We bring a comprehensive knowledge of Diversity and Inclusion strategies, trends, best practices, concepts and programmes with proven experience of designing and delivering programmes which have resulted in positive change in many complex environments. We are constantly keeping ourselves up to date with what’s going on related to D&I and we will commit to keep your business one step ahead at all times. Want to explore more please get in touch for a virtual coffee and a chat: sarah@ignitepeoplesolutions.co.uk
On Friday 11th February, 15 Norwich High sports scholars travelled to Sutton High School GDST to attend the inaugural GDST Sports Scholars Day. The day consisted of 15 workshops covering a wide range of sporting topics to inspire and educate our students. Practical coaching workshops included a hockey session from GB Hockey Olympic Gold medalist Shona McCallin, swimming masterclass from GB Olympic Silver medallist swimmer Jazz Carlin and an Athletics fitness session from GB Olympic Athletics Bronze medallist Marilyn Okoro. There were also some informative workshops on topics such as nutrition, visualisation, physiology of the female body and sports performance, how to portray yourself as an athlete, sports media and physiotherapy. Sue Anstiss MBE, a Women’s Sports Trust Trustee and Women’s Sport Collective Founder and Author welcomed all the sports scholars from across the 17 GDST schools that attended the event and celebrated the fact that there are now endless opportunities in sport and that women’s sport continues to grow and progress. To conclude there was an opportunity to ask questions to the expert panel, which included the Team GB athletes mentioned above as well as Double Paralympic Gold medallist in Archery Danielle Brown and Former GB Wheelchair Basketball player and Channel 4 News and Sport Presenter Jordan Jarrett-Bryan. It certainly was a fantastic day! Everyone learned a lot about how to develop in their sports from the amazing role models and felt inspired to be the best they can. https://www.norwichhigh.gdst.net/gdst-sports-scholars-day/
Gas measurement and control specialists Chell Instruments are embarking on their fourth year supported by marketing experts – and Norfolk Chamber of Commerce members – Full Mix Marketing. The innovative company, which supplies products and services to sectors including motorsport, aerospace, energy and pharmaceuticals, first enlisted the support of the B2B marketing experts in 2018. Having continued to successfully develop and deliver new products throughout the pandemic, Chell Instrument’s Managing Director, Nick Broadly, is looking forward to 2022: “With Sarah, Sally and the Full Mix team’s continuing support, we’re very excited about the year ahead. As we continue to develop solutions for our clients, they help us spread the word with excellent results.” In 2020, Chell Instruments celebrated their three best years, attributing their success to their expanding product range and the marketing delivered by Full Mix Marketing. “We recognised that marketing was increasingly important but had struggled to find an agency that could relate to our industry. Since working with Full Mix Marketing we’ve experienced much greater results than we used to attending trade shows” said Nick in 2020. The partnership is set to celebrate four years in May 2020, during which Full Mix Marketing have delivered marketing including emails, mailers, brochures, press releases, advertising, trade events, search engine optimisation (SEO) and social media. “Full Mix promised to be a true extension of our team and that’s entirely the experience we’ve had. Not only have they delivered everything they promised but they’ve proactively sought information, identified opportunities and created ideas to support us” adds Nick. Chell Instruments began producing gas control and measurement equipment in the 1970’s. They design, manufacture and calibrate high-precision apparatus used in applications including developing jet engines, manufacturing medicines and calibrating domestic gas meters. “Chell’s products are specialist, technical and satisfy a very specific function. Our role is to understand what they deliver and find the best way to communicate it to the sectors they support. I believe it’s where we excel” says Sarah West, Founder and Managing Director of Full Mix Marketing. Founded in 2016, Full Mix Marketing provide strategic, digital and creative marketing for businesses in sectors including engineering, IT and business services. Their services include single elements like content marketing and SEO as well as becoming an entire outsourced marketing department for many of their clients. In January 2020, Chell Instruments was acquired by the SDI Group who own more than fifteen companies and brands which design and manufacture products for use in imaging, sensing and control applications. “In our sector, knowledge is everything. Full Mix Marketing have many times proven they not only know the right marketing but really understand our products and what our customers value. It’s such an easy and effective working relationship” concludes Nick. For more information visit https://www.chell.co.uk/ or https://fullmixmarketing.co.uk
