Member News

Great Yarmouth Borough Council is paying out Government grants to support businesses required to close under the current national lockdown.

The latest Local Restrictions Support Grant is a payment for the six-week period from January 5 that is specifically for eligible businesses that are liable for paying business rates, with grants of £2,000, £3,000 or £4,500 available, depending on rateable value.

In addition, those same businesses will receive the Closed Business Lockdown Payment, a one-off top-up payment of either £4,000, £6,000 or £9,000.

Businesses which have successfully applied since November for a Local Restrictions Support Grant should not apply for these latest grants. The council has emailed all relevant businesses to ask if any circumstances have changed, and automatic payments will follow this week.

Local Restrictions Support Grants have already been paid out for eligible businesses that were required to close whilst Norfolk was under Tier 4 restrictions, from Boxing Day to January 4.

For businesses which have not applied for a Local Restrictions Support Grant since November but think they may be eligible, the criteria and application form can be found here. Further grant support to come

The council is currently developing a discretionary support scheme under the Additional Restrictions Support Grant, to help further businesses during the lockdown, which will be launched in early February with the application form made available on the website.  

In this weeks episode of Impromptu Business Chat, James and Mark highlight the power of storytelling in business. Whether you’re selling products, services or yourself, stories can make all the difference. As usual they come up with 3 top tips, and along the way they make reference to Andrew Brammer’s book Telling The Tale, the late Max Bygraves and Mark’s new spectacles!   If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. Whilst you are there, please like us, and leave a comment. We would love to hear what you are enjoying about the podcast, and it helps others to find us!   Listen here!

Growth of franchise continues despite pandemic.

TaxAssist Accountants continued its successful recruitment of new franchisees virtually throughout 2020, with 17 new joiners, including two new partners to existing practices and one franchise resale, bringing the total number of franchise areas up to 244 in the UK. It also redesigned and hosted three virtual Initial Training Courses despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

AAT-qualified Calum Williamson, Livingston East and Edinburgh South West, joined TaxAssist on its first virtual course in June 2020 and is opening his shop shortly.

On his reasons for joining TaxAssist, he said: “The appeal of TaxAssist is the ability to have my own accountancy practice with a network of support available should it be required. Providing a quality service is something I’m very much looking forward to while simultaneously influencing my own future.

“Small businesses need the services of a good accountant more than ever before right now, and I’m pleased to be open and ready to assist businesses in my local area to recover and rebuild as the year progresses.”

ACCA-qualified Abdur Chowdhary, Croydon, joined TaxAssist on its November course. He started his career in a Big 4 firm before gaining experience working in independent firms. He joined as a TaxAssist staff member in 2017, and what he saw and experienced was enough to convince him that he needed to invest in a franchise himself.

“Having worked in a TaxAssist Accountants practice for more than two years, I was really impressed by the work culture and the assistance we received from the Support Centre,” he said. “The leads generated were far more than any other firm I had previously worked for due to the efficient marketing, strong brand name and online optimisation. I am very excited to be a part of the network and I’m looking forward to building a substantial practice.”

Seth Brown, Senior Manager, UK Franchise Recruitment, said: “Enquiries about the franchise opportunity in the second half of 2020 increased by 51% in comparison to the same period in 2019, as people are actively reconsidering their future because of the pandemic. What I found of particular interest for prospective franchisees is their wish to work closer to home, take control of their own destiny and to build an asset for their future.

“Our Franchise Discovery Days have moved to online presentations and we have hosted 10 via this format now. While we miss not being able to host prospective franchisees in Norwich, the virtual format has worked brilliantly, and allowed those interested in the franchise to continue to fully explore the TaxAssist opportunity.

“With the Initial Training Course also fully adapted for online delivery, we now have a seamless online journey to becoming a franchisee. We will continue to offer a £4,000 cashback on our franchise fee to reflect the change of setting and this offering will be available for as long as we choose to run the course virtually.”

TaxAssist Accountants is running monthly Virtual Discovery Days and the next TaxAssist Accountants training course will start on 8th February 2021, with three more planned for 2021.

