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SaxonAir Chief Executive Officer Alex Durand Photo credit: SaxonAir While the popular view of aviation, and especially business aviation, casts the industry as an environmental villain, the opposite is closer to the truth. SaxonAir’s quest to tackle the dual challenges of sustainability and resilience resulted in a recent Wild Weekend event, with local companies and organisations joining forces at Norwich Airport. Paul E Eden spoke with SaxonAir CEO Alex Durand to find out more. Alex Durand, CEO of Norwich, UK-based SaxonAir and Vice-Chair of the British Business and General Aviation Association, came to the industry through a route less travelled, starting out on the operations desk at London Oxford Airport and learning the business of aviation from there. A private pilot’s license and flying job followed before Alex’s interest refocussed on operations. He looks back fondly on those early days but admits to learning a few difficult lessons that left him momentarily disillusioned. That dampening of enthusiasm lasted little more than 24 hours though, a new opportunity seeing him immediately reverse his decision to leave the industry. A few years later, the CEO role at SaxonAir was offered and Alex was hooked. Today he brims with an infectious aviation enthusiasm. SaxonAir’s business jets and helicopters share ramp space with helicopters serving North Sea gas operations. Alex is as impassioned on the subject of sustainability as he is aviation, and the irony of those offshore helicopters is not lost on him. But he is also a realist, stressing the importance of doing well that which we can achieve now, rather than waiting only for the ultimate promise of tomorrow. To that extent, he and Wellbeing & Sustainability Manager Rebekah Hill are working hard to achieve and promote sustainable aviation through available technologies in the short-term, while continuing to run a successful business and preparing to embrace tomorrow’s solutions. Alex believes that a sustainable SaxonAir will also be resilient, so while his focus is partly on securing supplies of sustainable aviation fuel, ensuring emissions from flying activities and infrastructure are measured, managed and offset, and offering charging facilities for electric vehicles and aircraft, he also has an eye on the industrywide challenge of recruiting young people. Through these combined sustainability and resilience efforts, Alex quickly realised that SaxonAir was not alone in its quest among local companies and organisations. A significant result of that realisation, the company hosted a Wild Weekend event on 27/28 May, in collaboration with Explorers Against Extinction. Kicked off with a presentation from Explorers Against Extinction at a networking day on 27 May, the event explored the positive contribution of aviation to sustainability and the environment. It also included guest speakers from organisations including NEBOair, which is proving the viability of electric-aircraft passenger operations, and NUNCATS, an organisation pioneering electric aviation within remote communities and among sport flyers, while also promoting and providing opportunities for STEM engagement. Alongside these and other presentations, including a surprising talk from the Chet Vineyard on sustainable wine growing in Norfolk, the SaxonAir hangar hosted displays on sustainable airport infrastructure, an electric Pipistrel aircraft from NEBOair and an impressive array of electric cars from Porsche Centre Norwich. Alex believes the combined challenges of sustainability and resilience are ongoing and to that end, SaxonAir, NUNCATS and the Norwich International Aviation Academy are combining forces this summer to provide hands-on STEM learning, providing local youngsters with the opportunity to become involved in building the UK’s first electric lightplane. Challenges undoubtedly lay ahead, but Alex is optimistic. “I’m as excited as ever about coming in to work every day. It’s good to see change at SaxonAir, but also in the industry. Every day I see so much possibility and I enjoy challenges. The way to achieve the seemingly impossible is always to take the first step.”

If you are looking to create an e-commerce site, mobile-first design is something that in today’s digital world, is pretty much a non-negotiable. 

The past decade has seen a complete reshape to not only how shoppers shop, but more so how they expect to shop. And with a growing population of mobile device users, the only way to push users through the purchasing tunnel is to grab their attention with strong and compelling user experiences.

The days when e-commerce sites were built with only desktop users in mind have long gone and the expectation of the modern m-commerce (mobile commerce) shopper means that as web designers, we need to understand that if the experience isn’t up to scratch, shoppers will simply shop elsewhere. 