Everyone loves a classic hit, whether it’s from the 80s, 90s, or noughties, these much-loved songs provide the perfect opportunity to get up on the dancefloor and have a boogie. That’s why this April Barnham Broom is hosting an Ultimate Retro party night to get everyone dancing all night long. Locally renowned band Agent Orange will be performing well-known, iconic hits from the last four decades. It’s a party night not to be missed, set to be full of celebrations, retro dance moves, optional fancy dress, and even a two-course themed buffet. Make the experience extra special and combine their Ultimate Retro party night with an overnight stay, relax in one of their rooms, unwind with a Spa treatment, enjoy a game of golf and make use of their leisure facilities. To book call 01603 757522 or email events@barnham-broom.co.uk You can find more information here: www.barnham-broom.co.uk/whats-on/ Barnham Broom is a resort near Norwich, Norfolk. Overlooking 300 acres of beautiful countryside and the River Yare Valley, the venue features a luxury four-star hotel, spa, leisure centre, two golf courses, award-winning Brasserie restaurant, Sports Bar, and conference room. It is a popular choice for weddings and events. Visit www.barnham-broom.co.uk to find out more
We (Peerless Plastics & Coatings) have just launched a new range of hard-coated, protected, Polycarbonate sheets suitable for a variety of industries and uses. We have branded these new coatings under the PolyGuard™ title and they currently include: PolyGuard™ Anti-Fog, PolyGuard™ Anti-Glare, PolyGuard™ Anti-Static and PolyGuard™ Hard, with more coatings to come in the future… PolyGuard™ is an optically clear hard coated sheet that has been designed to give enhanced chemical and abrasion resistance to Polycarbonate and grant exceptional hard wearing protection (amongst other benefits dependent on each coating). Glass-like in its appearance, the material maintains the many benefits of Polycarbonate such as high impact strength but offers superior surface performance. PolyGuard™ is a 3050mm x 2050mm hard coated Polycarbonate sheet available in a range of thicknesses (1mm – 12mm) as standard. If you would like to find out more details, become a distributor or to request samples, please call one of our friendly sales team on 01842 750333, email sales@peerless-coatings.co.uk or visit our website to read more: PolyGuard™ Hard coated, protected, Polycarbonate sheets
Rail passengers are being advised to only travel if their journey is absolutely essential on Monday morning as Greater Anglia will be running a very reduced service which could be disrupted at short notice as another storm is sweeping across East Anglia. Just like on Friday last week – when Storm Eunice brought severe disruption to the railway network so that all trains were cancelled for most of the day and evening – Network Rail has imposed a 50mph speed limit to try to keep the railway running safely. As a result there will be far fewer trains running and journey times will be longer – and if trees come down or debris lands in the overhead wires then journeys could be disrupted severely for many hours. The plan – if trains run without further disruption from falling trees and debris on the line – is as follows: Half-hourly between:
Southend Victoria and London Liverpool Street
Cambridge and London Liverpool Street
Stansted Airport and London Liverpool Street
Hertford East and London Liverpool Street
Hourly between:
Norwich and Colchester – the intercity service will only operate between Norwich and Colchester, connecting at Colchester with other services to/from London Liverpool Street
Ipswich and London Liverpool Street
Colchester Town/Colchester and London Liverpool Street
Clacton and Colchester
Walton-on-the-Naze and Thorpe-le-Soken
Harwich and Manningtree
Marks Tey and Sudbury (if line reopens following Storm Eunice)
Braintree and Witham
Southminster and Wickford (if line reopens following Storm Eunice)
Norwich and Cambridge – but not to/from Stansted Airport, passengers will need to travel via Bishops Stortford
Norwich and Great Yarmouth
Norwich and Lowestoft
Two hourly (one train every two hours) between:
Ipswich and Cambridge
Ipswich and Felixstowe
Ipswich and Lowestoft
Ipswich and Peterborough
Norwich and Sheringham
