Member News

A talented songwriter who penned a charity single in memory of his friend who committed suicide has described the process as “humbling and heart-warming”. Callum Robb, from Norfolk indie-rock band Red Wine Talk, wrote The Deep Blue Sea Between Us about pal Connor Clark. The 18-year-old was training at the Royal Marine Commando Training Centre, in Devon, but took his own life on 12th June, 2021. Callum, 25, decided to glean a positive from the harrowing situation and wrote the single to raise funds for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH). His lyrics were penned after attending Connor’s celebration of life ceremony – a gathering held at Crusaders Rugby Club, in Norwich. The single was released last December and, in the six months since, it has raised £1,300 for EACH, which supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex. Callum, who plays the guitar, said: “I remember being at the ceremony and everyone in attendance knew and loved Connor. “It’s a bitterly sobering moment when you find yourself looking around at childhood friends in tears, mourning a friend who has died at the age of just 18. “The rawness, emotion and love protrude through in the lyrics and it’s humbling and heart-warming to witness the joy it’s brought to so many people, especially Connor’s mum, dad and brother, Tracy, Andy and Alex. “It’s great to know it’ll always be there in our collective experiences and can be listened to in a moment of reflection. “For me, the song brings some context to the grief and, looking back on what we produced, fills me with pride.” The Deep Blue Sea Between Us, mixed and mastered by producer Tom Joy, is described as an ambient ten-minute track and Red Wine Talk were invited to perform it in front of the BBC Look East cameras. Connor’s parents were listening for the first time, adding to the emotion of the moment, and it was followed by an interview about the impact of suicide on families left behind. “We also performed The Deep Blue Sea Between Us live for the first time, and in its entirety, as an encore at our last headline gig at Epic Studios, in Norwich, on 11th March,” added Callum. “Playing it to a 300-strong crowd was amazing and I was fighting tears, playing through the instrumentals, especially as Tracy had made her way to the front to take it all in.” Since the release of the song and the BBC report, members of the band have been approached by people struggling with their own mental health. “The song was meant to bring Tracy, Andy and Alex some joy and spread awareness around mental health,” said Callum. “However, even if one person feels empowered to talk to their mates about how they’re struggling then it’s been a success in our eyes.” Callum and his bandmates recorded their single in a studio in November. It was then mixed and mastered for release on all streaming platforms and CD. The band were delighted to raise so much for EACH. Callum said: “It’s a superb achievement and a lasting legacy of Connor’s kindness. “He was a good friend of the band and I know he would have loved us to support an amazing charity like EACH. “Reaching this fundraising milestone is amazing and a much-needed positive distraction from the first anniversary of his suicide. “It seemed fitting to hand over the money around this date. “Despite the sadness of the anniversary, we thought it would help reignite the all-important conversation surrounding young male suicide. “EACH helped us germinate the idea and let it blossom into what it’s become and we know the donations will be put to very good use. “We’re very grateful for the support.” A special cheque presentation recently took place at EACH’s office near The Nook hospice, in Framingham Earl. Norfolk community fundraiser Tim Jenkins said: “The last year must have been such an emotional time for the boys and I can’t begin to imagine how they’ve been feeling since last June. “However, to have raised such a wonderful amount deserves all the praise we can offer. “We’re very grateful and this money will help us continue providing our vital care services across Norfolk and East Anglia.” Callum’s bandmates are singer Ed Brookes, 23, guitarist and saxophonist Fred Clements, 21, drummer Adam Smith, 21, and bassist Kain McBarron, 21. Callum, Ed and Adam are based in Norwich while Fred and Kain live in Great Yarmouth. Red Wine Talk have played at the Latitude Festival and are well known on Norwich’s indie scene, since surfacing in 2018. To make a donation and support the fundraising single, head to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/redwinetalk Pictured from left to right are Kain, Fred, Tracy (Connor’s mum), Andy (Connor’s dad), Callum and Ed. Unfortunately, Adam was not able to make the cheque presentation. Pictures: Perfect Pose Photography