Unfortunately, a mobile friendly e-commerce site simply isn’t enough for today’s mobile shoppers. With the vast, and ever increasing, amount of e-commerce competition out there, users need to be inspired and excited by a site to encourage them through the sales funnel, before they begin browsing elsewhere.

You don’t have to go too far back when the majority of shoppers had hesitations about putting their bank details into their phone and making a purchase from their mobile device. For the early adopters, a laptop or computer was the more trusted and reliable device to make an online purchase from. But with over 5.32 billion mobile phone users in the world today, the adoption of mobile shopping has hugely grown in popularity, to a point where it is pretty much now the preferred device due to the ease of use and freedom to purchase anything, anywhere at any time. 

In order for a website to be optimised for mobile use, it has to be responsive with no lagginess or awkward alignments – if it has these then it doesn’t leave a great first impression. The Diss Ironworks website is perfect to demonstrate an uncompromisable responsive site. Diss Ironworks are located in Diss and sell luxury homeware and appliances. With such a large selection of products, it is essential that they communicate clearly what they sell, they have achieved this with an easy navigation and a clear checkout link.

So, what can you do to make your mobile e-commerce experience unforgettable?

Firstly, website design. Both mobile and desktop should be tailored to the desired audience and relevant to your industry. But if you ensure that key calls to action stand out and easy navigation is implemented, you are on the right track to creating a strong mobile experience.

As an e-commerce business, optimising your website to fit in with the aims of your target audience is a sure way to raise conversions, put you one step ahead of your competition, and create a level of trust with users that you know what you’re doing. Putting across your unique selling points and incorporating a design that supports these is key to winning over your target audience. 

At Nu Image, we are extremely passionate about websites, especially ones that are fully responsive to any device size. We are always looking for a new challenge, so if you don’t want to have to sacrifice a stunning website for mobile friendliness, we’re the right people for you. If you need a bespoke mobile friendly website for your e-commerce business then get in touch with us today on 01603 859007 to get started on the journey to e-commerce success.   

Photo of Carol Gavriks A Norwich-based Account Manager is set to take a giant leap for a local charity, by plunging 13,000 feet out of a plane. Carol Gavriks, Account Manager at legal technology firm Tiger Eye, will be undertaking a sky dive next month to raise funds for the company’s charity of the year – Norfolk and Waveney Mind. The dive will take place on Friday 22^nd July at Beccles Airfield. During the tandem skydive, Carol is set to reach speeds of over 120 miles per hour in this once in a lifetime thrill-seeking experience. On the dive, Carol commented: “A tandem skydive has been on my bucket list for many years, and when the opportunity came to fundraise for this vital cause while completing my lifelong dream, I snapped up the opportunity.” Norfolk and Waveney Mind was nominated as Tiger Eye’s charity of the year back in January. Whilst part of the Mind network, Norfolk and Waveney Mind are an independent charity who raise their own funds. The charity supports those within the community with their mental health and wellbeing from prevention support to crisis support, offering an extensive range of mental health services, along with associated training, advice, and information. On the chosen charity, Carol added: “I first became aware of this wonderful charity when I needed support after giving birth to my daughter and was struggling with my mental health. I was very grateful to have my family members, friends and other professionals supporting me during that time. It made me think how I could return the favour to support others now and encourage them to talk to professionals, or have access to a charity like Norfolk and Waveney Mind, the local mental health charity that believes no one should have to face a mental health problem alone!” To donate and support Carol in reaching her ambitious £1000 target, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/carol-gavriks

• ●  Leading blockchain development platform, Polygon, and UK based blockchain community ETHAnglia to partner with Norwich companies – Akcela, and Tech Educators – creating a new ‘Builders hub’ to build a powerhouse of blockchain innovation.
• ●  The partnership will deliver a world-first Polygon-supplied coding boot camp to train over 200 developers to code using blockchain technology over the next 10 months, along with community and investment support.

