The Festival Bar team will support the running of our Festival Bars in Chapelfield Gardens between 13 – 29 May 2022. We’re looking for people who are committed, enthusiastic and reliable to help make the Festival happen. You’ll be great at multi-tasking, adaptable, and keen to ensure good customer care and efficient service. We’d like the bar team to be confident with contactless payment, liaising with different people, and staying calm under pressure. The full job description and application forms can be found below. https://nnfestival.org.uk/about-us/vacancies/
Above: Station Adopters Gillian Lincoln and Greg Chandler receiving their ‘Wildlife Friendly’ accreditation. Credit: Greater Anglia Volunteers at Brundall Gardens rail station are the first to receive a ‘Wildlife Friendly’ accreditation for their work to improve biodiversity there. Greater Anglia has partnered with Norfolk Wildlife Trust to formally recognise the achievements of its team of volunteer ‘station adopters’ to create wildlife havens at stations across its network through the new ‘Greater Anglia Wildlife Friendly Stations Accreditation Scheme.’ Brundall Gardens was the first station in East Anglia to receive the award under the new scheme. It was presented to station adopters, Greg Chandler and Gillian Lincoln, at the station by Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Corporate and Membership Development Officer, James Hogg, on Monday (25 April). Cantley, West Runton and Thetford stations will also be presented with their accreditations this week following assessment by a Norfolk Wildlife Trust Conservation Officer to determine how well they support local flora and fauna. James Hogg said: “The alarming decline in the abundance of wildlife and the plight of species under threat means that just protecting the nature we have left is not enough; we need to put nature into recovery, and to do so at scale and with urgency. We are working to create a nature recovery network across Norfolk – and with fellow wildlife trusts across the UK – to create more space for wildlife. “This project with Greater Anglia is a fantastic example of how people can transform nature-poor areas into new nature-rich places – and change the way we think about land, seizing opportunities to help nature outside traditional nature reserves.” Each assessment also offers tips and advice for how to make the stations more wildlife friendly and the reports can also be used as examples of best practice to help spread good ideas around all Greater Anglia’s stations. Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Engagement Manager, Alan Neville, said, “We’re delighted to partner with the region’s wildlife trusts to formally recognise the valuable work of our station adopter volunteers in supporting wildlife and improving their local environment.” “I’d like to congratulate the volunteers at Brundall Gardens on receiving this recognition and thank them for the incredible work that are doing that makes the station a wonderful place to be, that is contributing to support biodiversity locally.” Rail stations in East Anglia are increasingly becoming havens for local wildlife thanks to the efforts of volunteers who last year transformed over 6,800 square metres of land into thriving wildlife gardens. In a recent survey, Greater Anglia station adopters reported a wide range of creatures visiting their stations including many different types of butterflies as well as bees, slow worms, bats, foxes, deer and many varieties of birds, recording more than 200 different species. Greater Anglia has joined the rest of the rail industry in pledging to make stations across Britain more sustainable. Action to reduce waste, support local wildlife and cut the carbon footprint of railway stations will be informed by the industry’s Sustainable Stations: Best Practice Guide, which details ways in which train operators can meet this commitment in support of global goals of decarbonisation, reducing waste and supporting local plant and animal life. Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s vision for a Nature Recovery Network envisages a landscape in which nature reserves are connected by corridors of habitat, through which wild species and their genes flow freely. Crucially, people are also personally connected to wildlife and wild landscape, for their own wellbeing and for the benefit of nature. Slideshow picture – Left to right: Rebecca Evans, Norfolk Wildlife Trust Conservation Officer, James Hogg, Norfolk Wildlife Trust Corporate and Membership Development Officer, station adopters Gillian Lincoln and Greg Chandler, Martin Halliday, Community Rail Norfolk, Jonathan Denby, Greater Anglia Head of Corporate Affairs and Alan Neville, Greater Anglia Customer and Community Engagement Manager. Credit: Greater Anglia.
Simply delighted to announce the official opening of Captain Fawcett’s first ever Barbershop as part of Lind Harley-Davidson 26th Anniversary celebrations. What a splendid day was had by all. Barbershop open every Saturday, owzat?!