Hatch Brenner Solicitors in Norwich has started the new year by welcoming experienced Property expert Sarah Finn as their new Head of Property.

Originally from East Anglia, Sarah has 30 years experience within all aspects of the Property field including freehold and leasehold sales and purchases, transfers of equity, mortgages, and equity release mortgages. She is also experienced with new build purchases, deeds of variation for rent charges, deeds of easement, overage agreements and lease extensions.

Having held senior positions at law firms in both East Anglia and Devon, Sarah joins Hatch Brenner from Devon-based firm Dunn & Baker LLP where she was a Partner and Head of Residential Property.

Colin Cook, Hatch Brenner Partner commented: “We are all delighted to welcome Sarah to the Hatch Brenner team. This is a great way to kick off what we all hope will be a brighter year for the business and wider community. The last year has been extremely busy for our property team across both residential and commercial property. Sarah is stepping in to lead the team and we look forward to introducing her to our close contacts across the property sector in the city.”

Sarah added: “I am very pleased to have joined Hatch Brenner as the Head of Property. My new role is the perfect next step in my career, and I am looking forward to combining both my expertise in property with my business development and people leadership skills. The firm is long established in Norwich and has an excellent reputation for both client service and expertise – particularly for more unusual or challenging property transactions.”

Sarah is a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, walking her dog and going to the gym.

Hatch Brenner Solicitors has welcomed experienced wills, trust and probate specialist Rachel Frammingham as a Paralegal in the Private Client department.

Rachel joins Hatch Brenner from another Norwich-based legal practice where her experience involved meeting clients, drafting wills, LPAs, deputyship applications and probate documents, and legal research. She also has experience in Litigation and Administrative roles within the legal sector.

Caroline Billings, Hatch Brenner Partner and Head of Private Client commented: “It is a great start to 2021 to be welcoming Rachel into the firm and the busy Private Client department. Given her experience and positive nature, I am sure she will be an asset to our department and get on well with our clients.”

Rachel’s role at Hatch Brenner will include meeting clients, drafting wills, LPAs, deputyship applications, probate applications and administration of estates and assisting in the administration of trusts and complex estates.

Rachel is studying towards the CILEx Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice with CILEx Law School. She also holds a Foundation Degree in Law from Sunderland University. Outside of work, she enjoys watching films and going to the cinema and travel.

Hatch Benner Solicitors on Theatre Street has announced that they will be working with independent local charity, Nelson’s Journey, for the next three years in a new long-term community partnership agreement.

Nelson’s Journey has supported children and young people in Norfolk who have experienced the death of a significant person by bringing back smiles since 1997. Providing a range of resources and services, they accept referrals from families and professionals for those who may need their support. The charity also supports professionals in the county who work with children, such as teachers and health workers, to help raise awareness of issues affecting bereaved children.

Nelson’s Journey’s vision is that every bereaved child in Norfolk will look forward to a positive future, empowered to reach their full potential.

Hatch Brenner Solicitors will primarily be supporting the Nelson’s Journey Smiles & Tears Boxes for a child or young person who has been recently bereaved. Having been created by the Nelson’s Journey Youth Panel and young volunteers, the contents of the box have been carefully chosen to support recipients through the grieving process.

Hatch Brenner will be funding a quantity of Smiles & Tears Boxes including postage for the next three years. They are also supporting the charity by funding new laptops for the support team.

Simon Wright, Nelson’s Journey Chief Executive commented: “We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Hatch Brenner staff for selecting us to be one of their long term charity partners for the next three years. It is thanks to the tremendous support of our local community including businesses like Hatch Brenner that our work with hundreds of bereaved children and young people in the county is possible.

“The Smiles & Tears Boxes are a very important step in the grieving process for a young person who has been recently bereaved. Our Youth Panel identified that many adults and friends around a recently bereaved young person do not know what to say to offer comfort. They felt passionately that a supportive gift containing helpful information, activities and treats would have been of great comfort to them at a very challenging time helping to them to understand and cope with their feelings. The box contains age-specific items including specially created bereavement mindfulness colouring postcards, a feelings ball, emotions magnet, happy jar, soft toy, chocolate bar and journal.”

