Member News

A fostering campaign for Norfolk County Council

JMS worked with Norfolk County Council Fostering Service to produce an advertising campaign across TV, Radio and Social Media.

The aim was to attract new foster carers to the profession.  

With the recent rise in people looking for a change in career due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, combined with an ever increasing demand for foster carers, Norfolk County Council Fostering and Adoption Service wanted to reach as many people as possible that either wanted to make a difference or take up a new vocation that is not only life changing for them, but for a child as well. NCC chose the Sky AdSmart platform to help reach as many potential foster carers as possible and encourage them to consider fostering.

With the tag line “It’s not what you can do for a living, it’s what you could do for a life” and “Open your heart, and open your home” the commercials appeal to those that could provide a child with a loving and stable home.

Making the most of a tight budget 

With funds being tight for public services, we needed to make the most of a limited budget.

Our campaign featured a mix of traditional advertising channels like radio, proven digital channels on social media, as well as newer forms of advertising such as addressable TV…

AdSmart from Sky allowed NCC to specifically target viewers in Norfolk, by District Council and profiling of their target audience defined which Mosaic groups would best fit our commercials. We ran two commercials one aimed specifically at adults who currently look after children such as Teachers, Teaching Assistances and Heads of Schools, the second advert was aimed at people who were looking for a change of vocation during the Pandemic.

The precise targeting of the AdSmart platform ensured limited wastage of the marketing budget, which enabled the use of Radio as well.

In contrast to a regular TV Commercial, AdSmart also has the benefit of providing fully trackable statistics based on performance, allowing NCC to fully evaluate the campaigns effectiveness and return on investment.

The ‘Enhanced Fostering Services’ video illustrates what the role of a foster carer entails. It doesn’t shy away from the fact that fostering can be a challenge. The video was used across NCC’s social channels and featured on screen text to ensure that the message could still be clearly communicated even if the video was viewed with the sound off.   Simple Sums, Seeking Foster Carers and Change Your Profession were all different creatives produced closely with NCC’s marketing team to use social media, AdSmart and radio in combination to get the message out locally.

“At the height of the pandemic the team at JMS went above and beyond to help create a series of creative and emotive TV and Radio adverts within a matter off days. Fortunately we had already been working on a separate project with JMS so they already had a key understanding of our service and messaging required.

The team produced scripts, storyboards which where discussed over conference calls where further ideas were brainstormed. I cannot thank JMS enough for all their help during such a critical time throughout the world. JMS made the process seamless and easy from initial brief to final delivery of our adverts. We saw a gap in the market and did not want to be left behind especially when we continuously require new foster carers to step forward and help change a child’s life.”

Scott McKay, Fostering and Adoption Marketing Manager – Children’s Services, Norfolk County Council.

 Norfolk County Council Fostering Service

There are children across Norfolk who need a foster parent. Children enter the care system for many different reasons. Although every child is unique, all children will require patience, understanding and stability from a good foster carer. You could play a significant part in the life of a child – whether you’re looking after the child for just a few days or a few years.

If you are interested in becoming a foster carer then please contact Norfolk Fostering Service on: 01603 306649

Website link: www.norfolk.gov.uk/fostering

Social links:

Facbook @norfolkfosteringservice

Twitter @fosterinnorfolk

A local ‘Customer Experience’ business has developed a unique solution to ensure team members can feedback their safety concerns when they return to work.

“We know from our own research conducted, that business leaders are worried about well-being and how their team members may be feeling about the safety of their workplace when asked to return to work. We also know team members are really concerned too, especially as more of their colleagues and customers re-engage,” says Judy Randon CX Specialist for Norfolk and Suffolk. “The reasons are varied and understandably, each person is different in regard to their perception and the different circumstances they are working in. With this system, we have that covered.”

To help, and to enable a successful and sustainable return to trading, insight6 has created a “COVID-19 Stay Safe Team Checker”. The feedback system gathers instant feedback with team members about their concerns, freeing up management time to invest in helping those who need help and running the business. The system will send an instant, real time notification to a nominated person in a business, so if a team member is worried about their safety whilst at work, it will trigger a dialogue between the leader and their team members who needs more support and reassurance to sustain their happy return to work.

The platform can be expanded to other parts of the business and gather customer sentiment and confidence levels too.