Chantry Place will transform into Chantry Palace to celebrate the Queen’s upcoming Platinum Jubilee and will have The Royal Guard on Chantry Square, as well as celebrate the Queen’s favourite dog breed with a free corgi trail for families throughout May Half Term. The free ‘Walkie corgi trail’ will take place from Monday 30th May until Sunday 5th June, with families tracking the Queen’s corgi characters which have escaped the palace! Spelling out a Jubilee-themed word, entrants will be entered into a competition to win a right royal day out, worth over £300! Outside on Chantry Square, visitors will discover Chantry Palace, an amazing photo opportunity with a Royal Guard on sentry duty over the four day holiday weekend between 2nd and 5th June. A royal throne and red carpet, complete with an incredible royal backdrop, will also be situated on the lower ground floor from 2nd to 5th June, so visitors can enjoy being a King or Queen! Paul McCarthy, general manager at Chantry Place, said: “We wanted to mark The Queen’s 70-year reign and have lots of fun at the Centre to celebrate! We can’t wait to welcome people to Chantry Palace to meet our Royal Guard and the photo opportunities on offer will delight all the family. This and the self-led Corgi character trail are all free, and we have lots on offer for everyone visiting, as people make a day of it and enjoy all the family-friendly retailers and restaurants we have at the Centre.” Chantry Place is home to brands including House of Fraser, H&M, Smiggle, Langleys, Build-a-Bear and more. For more information on Chantry Place, visit www.ChantryPlace.co.uk or follow chantryplacenorwich on social media.
With a 9% increase in fee income – up from £46.6m to £50.8m – TaxAssist Accountants is the 22nd largest accounting provider in the UK. The accounting sector continues to show its resilience through the pandemic with strong growth according to this year’s Accountancy Daily Top 75 accounting firms survey. Daren Moore FCCA, Group Managing Director, said: “The TaxAssist Accountants network performed solidly through the pandemic and 2022 has seen even stronger growth in fee income. We are expecting this to lead to a record year for us. “This is the result of the hard work and effort the franchise network has put in to support their clients through uncertain times, the goodwill this has created and the strength of the TaxAssist brand. “We have seen an acceleration in the pace of change the accountancy industry has experienced in recent years. Clients now expect more from their accountants and we see huge opportunity for our franchisees as more and more clients reach out to their trusted advisor for help and advice. “We continue to enhance and develop our range of additional advisory and financial services for clients, all offered through our extensive network of local, highly visible, TaxAssist shops. This, combined with our dominant brand and online positioning, bodes well for our network breaking into the Top 20 firms.” Accountancy Daily Contributing Editor, Philip Smith, states in his analysis: “With record levels of income, the UK’s accountancy firms are powering ahead, driven by a rapidly transforming business environment… the combined income of this year’s firms has hit £18.87bn, an increase of 6.4% over the previous year’s survey. “This marks a more than decade-long bull run for the Top 75, which has not experienced a collective dip in income since 2010. Even Covid-19 has not been able to slow down growth.” To see the list of the Top 75 accounting firms and an analysis by Accountancy Daily click here.