Dawn Parkes, Hatch Brenner Managing Partner commented: “We are pleased to be supporting Nelson’s Journey over the next three years with this new partnership. In addition to funding the Smiles & Tears boxes, we have offered the time and energy of our Norwich workforce to the charity and hope to be able to support them through lots of activities as we progress with the relationship. Where needed, we will also be offering our legal expertise to the Nelson’s Journey Advisors including regarding private client law. We look forward to the relationship developing over the coming years, and hope to hold a business event in 2021 when we are able to do so safely.”

Simon Wright added: “As a result of the restrictions of the coronavirus outbreak, our referral process and support offer has changed. We are operating our Support Line service enabling families and professionals to speak directly with a Child Bereavement Support Worker. If you would like to refer a child or young person for support, you can call 01603 431788, leave a message and we will call you back as soon as we are able.”

Find out more about the Tears and Smiles boxes: Smiles & Tears Gift Box – Nelson’s Journey | Child Bereavement Help for Norfolk

Read more: Hatch Brenner Invested in our Community

This is an update you all that we will be temporarily reducing timetabled services from next Monday (25 January), given the current travel restrictions and travel patterns associated with this phase of the pandemic. The move has been taken in consultation with the Government, which is providing additional support for the industry during these challenging times to ensure services can still run for those who need them. We will still be running just over 72% of the normal service, so that travellers making essential journeys, in line with government guidance, can still get to work or medical appointments. The main changes are:

• Peak services on the Great Eastern and West Anglia main lines will be reduced.
• Intercity services between Norwich and London Liverpool Street will be reduced to hourly
• Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street off-peak services will be reduced
• Off peak frequency on the Great Eastern branch lines, such as Manningtree to Harwich and Marks Tey to Sudbury will be reduced
• Fast services between Cambridge and London Liverpool Street will not run
• There will be less frequent services between Bishops Stortford and Stratford and between Meridian Water and Stratford
• Off peak daytime services on rural routes in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire will be reduced (generally to two-hourly), with some peak service reductions too
• Saturday services are being reduced in line with weekday services and some changes are also planned for Sunday services.

Details of the revised timetables will be available on the Greater Anglia website or app. The changes have all been planned with the clear intent of ensuring we provide enough services and enough seating capacity for customers who do still need to travel in the weeks ahead.  We also have in place the cleaning and social distancing measures to enable passengers to travel safely with us and help prevent the spread of coronavirus.    We will continue to monitor services on a daily basis to ensure the service caters for all those who are still travelling and assess whether amendments need to be made to the schedules. We look forward to being able to start to add services back in again, when appropriate, in line with government guidance.  Take care and stay safe.

If you’re like most of us, you’ve been meaning to upgrade your LinkedIn profile all year. You know “Brand You” is important, but marketing yourself is awkward – and there’s always something more urgent to do than fiddle with LinkedIn.

 However, you also know that if your career goals for the next year (or even the next five years) include a new opportunity, you can’t afford not to. Here are 20 easy ways to create a LinkedIn profile that says “hire me, and pay me handsomely”.

1. Pick the right profile picture on LinkedIn

Your profile photo is your first impression. Make sure it’s recent and a good likeness, you’re dressed professionally for the job you want, and your face fills about 60% of the space – and “smize” (smile with your eyes).

1. Set your background photo

Don’t ignore this element – it’s right at the top of your profile. Use it to grab attention and illustrate what matters to you.

1. Go beyond your job title in your headline

Use the headline field to show what makes you tick, how you see your role and why you’re passionate about it. If you have colleagues in the sales department, look at the headlines on their pages for inspiration.

1. Make your summary a plot summary for your story

 Don’t skip the summary field, and don’t just use it to list skills – explain why they make a difference. Tell your story.