Above: A Sunflower Lanyard Credit: Greater Anglia Greater Anglia is continuing to support the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard scheme so that passengers with non-visible disabilities can get the help they need when travelling. Stocks of the Sunflower lanyards and ID cards are available to passengers who need them at main staffed stations. The lanyard and ID card feature a sunflower on a green background to signal to others that the holder may have a disability that is not immediately obvious, such as learning difficulties, mental health as well as mobility, speech, visual or hearing impairments. Paul White from Hidden Disabilities Sunflower said: “Living with a hidden disability can make daily life more demanding for many people, but it can be difficult for others to recognise, acknowledge or understand the challenges that they face. “The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower helps by discreetly indicating to people including staff and colleagues that those who choose to wear it, have a hidden disability and may need additional support, help or a little more time.” Greater Anglia’s Accessibility Manager, Rebecca Richardson, said, “We’re delighted to continue our support of this initiative to help our staff recognise that customers may have different access needs when they travel with us which may not be immediately obvious. Our new trains offer a significant improvement in terms of accessibility and we are striving to improve accessibility in all other parts of the customer journey including web access and information provision. The sunflower was chosen as the symbol for the scheme as it suggests happiness, positivity, strength as well as growth and confidence. It is a universally recognised flower as well as being gender-neutral. It intends to allow everyone with hidden disabilities to choose to be visible when they want to be. Since its launch in 2016, it has now been adopted globally by major airports and venues and in the UK, by many supermarkets, railway and coach stations, leisure facilities, the NHS, a number of police, fire and ambulance services, and an increasing number of small and large businesses and organisations.

This article looks at why you need to monitor your website’s performance and how to do it. Once your website is live you will need to track its performance to see if it’s achieving the goals you’ve set for it. If not you will need to identify what changes you need to make to improve it. Here is the essential website data you need to track for your website. To do this you will need to have analytics software such as Google Analytics on your website. We recommend that you track these stats either weekly or monthly depending on your online marketing activity and volume of traffic. 1. Website conversions We always recommend that you set up measurable conversions for your website such as sales, enquiries, downloads. Conversions are easy to set up in Google Analytics, find out how. As well as tracking how many conversions have been achieved also track what sources they are coming from (Search, Paid Ads, Social Media) so you can see what online marketing channels are working best for you. Typical Goal data from Google Analytics 2. Website visits Always a popular stat with web managers but you need to track both returning visits and new visits. If one of your website goals is to generate sales and leads, then new visits should represent most of your traffic. Visitor stats from Google Analytics 3. Traffic sources You need to know where your website traffic is coming from to measure the performance of your online marketing e.g., SEO, PPC, Social Media, Email Marketing. Google Analytics will show you most of this data and you can add Campaigns to measure email marketing and other tactics. Sources should also be measured against conversions to see what tactics work best. Tracking visitor types using Google Analytics Dashboard 4. Mobile traffic For many websites most of their traffic comes from mobile devices. We recommend you regularly track what percentage of your visitors are using desktop, tablet, and mobile phone devices. If a large proportion of your website visits are from mobiles and these visitors have a high bounce rate* and a low page duration time, then you carry out a review of your website on mobile devices to see why it has poor engagement. Mobile visitor stats using Google Analytics 5. User experience You will need to know what pages on your website are the most popular. Also track what type of visitor they are popular with eg new versus returning visitors. Google Analytics will show you bounce rates* and time spent on pages so you can identify which pages may need improving by analysing content, navigation, page speed etc. A high bounce rate is not necessarily bad, for example, Contact Us pages generally have high bounce rates as people find the information they need and leave. However a high bounce rate for your home page does need to be addressed. Contact Us pages often have a low “Time on Page” 6. Keywords For most websites traffic from search is their main source and being able to track what keywords people use to find your website is an essential performance indicator for measuring search engine optimisation. Unfortunately, Google Analytics hides the most popular keywords used to find your site. However, add your website to Google Search Console and this will show you all the search queries that your website appears for and what numbers of clicks each search query gets. If you are using Google Ads campaigns to drive traffic to your website, then you can track what keywords are working well in the campaigns. It is also useful to track keyword trends to identify seasonal trends (See Google Trends). For example if your keywords spike at a certain time this helps you plan online marketing campaigns to target more potential customers in that period. Below is the keyword trend for the keyword “Greece holidays” in 2013 that shows two distinct peaks in December and then May to July. 7. Search engine rankings A key indicator to track search engine optimisation performance is monitoring the ranking of your website for your priority keywords. Generally your website needs to be on page 1 to generate any sizeable traffic and being in the top 5 is where you want to be. SEMrush Dashboard There are several tools that will help you track search engine rankings with SEMrush being one of the best. Apart from rankings, SEMrush will also track keyword performance, seo issues on your website and backlinks. 8. Website usability Regular checks to see if everything on your website works as it should do is essential as you may have errors on your website that you are unaware of that could be losing you visitors. We recommend producing a checklist to cover essential usability issues such as links, accessibility, content quality, page speed etc. Tools such as Google Search Console will identify potential problems for your website. Finally… Don’t forget that monitoring your website regularly is vital and use these measures as a guide. You may want to add more depending on the nature of your business /organisation. * The “Bounce Rate” is an internet marketing term and refers to the percentage of people who visit a page and then leave without visiting any other pages. Google says the average bounce rate is between 40%-60%.