Job descriptions are often quite streamlined and focused. The hope is that professionals will have a clear sense of what is expected of them. That said, performing as expected doesn’t always impress superiors. Many people feel compelled to grow beyond the confines of their roles, desiring to be noticed and applauded for their abundance of initiative. Others may wish to mix things up and escape the routine monotony their current role offers. However, some people now claim that ‘a cult of overwork’ is taking form, as professionals in all industries test their boundaries and push themselves to new extremes. Going above and beyond in your job role is a noble ambition, but if you approach things in a toxic fashion, you’ll only incur career setbacks instead of progression. How can you navigate this side of your career without oversteering? Here’s how to go above and beyond the parameters of your job role. Refine Time Management Many workers are swamped in the workplace. Seemingly endless responsibilities demand their attention, making going above and beyond seem all but impossible. An improvement to your time management skills may be called for. It’s worth reviewing expert tips on the issue, such as using scheduling tech, breaking down large tasks, and honing and understanding the fluctuations in your productivity. Managing stress levels will also be worthwhile, enabling you to focus on tasks for longer without delay or distraction. Everything behind a successful career starts with time management. That being said, it’s important not to get overly ambitious, or you can risk burning yourself out. Discuss these matters with your colleagues and superiors and collaborate with them. What expectations can you set that are both realistic and aspirational? Remember, the goal is to optimise your workflow, not overextend yourself. Time management takes stamina and commitment as well. Once you find a rhythm of working that helps you excel, it’s important to maintain it. These efforts need to reframe your thinking and unlock your potential rather than provide you with bursts of energy at intermittent periods. Review KPIs Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) enable you to assess where your business is strongest and weakest. It’s important to be aware of this data to tailor your abilities appropriately and devote more time and resources to a particular area. Even the government has KPIs set for numerous parts of its operations, helping it measure the effectiveness of its most important contracts. Still, not all of this data may be made available to you, depending on where you rank in your firm. While more sensitive information may be reserved for the higher ups, you should still be able to access some KPI data, particularly that which pertains to you. Showing initiative in these circumstances can reflect positively on you. It highlights that you’re willing to take the initiative and delve deeper into your company’s affairs. You won’t be a passive presence in the business but a proactive problem-solver instead, digging beneath the surface of your role to right wrongs. It’s not just about improving your performance either. Reviewing KPIs will give you greater insights into how your company strategises and operates. Many firms have overseen enormous overhauls of key processes in recent times. If you can chart similar changes in your firm, you can then work in sync with each phase of your firm’s evolution, offer credible commentary, and showcase your aptitude. Build Your Skills Going above and beyond in your job role sometimes means exploring opportunities outside of it. Sourcing skills from multiple sources can help you evolve into a more well-rounded professional who can tap into many perspectives and strategies. Institutions like The London School of Economics and Political Science have online courses in managerial finance, data analysis for management and more. Upon completion, you’ll be better equipped to make more informed financial and managerial decisions. You’ll also have greater capabilities to analyse important reports, evaluate investment projects, and communicate findings and concerns. You can also register for a group booking on online courses. If you can enrol yourself and some colleagues into these programs, it showcases your proactive attitude. It may also indicate your leadership potential, showing that you’re interested in improving the business as a whole rather than getting ahead of your peers for more self-centred career advancement purposes. Going ‘above and beyond’ in a job role can often seem like a flowery statement. It’s important to have real, tangible results at the heart of what you’re trying to achieve here. These courses only last for 6 weeks for 8-12 hours per week, so paired with your improved time management skills, you should have a great deal to show for yourself once the period has elapsed. Make an Effort to Socialise Socialising can often feel counterintuitive to work. However, giving your professional life a personal touch can work in your favour, allowing you to integrate yourself more seamlessly into the fabric of the company culture. You should make an effort to attend any social events that your colleagues and superiors organise. These can be drinks after work, parties celebrating company milestones and birthdays, or festive gatherings. There may also be events for the departures of much-loved colleagues, which you should also try to attend. Of course, trying to be nice costs nothing. Social events are great for putting your best foot forward without behaving overly obsequiously to attract your boss’ favour. People perhaps like to know they’re working alongside relatable humans rather than soulless machines. It also highlights that you want to spend time with the business beyond your contracted hours and that you’re fond of those around you. Social events also enable you to establish better relationships with your colleagues that could later facilitate better teamwork in the workplace, working harder to make each other’s lives easier. You’ll also have plenty of anecdotes to discuss, helping you to continue building rapport. Listen to Your Colleagues The ability to listen is important when wishing to go above and beyond in your job role. You must be attentive to every word that’s spoken in the workplace. Some of your peers will be more prone to complaining than others. After all, job-related grievances are hardly uncommon, and many employees will have plenty of private grumbling about how things can be improved in the firm. Nobody likes listening to moaning. However, while some professionals will be bothered by those that complain, you should instead try to see each criticism as an opportunity – the same way one would with a poor customer review. For instance, workers may become irate when workplaces or communal areas are unclean. They may want better shifts to tend to personal matters. These are the circumstances where you can personally intervene, make a real difference, and get noticed, shouldering additional responsibilities for the betterment of those around you. Some complaints may be harder to address, especially if the worker wants to see more seismic changes take place in the company. Even if you can’t put these developments into motion yourself, you could always make polite suggestions to the higher-ups on the complainant’s behalf. That way, you can be seen as a mouthpiece for your colleagues and someone they will come to look to. Be flexible when going above and beyond the parameters of your job role, and embrace both personal and professional methods of fulfilling that goal.
