of competitors poaching staff, sometimes even before they are qualified, and upward pressure on salaries. Strategies to improve retention rates of high-potential team members once they qualify, and to increase success in attracting experienced hires, are more important than ever.
Although 2020 saw the largest annual fall in UK GDP for 300 years, 2021 is showing a very rapid bounce-back with the Bank of England expecting the highest rate of economic growth for 70 years, what they have described as being like a ‘coiled spring’. The greatest challenges many businesses now face no longer revolve around sales, revenue and cashflow, but are limitations on the supply-side; ramping up dormant supply chains, reopening premises, and most of all ensuring that they have enough human capital to take advantage of surging customer demand.
When I ask the employers that I work with what their biggest HR headache is they invariably talk about retention of qualified, experienced staff. Recruitment to fill entry-level positions still seems relatively easy at the moment, with greater numbers and higher calibre of school-leaver and graduate applicants than ever before. The difficulty is hanging onto team members that the organisation has already invested in during initial years of technical training and learning the ropes of their business.
It is not just high-flying future leadership prospects this issue relates to. Hard-grafting, reliable team workers are just as hard to retain, and just as sorely missed if they leave. In recent weeks I have been involved in many conversations with clients discussing ways to improve staff retention and it seems to be a minefield of possible strategies, including:
Financial and non-financial elements of employment packages
Self-selected perks and benefits
Flexible working practices
Periodical sabbaticals
Reduced hierarchy
Streamlined bureaucracy
Regular internal communications
Recognition and praise
Buddies from a similar level and mentors from a senior level
Rapid responsibility and autonomy
Early and open career conversations
Clear vertical, horizontal or diagonal progression routes
Robust skills development pathways
Establishing resonant organisational mission and values
At First Intuition we are seeing more and more employers of accountants recognising the huge value of the clear progression and learning plans that most trainees have while they are studying for their qualifications. Many are now coming to realise that replicating that same level of clarity and structure in their team members’ post-qualification development pathways is a great way to demonstrate how far their career ambitions can be fulfilled without the need to look for another employer.
It is clear that attracting and retaining qualified accountants is an issue felt throughout the industry. To delve deeper into the topic we will be hosting a forum on Wednesday 8th September 2021. The session will be joined by a panel of expert speakers who will give their advice on how to keep staff engaged and loyal when they qualify, plus how to be as appealing as possible to experienced candidates in the marketplace looking for their next role. Register to join the forum here.
In this episode, James and Mark chat to the woman known as ‘The Business Motivator.’ Susannah Brade-Waring is a renowned and trusted business advisor and coach for SME businesses. A member of the global business coaching platform, Mindshop, Susannah recently received the coveted Value to Others award for European advisors.
She started out with a Master’s degree in IT from Loughborough University before becoming a Director of a start-up business, where she helped the ‘non-family’ family business build to a £10m turnover before facilitating a management buyout (MBO) in 2008. Susannah notes that for many business founders, their company is their baby; an expression of what they want in life. As it was important to her father to know the people would be looked after, Susannah stayed to facilitate the MBO. She’s honest about what drives her; what a ‘non-family’ family business looks like; and the realities of having to work harder than everyone else to prove yourself within one.
Susannah then moved on to found her own advisory business, Aspirin Business Solutions, which focuses on equipping and energising leaders, HR professionals and coaches to build stronger businesses and teams.
One of Susannah’s key specialisms is Motivational Maps, which provide a comprehensive understanding of motivation in business – what it is, how to measure it and, most importantly, how to improve it. She also discusses the difference between Motivational Maps and psychometric testing.
She chats to James and Mark about her own desire to learn what motivates her team, and how to engage best with them. She acknowledges that our motivations are linked to our beliefs, which can change during our course of life. She also notes the importance of recognising that everyone has ‘stuff’ going on, and if you get a reflection of their ‘stuff’, don’t take it personally! They also discuss growth mindsets and working on emotional intelligence and development, which she admits didn’t come naturally, and how to develop this as a skill set. Susannah is an example of the heights you can achieve by developing your unconscious competence.
With real life stories of owners and managers of businesses Susannah has worked with, her insights include fascinating reference points, such as Netflix’s open and honest leave and expenses policies, and the analogy of ‘one ring to rule them all.’ This is a conversation not to be missed!
You can learn more about the work Susannah does by visiting her website here and about Motivational Maps here.
The Employer Training Incentive Programme (ETIP) now extended so SMEs in all sectors can apply for training grants!
This programme is part of Norfolk County Council’s Bringing Employment and Skills Together initiative and now allows all types of businesses that are self-employed, small, medium or micro businesses to apply for funding to train their teams. The size of the up-front grant has changed as well, increasing from 50% to 75% to help employers retain and upskill their staff.
Training can cover a huge range of courses – just so long as is it supporting your business to grow, develop or diversify or help you upskill staff and retain jobs. From digital marketing to drone training, employers are getting involved and booking training for their teams. The training can be:
accredited with a qualification attached (this can be up to and including a level 3) or non-accredited courses;
whole courses or modules
mandatory or optional subjects
The training can be delivered face-to-face, online only or blended learning – it is up to you, though we need you to start your training by June 2022. You can pick the courses that best suit your business and tell us about them on the easy to complete application form.
You can also choose your own training provider – all we ask is that they are UK-based and preferably local!