Are you feeling a bit isolated or uninspired still working from home? Would you be more productive and creative in a friendly and supportive community? Now could not be a better time to take that next step with us. Sign-up for one of our licences for your own dedicated desk, which includes 24/7, 365 days a year access to your desk within our Enterprise Area and use of shared facilities. When joining our community of enterprising companies, you can register your company at our established and highly respected business address. A small number of desks are currently available on easy-in-easy-out licence terms. No fixed periods required, just a month’s notice to end any agreement. Tenants benefit from privileged access to a range of meeting rooms and event space, a dedicated wi-fi platform, post-handling, an in-house café, business development workshops and social events and more. Bespoke IT networking provision also available. All for just £175 + VAT a month. We’re currently offering free use of a hot-desk as a trial, for anyone interested to ‘try before they buy’ and sign up for a more permanent desk. Amoros Ruhumliza, a tenant in the building says: ‘The Enterprise Centre is a very friendly working environment and the support from the staff is first-class. They understand the challenges that small businesses face and take a flexible approach. I could never ask for better!’ Get in touch with The Enterprise Centre team anytime via theenterprisecentre.tenancy@uea.ac.uk or 01603 591366 to find out more or arrange a free day hot-desk trial.’  

Let’s take a quick look at cyber security leadership…Here’s an interesting question to ponder for a few minutes.  How much value do you place on 3 hours of your time as a business or organisational leader? Maybe you thought along the lines of “that’s nearly half a day, I can get lots done in that time”, or “3 hours, 3 meetings, 3 things dealt with”. Now ponder this, you’ve just been told that your business has been hit by a ransomware attack and you’re the person the team are looking to for quick decision making on how you’re going to respond.  Your critical systems are at risk of being taken offline and your highly sensitive customer data is under threat, this could damage your business for a long time.  Would investing three hours of your time in building your cyber security knowledge be worthwhile if it meant you could mitigate some of these risks? It’s an unavoidable reality that 100% security from cyber-attacks targeting your business systems and information is impossible, so sending yourself or your leadership team to be trained in cyber and information security may seem like a luxury use of valuable time.  However, this training, as opposed to that you would give the IT team or frontline staff, provides the information you need to be able to reduce risk. We focus on delivering actionable insights in our training which relate directly to elements that can be implemented in the business, ensuring that your cyber security strategy is specific to the risk profile of your business is key in it being effective. Effectively managing the process of developing a cyber security strategy enables leaders to embed security principles and ensure that threats are responded to appropriately.  A further benefit here is that a knowledgeable leadership function can also enable the business to recover quickly and identify learnings which will further strengthen the security position of the organisation. If you’re keen to mix with and learn from other leaders across a range of industries our cyber security training for business owners and leaders runs for three hours and could be instrumental in you building a more protected business.