The team at insight6 HQ can have businesses set up and receiving feedback within 48 hours. To support all business types, the system is being offered at an investment of £150 plus VAT for three months with full and on-going support.

About insight6 Norfolk & Suffolk

Insight6 Norfolk & Suffolk specialises in helping forward thinking businesses to increase sales through consistently delivering a great customer experience to their customers. Judy Randon is based in Norwich and has 20 + years of business experience in a variety of sectors including food, tourism, leisure, hospitality and retail and will help you build and deliver a 6-step sustainable customer experience strategy, whatever your business type or sector. Across the UK insight6 partners and supports more than 800 businesses.

To find out more, or to arrange a virtual or socially distanced meeting please contact Judy Randon on 07909 542737

Standard Internal Doors Offers 

Seville Prefinished Oak Real American oak veneer 18mm solid wood lippings Solid core FSC certified Fire door option available Bespoke sizes available

Seville White Primed Ready for one-coat finish 18mm solid wood lippings Solid core Doors are heavy and robust Fire door option available Bespoke sizes available Prefinished Oak £99.00 (prices exclude VAT)

White Primed £65.00 (prices exclude VAT) 

The Rhino Building team have recently looked after a self build client who was really happy with our service. If you’re considering a self build, please do read their interview with Jamie and Claire Hesketh to find out more about their journey in building an incredible home. 

We know you have just completed a self build, what sort of build was it?

A 5000sq ft House with Garage Timber frame

How long did it take? The main house took 13 months but all outside including the driveway and landscaping took another 11 months.

What Challenges did you find along the way that you had to overcome? Raising finances and waiting for the banks. We had some money to start but didn’t have a specific self build mortgage they then wanted to check everything and this slowed everything down.

Tell us about your favourite things from the experience, what elements are you most pleased with from your build? Really pleased with the finish completely particularly the kitchen but generally all finished to a high standard.

Was it difficult to find quality tradesmen? No I found them through friends we found recommendation works well. Monk Services were brilliant and did what they said they would do for the drive and a bit more, really cracked on in his time here.

95% of your materials were purchased from Rhino Building & DIY Supplies from Acle, what made you choose them? They were very local to me and were recommended to me by a friend. I had used Craig before a while ago on a previous project.

How was your experience of Rhino and what made them exceptional? Craig from Rhino really helped us from the beginning even before we started the build with the planning of it. Craig was always on the phone to give advice and always got us what we needed, if they didn’t have it then he sourced it for us he puts himself out and is easy to talk to, knowledgeable and helpful and we have been really grateful for that.

Would you recommend Rhino to others doing a self build project? 100% yes to anyone they are a great merchant, local small business that really cares about their customers.

Finally what advice would you give to others considering a self build? I would advise anyone else considering to self build to get all their finances arranged prior, know what they want to use too for example bricks and tiles. Planning ahead is half the battle. We drove around looking at new builds and knocked on doors to find out what they used for things we liked.  

High and consistent energy levels are crucial for personal and business success.  This week James and Mark give 3 top tips to help improve energy levels drawing inspiration from motivational legend Jim Rohn, cycling hero Tommy Voeckler and Pavlov’s salivating dogs.

Listen here!

As people turn to accountants for advice and guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic, TaxAssist Accountants registers its highest ever number of July new business client leads.

In the most turbulent of times, small business specialists TaxAssist Accountants have proved to be an essential hub for local business communities as a result of unsurpassed levels of support and communication.

With over 230 franchises across the UK looking after more than 76,000 clients, TaxAssist Accountants has seen its services in demand like never before.

The Norwich-based Support Centre team is working tirelessly to ensure its franchisees have correct and up-to-date information to meet its network’s clients’ requests for help, and the timely advice and online and centralised email campaigns offered by TaxAssist Accountants during the pandemic have been very well received from clients who have praised the proactive help and advice offered.

James Mattam, Group Business Development Director at TaxAssist Accountants said: “July was an unprecedented month for new business client leads generated by the Support Centre, with over 800 qualified by our team of call handlers.

“All of our accountants have been incredibly busy supporting their clients through the COVID-19 crisis, with grant applications, funding and furloughing claims and cash flow advice. As a result of the quality, responsive service our network has offered, we are receiving a huge number of new business enquiries and referrals from existing clients, happy to recommend TaxAssist’s services. We are also receiving calls from businesses looking to migrate to our network who are feeling unsupported by their current accountant in these challenging times.