Norwich, England, June 28, 2022 — Norwich based tech incubator, Akcela, and coding boot camp Tech Educators today announce a partnership with blockchain community ETHAnglia and tech giant and leading Ethereum scaling solution – Polygon – to deliver a world-first ‘builder hub’ which will lead a boot camp, running with a Polygon-designed program. This affirms ETHAnglia and Akcela’s ongoing aim to support the UK, starting with the East of England, to become a powerhouse of creative, use case-based engineers building with blockchain technology. The Akcela incubator, based in the centre of Norwich, has partnered with Polygon to provide facilities, workspace and a network of entrepreneurs and advisors to support the new bootcamp, which Norwich-based Tech Educators will run. Polygon – which recently raised $450m from an investment round led by Sequoia Capital India, valuing the ecosystem at $20bn – will support the partnership by helping to showcase the initiative on a global stage. As projects start to demonstrate traction, Polygon will also commit support through:

• –  access to world-class speakers and mentors,
• –  social and community-building events,
• –  welcome vouchers with a value of up to $40000
• –  grants for early-stage concepts, ranging from $5000 – $15000
• –  smart contract auditing,
• –  hosting packages
• –  providing introductions to scaling VC investment

Tech Educators, the coding boot camp based within the Akcela incubator, has been given access to the high-quality web3 coding boot camp program from Polygon, with the target of training over 200 developers to code using the technology over the next 10 months. These courses will be offered free of charge, both in-person and online. James Adams, Managing Director at Akcela and one of the founding team at ETHAnglia explained how this marks a significant step forward towards the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak’s vision on making the UK a ‘global cryptoasset hub’. “Furthering our relationship with Polygon in such a concise and action-orientated manner is a leap forward with our vision of developing the capability for blockchain, starting in Norwich, the East of England and then ultimately across the UK. We have all heard the vision of Rishi Sunak to make the UK a ‘global cryptoasset hub’ – if we are going to do that, we need the developers, the creatives and the entrepreneurs to build high-quality projects that solve real-world problems. We believe we have all the requirements with this partnership to accelerate education and community to deliver those very building blocks and the support structures to create the businesses that contribute to that vision.” Akcela and Tech Educators have both demonstrated strong capabilities in the blockchain space since launching in 2021. The Akcela incubator is home to a number of businesses working with blockchain technologies, some of which are already attracting investment from well-respected global investors such as Animoca. In addition, Tech Educators has already helped to grow two pre-launch businesses that started from the first EVM-based blockchain coding bootcamp.

The team were thrilled to welcome renowned former BBC sports journalist, Simon Mundie, to the pod back in early 2021. Simon has interviewed hundreds of elite and world-famous sports stars, and in this episode they discussed how the lessons those stars have learnt can be applied to success in business. In this bitesize clip of that interview, they discuss imposter syndrome, as well as Simon’s personal journey to try to change the exclusionary language around sport, and how this prompted the creation of his hit podcast, Don’t Tell Me the Score. There’s also a great story about rugby’s Jamie Peacock, not to be missed! You can listen back to the full episode here.

Economic impacts include £314m in productivity benefits, £69m from a widened workforce, and £1m in Local Authority savings. A new report commissioned by CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent carrier-neutral Full Fibre platform, has identified that Norwich stands to be a huge beneficiary from the rollout of future-proof Full Fibre infrastructure which is now well underway across the city. The study by the consultancy Hatch, (Economic Impact of Full Fibre Infrastructure from CityFibre’s Network), estimates that, over a fifteen-year period, the positive impacts of CityFibre’s £50m investment in Norwich will include £314m in productivity and innovation gains, £69m from a widened workforce, £1m in Local Authority efficiency savings and £245m in increased housing value. Technological benefits are also a major focus of the report, which demonstrates that CityFibre’s network in Norwich will help realise £749m in gross added value (GVA) from 5G services, £235m from the Internet of Things and £133m from Smart City initiatives, like intelligent traffic management systems and street lighting. The continuing transition to home and flexible working, supported by Full Fibre access at home and in the office, is also unlocking access to a larger pool of labour for employers. In Norwich, working productivity uplifts are estimated to exceed £18m. The direct impact of network construction is also identified as a major contributor of Norwich’s economic growth, creating network construction jobs within CityFibre’s build partners and supply chain. Wherever possible, the new jobs will be recruited locally to support the rollout. The UK, as a whole, stands to benefit from over £38bn in potential economic benefits. Productivity improvements and innovation are responsible for the largest impact, driving more than £22bn in GVA gains nationwide. This is due to the positive effect that far faster and more reliable digital connectivity has been shown to have on business productivity and innovation, increasing turnover and contributing to the formation of new businesses and business models. Charlie Kitchin, Area Manager for Norwich at CityFibre, said: “This report demonstrates just how powerful and essential Full Fibre is as a catalyst for growth and a platform for innovation and investment. We’re extremely proud of our rollout in Norwich, and we look forward to seeing how it will benefit residents and businesses over the decades to come.” Councillor Alan Waters, Leader of Norwich City Council, added: “It’s vital for Norwich residents and business to have access to fast and reliable internet, and it’s extremely encouraging to read the reported future economic benefits that the new full-fibre infrastructure will bring to the city. “Norwich is an amazing place for people to live, work in and enjoy and investment in its digital future is paramount to achieving one of the five key ambitions in our 2040 vision for the city: a connected city.”