The East of England Energy Group (EEEGR) are delighted to announce the availability of exhibition only tickets to their flagship event; SNS 2022 Energy Integrated in the East! Taking place on the 25th and 26th May, the conference and exhibition celebrates the regions supply chain capabilities and will showcase the diverse range of businesses that support the East of England’s unique energy mix through its sell-out exhibition. Now, thanks to the support of event partners such as ScottishPower Renewables, Vattenfall, Sizewell C and the North Sea Transition Authority, the energy trade association are able to offer exhibition only tickets for as little as £25 + VAT for EEEGR members and £50 + VAT for non-members, increasing footfall and providing exhibitors with even more exposure to the vast array of businesses that make up this ever-growing industry. The industry subsidised tickets will allow small organisations and individuals to enjoy the event and be part of the regional celebration at a pricing level that will suit all budgets. Exhibition only ticket holders will be able to network face-to-face with industry leaders and key decision makers from a range of businesses, build new contacts and develop potential leads. Martin Dronfield, EEEGR Executive Chair, said: “The East of England has an amazing and innovative supply chain, but over the past few years a combination of Covid and project peaks and troughs have forced companies and individuals to watch every penny. For some, the full ticket price may not seem much, but for others it’s a step too far. The generous support from our event partners will open the door for all to attend, and is another demonstration of their commitment to both the region as a whole and to each and every member of the supply chain. EEEGR, on behalf of its members and non-members now able to attend the event express their sincere thanks for their continued support.” The regional trade body are also offering those who have already purchased full rate delegate tickets the opportunity to swap their ticket to exhibition only and receive a refund on the difference. However, conference access, breakfast, lunch and refreshments would no longer be included. Anyone wishing to exchange their tickets should contact the EEEGR events team via events@eeegr.com. Further information on SNS 2022 Energy Integrated in the East and the range of tickets available can be found via eeegr.com/events/sns2022
Are you a small business looking for an opportunity to advertise your services locally? Why not become a Worstead Festival Business Supporter, you can promote your business and support a great charitable cause at the same time. As a thank you, we will display your business name and details to potentially, 18,000+ festival goers as well as adding your business details on our website/ facebook page, etc. There are limited options available to sponsor, which also include weekend passes to the festival. To avoid missing this advertising opportunity, click on to https://www.worsteadfestival.org/sponsorship
“Let’s have the confidence to get Norwich retail soaring again” says Chantry Place manager Paul McCarthy, our general manager, talks about the need to support businesses in the city and reveals some of the Centre’s plans for the year… With the Covid measures being lifted, we’re all hopeful that as a society we quickly learn how to live and prosper in a world with Covid-19. That means businesses returning to normality and looking to the future, moving on from surviving today and making positive choices to invest in their products and their people. It also means consumers developing their confidence again to socialise, shop in person and with friends, to eat out and attend events. We need them to get back to their offices, perhaps not every day as we’ve all learned there are other ways of working, but back nonetheless to support our fine city, its businesses and the thousands of jobs they provide, all while continuing to help keep people safe. The successful vaccination drives, the advances in medical care and that enduring human need to connect once again with people, means it’s time to get retail back to pre-pandemic levels and booming. Many of us are used to shopping online or ordering a takeaway but we need to support our physical businesses – the shops, theatres, restaurants and attractions in Norwich and across Norfolk to support our local economy. These bring vitality and vibrancy to our neighbourhoods and if we lose them they won’t be coming back. Things are looking positive for Norwich. Our County and City Councils continue to invest in public transport, active travel and the public realm and, whilst there is short term disruption, it should lead to long term gain, and we await to see what the new owners of the former Debenhams and Topshop have planned. Demand for retail space remains high at Chantry Place and we have some exciting new additions to add to our retail and food mix this year. At the Centre, we are lucky to have a real mixture of big brands and small, independent businesses, many of which are at the heart of our local community. What we need is for people to turn up to support all these businesses across the city, from shopping centres to independents, niche micro businesses to global brands. Whilst there will inevitably be some retail closures this year, there always is as retailers battle each other for your custom, it feels that many people are turning away from screens and longing to shop in person once again, experiencing all the wonderful things that buying online can never offer – from smelling perfumes, feeling that fabric, getting taller in those new shoes, stopping for coffee and cake, soaking up the atmosphere and going home with your purchase! My team continue to be amazing – always focusing on our customers and adapting to the challenges that come our way. Planning how we do that has been a huge part of our continued success and this year part of our plan is to…
Know our customers better – we will be conducting research this year to refresh our understanding of our customers, as well as finding out what we can do better to ensure we remain a place for everyone in our community.