Further details will be available on the Greater Anglia website when they have been finalised. Greater Anglia will try to contact any customers who have booked passenger assistance on affected services. They can also call Greater Anglia to check or rearrange their journey by calling 0800 028 2878 (free from a landline), text type 18001 0800 028 2878 or call from a mobile phone on 0345 6007245. Customers who have booked tickets for travel on Monday 21 February can use them on another day. Customers can also choose to rearrange their date of travel or apply for a refund free of charge, which can be done where they bought their tickets. If tickets were purchased online with Greater Anglia, they can be changed via online accounts. For more information go to www.greateranglia.co.uk/book-confidence. For refunds on tickets bought through Greater Anglia visit www.greateranglia.co.uk/contact-us. In the event of any additional service disruption Greater Anglia will do its best to provide a rail replacement bus service but it is likely to be limited and subject to disruption on the roads due to storm damage. Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director said: “We are very sorry to inconvenience customers again, just three days after Storm Eunice which caused such terrible disruption across our network due to the ferocity of the winds. “We really would urge people to only travel if your journey is absolutely essential, as we saw on Friday that journeys can be severely delayed if trees block the tracks and overhead wires get tangled or obstructed. “We don’t issue a message discouraging people from travelling lightly. “We will do our utmost to keep our reduced service running and to keep passengers up to date with any developments throughout the day. “Please remember that you can change your ticket, travel on another day or apply for a refund free of charge.” A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Our focus is to keep passengers and staff safe during storm Franklin. “We’re putting in place a 50mph speed restriction across the network tomorrow as it reduces the potential of damage to overhead wires and other infrastructure during the storm. “We’ll also have response teams ready at key locations to clear debris or vegetation that gets into the line. “Working closely with Greater Anglia we will aim to keep as many trains running as possible but encourage you to check before you travel before setting out.”
Due to the severe weather warning for today, Friday 18 February, and the expected impact of Storm Eunice, there are a number of precautionary changes being made to train services across our network tomorrow. Network Rail is putting speed restrictions in place across the network because of the forecast severity of the storm and we are reducing the frequency of our train services. Those services that are running will be subject to longer journey times, because of the speed restrictions. Further disruption may be caused by trees or other objects being blown onto tracks or overhead lines or other damage caused by the storm – which could also lead to short notice cancellations or delays. Rail passengers are therefore being advised to only travel if their journey is essential. The planned service patterns for tomorrow, including two route closures and some train frequency reductions as follows : Service suspensions There will be no service on the Ipswich to Lowestoft (East Suffolk) line and the Marks Tey to Sudbury line owing to the risk of falling trees. These routes have suffered similar problems in the past and, because of the rural location of these lines, it can take longer for Network Rail staff to rescue passengers from stranded trains if trees do fall. It is therefore safer to close these lines and keep passengers safe. Half hourly service
Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street
Stansted Airport to London Liverpool Street
Cambridge, Bishop’s Stortford to London Liverpool Street
Hertford East to London Liverpool Street
Bishops Stortford to Stratford
Hourly service
Norwich to London Liverpool Street Intercity service
Ipswich, Colchester, Chelmsford to London Liverpool Street
Southminster – Wickford
Harwich – Manningtree
Walton-on-the-Naze – Thorpe-le-Soken
Clacton-on-Sea – Colchester
Braintree to Witham
Norwich to Cambridge
Norwich to Great Yarmouth
Norwich to Lowestoft
Meridian Water to Stratford
Two hourly (once every two hours)
Ipswich to Cambridge
Ipswich to Felixstowe
Ipswich to Peterborough
Norwich to Sheringham
In the event of any additional service disruption we will do our best to provide a rail replacement bus service, but it is likely to be limited and subject to disruption on the roads due to storm damage. Customers who have booked tickets for travel on Friday 18 February can use them on another day. Customers can choose to rearrange their travel plans fee free, which can be done where they bought them. We are contacting any customers who have booked passenger assistance on affected services. They can also call Greater Anglia to check or rearrange their journey by calling 0800 028 2878 (free from a landline), text type 18001 0800 028 2878 or call from a mobile phone on 0345 6007245. We hope that services will be back to normal on Saturday, but clearly if there has been significant damage it may be that there some ongoing effects on some services. We therefore advise everyone to check before they travel. In partnership with colleagues at Network Rail, we will be doing all we can to minimise the adverse effects of Storm Eunice on train services and on the journeys of those customers who do need to travel, but it is forecast to cause significant disruption, so we have put in place the plans outlined for tomorrow in the interests of providing the most realistic, practical service and keeping everyone safe.
