Big C’s Annual Golf Day returned to Bawburgh Golf Club on October 1st, with 19 teams taking part on the day, raising almost £7,000, which was £1000 more than in 2019, towards Big C’s work supporting those affected by cancer in our community. Carole Slaughter, Big C’s Head of Fundraising, said, “A big thank you to everyone who took part on the day and to our sponsors Alan Boswell, who have supported the Big C golf day for an amazing 25 consecutive years! Thanks also to Bawburgh Golf Club who worked so hard to ensure full Covid measures were in place so we could go ahead with our annual golf day in such an unusual year, but a special one for Big C as we celebrate our 40th anniversary.” Instead of the usual group dinner and live auction, the teams were given staggered starts and participants enjoyed a meal with their group as they came off the course. Auction prizes were revealed the previous day, with a display updated as the bids came in. To learn more about the work Big C does to improve the lives of those affected by cancer in Norfolk and Waveney, please visit www.big-c.co.uk
The Sainsbury Centre presents a new exhibition that surveys for the first time Grayson Perry’s earliest forays into the art world, re-introducing the explosive and creative works made during his formative years between 1982 and 1994. His ground-breaking pots of this period have been reunited for the first time following a hugely successful appeal to the public in 2018 by Perry and The Holburne Museum in Bath, where this exhibition first opened in January 2020.
Today, Perry and his instantly-recognisable alter-ego, Claire, enjoys a reputation bordering on National Treasure status by virtue of his distinctive tapestry, collage and ceramic works that often explore themes of gender, identity and social class, as well as his remarkable work as a witty social commentator on television and in print.
The exhibition was conceived by Dr Chris Stephens, Director of the Holburne. He said, “I was delighted when Grayson liked the idea of bringing together his earliest works as they had never been displayed together before. The first step was to find out where we could find these pieces, so we made a public appeal and were overwhelmed by the response from across the country. We were thrilled with the range of irreverent, witty, and downright explicit artworks that came together to form the show. It is a fantastic celebration of Grayson’s work.”
It was when looking through the extraordinary and varied selection of artworks that Grayson remarked that seeing the works again was a reminder of his “pre-therapy years.”
The exhibition will display the earliest works – pots, plates and sculptures – that first made Perry’s name, and will shine a light on his experimentation and exploration of the potential of pottery to address radical issues and human stories. For art lovers, Grayson Perry: The Pre-Therapy Years represents a unique opportunity to enjoy the artist’s clever, playful and politically-engaged perspective on the world through a number of pieces, many of which have not been seen in public since they were first exhibited. Often challenging and explicit, these works reveal the early development of Perry’s distinctive voice that has established him as one of the most compelling commentators on contemporary society.
Grayson Perry: The Pre-Therapy Years begins in 1982, when Perry was first working as an artist and then charts his progress to the mid-90s, when he became established in the mainstream London art scene. The exhibition provides a snapshot of a very British time and place, and reveals the transition of Grayson’s style from playful riffs on historic art, such as old Staffordshire pottery, along with crowns (the mixed media Crown of Penii, 1982) and thrones (Saint Diana, let them eat shit, 1984 – inspired by his fascination with Princess Diana) into a style that is patently his own: plates and vases rich with detail that tell tales of our times and experiences, such as 1989’s Cocktail Party.
Grayson says “This show has been such a joy to put together, I am really looking forward to seeing these early works again many of which I have not seen since the 80s. It is as near as I will ever get to meeting myself as a young man, an angrier, priapic me with huge energy but a much smaller wardrobe.”
Ghislaine Wood, Acting Director of the Sainsbury Centre says, “We are thrilled to be hosting this exhibition which brings together such a large collection of previously unseen works by one of Britain’s most recognisable and innovative artists. The Sainsbury Centre’s outstanding global ceramics collection spans over 5000 years of human creativity and provides a compelling context in which to explore Perry’s deep interest in the medium.”