1. Nix the buzzwords

 Using hackneyed terms like ‘strategic’ ‘creative’, and ‘innovative’… isn’t.

1. Grow your network

Sync your profile up with your email address book and LinkedIn will suggest new connections for you. And when you do connect with someone, follow up.

1. Cherry-pick relevant skills

 Quick win: scroll through the skills list and pick the ones that are relevant. Or if you’ve already done this, go through and delete ones that aren’t.

1. Flag up your freelance services

If you’re a freelancer or consultant, fill out the Services section to get clients.

1. Get endorsements

Reach out to contacts you respect and ask for their endorsements – or just endorse them, and they’ll probably return the favour.

1. Manage your endorsements

Whoops… you got all your friends to endorse you, and now your top skills are art and creative writing, but you’re an accountant. Fortunately, if you go to the Skills section, you can choose which skills to show and which ones to hide.

1. Take a skills assessment

 Take a test on LinkedIn that nets you a Verified Skills badge for your profile, you’re 30% more likely to get hired. Don’t worry, you can retake the tests if you don’t pass the first time.

1. Ask for recommendations

Check out the Recommendations section and hit the drop-down menu to request written testimonials. Make sure you personalise your requests for best results.

1. Show your enthusiasm for learning

 Take a course on LinkedIn Learning and go to the Learning History section of your profile to add the course certificate.

1. Share content

If you produce marketing content, white papers, or case studies for your business, put it on LinkedIn to show your skills and commitment.

1. Show you’re a thought leader with Publications

If you have any published work – a white paper, an ebook, even a blog post – showcase it in the Publications section. 

1. Share content from your LinkedIn feed 

If you see something interesting in your LinkedIn feed, share it with your network to add value and keep you uppermost in their minds.

1. Add comments

 When you share something, give your own opinion. Just be sure to keep it professional, because you could attract a lot of readers.

1. Follow influencers in your industry

 Following relevant influencers will give you interesting content to share and show what you’re passionate about.

1. Become an employee advocate

If your company uses LinkedIn Elevate for employee advocacy, get involved. 86% of employee advocates have experienced a career boost after sharing content for their business.

1. Write long-form blog posts and use them to start conversations

The best way of all to establish your thought leadership on LinkedIn is to look for themes that keep coming up in your comments and in comments on your posts, and write whole long blog posts on them. With luck, people will comment, so be prepared to reply.

This list doesn’t have to take long. Even spending a few minutes on it could make all the difference to your new year.

12 Key Sustainability Principles for Engineers

Our recovery from COVID-19 has to be a “green recovery”. It’s being talked about in every industry: how to create sustainable practices that will help us tackle the climate crisis. But what does that really mean for engineering – and why is it so important in this field?

Why does sustainability matter in engineering?

While sustainability obviously matters in every industry, there are a few reasons why it’s a particular concern in engineering:

• Engineering uses a lot of the earth’s resources, including, carbon, energy, water, and raw materials.
• Engineering projects also produce a lot of waste.
• The machinery and vehicles used in engineering can produce harmful emissions and noise pollution.
• Waste from engineering and development produces pollutants that can contaminate the air and water.
• Local engineering projects can have a long-lasting global impact.
• Engineers can play an important role in sustainable community development

This puts engineers in a powerful position: since they’re the source of the problem, they get to decide how to solve it.

While sustainability has to be an organisation-wide effort, engineers’ decisions carry more weight because they’re responsible for the design and execution of new projects. They decide how to meet the requirements of a job. They can help choose and procure the materials and supplies, and have ideas on how to use equipment and machinery more efficiently to finish a task faster.

When it comes down to it, a project’s efficiency and success depend largely on the engineers. If they start following sustainable practices, the environmental impact of the whole team will probably improve.