A Greater Anglia train. Credit: Greater Anglia Greater Anglia is urging passengers to only travel if absolutely necessary on Saturday 2 July when over 90 per cent of the company’s trains will not run due to a train drivers strike – if it goes ahead. There will be no regional or branch line services on Saturday. Other services will be dramatically reduced. There will be no Greater Anglia trains between Cambridge North, Cambridge and London Liverpool Street, but Great Northern will be running its usual Saturday services between Cambridge and London Kings Cross. Where trains are running, there will be a severely reduced service. The Norwich-London Liverpool Street Intercity service will be limited to just six trains in each direction across the whole day, with the last train back to Norwich likely to be 9.30pm. The Colchester-London Liverpool Street and Stansted Express services will also have reduced hours and significantly fewer trains, with later start and earlier finish times than normal, with no trains after 10.30pm to Colchester and 9.42pm for Stansted Airport. Trains between Southend Victoria and London Liverpool Street will run across the usual operating hours, but with far fewer trains than normal. There will be no rail replacement buses to replace trains not running because of the strikes. Sunday services will start later in the morning than usual as the 24-hour strike has a knock-on effect into the next day. Passengers should check before they travel. The timetable should be finalised and agreed within the next 48 hours. Anyone who has pre-booked tickets to travel on strike days can change them, use them to travel on the day before or up to two days after their original travel date, or apply for a refund by going back to their original retailer. Passenger assistance will be available as usual for all trains which are running. Passengers are recommended to plan their journey and book assistance in advance. People travelling to the Guns ‘N Roses concert at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium will not be able to get to the stadium or back on Greater Anglia trains. Suggested alternatives include using the Victoria line on the Underground or using London Overground to get there. The strike will also affect people travelling to see Adele at Hyde Park on Saturday, who are also advised to make alternative arrangements. Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director, said: “We know that many of our customers will have been looking forward to travelling on Saturday to see family and friends, for days out to the coast, for holidays and for the many concerts and sporting events in London. “Unfortunately, it’s only possible to run a heavily reduced service and only on some routes, so please only travel if it’s absolutely necessary and make alternative arrangements if you can. “We can’t replace all the trains not running due to the strike with rail replacement buses, so it will just be the limited train service running on Saturday. “Work is continuing at an industry level to try to resolve the dispute as soon as possible. “We are very sorry for the disruption this strike causes our customers.” More information about how industrial action will affect rail journeys and how to apply for ticket changes or refunds are available on the Greater Anglia website. There will be no services running on the following routes on Saturday 2 July:

• Between London Liverpool Street and Cambridge North
• Between Norwich and Cambridge/Stansted Airport, Sheringham, Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth
• Between Ipswich and Cambridge, Peterborough, Felixstowe and Lowestoft
• Between Marks Tey and Sudbury
• All other branch lines: Hertford East to Broxbourne, Braintree to Witham, Southminster to Wickford, Harwich Town to Manningtree, Clacton/Walton-on-the-Naze to Colchester, Colchester Town to Colchester, Meridian Water to Stratford.