Exhibition organised by The Holburne Museum, Bath. It is accompanied by a major new book published by The Holburne Museum that explores, for the first time, Perry’s artistic origins through the artworks that made his name in the years 1982-94.
Grayson Perry: The Pre-Therapy Years is at The Holburne Museum until 3 January 2021 and travels to the Sainsbury Centre from 6 February – 16 May 2021, followed by York City Art Gallery. Tickets £12/£11 concessions, on sale from 1 December.
Howes Percival has expanded its highly rated employment law team in response to an increase in instructions over the last year.
The team, which acts for a wide range of SMEs, as well as nationally recognised household names, has seen its turnover grow by 23% in the last year, which is due to the growth in instructions, both prior to and since, the outbreak of the COVID pandemic.
As a result, Howes Percival has appointed three new solicitors: Alex Sims and Kate Melton, who both join the team following their completion of their training contracts with the firm and Demi Fawzi-Perrin who joins the firm as an Associate Solicitor from Hopkins Solicitors LLP.
The three new additions follow the recruitment of Jonathan Mumby and Sobia Ahmad as Associate Solicitors last year.
In addition to the team’s growth, existing employment lawyers, Nick Benton and Hannah Ball have both been promoted to Director level from Senior Associate.
Paula Bailey, partner and head of the employment law team at Howes Percival said:
“Over the last year, we have seen a marked increase in new instructions – a trend which began before the coronavirus pandemic. Throughout and since lockdown, we have continued to see an increase in instructions, particularly in relation to the furlough scheme, and helping businesses to avoid and plan for redundancies.
“As the team continues to grow, I am delighted to welcome new joiners but also to see the development and promotion of existing team members. This reflects the increased capability of our team at all levels. Our focus has always been to work with clients in a commercial way to find practical solutions to some often very tricky issues. Throughout the pandemic, we have continued to do this effectively, providing much needed support to our clients. This approach has been key in sustaining and growing our client base and it’s one of the reasons why the team is ranked as top-tier in the recent Legal 500 guide.”
Howes Percival’s employment team is ranked as Tier 1 in the 2021 edition of The Legal 500 – the authoritative guide to the UK’s leading law firms. The Legal 500 recommends firms and lawyers based on independent research, interviews and client feedback.
Paula Bailey commented,
“This year has been incredibly challenging for a lot of clients and our aim is always to be there alongside them, helping resolve often complex and urgent problems and explaining all the options clearly. So, it is good for the team to receive client feedback describing Howes Percival as “deeply knowledgeable and approachable” and able to give “responsive, high quality and yet accessibly explained advice”. These are the things we pride ourselves on and they are core to our client offering.”
For more information, please visit our website here.
Full details of Howes Percival’s rankings can be found on the Legal 500 website.
As part of Import Export Support’s information service, here’s a short article to highlight recent classification changes. HMRC have issued a new regulation which is considered to be a change in UK practice. The updates, released in September, announce changes to two tariff headings.
7323: Table, kitchen and household articles of iron or steel This heading includes: Storage tins and boxes made of sheet steel in different sizes and shapes (cylindrical, rectangular, star-shaped, and so on) with a matching lid, which are printed with various motifs. These tins and boxes have the objective characteristics of household articles (including its small size, decorative design, plain interior, and so on) and mainly serve for storing food (biscuits, cakes, gingerbread, sugar) or small items in the household The average import duty for goods under this heading is 3.2% From 1-1-21 the proposed new UK tariff applicable will be 0% …however If your tins include this information, a different classification applies: Consumer information about the contained goods, (brand or logo, quantity, dietary information) are to be classified under heading 7310: Tanks, casks, drums, cans, boxes, and similar containers, for any material The average import duty for goods under this heading is 2.7% From 1-1-21 the proposed new UK tariff applicable will be 0% 3926 – Statuettes and ornamental articles.