Here are twelve guiding principles every engineer can use to make sustainable decisions:

1. Try to make sure your inputs and outputs and outputs of both materials and energy are not hazardous.
2. Rather than focusing on waste management, focus on waste minimisation. Use by-products creatively in your design, and you’ll save money on both purchasing and waste disposal.
3. Design for reuse and recycling. Make it easy to separate and purify waste.
4. Design every component for maximum time, energy and mass efficiency. That generally means keeping them small – which will also keep costs down.
5. Avoid wasting energy and materials by minimising overproduction. Make sure production is responsive to real-time demands.
6. Don’t use the same end-of-cycle disposal solution for every project. Let complexity and entropy guide your decisions.
7. Reduce high-tech waste by not creating overdesigned products that outlast their usefulness.
8. Only include components and abilities the product is realistically likely to need. Cutting bells and whistles cuts consumption and waste.
9. Make waste management simply by using as few different materials as possible, especially sealants, coatings, and adhesives.
10. Remember product creation is just one part of the life cycle. Use life-cycle analysis to evaluate products, and look at things like transport and resource extraction methods to minimise the impact on the environment at each step of the cycle.
11. Where possible, use renewable or readily available resources, unless using renewables would be more damaging than not.
12. Consider the needs and opinions of the communities affected by projects, both at the design stage and during the whole process.

Engineers are building the foundations of sustainability. But while it starts with them, the ultimate aim should be to achieve sustainability throughout the whole industry.

Say what you like about COVID-19, it’s certainly shaken things up. In engineering, the post-pandemic “new normal” will be very different… but could it actually be better? Here are four key areas that are likely to see dramatic long-term change:

Collaboration

When COVID-19 hit, UK based Engineering showed its true prowess and sprang into action.

Their response to the emergency was inspiring. Organisations across the sector came together to collaborate on making PPE and ventilators and creating extra hospital capacity. Even rival companies joined hands, showing what engineers can achieve when the cause is beyond profit.

The connections built during this period will last longer than the pandemic – as will the memories of how people came together, and the focus on getting things done through collaboration and support.

Speed

Engineers usually have to work around a lot of regulatory red tape. When COVID-19 forced regulators to cut it, we saw just how fast engineers can work. Prototypes appeared in days, finished products in weeks.

Sam Turner, one of the senior figures of Ventilator Challenge UK, was quoted as saying the rapid decisions, requalification of parts, and supply-chain sourcing that happened in four or five weeks to bring the ventilator project together would normally have taken two and a half years.

Of course, we can’t just make the new normal a regulatory Wild West. Some of that red tape is going to have to come back. But with so many needs, such as climate change, still urgent, governments and regulatory bodies have little excuse for slowing engineers down.

Remote working

According to a Professional Engineering survey, 18% of engineers say working at home doesn’t impact their efficiency at all, and a similar number also find technical engineering tasks no harder at home. In light of this, companies will be asking themselves serious questions about offering remote working as a long-term option for some engineers.

Those who do go back to the workplace will also see major changes, with some firms considering introducing wearables to make social distancing easier, along with changes to working hours and shift patterns to allow sites to maintain productivity”

Pandemic prevention

Nobody wants another experience like COVID-19. Governments will be working to put prevention plans in place for the next pandemic.That means engineers will be called on to create high-tech solutions to fight disease, like temperature monitoring devices, ventilators, and anti-bacterial surfaces.

Some companies that have shifted production to these kinds of solutions on an emergency basis might decide to make the switch permanent, making their “new normal” helping to save lives.

Let’s face it: no matter how great your qualifications are, what wins you the job – or loses it – is your personality. When you’re sitting across a desk from your interviewer, they can read your personality through your body language. You have the chance to set yourself apart by showing them who you are as a person. When you’re just a face on a screen? No such luck.

But don’t despair: there are still ways to showcase your most important qualification. Read on to discover seven of them.

1- Dress for success

The dress code for online interviews is just like the dress code for in-person interviews. Wear your best interview outfit. Yes, all of it. Yes, including the trousers or skirt. You’d be surprised how often the webcam gets knocked, or you have to stand up for some reason, and you’re left standing there in your charcoal-grey blazer, impeccable white shirt, and jammy bottoms. Looking like one of those flipbooks you had as a kid will score you 0 points.