Businesses in and around Great Yarmouth can now claim up to £6,000 in the latest round of grants to help businesses impacted by Covid-19. Great Yarmouth Borough Council has now released the latest round of grants under the current phase of the Additional Restrictions Grant programme, with an expanded range of eligible businesses. Business rated and non-business rated businesses that trade in or supply the hospitality, leisure, and accommodation sector and other business that have been financially impacted through the winter months including the personal care sector, such as chiropodists, beauty and salon owners, and mobile hairdressers or those who rent a chair, can now apply for help. Eligible businesses will receive a cash payment of between £750 and £6000, depending on their business type or rateable value. Applications for the scheme are open now via the Council’s website and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis meaning businesses should apply as soon as possible. The scheme will close on 28 February 2022 at the latest. The Omicron Hospitality & Leisure Grant scheme is still open to eligible businesses until midnight 18 March. This scheme provides support to hospitality, leisure, and accommodation businesses in recognition of the impact that the rise of the Omicron variant has had on their trade. Both funds distribute money provided by the central government and require prepayment checks to detect and prevent fraud. Cllr Carl Smith, leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said: “We are pleased to have received further funds from the Government to help our local businesses. “We have kept the schemes under constant review and prioritised and adapted them to ensure as many businesses as possible can be supported within the limits of Government funds available. “I encourage every business to read the details of the schemes on our website, even if they think they have not been eligible for help in the past.”
Do you need to raise awareness of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging in your organisation? Get in touch for a virtual coffee and a chat to discuss how our Diversity and Inclusion Specialists can support you with this. https://www.ignitepeoplesolutions.co.uk/
Due to the severe weather warning for Friday 18 February, and the expected impact of Storm Eunice, there are a number of precautionary changes being made to train services across our network tomorrow. Network Rail is putting speed restrictions in place across the network because of the forecast severity of the storm and we are reducing the frequency of our train services. Those services that are running will be subject to longer journey times, because of the speed restrictions. Further disruption may be caused by trees or other objects being blown onto tracks or overhead lines or other damage caused by the storm – which could also lead to short notice cancellations or delays. Rail passengers are therefore being advised to only travel if their journey is essential. The planned service patterns for tomorrow, including two route closures and some train frequency reductions as follows : Service suspensions There will be no service on the Ipswich to Lowestoft (East Suffolk) line and the Marks Tey to Sudbury line owing to the risk of falling trees. These routes have suffered similar problems in the past and, because of the rural location of these lines, it can take longer for Network Rail staff to rescue passengers from stranded trains if trees do fall. It is th, therefore,fer to close these lines and keep passengers safe. Half hourly service
Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street
Stansted Airport to London Liverpool Street
Cambridge, Bishop’s Stortford to London Liverpool Street
Hertford East to London Liverpool Street
Bishops Stortford to Stratford
Hourly service
Norwich to London Liverpool Street Intercity service
Ipswich, Colchester, Chelmsford to London Liverpool Street
Southminster – Wickford
Harwich – Manningtree
Walton-on-the-Naze – Thorpe-le-Soken
Clacton-on-Sea – Colchester
Braintree to Witham
Norwich to Cambridge
Norwich to Great Yarmouth
Norwich to Lowestoft
Meridian Water to Stratford
Two hourly (once every two hours)
Ipswich to Cambridge
Ipswich to Felixstowe
Ipswich to Peterborough
Norwich to Sheringham