Support our retailers – our retail and food offerings are our strength and what makes Chantry Place such a wonderful destination in the city centre, with top brands including House of Fraser, Apple, Zara, Wagamama’s and many more. We work hard to support our retailers and will continue to build on the excellent relationships with them all.
Give people the confidence to visit and enjoy what we have to offer – we will continue to ensure that Chantry Place is a clean and safe place to be, with hand sanitisation stands at key points, frequent touchpoint cleaning and generally maintaining the high standards of cleanliness we always have.
Talk to our customers and attract new ones – we have built up a fantastic social community to whom we regularly talk. We will continue to use all the channels available to us to share news and listen to feedback.
Give people a reason to visit – new brands, great standards, national days, supporting community events, sharing positive news from our retailers: we will continue to work hard to get people to come to Chantry Place.
Create and deliver an incredible customer experience, every day.
A frequent question to me over the past five years or so has been whether I believe that retail and the days of Shopping Centres are over. My response remains that retail is incredibly competitive and that benefits all of us, and, whilst some businesses and locations will fail, the best will continue to thrive. We’re incredibly fortunate here in Norwich that our retail offer can truly be counted among the best and all set within one of the best cityscapes in the country. I’m sure that all the retailers in the city, alongside all the other commercial businesses and our amazing cultural offer, will keep on fighting on behalf of their customers, providing amazing products and experiences and so securing the tens of thousands of local jobs all within a city to be truly proud of. Very fine indeed. Original article – https://chantryplace.co.uk/supporting-local-retail/
Trends come and go and here at Chantry Place we always want to ensure that our visitor’s needs are met and our retailers are experts at keeping up to date with current trends, appealing to the latest tastes, interests and needs of their customers. Here are general manager, Paul McCarthy, talks about some key trends for 2022 that we’re watching out for… Sustainability This has always been paramount to us and many of our shoppers. They want a clear commitment to sustainability from the businesses they choose to buy from as this is a key factor in buying products. Here at Chantry Place, our retailers continue to take decisions for their businesses that are both the right commercial thing to do and happen to be ‘green’ too. For example, sustainable and recyclable packages; many also have a lot going on behind the scenes. H&M has their garment collection programme which is a scheme where you can give them a bag of second-hand clothes and textiles, from any brand, and they reuse, re-wear or recycle. As a thank you, H&M give you a voucher to put towards your next purchase and we think this is a great initiative. At Chantry Place we’ve been running our ‘Coffee to Grow’ concept since 2017, turning coffee grounds that were being treated as ‘waste’ into free compost. We collect them, package them in the same coffee packets they came in and then make them available to our visitors free of charge. This initiative has been hugely popular with keen gardeners: it’s great for growing plants and veg, keeping lawns lush and some say it even keeps the bugs away! Head to opposite the lifts on the upper ground floor near Monsoon to grab a free bag (they do go quickly, so the early bird catches the worm!), plus recycle your coffee bags and cups too. We try to add new bags daily. Customer experience The past two years have been difficult for the high street. However, it is beginning to pick up again, making the customer experience more important than ever before. Excellent customer service and that ability for customers to see it, feel it, try it on and take it home is just one of the things that differentiate us. At Chantry Place, we aim to create unique and memorable experiences in-store; focusing on customer interests, really meeting their needs and wants, and hosting events to showcase products all help. Our Hamleys store, that is located on the lower ground floor opposite H&M, is regularly hosting events, especially during the school holidays – bringing joy to their customers! We all love something new and at Chantry Place we have regular pop-ups visiting us, with Kwik Pix recently joining us and more coming soon. Successful customer experience also means keeping our visitors up to date with new offers, menus, events and competitions. We regularly update our news section and social media to ensure you are all aware of what’s happening in the Centre. Fashion, home and food trends Trends for this year include…