“All of our accountants are open for business and offer flexible ways to meet, either over the phone, via video consultation or safely in one of our shops or offices. We provide a full service offering to clients utilising the very latest online software solutions, taking the guesswork out of managing financial business records. We regularly hear back from clients that they enjoy the ease and clarity of the software, coupled with the personal, local service that our accountants provide.

“I’d encourage anyone wanting to find out more about TaxAssist’s services, or to request a free initial consultation to give the team a call on 0800 05 23 555.”

Additional investment in train cleaning

As part of our continued focus on providing a safe, clean and reliable service, we have announced further investment in train cleaning today. The key initiatives are as follows:

• We are recruiting 28 extra cleaning staff to our train presentation team, to further increase our cleaning regime, to help keep passengers safe and prevent the spread of the virus.
• Train cleaners can also now wear new cordless vacuum cleaners, designed like backpacks (see attached photo), which have been sourced so that they can nip onto trains between journeys and give floors and upholstery a thorough clean on an even more frequent basis. These new PacVac cleaners are very manoeuvrable so that cleaners can easily reach under seats, tables and luggage racks.
• We are also buying special testing equipment to carry out random hygiene tests on trains, which quickly detects if surfaces have been cleaned effectively or need additional cleaning. This will enable the cleaning team to make sure that existing cleaning regimes are working and alter them if tests show they are not effective enough.

These new initiatives add to the extensive range of additional cleaning initiatives we are already undertaking in the fight against Covid. We are in the process of cleaning every single carriage with fogging guns – which disinfect all surfaces, including seats, arm rests, grab handles and windows – to supplement the extra cleaning already being implemented in these high contact areas.  We’re also carrying out extra cleaning at stations, where the fogging guns come in handy for larger indoor areas, such as waiting rooms.

Travel update

We currently expect the timetable position to stay the same for the foreseeable future.  As previously highlighted, we are running a full service on most routes, except on the Norwich to London intercity services – where most services are still operating (with our new, longer, 12 carriage trains), and the Stansted Express, which is running every 30 minutes.  Where appropriate and practical we’ve been providing extra carriages or extra trains on coastal routes on the busiest days, whilst still encouraging customers to spread their journeys to quieter times, where possible.  We will keep on monitoring customer numbers on a daily basis, to see if any adjustments or alterations are necessary, and be ready to make changes if appropriate.

It is mandatory for customers to wear a face covering when using public transport, in stations as well as on trains, to help reduce the spread of coronavirus. Children under the age of 11 and people with a disability or medical condition which means they cannot wear a face covering are exempt from wearing them. Most people are complying with the requirements, but the British Transport Police do have the power to impose fines of £100 for non-compliance, if necessary.

It’s still important to observe social distancing. We’ve introduced a wide range of measures to make it easier for customers to do so at stations and on trains – including floor markings, one-way systems, new signs and queuing systems.

We’re welcoming customers for any journeys, so please take the train wherever convenient. As outlined, we are doing all we can to ensure rail travel is safe, reliable and straight forward.

Performance

Despite the ongoing heatwave, we’ve delivered another good week of performance, with punctuality at 93% across our network which, given we have experienced one of the most sustained periods of really hot weather ever seen in the UK, is a significant achievement.  This follows on from a fourth successive period of very good performance in July, with punctuality of 96.2% across our network.

New trains

It’s been another week of intensive testing for our new suburban trains, both on our network, primarily on the Southend Victoria line, and on the West Coast Main Line, where some additional testing is taking place to help us complete the commissioning and testing schedules as quickly and efficiently as possible.  Things continue to progress well and we are looking forward to bringing the first ones into passenger service later this year.

And finally…

There’s more station investment underway. We’ve started work on a project to increase car parking at Attleborough in Norfolk from 30 to 86 spaces, with 5 motor cycle spaces, 20 bicycle spaces, provision for electric car charging, LED lighting and CCTV. The £500,000 scheme follows on from investment in restoring the station building with support from the Railway Heritage Trust. The station is set to see more passengers following the introduction of new trains and the extension of many of the Norwich to Cambridge services, which serve Attleborough, through to Stansted Airport, over the past 12 months.