A bereaved dad raised £2,000 after taking on an eye-watering 400-mile bike ride from Wales to Lowestoft. Ian Doe completed the gruelling ‘West to East’ challenge to raise funds for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH), which cared for son Callum after he was diagnosed with an aggressive grade four brain tumour on Christmas Eve 2018. The 13-year-old had an operation to remove as much of it as safely possible, in addition to two rounds of radiotherapy. However, devastatingly, Callum died at The Nook, EACH’s hospice in Framingham Earl, in August 2020. Ian decided he wanted to give something back and so, as part of a group of nine from Dunx Cycles, in Lowestoft, embarked on an epic four-day journey from St Davids, in Wales, to Ness Point. “Physically, I found it OK,” said the 51-year-old, from Diss. “Ironically, the first day was probably the hardest, even though we did the fewest miles (85). “There were a lot of hills and it certainly got the legs pumping. I ran out of gears! “That said, what goes up must come down so the flip side was being able to freewheel and get some speed up on the descents. “Thankfully, we had a tailwind the whole way, which was a bonus, and passed through some lovely places, including going past Warwick Castle. “I really enjoyed it and although we were pleased to get home, I almost felt a bit flat at the end. I was sad it was over. “It was an incredible experience. I enjoyed chatting to the other cyclists and find it unbelievable to think how much ground we covered.” Ian and Co’s journey began in St Davids, Pembrokeshire, on 24^th May. After a hilly start, they cycled 104 miles on the second day, 103 on day three and 109 during the final stretch across East Anglia. Their overnight stops were in the Carmarthenshire town of Llandovery, Evesham, in Worcestershire, and St Neots, in Cambridgeshire, and they arrived in Lowestoft on 28^th May. “I’ve found it hard to get truly excited about things since Callum died,” added Ian. “I’m already thinking about what I can do next because I like having something to focus on. One of the other guys has floated the idea of cycling from Edinburgh to Lowestoft! “I’m pleased because I’ve always wanted to do something special for EACH. “I was very pleased to raise so much, especially given my initial target was £500. “I would have considered anything more a bonus, so to get four times that amount is amazing. “Hopefully it helps make a difference. It’s a way of saying thank you for the care and support we received, as a family.” Ian and wife Michelle continue to attend fortnightly bereavement counselling sessions at EACH. Michelle previously took on a special fundraising challenge of her own, raising £2,119 after jogging and walking a virtual 874 miles from Land’s End to John O’ Groats. To sponsor Ian, head here or visit www.justgiving.com/Ian-Doe To read more about Callum’s story, click here or go to each.org.uk/story/callums-story

Two pictures – one of Ian holding a picture of Callum and one of Ian at the finish point, in Lowestoft.

Fosters has been awarded Caring Together’s Carer Friendly Tick Award (Employers), in recognition of our work to identify and support carers within our workplace. The renewal of the award was decided by a panel of carers who assessed the submission on behalf of the charity which supports people caring for family members or friends. Caring Together is a leading charity supporting carers of all ages across Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Norfolk. Fosters Solicitors has 140 employees across our branches in Norfolk and Suffolk. Heather Brown, Fosters’ head of staff care, said “For us, signing up to the Carer Friendly Tick Award as an employer was all about helping our current and future employees feel supported when balancing any personal caring responsibilities with their own career development. “We aim to provide a supportive environment through our specific carers policy and our wellbeing champions, and our work with Caring Together has given us access to training and resources which has helped raise our internal awareness about caring, especially when it comes to understanding that circumstances can change at any moment and many people don’t think of themselves as carers. “We are therefore delighted to have been awarded this accreditation again and to continue our relationship with Caring Together, and would like to thank them for all the work they do in supporting carers in our community.” The panel of carers who assessed the submission were impressed by the range of work being done to identify and support staff who are caring for a family member or friend. The company received the award for reasons including:

• They have a dedicated carers lead and wellbeing champions who listen to carers and signpost them to support.
• The company seeks the views of carers to improve their policies.
• They have a carers agreement which clearly sets out how they support carers, for example flexible working arrangements.
• They actively promote carers events and campaigns, such as Carers Week and Carers Rights Day.