Nostalgia in womenswear and this season we are going back to the 90s. Low rise jeans and graphic tees are all predicted to make a strong comeback
Menswear will be preppy with a smart casual, golf and tennis-inspired look – think polos, sweaters and varsity jackets
Kids fashion will be big on streetwear with matching sets, bucket hats and fluro hues
Beauty will be all about colour pops and expressing yourself. Experimenting with new looks and products and sharing across social media will be bigger than ever this Spring / Summer season
Homeware will be focused on minimal and sustainable. People want to buy items that are built to last and reduce clutter which is why quality and minimal is another trend we will see continue for another year. Back to basic, simple designs incorporating more natural materials will be favoured and so will colourful design – if you’re having less and they last longer you’ll want them to look the part too
In food, Japanese flavours, spicy food and nostalgic desserts are all tipped to be huge. At Chantry Place, we have a range of these flavours, withYO!, Chi, Wagamama, Chopstix and more. For the sweeter treats try Ed’s Easy Diner or one of our many delicious cafés, such as Bakers + Barista
Being together – never a trend, more a way of life, but now more than ever as we want to get back to the simple things we always loved. Sharing time and space with others, perhaps over a lovely meal you’ve not had to cook or clear up from, or just sitting back and enjoying coffee and cake, this year is all about being together again with our friends and family
Being part of a community Through our social media channels, we talk to our visitors and share all the latest news, offers and competitions to our fabulous Chantry Place community. Last year, we worked with Norwich Science Festival, Norwich Pride, the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, the Break and Alive Foodbank charities and many more to support them with their events. This remains a key objective for us again this year. We will continue to play our part to showcase the whole of Norwich as the fantastic destination it is. We know that when people visit our fine city then they’re bound to have a great time and ultimately come back and tell others about us. Working together and supporting each other for the greater good will be another big trend for 2022 and it’s a continuation of many years of collaboration through bodies such as the Norwich Business Improvement District which has done so much for our city. This spirit of collaboration across retailers, restaurants, other commercial organisations, leisure operators, and the cultural and public sectors, is fantastic and we hope it continues throughout this year and beyond. Original article – https://chantryplace.co.uk/retail-trends-to-look-out-for-in-2022/
Staff at a Norfolk hotel have been recognised as being among the best in their trade following a “tough” period over the past few years. The Thomas Paine Hotel, in Thetford, won Boutique Hotel of the Year at the London and Southeast England Prestige Awards 2022, which celebrates small and medium-sized businesses excelling in their markets. Manager Gez Chetal, who took over the Grade II listed hotel in 2013, said staff have had to adapt and “totally change” the way they operate following the pandemic. His wife Rosy took up the role of head chef and three full-time employees have been continuing to keep the business going, with other part-time staff brought in to help manage bigger events. You can read the full story in the Thetford and Brandon Times below. https://www.thetfordandbrandontimes.co.uk/news/business/thomas-paine-hotel-boutique-hotel-of-the-year-8909966
Businesses around the world are stepping up to be more sustainable, balancing their economic, environmental and social responsibilities to protect the planet and populations in general. Consumers now expect businesses they buy from to have a clear commitment to sustainability and green practices.For us at Chantry Place, sustainability centres around three core themes of the planet, people and place. Paul McCarthy, our general manager, discusses the importance of sustainability… Planet We all need to play our part in tackling climate change where we can, and Chantry Place is working towards being carbon neutral by 2030 across our whole operation and any new developments. Having halved our own energy consumption since 2010, we will continue to drive energy efficiency