Thanks again to everyone across Greater Anglia for delivering a very good service to our customers and communities across East Anglia again this week, with valuable support from colleagues at Network Rail, Siemens, Stadler, Bombardier and our other rail industry partners.

Our thoughts are also with colleagues at Scotrail and Network Rail Scotland, after the tragic accident at Stonehaven.

Global markets push higher on growing signs of recovery

Global equity markets largely pushed higher this week on positive economic data. The Nasdaq hit a new record high, as did the gold price, while the S&P500 is now less than 1% below its February peak of 3386. Global purchasing managers’ indices, which are used as a way of measuring how businesses are performing, showed improvements in most regions suggesting we are on the road to recovery. 

Please here to read this week’s market summary in full.

Delia’s Canary Catering at Norwich City Football Club are delighted to confirm reopening plans for all conference and meeting spaces at Carrow Road from Thursday, October 1.

After a long period spent away from your team and colleagues, we are thrilled to be able to offer you the space to bring everyone back together for the first time.

We are so fortunate to have a wealth of space available, with 17 function rooms of varying sizes, and 41 executive boxes ideal for breakout sessions, small meetings, or even temporary office space.

Our unique venue means we have a suitable space for all requirements.

Across the stadium, we have four stands each with their own entrance which also allows us to offer you the opportunity to book a stand that is entirely self-contained, should you require it.

Following an investment in 2019, our rooms now feature state of the art technology to complement your meetings and ensure it is an interactive experience. This includes: HD projectors and screens, PA systems and microphones as well as the facilities for video conferencing, allowing us to host “hybrid” events.

We also must mention that under the Delia’s Canary Catering brand, all of our menus are created from Delia’s very own published recipes, and everything is freshly prepared in-house to ensure that dining at Carrow Road is not only a safe experience, but a truly memorable one.

The safety of our customer remains our number one priority, and as a result of government advice and guidance, we have put a number of procedures in place across our venue to ensure you are as safe as possible. For a detailed list of guidelines, click here.

We are really excited to be able to offer a really safe and unique environment for clients looking to hold corporate events such as training courses, meetings, away days, as well as private events such as family dinners, anniversary, wedding or birthday celebrations. 

To book, visit the Delia’s Canary Catering website or call 01603 218704.

Big C has launched an online physical activity and wellbeing intervention programme ‘Get Moving with Big C’ to enhance the wellbeing of cancer patients who are spending more time at home due to the pandemic. All participants will be screened prior to taking part in the sessions which will consist of safe, low intensity mobility and stretch exercises including gentle exercise and stretch, yoga with mindfulness and gentle Pilates. The programme is being delivered by Simon Gooch, Big C’s Health and Education Officer, who has completed a Level 4 Specialist Course in Cancer Rehabilitation Through Exercise Referral and specialist coaches. Patients will be offered 12 weeks of weekly sessions, as this is the recognised duration to implement behaviour change. Following this they will receive a ‘Keep Active’ newsletter with links to pre-recorded sessions, wellbeing information and news of opportunities for keeping active, such as Big C challenges. It is hoped that going forwards it will also be possible to offer occasional meet ups, where those that have completed the programme can get together and exercise, for example with a session of Tai Chi in a local park, or a walking group. Dr Melanie Pascale, Director of Operations at Big C, said, “A physical activity programme is something we have wanted to add to our portfolio of support for some time. Increasingly, research is showing the important role that physical movement can have, before, during and after cancer treatment, with strong evidence of it being safe and providing improved recovery and patient wellbeing. * “The Covid-19 pandemic has brought additional need due to the effects on the wellbeing of those cancer patients who have needed to shield or self-isolate for long periods. The launch of our online physical activity sessions and telephone support will help service users maintain physical and mental wellbeing as the pandemic continues, in a safe and supervised manner. Looking ahead, we can also see the benefit of online sessions for those that live rurally and find it more difficult to access Big C centres.” Simon Gooch, said, “We are really excited about launching our ‘Get Moving’ programme and we have already had a lot of interest from people who may usually visit our centres. Grateful thanks also to the Norfolk & Norwich Hospitals Charity for their financial contribution to the project.” To find about more about Get Moving with Big C, please visit https://support.big-c.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Get-Moving-with-Big-C_Info_Sheet.pdf Email physicalactivity@big-c.co.uk or call 0800 092 7640.