Andy McGowan, head of engagement at Caring Together, said, “With three in five of us likely to be a carer at some stage in our lives we are seeing more and more employers in Norfolk recognising the importance of identifying and supporting carers within the workplace. “We are very pleased to see Fosters Solicitors having their work to identify and support carers recognised by the Carer Friendly Tick Award (Employers) again. We want to congratulate them on this and thank them for the work that they are doing which makes a real difference to carers. “We are pleased to see that the company understands the challenges carers face and the potential limitations their caring role may have on their day-to-day work and career prospects. The understanding and support of employers can make a huge difference to carers and the people they look after. “We hope that other communities, schools, colleges, universities and health organisations, will follow in this good work. They can develop their own ways to identify and support carers, and we are here to help them do this. As the number and awareness of carers grows this will be an ever more important part of making sure carers are given the recognition and help they deserve.” Read more about our Carer Friendly Tick Awards and how your organisation can support carers via Caring Together’s website.  

Greater Anglia will run an additional late train from Lowestoft to Ipswich on Saturday 18 June. The additional service will depart Lowestoft at 23.35 so people attending Lowestoft’s First Light Festival can travel home by rail. The last train to Norwich train departs at 23.47. First Light is a free, non-stop 24 hour long, multi-arts festival that celebrates the first light of midsummer’s weekend at Britain’s most easterly point. Events – which include music, dance, film, literature, art, science, talks, walks, sports, workshops, fire, food and drink – will begin on Lowestoft’s sandy South Beach at noon on Saturday 18 June and will run continuously until noon on Sunday 19 June. Festival-goers are encouraged to use public transport to keep congestion and pollution out of the town. There are regular services from London Liverpool Street to Lowestoft on Saturday, with a change at either Norwich or Ipswich. There are regular direct services to Lowestoft from Norwich and Ipswich and back all weekend. Festival-goers are advised to plan their journeys in advance by checking journey times at www.greateranglia.co.uk Aaron Taffera, Chair of the East Suffolk Lines Community Rail Partnership, said, “We are grateful to Greater Anglia for working with us to put on an additional train, ensuring that the festival is fully supported by public transport. This will really help to keep congestion and pollution out of the town and provide fast, easy access to people coming in from further afield.” Genevieve Christie, Festival Organiser, said “With large numbers of people expected to attend the festival, we would recommend that visitors take advantage of our excellent rail links. With regular trains from Norwich and Ipswich arriving at Lowestoft station in the heart of the town, it is a really easy way to get here. Meanwhile, fewer cars will reduce congestion and help ensure the event is as enjoyable as possible for festival-goers and residents alike.” “Where else can you walk from a station to a festival in less than 10 minutes? This is sustainable travel at its best.” Greater Anglia’s Commercial and Customer Service Director, Martin Moran, said, “With our great value fares, fast, frequent services, and the station’s close proximity to the beach and festival events, it couldn’t be easier to get there and back by train.” The event is free but some activities require tickets. For the full festival programme and to book visit www.firstlightlowestoft.com.