across our operations and already only source electricity from sustainable sources. We were also one of the first shopping Centres in the UK to invest in a rooftop solar farm and have 772 solar panels that have to date generated enough green electricity to have boiled your kettle over 8 ½ million times – more than enough to power the six electric vehicle recharging bays we have in our car park. It’s not easy and we’re not done yet, but that’s why we are supporting the initiative started by the Norfolk Chambers of Commerce (www.businessclimateleaders.co.uk) which aims to educate, enable and support SME businesses to seek and apply appropriate, tested actions and activities that will put those businesses on the path to net-zero. We’ll be sharing our stories and learning from others to help us on our journey. It’s not just about power though, waste is a big focus. First and foremost we ensure that all our waste operations are compliant with the latest environmental standards and are independently audited. We’re starting to explore total carbon impact, rather than narrow measures such as ‘% recycled’, and engaging in new initiatives such as Upcycle Your Waste brought to the city through the Norwich Business Improvement District (Norwich BID Upcycle Your Waste). We will continue to offer and promote our ’Coffee to Grow’ scheme, turning coffee grounds that were being treated as ‘waste’ into a free compost. We collect them, package them in the same coffee packets they came in and then make them available to our visitors free of charge, all thanks to coffee grounds donated by Bakers + Baristas, Caffè Nero, Costa, Krispy Kreme, McDonald’s, Pret and Starbucks. And, difficult to retrofit even in modern premises like ours, we’re exploring options to capture rainwater and use that to potentially flush our public toilets. We’ll also be updating the Chantry Place travel action plan to understand current transport modes for both staff and visitors. We promote sustainable transport whilst ensuring that the option for our visitors who have to use their car to visit Norwich remains a positive one. People With 1,500 full and part-time members of staff, Chantry Place is one of the largest single-site employers in Norwich generating significant economic wealth across our community. What may still be a surprise to many though is that in 2016 Norwich was ranked 323rd out of 324 districts in the Social Mobility Index. This compared the chances that a child eligible for free school meals will do well at school and get a good job. It also found that a further five of Norfolk’s districts are in the bottom 20%, meaning young people growing up in deprived areas of Norfolk have some of the worst prospects in England. Whilst lots of good work has been done since then, there is always the opportunity to do more. Retail has always been an introduction to the world of work, after all how many of us started with a ‘Saturday job’ back in the day and retail is now recognised as an industry where, no matter your background, you can work yourself up from the shop floor to the boardroom. Our role at Chantry Place is to find ways that we can promote job opportunities across the entire community, especially to those who have been or have felt excluded. An aspiration of mine would be to play a part in the creation of the UK’s first ‘Entrepreneurial Development Zone’, with Norwich becoming a place where entrepreneurs are encouraged by the stories of those who have gone before and nurtured by mentors passionate and experienced in starting and sustaining businesses. Facilitated through access to knowledge, finance and fit for purpose IT solutions, this generation would be encouraged to take ownership of their futures to generate wealth for themselves and their communities, increasing social mobility across Norwich and providing a template for others to follow. Place (Charity & Community) At Chantry Place, we are proud of our history of supporting the cultural and charitable sectors in our community, like sponsoring British Art Show 8 when it came to Norwich, providing space for the Norfolk & Norwich Festival and Edible East, and supporting in different ways our close neighbours The Garage and Norwich Theatre Royal. We’ve also worked closely with Break and GoGoDiscover, Norwich Science Week, Jenny Lind Children’s Hospital, Norwich Pride, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, Norwich Foodbank and the team at Alive with their collection boxes for local people in crisis, as well as facilitating their (and others) herculean efforts in the resettlement of people from Afghanistan. We’re very proud of what we’ve done and continue to look forward to do more in the future.