3926: Article of plastic, and
3926 40: Statuettes & other ornamental articles (plastic)
…now includes some car accessories The note has been updated to clarify that this heading includes items which fit this description: Carbon fibre reinforced plastic side covers for a centre console of passenger cars. These covers are made of a composite material consisting predominantly of carbon fibres embedded in an epoxy resin matrix. They have a rigid structure. These covers have various snap-in locking devices and mounting holes at their bottom edge. They are fixed to the centre console of passenger cars and serve as a decorative feature The average import duty for goods under this heading is 6.5% From 1-1-21 the proposed new UK tariff applicable will be reduced to 6% I regularly post on the IES blog where there’s lots more relevant to the import export business. IES Blog Need some advice? Email me, Tracey Renshaw directly at enquiries@importexportsupport.co.uk
Jay Gosal has opened her first shop at 4 Quinton Parade, Coventry.
Experienced accountant Jay Gosal has opened her shop in Coventry – six months after joining the TaxAssist Accountants network.
CIMA-qualified Jay used the lockdown period to refit her shop and speak to her increasing number of clients online and on the phone.
“I am really pleased to finally have the shop open,” said Jay, “I have been able to work from home for the past six months, but it will make a huge difference to clients to see where I’m based and to be able to pop in and meet me in my premises.
“The shop provides me with a warm and welcoming environment in which to hold client meetings, although I’d like to reassure clients they can, of course, continue to call me or hold meetings online if they prefer.”
Jay is passionate about customer service and making a real difference to her clients’ businesses during these challenging times.
“Being a small business owner myself, I know and understand what clients are going through right now.
“As well as accountancy, I have valuable experience in retail and financial services and I spend time with clients supporting them to interpret financial and market insights to help them to deliver strategic and financial objectives. I want to help my clients to focus on ways to grow their business and make the most of any commercial opportunities available to them.
“I’m really looking forward to getting to know my fellow business owners in my area and I’d encourage anyone interested in finding out more about our services to get in touch for a free initial consultation. We provide a comprehensive tax, accountancy and advisory service and can talk clients through a range of software solutions to help them select the right package for their needs.”
We’re delighted to introduce you to the newest member of the BDH Tullford team, Accounts Manager Sam Chisnall. Working four days a week, she is responsible for the financial aspects of the business now that long-standing Accounts Manager, Pamela Powell, has retired. “I’ve worked in finance for most of my career, so I’m looking forward to the new challenges that this role will bring,” says Sam. “The whole team, especially Pamela and Becks on Reception, have been generous with their knowledge and have helped me to settle in quickly.” Sam has held finance positions with a variety of organisations in Norfolk, most notably Hughes Electrical, where she worked alongside her husband, Trade Director Paul Chisnall, for a number of years. Family Business While Sam may be a new starter, she’s certainly not a new face at Europa Way. In fact, her father was one of the original founders of the company back in the 1960s. Chester Fox and his brothers started BD Studios, which joined forces with current Director David Hutchins creating business that evolved into BDH Tullford. “My cousin [BDH Tullford Director James Fox] approached me when Pamela announced her decision to retire and asked if I would be interested in joining the business,” she continues. “I wasn’t looking to leave my previous employer, but James offered me an opportunity to support a business close to my heart. “I hadn’t considered joining the business when I left school. There wasn’t a position for me at that time either, because Pamela was managing the accounts. But this feels like the right time; I feel like I’ve come home. There are pictures of my dad on the wall beside me, which is lovely. I’m really comfortable here.” Adds Director David Hutchins: “We’re thrilled to have Sam on board with us. Her skills and experience, along with her passion for BDH Tullford, are real assets to the business and we look forward to many happy years working together.” Call 01603 620780 to speak to Sam Chisnall about invoices and accounts at BDH Tullford.
Greyfriars Project Management is professional Project Management services company, incorporated in 2018 and therefore still quite a new member to Norfolk Chambers of Commerce. Given it was recently our second birthday, we thought an update about us and what we’re doing is due!!