Music maestro Barry Holden has admitted feeling “incredibly happy and proud” after raising just over £10,000 from the last of his hugely popular Norfolk festivals. The 77-year-old has raised thousands of pounds for charities including East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) by staging a series of Live Aid-style concerts in North Walsham. The first was in 1986, inspired by Sir Bob Geldof’s global fundraiser, and another took place in January 2005, in the aftermath of the devastating Boxing Day tsunami. Barry’s gigs have since taken place every year bar two, because of Covid, but it was the end of an era when the last one was held at North Walsham Community Centre on Saturday, 28^th May. It was in aid of EACH and Addenbrooke’s Teenagers Cancer Trust and both charities will receive £5,100. “I’ve got mixed feelings about it being the last one,” said the dad of two, who also has three grandchildren. “In one sense, it’s a relief and most definitely the right time to call it a day. “I’m not getting any younger and an awful lot of time and work goes into arranging these events. This one has really taken it out of me. “That said, I’m also very sad it’s over and have definitely enjoyed the ride. The memories will stay with me forever. “I’ve got an awful lot out of it over the years, meeting so many amazing people and celebrities like Eric Clapton and Sir Stirling Moss. “Then, of course, there’s the amazing amount of money we’ve raised – something that makes me incredibly happy and proud. “We’ve supported many very special charities and I know the donations have been well spent and appreciated.” Barry is proud to have supported EACH and, as a thank you for his efforts, he was invited to the opening of The Nook in 2019. In addition to his festivals, Barry started volunteering in the charity’s North Walsham shop last summer. Wife Chris has been volunteering there since 2018. “The money for EACH was always used to fund music therapy, most recently at The Nook,” he said. “I was invited along to one of the sessions and that was a very special feeling. “I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me along the way, from the bands and artists to everyone who bought tickets. “People have been generous, making the event extremely popular and raising a phenomenal amount of money.” Photo Credits: John Newstead

The franchising and corporate teams at Ashtons Legal have advised a US investor on their purchase of 32 Papa Johns’ stores in the UK. HB Pizza Ltd, the UK investment arm of one of the US’ largest Papa John’s franchisees, PJ Restaurants, has acquired 32 sites in the North of England. The multi-million pound purchase was partially funded by Santander Bank, with the remainder coming from HB Pizza’s US operations. Ashtons’ involvement in the transaction included negotiating the franchising arrangements, advising on the TUPE implications of more than 450 transferring employees and workers, settling new sub-leases for each site, advising the purchaser on two new banking facilities and security from Santander, and associated corporate and transactional advice. The purchase was carried out in phases and spanned 12 months from inception to completion. Damian Humphrey, Ashtons’ head of franchising led the transaction and was supported by David Sloman from the firm’s corporate and commercial side, Colin Makin in employment, Geoff Hazelwood advising on the banking and finance aspects and Ian Hylton on the commercial property side. Damian says: “We are delighted to have assisted HB Pizza on their entry and investment into the UK franchise market. Stuart (Hunt, CEO of PJ Restaurants) and his team were a fantastic to work with. As experienced multi-site franchise owners in the US they will bring considerable expertise and resources to the Papa John’s network in the UK, benefitting the brand and consumers. We wish them all the best and look forward to assisting with other deals in the pipeline”. He adds: “The scope and complexity of this project really showcases Ashtons’ strength in depth across the business client group, bringing together specialist lawyers working seamlessly together in different locations to provide a complete service to our clients. We would be delighted to speak to any other multi-site franchisees or purchasers about similar projects”. Stuart Hunt, CEO of PJ Restaurants commented: “This acquisition cements our foothold in the UK market and is a great springboard for further expansion within the Papa John’s network. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Ashtons Legal on these acquisitions. Damian and his team have been professional and responsive throughout the entire process, they have offered expert advice and steered us in the right direction as we navigate a new region for our business. Ashtons’ handling of these transactions was a great reflection of their franchising expertise and their strength in a number of other commercial legal specialties. We look forward to continuing our relationship as we execute on our expansion strategy”. Stephens & Bolton advised Papa Johns and Blake Morgan acted for Santander. Photo taken by Warren Page of PagePixj

Do you view a problem as an obstacle or an opportunity? How you answer this question can define and set you apart as a leader, in life and business. Inspired by Ryan Holiday’s book The Obstacle is the Way, James and Mark dive into how fear can equal disaster in business, and how our state of mind can be reprogrammed to find the positives. There will always be problems, but how we handle them can make us stronger. We can relearn how to handle tough situations, increase motivation (which is not the same as discipline!) and avoid catastrophe. Some things are immovable and unchangeable, therefore out of our control. James and Mark take us through their personal experiences of dealing with barriers, and the steps we can all take to achieve a healthy state of mind, which is good for business, and good for relationships. For show notes, how to get in touch with the podcast team and to listen to the podcast, click below. Listen here!