The grant will fund up to 75% of training costs and there is a maximum award of £1500 per registered business. You’ll need to pay 25% of the course costs up front to your training provider and we will now pay the remaining 75% to your training provider. Remember not to book any training before you have completed your application form and had it approved as we can’t pay for any pre-booked courses.
The first thing you need to do is check out our website https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/etip for more information or email us at etip@norfolk.gov.uk with your contact details and where you are based. Our dedicated team will be in touch. They can support you by talking through your business needs, assisting you to find training or simply helping you complete an application form. Once that application is approved you can go ahead and book your training.
If you are an existing ETIP grant holder and want to get in touch about the scheme changes, again, contact us at etip@norfolk.gov.uk and we’ll be happy to talk it through with you.
So, if you are looking to use training as a way to attract or upskill new staff or simply looking to develop your present team, get in touch today and we’ll do what we can to see how the Employer Training Incentive Programme can help your business.
Norwich Airport sees the return of flights to Guernsey this week with the first of five weekly Saturday services for anyone looking for a Channel Island break.
Guernsey’s own airline Aurigny is operating the flights until September 18, marking the return of a summer service that it last operated from Norwich in 2019.
Malcolm Coupar, Commercial Director of Aurigny, said: “Aurigny are delighted to be returning to Norwich airport this weekend with the first of five weekly Saturday flights direct to Guernsey in just 90 minutes.
“The seasonal service has always been popular and gives many the opportunity to visit the beautiful islands of Guernsey, Herm, Sark, Lihou and Alderney, which together make up the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Guernsey provides the safety of home yet the exotic appeal of an overseas location with much to see and explore. We look forward to welcoming aboard our visitors from Norwich and the surrounding areas.”
Richard Pace, Managing Director of Norwich Airport, said: “It’s great to welcome Aurigny back with their flights to Guernsey and to be able to offer passengers another exciting destination from Norwich.
“This week has also seen the return of flights from Norwich to Corfu with TUI, and we’re looking forward to their Tenerife service re-starting next month. In July we saw flights resume to Majorca, Exeter and Edinburgh, adding to our services to Amsterdam, Aberdeen and Jersey, which are all operating now.
“Our 2022 holiday season is already shaping up well with flights to Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Turkey, Italy and Bulgaria from May.”
To book Guernsey flights with Aurigny visit www.auringy.com. For a full list of destinations from Norwich Airport and details of how to book, visit www.norwichairport.co.uk
JD Cooling Group who were recently awarded London Stock Exchange’s ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’, were delighted to welcome The Mayor to their offices on the North Lynn Industrial Estate.
As part of the visit, Councillor Nick Daubney officially presented the prestigious award to JD Cooling Group’s managing director, John Dye in front of members of the team.
He said of the company, “It was good to meet the management and staff behind this success story. I really appreciated the time taken to show me their operations and welcomed the opportunity to discuss and learn of both future opportunities and forthcoming challenges. JD Cooling is a forward-thinking innovator and clearly an important and conscientious employer. The Stock Exchange 1000 Award is very well deserved.”
John Dye, said, “It was a pleasure to meet the Mayor of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, Councilor Nick Daubney. On behalf of everyone, I would like to thank him for his time and the opportunity to personally introduce him to the JD team and our successes.”
Having been named New Director of the Year for East Anglia, Sarah West of Full Mix Marketing has been shortlisted for the Institute of Directors’ 2018 national Director of the Year Awards.
The founder and Managing Director of the Norwich-based full-service marketing agency is among finalists recognised for their exemplary business leadership.
“It’s was amazing to win the regional award” says Sarah. “To even attend the national awards is the cherry on the cake. It really has been a team effort though. I couldn’t have developed such a great business, and delivered such strong results for our clients, without the people around me.”
The finalists were chosen from the hundreds of directors that entered into one of the 13 heats across the UK, in 10 different categories. The expert judging panel will now convene to decide the overall winners to be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday 18 October 2018 at the Royal Horticultural Halls, London.
Stephen Martin, Director General of the Institute of Directors, said: “The winners from our regions and nations present fantastic examples of business leadership, and it’s heartening to be able to bring their stories to the attention of a wider audience at the finals. I am looking forward to celebrating their success at this year’s event.”
Attended by business leaders, entrepreneurs, government and media representatives, the awards ceremony is a unique opportunity to network, exchange ideas and celebrate with some of the very ‘best of the best’ in British business.
Norfolk County Council and Great Yarmouth Borough Council would like to hear your thoughts on proposals to improve our active travel network in Great Yarmouth, but please act quickly because the survey closes on 8th September. The plans are a result of work to create a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan for Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, which supports the Government’s ambition to make cycling and walking the natural choices for making short journeys in towns and cities. The proposals include seven routes, which could see a range of improvements over the coming years including redesigned junctions to help walkers and cyclists to use them more easily, new and improved cycle lanes and footpaths, improved cycle parking and junction safety improvements. In addition, there are also plans to improve pedestrian accessibly within two priority walking zones. These are situated in Great Yarmouth town centre with a link to the seafront and Gorleston High Street and seafront. To help prioritise the proposals Norfolk County Council and Great Yarmouth Borough Council are inviting local businesses and organisations to review the improvements and to share feedback by completing a simple on-line survey. I have attached a short briefing document which contains a summary of the proposals and any feedback received will be used to help shape and prioritise the initial plans as well as identify any new schemes. To find out more and to complete the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston cycling and walking survey please visit www.norfolk.gov.uk/activetravel before 8th September.