Over lockdown, we have also been busy assessing our strategy and looking at new ways to develop and grow. Much time has been invested in the enhancement and redesign of our website (supported by Bruce Sigrist at Phase Three Goods), producing informative tools to be able to share that will guide project users to best practice. These will become available through our new website.
It has also been encouraging to see major infrastructure projects that we have been involved in reaching critical milestones and moving ever further towards construction. We were pleased to see that despite the impacts of Coronavirus, both the Gull Wing Bridge in Lowestoft and more recently, the Great Yarmouth Third River Crossing had Development Consent Orders approved by the Secretary of State.
So be it a small housing development or a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, Greyfriars Project Management can provide advice throughout the lifecycle of your projects. Our services are not limited to Project Management. We can assist with Planning, Highways and Transport, Commercial and Contract support and more.
Why not head over to our new website and find out more about us and what we do?
The newly designed websites reflect the enhanced range of services, highlighting advisory services along with a more user-friendly experience.
TaxAssist Accountants has rolled out a new design and format across all of its client websites in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Australia, Canada and the USA. The content on the new sites showcases the mix of core and advisory services on offer, ensuring clients are aware of the many different ways a TaxAssist Accountant can assist them and their business.
James Mattam, Group Business Development Director, said: “This was a large project to refresh our look and showcase our new brand position to clients and prospective clients visiting our most important online marketing tool. The project involved Support Centre teams, our design agency, marketing consultants, SEO consultants and our franchisee forum who provided valuable input throughout the process.
“We’ve increased the number of services we can now offer to clients via our Tax insourcing team based in our Support Centre and a cloud based payroll service which has seen our network win more fees and provide further tax savings to their clients. We’ve also seen our digital software suite provide efficiencies within each practice, creating a desire to take on more clients and our websites needed to reflect that.
“More emphasis has been placed on mobile and tablet versions, to make these even more user-friendly, as well as providing an improved user experience across the entire website, including some new features such as a new search facility, frequently asked questions and various content carousels, directing visitors to other relevant sections of the website. Our web chat facility also enables the thousands of visitors to our websites to ask any questions they may have ahead of meeting with their local TaxAssist Accountant and that’s really helped keep more visitors on the websites and has generated more leads out to the network this year.
“We also wanted a modern look to our brand. Many of our clients run their businesses from their mobile phones, tablets or laptops and anyone starting a business in 2020 and beyond has a ‘digital first’ mindset so we want to reflect that on the sites to connect with our target market.
“We’ve had great feedback so far and I am confident that the new websites will help us attract more new business and continue to widen the client base that our accountants serve.”
All TaxAssist Accountants are open for business and offer flexible ways to meet, either over the phone, via video consultation or safely in a shop or office. Anyone wanting to find out more about TaxAssist’s services can find out more on the new look website www.taxassist.co.uk.
Results from the National Client Satisfaction Survey reveal that when it comes to business advice, TaxAssist Accountants is the first choice for independent business owners and over 96% would recommend our service to a friend.
TaxAssist Accountants has always prided itself on going the extra mile for its franchisees, so they, in turn can go the extra mile for their clients.
When lockdown conditions eased TaxAssist Accountants carried out a survey of its client base, to gauge how they felt about the level of support and service they had received and to identify what help clients felt they needed now and in the near future during these uncertain times.
In total, 3,638 clients completed the survey, with a number of key findings highlighting the strength and depth of the franchise offering and TaxAssist business model. These include:
90% of respondents rating the support they received from TaxAssist during the lockdown as either ‘Great’ or ‘Excellent’
70% finding the email newsletters and breaking news updates a helpful resource
78% preferring to meet with their accountant in person
20% stated they would also be happy to meet online via video
72% saw their accountant as their first port of call for business advice
95% rated the overall service they received positively
96% would recommend TaxAssist Accountants to a friend
James Mattam, Group Business Development Director, said: “Clearly 2020 has been an unprecedented year but we’ve all rolled up our sleeves and worked hard to support our clients. The fantastic results in this survey, we believe, are a direct result of going above and beyond in our support to our client base.