Louise was introduced to Product Design when a student at Norwich High, taking both a GCSE and A Level in the subject. She then went on to study Product Design at undergraduate and masters level at the University of Leeds. Having moved into the corporate world after graduating, working in marketing and project management including for a Norfolk-based telecommunications company, Louise trained as a Teacher at Exeter. Her subsequent positions have seen her teach Product Design, most recently as Head of Design & Technology at Wymondham High Academy. Louise said: “Taking up this position at Norwich High feels like coming home to me. As an old girl, everything has quickly come back to me about life as part of this special community; from the extra curricular clubs to assemblies and prizegiving. “I’m so thankful that I was introduced to my subject during my time at Norwich High. As well as making a double seater swing chair for my GCSE coursework – which is still in pride of place in my parent’s conservatory, I received the Arkwright National Engineering Scholarship at Year 11. This opened so many doors, and reinforced my interest in pursuing a career within engineering, architecture and design. For my A Level Product Design project I went on to make a desk based on the internal structure of aeroplane wings. Product Design is a subject like no other, bringing together the scientific technical principles of materials and processes alongside the creative design and practical world of manufacture. “Good design should sit effortlessly in everyday products and what I love about Product Design is the opportunity to change people’s lives for the better. Being able to design and then physically make products is not only creative and highly challenging but also fun.” Mrs Louise Ryan, Head of Product Design at Norwich High School for Girls A special atmosphere “Coming back to Norwich High seventeen years after I left after Sixth Form, it has been incredible how much the special atmosphere of the school has still had an impact on me. There are Teachers here who taught me, so I am adjusting to them now being my colleagues! The school is very familiar but in so many nice ways, and it is great to see how much has changed physically and to get to know new colleagues including my fantastic team in the Product Design department. Uncompromising “The Norwich High environment, in my experience, has always been a place where girls can achieve anything they want to. All my school friends have moved into their careers with the same mindset and have not compromised in their career aspirations and life decisions. It was instilled in all of us from the beginning – you don’t have to compromise and why would you. Having subsequently taught in other educational settings and worked in the corporate world, I realise how special Norwich High is and what we all gained from the mindset and tools we learnt during our time at school. Unfortunately, Product Design and Engineering remains a male dominated subject and more male students take up the subject than girls in school and university. Individual attention “There are no reasons why boys and girls can’t both enjoy the subject – although in my experience, boys and girls do approach the design process in a different way in general. A lot of the time, girls are more creative, take their time, and are more considered in their design approach which can be a real benefit. Within the small class sizes at Norwich High, we can offer individual attention – particularly for practicals, and we can really take projects forward to a very high standard of finished product. Girls can be themselves “Overall and across the entirety of school life, the great thing about teaching in an all girls school is the lack of comparison. Students can completely and utterly be themselves; there isn’t the pressure to be a certain way. Students can join in with sports, be musical, be academic – everyone supports each other and that’s a great place to be. Innovation “I am really excited to be in the role and to take the department forward. We have plans to focus on innovation – using new equipment including introducing more graphics into the design process and  finished products to move beyond traditional manufacturing techniques and allow even more  creativity. We have an element of freedom and I am passionate about instilling a love of Product Design in students by taking their learning in new directions.” Alison Sefton, Head of Norwich High School for Girls commented: “It has been fantastic to welcome Louise to the team. She is a brilliant teacher with broad and relevant experience and very exciting ideas for her department. Product Design is a very popular subject amongst our students at GCSE and at A-level where the most important factor is an individual student’s interests and ideas. I am consistently blown away by the incredible products which students of all ages make. That Louise is an alumna is extra special and will help inspire the students even further.”