A very limited and much reduced service – with fewer trains running and so fewer seats available – will run on the following routes:

• Norwich to London Liverpool Street intercity service – six trains in each direction for the whole day, with first and last trains from Norwich to Liverpool Street at 07.00 and 19.00, and first and last trains from Liverpool Street to Norwich at 09.30 and 21.30.
• Colchester to London Liverpool Street stopping service – one stopping train every two hours, plus six intercity services in each direction across the whole day with the first and last stopping services from Colchester to London Liverpool Street at 06.43 and 20.43 and from London Liverpool Street to Colchester at 08.30 and 22.30.
• Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street – one train an hour with first and last trains from Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street at 04.00 and 23.00, and from London Liverpool Street to Southend Victoria at 05.36 and 00.50.

Stansted Express Stansted Airport to London Liverpool Street – one trains an hour with first and last trains from Stansted Airport to London Liverpool Street at 05.22 and 21.42 and from London Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport at 04.10 and 21.55

Photo of Mr Freeman (centre) with Phil Gormley and Tracy Rennie. George Freeman MP praised the dedication and commitment of staff after being given a guided tour of a children’s hospice in Norfolk. Mr Freeman, who represents Mid Norfolk, visited The Nook – run by East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) in Framingham Earl – on Friday morning. He was shown around by EACH Chief Executive Phil Gormley and Director of Care Tracy Rennie. Afterwards, Mr Freeman hailed the hospice as an “incredible place”. “It was a wonderful experience meeting Phil, Tracy and everyone at The Nook,” he said. “EACH carries out vital work, caring for and supporting children, young people and families here in Norfolk and across East Anglia. “It’s a much valued, highly respected organisation here in the heart of our community and seeing what an incredible place it is, and the difference it makes, puts things in perspective. It serves so many people across the whole region. “I’d also like to pay tribute to the dedicated staff who do such a superb job there. I can’t speak highly enough of them. “It was wonderful to meet some of the team and, going forward, I’m keen to strengthen that relationship and do what I can to support them as best I can. “I intend to continue speaking up for our most vulnerable groups in society, and I will be sharing my experience again with ministers and officials so that they better understand the challenges and opportunities being faced every day on the frontline of hospice care.” EACH cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions, and their families, across Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Essex. In addition to The Nook, it has two other hospices – The Treehouse, in Ipswich, and at Milton, near Cambridge.

Photo of Daisy Newman – Credit Mila Sousa/EACH Children, young people and families receiving care and support from a leading hospice enjoyed an afternoon of fun together. A special tea party was held at The Nook, the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) base in Framingham Earl, near Norwich. Around 60 people from 20 families attended and enjoyed chatting to each other and staff about their experiences, as well as spending time in the hospice’s beautiful grounds. They enjoyed tea, coffee, cake, sandwiches and sausage rolls in a belated jubilee celebration. Service manager Louise Gower said: “It was a lovely afternoon. “We organised the event to welcome families either new to the hospice or those returning, having not been able to visit during the pandemic. “It gave them a chance to see or reacquaint themselves with the building, as well as meeting staff and generally getting used to the surroundings.” Those that attended were families currently using the hospice or bereaved families, including some that previously visited EACH’s former Norfolk base at Quidenham. “It gave families the chance to interact – something that was very difficult during the pandemic – and build up a network of friends and contacts,” added Louise. “In some cases, that meant meeting others who might be experiencing similar things to themselves.” Among the highlights was a visit from the clown doctors, who brought some eye-catching bubble nets, and Jack the miniature Shetland pony. Both proved a hit with youngsters, as did Jeff Sharkey from Musical Keys – a charity that provides music and arts activities for people with disabilities and additional needs across Norfolk. Families gathered around and joined in, interacting and thoroughly enjoying his session. There was also a chance to win a giant, cuddly caterpillar. The winner was Daisy Newman, who correctly guessed that the colourful creature was called Mildred. She picked that because it was her grandmother’s name. “It turns out she adores caterpillars and even wore stripey socks to prove it,” said Louise. “Her family were over the moon when she won as Daisy is very tactile and Mildred is so soft and colourful. They are an incredible family and told us they haven’t been anywhere all together since Covid. Until now.” Photo of Harry Addy Photo of Isaac Davies Photo of Jayden Everitt Photo of Kevin Ornat