2- Do not get disturbed

Find a space where you can avoid excess noise or movement in the background (so not a coffee shop, for instance.) If you’re at home, ask everyone in your house to keep noise down as much as possible during the interview, and shut the door so kids and pets can’t get in.

Close any apps or websites that might distract you with notifications during the interview, and put your phone on silent, or turn it off altogether. This shows you respect the interviewer and their time.

3- Be prepared

Before the interview, think about what could go wrong with your tech setup. Make sure that you’re familiar with the platform being used (Zoom, Teams, Skype, etc.) Check that any logins you’ve been given work and that you’ve downloaded anything you need to download and tested it out.

Also check that your webcam, microphone, and internet connection are working. Oh, and make sure your computer is plugged in. The last thing you want is for your battery to conk out in mid-interview.

This is particularly important when you’re applying for a remote role. Having your tech under control will reassure the interviewer that you can handle the technical demands of remote work.

4- Interact with interviewers

You know you need to make eye contact during an interview, but that goes double when it’s a remote interview. Remember that doesn’t mean looking at your interviewer’s eyes on the screen – you need to look at the webcam. Do this especially when the interviewer is talking, to reassure them that you’re listening. Asking questions about the conversation and the role will show that you’re paying attention too.

Finally, remember to smile! Imagine that you’re meeting your future colleague, and you’ll make them feel that way too.

5- Show the real you

Be yourself as much as you can and be honest about your work experience. Plan in advance how to list the main points of your work history and tell engaging stories about them. Think about possible ways you could show off your skills on camera, if appropriate. For instance, how about showing websites you worked on via screen sharing? This is an unexpected upside of a video interview.

6- Show off your background… literally

You’ve probably heard that you should keep your background simple, professional, and free of any personal items that might not show you in the best light. But if you’re doing the interview at home, why not go one better? Consider creating an interest wall behind you that does show you in the best light. Add some elements of your personality, such as artwork, music, plants, etc.

7- Use the 30 minutes before the interview wisely

Right before the interview, spend 20 minutes going over the key points you want to get across. Then spend the last 5 to 10 minutes taking a few deep breaths, getting yourself calm and centered and putting aside any distractions so you can focus completely on the interview.

To mark the end of the Trump era and Joe Biden’s new presidency, the Sainsbury Centre has interviewed Roger Law, North Norfolk resident and one of the most important satirists of the last half century. Renowned for co-creating the recently revived hit 1980s and 1990s television series Spitting Image with Peter Fluck, Roger Law has been a seminal British artist and global cultural commentator for the last four decades. The Centre’s landmark exhibition Roger Law: From Satire to Ceramics was held in late 2017, exploring Law’s extraordinary career in political satire from early illustration work at national newspapers to Spitting Image and the TV puppetry he is best known for. The exhibition included an iconic moment for the Sainsbury Centre: the first time Roger Law’s infamous Trump puppet was featured on public display. Transforming the landscape of political satire, Spitting Image transposed the traditions of caricature and reshaped people’s views of their politicians and leaders. The brainchild of artists Peter Fluck and Roger Law – best known as Luck and Flaw – the popular show ran for twelve years between 1984 and 1996 before its much-celebrated revival in October 2020 on Britbox. The Spitting Image revival has been met with high praise, prompted by the “chaotic” state of current UK and global politics. The interview will also focus on Law’s later practice in ceramics, which was influenced by his time living and working in Sydney and Jingdezhen, China. Wondrous sea creatures and marine life are depicted through delicate vases and bowls, standing in stark contrast to the grotesque puppetry figures. Fitting then that the artist now lives on the North Norfolk coast, no doubt relishing the peace and calm of the sea. Acting Director Ghislaine Wood says: “I can’t think of a better artist for the Sainsbury Centre to interview to mark the end of Donald Trump’s term. Satire has never been more relevant than in these extraordinary and deeply disturbing times.” The interview is now available to read on the Sainsbury Centre’s website here. Visit sainsburycentre.ac.uk/stories for other fascinating stories and insights.