“The results highlight the continuing demand for our services and their exceptional value to clients. It also emphasises that our model of working from shop premises is as relevant today as it ever was, in terms of visibility and convenience for our clients. They appreciate the value in the meetings they have with their TaxAssist Accountant and wish for that to continue, albeit in a safe environment.
“A third of respondents stated that they will need more support from their accountant in the future, this demonstrates the vital role that accountants play in their clients’ businesses. It reinforces that need for business owners to have meaningful and valuable advisory meetings with their accountant.
“As our Regional Meetings with franchisees are moving to virtual sessions, we look forward to sharing the detailed results and analysis of the survey, how we intend to respond to clients’ needs in the current climate and our plans for future support.”
If you are interested in finding out more about the business model and the technical and marketing support on offer from TaxAssist Accountants, regular virtual discovery days are being held. Call 0800 018829 to register your interest.
We want to support extraordinary small businesses like yours. They’re the lifeblood of the economy, creating jobs, promoting innovation and helping the nation prosper.
We’re working with ITV and advertising agency Pablo, who have created marketing campaigns for brands including Hovis, Holland & Barrett, BT Sport, and Comic Relief. We’re giving three SME owners the chance to win their own professionally filmed and produced advertisement, as well as tailored airtime, worth over £150,000 each.
For your chance to win, fill in the entry form and tell us why your business is extraordinary in 100 words or less. Entrants must be UK residents and aged 18 or over. Winners may be asked to take part in bank publicity in accordance with the Terms and Conditions.
Entries must be received by Monday 2 November 2020 at 23:59hrs GMT. Terms and Conditions apply.
As any SME owner knows, building brand awareness and attracting new customers through marketing can be a challenge, especially if resources are limited. That’s why we’re offering three lucky businesses the chance to have their own advertisement, which will then be broadcast on the winner’s regional ITV channel. But it doesn’t stop there:
12 runners-up will receive access to the NatWest Accelerator programme, a six-month programme to help your business scale and succeed. It includes 1:1 coaching, mentors, legal and tech/IP advice and access to NatWest’s vast network of expertise. Also includes access to a bespoke mentoring session with ITV specialists on the best way to utilise TV, how it could benefit your business and how to leverage smaller budgets for advertising.
5 runners-up will receive a 1:1 coaching session with a NatWest Entrepreneur Development Manager or Scale-up Acceleration Manager to assess your business needs and offer tailored support.
50 runners-up will receive £250 LinkedIn ad spend vouchers to help your business find leads, traffic and new customers.
Green Duck has been confirmed as an approved supplier for G-Cloud 12.
Green Duck has been approved across all three sections of the Governments Digital Marketplace, known as G-Cloud 12. It is the latest version of the Crown Commercial Procurement Framework for Cloud services which covers Cloud Hosting, Cloud Support and Cloud software.
G-cloud is designed to make it easier for the public sector and government departments to access cloud technology and services. It gives public sector organisations access to a marketplace of cloud suppliers that have been approved through a rigorous assessment process.
Now part of the supplier network, Green Duck’s range of Cloud Services and solutions can be delivered under the G-Cloud 12 Framework.
Green Duck is planning for growth in 2021 and part of that can now be achieved by working with the public sector enabled by our G-cloud 12 supplier status.
Graham Duckworth, Co-Founder at Green Duck says “We are proud to have been accepted as a supplier. G-Cloud represents a great additional opportunity for us, as a cloud service provider, to offer solutions for projects offered by the public sector. More and more government organisations are putting their trust into suppliers that work within the G-cloud framework as they move into a more cloud-based way of working.
“Not only are our core services built around reliability and dependability, but we have a whole department dedicated to cyber security which adds additional weight to our G-cloud supplier status.”