• Five releases over five months will tell the story of the iconic Lotus brand
• ‘Limitless’ is theme of first release, due mid-August 2022
• Four more to follow in consecutive months, culminating in December
• To be part of the experience register now at nft.lotuscars.com

The first ever Lotus NFT Collection is called 01L and the registration process for customers is now live online at nft.lotuscars.com. NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are assets which exist exclusively in the digital world, are bought and sold online, and frequently with cryptocurrency because they are coded with the same software – the so-called ‘blockchain’. This debut Lotus NFT Collection will be an exclusive set of assets that together tell the story of the Lotus brand through a series of five releases – known in the digital world as ‘drops’ – over the course of five months. The first of the NFTs will be released mid-August 2022 and will focus on the ‘Limitless’ nature of the iconic British car brand. Limitless is the name of its recently launched brand campaign. This first drop will consist of 100 exclusive NFTs and will mint on the XRPL blockchain. The price and benefits linked to the NFTs will be announced nearer the time. Each consecutive month, the number of NFTs released will decrease, culminating with a final drop in December of just five super-rare digital tokens. As announced earlier this month, NFTs are the next innovative project from Lotus Advanced Performance. It is dedicated to delivering thrilling bespoke vehicles and world-class customer experiences. Created in-house by Lotus Design, each new NFT will pay tribute to the pioneering spirit of Lotus. Simon Lane, Director, Lotus Advanced Performance, commented: “Limitless is the perfect theme for the first drop of the 01L Collection. We can promise customers some truly memorable content that will create a new digital community of Lotus fans. Ownership will unlock unique physical and digital experiences that we look forward to revealing soon.” NFT Collection 01L allows creators and collectors to come together and experience Lotus in a new and exciting environment, including unique perks exclusive to holders of the Lotus NFTs. It will create a community of – and exciting new opportunities for – Lotus customers, NFT collectors and crypto-fans. To be part of the experience register now at nft.lotuscars.com. To see the two videos to accompany this announcement click on the following links: Lotus NFT Announcement Video Lotus NFT Short Video  

Photo caption: Richard Beck: From British Army, Royal Engineer (left) to Vattenfall, Operations and Maintenance Package Manager, Norfolk Boreas and Norfolk Vanguard Projects (right) Norfolk born Richard Beck spent seven years in the British Army as a Royal Engineer before transitioning into a career within the offshore wind sector. Saturday 25 June marks Armed Forces Day – a day in which the UK celebrates the people who make up the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force Each year more than 14,000 skilled and experienced men and women leave the armed forces and finding a new career path can be a daunting experience. Growing up in Happisburgh Richard has worked in renewables for the past ten years and now works for Swedish energy group Vattenfall as operations and maintenance package manager for Norfolk Boreas and Norfolk Vanguard Projects. He said: “Even after just seven years, leaving the military was a lot to get my head around, such as deciding what to do, applying for jobs and how to re-establish my career. “The resettlement package, guidance and training opportunities provided were very good and I took every opportunity to attend courses, gain certificates and glean advice. Nevertheless, starting with a blank sheet of paper was scary. “Nowadays, the Armed Forces Covenant, which Vattenfall have recently progressed to Silver Award, demonstrates that companies are very willing to help bridge this gap.” Vattenfall signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant in 2019 and since then at least six per cent of the company’s workforce come from an armed forces background. Dujon Goncalves-Collins, Senior Strategy Advisor – Aviation, Defence and Radar said: “If we support ex-military to transfer their expertise into a fast-expanding industry, it not only supports them, but it is a huge benefit for our business. “Vattenfall’s commitment to support former military personnel is part of an industry wide drive to grow offshore wind deployment, and to increase those directly employed in the sector by 2030. Currently an estimated 15 per cent of the offshore wind workforce come from a military background.” Transitioning from the Army to offshore wind has provided Richard with a ‘career for life’ and now the 43-year-old wants to raise the prominence of the industry and the opportunities available for ex-military personnel. He continued: “There’s a lot of common ground between the military and the offshore wind industry. I think the fairly obvious transferable skills are technical, such as engineering, hydraulic electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. “There are so many opportunities for young people and especially anyone ex-military. Whether that’s in the installation or construction phase, or the design proceeding that, or for the longer-term operations and maintenance, these projects have 30-years or more lifetime. “We have seen a lot of success at Grimsby, and I think Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft in particular and the surrounding large catchment areas have got an incredible opportunity here. “There are going to be a lot of jobs for the longer term, not just on this project but others as well, and in addition to that there are tier one and tier two suppliers and everything that is associated to it with the supply chain. Richard concluded: “Transitioning into offshore wind from the military has offered me a career for life. I feel lucky to live in a region that’s at the core of the UK’s offshore wind development. “Not only are the opportunities extensive locally but also globally as an industry. I would recommend the offshore wind sector to any ex-military personnel looking for that next step in their career.”