In the event of any additional service disruption, we will do our best to provide a rail replacement bus service, but it is likely to be limited and subject to disruption on the roads due to storm damage. Customers who have booked tickets for travel on Friday 18 February can use them on another day. Customers can choose to rearrange their travel plans fee-free, which can be done where they bought them. We are contacting any customers who have booked passenger assistance on affected services. They can also call Greater Anglia to check or rearrange their journey by calling 0800 028 2878 (free from a landline), text type 18001 0800 028 2878 or call from a mobile phone on 0345 6007245. We hope that services will be back to normal on Saturday, but clearly if there has been significant damage it may be that there some ongoing effects on some services. We therefore advise everyone to check before they travel. In partnership with colleagues at Network Rail, we will be doing all we can to minimise the adverse effects of Storm Eunice on train services and on the journeys of those customers who do need to travel, but it is forecast to cause significant disruption, so we have put in place the plans outlined for tomorrow in the interests of providing the most realistic, practical service and keeping everyone safe.
We know there are people in the city who need access to digital devices but do not have the finances to buy their own kit. We also know that there are lots of businesses that have portable IT equipment which is coming to the end of its professional time, but could still have a life in the community. So we want to bring together an old kit no longer needed for business, refurbish it, and get it out to people who can use it, whilst also building skills in the city. At the moment we are calling this the “Norwich Digital Refurbishment Project” until we can think of a better name. Late last year we produced a feasibility study which recommended some models of digital refurbishment and distribution that could work for the city (it was co-funded by Norwich Good Economy Commission and you can see it as the last item here Digital Inclusion and Innovation — Norwich Good Economy Commission), and we are now piloting these ideas with our community partners – Voluntary Norfolk and the Shoebox Community Hub. We are going to evaluate success with a new framework blending skills development, digital inclusion, social value, and waste. But we need your help to make the pilot successful and determine whether this could be a long-term project. Can your organisations help us with: The donation of mobile devices (laptops, tablets and/or accessories): if your business has some devices that can be donated over the next couple of months, then we would love to hear from you! We are starting small as we pilot, so it may be that you have a couple orofalf a dozen laptops, either way, we would love to know. You give them to us in working order, unlocked and wiped clean of your data, and we will do any extra things needed to get them roadworthy. Some professional volunteers with IT expertise: for the long-term future of the project we need to upskill volunteers to get them feeling confident with the refurbishment and fixing of IT equipment. We would love to run workshops where corporate volunteers can share some of their knowledge to upskill the community. So can you show the volunteers how to factory reset devices, how to change hard drives, or install new operating systems, for example…? Any skills exchange around the refurbishing of devices is really helpful. Our piloting period is from now and ends March 2022, which isn’t long to test some of these ideas! Of course, we are looking to engage with businesses that can get involved quickly, but also those who can commit to engagement further down the line. This will let us know whether there is an appetite for this work to continue past a pilot stage. If you think you can help and would like to get on board or have any questions, then please contact Laura Wigby, Digital Inclusion Project Coordinator, Norwich City Council on laurawigby@norwich.gov.uk.
Our Business Health Checks are designed to cover key areas of legislation and compliance in both Health and Safety and Employment Law. With legislation and best practice changing regularly, HR and Health & Safety policies and practices can quickly become out of date. We offer a customised HR and H&S health check for your business. Contact us to arrange your FREE Health Check: sarah@ignitepeoplesolutions.co.uk