Image: Martin Dronfield, Chairman for EEEGR, speaks to delegates at Global Offshore Wind 2022 during the GENERATE and EEEGR Pavilion’s drinks reception. Image credit: GENERATE The East of England has huge potential to become the heart of the UK’s net zero journey and GENERATE made sure the region’s voice was heard loud and clear at Global Offshore Wind 2022, supported by industry-leading developers, and thought leaders in the sector. The GENERATE and East of England Energy Group (EEEGR) pavilion at RenewableUK’s Global Offshore Wind presents an opportunity to uplift a range of businesses from the East of England, offering them the chance to exhibit on a global stage. This year, exhibitors on the GENERATE pavilion included Peel Ports, Kestrel Liner Agency, Harwich International and Peterson, alongside presentations from Great Yarmouth’s new O&M campus and Lowestoft PowerPark projects. The pavilion also played host to the Virginia Beach Economic Development, promoting the offshore wind export opportunities in the growing US market. Ian Pease, Business Development Manager for GENERATE said, “It’s fantastic to see so much activity on the stand today. By collaborating under the GENERATE brand, the East of England has been able to demonstrate real presence within the industry, representing both the capability of our supply chain and the opportunities for inward investment.” In addition to a traditional presence, the GENERATE stand hosted a drinks reception with senior industry leaders presenting on their projects. Welcoming more than 200 people across the supply chain to the stand, attendees at the reception had the opportunity to hear from developers including Vattenfall, ScottishPower Renewables, RWE and Equinor on the exciting opportunities in the East of England. Simon Gray, Executive Director of Policy and Internal Affairs at EEEGR, said, “There was a real buzz at the event in general, which we really felt on the pavilion today, with lots of businesses visiting to find out about the industry in the east and how they can capitalise on the region’s opportunities.” The GENERATE brand goes even further this year, having commissioned a video that will provide legacy for those involved with the region’s presence at the event. The video will showcase the ambitions of the developers and the opportunities the region presents as seen by the supply chain. GENERATE, which is a collaboration of stakeholders including Great Yarmouth Borough Council, East Suffolk Council, Norfolk County Council, Suffolk County Council, and the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, work alongside energy industry bodies EEEGR and the EastWind offshore cluster to profile and showcase the region’s energy investment opportunities to a national and international audience of key decision makers. Having a presence at national and international events such as these demonstrates the importance of representing the region as a whole, and the importance of showcasing the opportunities on a global scale. GENERATE has a rigorous program across the year to continue to support businesses to do this with their attendance at industry events in Amsterdam and Hamburg. Images: Frist: Ian Pease, Business Development Manager for GENERATE, at the GENERATE and EEEGR Pavilion at Global Offshore Wind 2022. Second: Delegates attend the GENERATE and EEEGR Pavilion’s drinks reception at Global Offshore Wind 2022. Image credit: GENERATE