Luxury venue The Norfolk Mead is delighted to have picked up a coveted Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Hotel Award for 2020.

The Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice award places the Norfolk Broads National Park-based venue in the top 10% of Hotels worldwide.   Based on a full year of Tripadvisor reviews, prior to any changes caused by the coronavirus pandemic, award winners are known for consistently receiving great guest feedback.   The Norfolk Mead has nearly 1,400 reviews on the travel website which every year collates reviews, ratings and shares from travellers to highlight the finest places to stay around the world.    James Holliday, Owner of The Norfolk Mead commented: “We are very pleased to have received this award, which reflects the hard work our entire team put in to delivering a high-end experience for our guests across the Hotel, Restaurant and our spa Treatment Rooms. We consistently average a 5.0 ‘Excellent’ rating on Tripadvisor, reflecting the ratings our guests give us across our location, cleanliness, service and value. Knowing that the feedback comes directly from guests who have stayed with us means a lot and gives us a huge boost to keep doing what we are doing.”   “Winners of the 2020 Travelers’ Choice Awards should be proud of this distinguished recognition,” said Kanika Soni, Chief Commercial Officer at Tripadvisor. “Although it’s been a challenging year for travel and hospitality, we want to celebrate our partners’ achievements. Award winners are beloved for their exceptional service and quality. Not only are these winners well deserving, they are also a great source of inspiration for travellers and diners as the world begins to venture out again.”   To see our guest reviews and popular features of The Norfolk Mead, visit our Hotel Tripadvisor page.   Recent reviews include:   Perfect “We have been here several times, for good reason. Post lockdown The Mead was better than ever. The food was faultless. Staff are genuine and attentive. Rooms, luxurious, homely and comfortable. They have hit the ground running and taken the Covid safety measures in their stride. We will be back (again…and, again….and…again!).”   Absolutely fantastic! “We had a lovely stay last weekend, felt thoroughly pampered and absolutely loved the food as always. Best steak and best scrambled eggs I have possibly ever had! Thanks for making our stay remarkable as always even in this tough time!”   Absolutely stunning and perfect in every way “We visited the Norfolk Mead a few years ago, and we always said we wanted to go back for another visit, and we finally managed to get back this weekend.  It was every bit as awesome as we remembered it from last time. The staff are super friendly and helpful, the hotel and grounds are immaculately presented, and everyone there is more than happy to help, we had a slight problem with the hot water in our room, and literally within minutes, we were whisked off to another room. It was dealt with in record time and it was not a problem to them at all. The hotel have all the necessary safety precautions in place, which has quickly become the norm for us all, but we felt very safe there indeed, and you could see that the safety precautions have been thought through to make it as comfortable for guests as possible, and as safe as possible for all.   We booked a suite which was large, clean and very, very comfortable. We got there quite early as we wanted to sit in their gardens and have a drink to set the mood, and the weather mostly behaved itself and we sipped our drinks while enjoying the peace and quiet. It was just what we needed.   The restaurant is really good too, great food and service, and very enjoyable indeed. After dinner drinks in their intimate bar to finish the evening off.Breakfast was just as good as we remember, great choices and delicious too. All too soon, the stay was over, but we will be back, and we will stay for longer. Just what you need to switch off from our current harsh reality!! Thank you all at the Norfolk Mead, see you soon.” G and C   Amazing from start to finish “My partner and I did an overnight stay. We couldn’t fault The Norfolk Mead, every member of staff was attentive, polite and made us feel extremely welcome! Probably the best service we have ever received. Everything was perfect from the cleanliness of the hotel, to the outstanding food, drinks and massage. It was a great escape from being mum and dad for a little while … just wish we stayed longer! We will be back to stay again! Thank you…during these current times The Norfolk Mead is doing a fantastic job to keep you safe but relaxed at the same time!”

Located in Hosham St. Faith, The Black Swan is just over six miles from the centre of Norwich and just a few minutes from the NDR. With ample off road parking and a full a la carte menu (also available for takeaway), coupled with ‘Cask Marque’ real ales, The Black Swan is the perfect retreat for couples and families to eat, drink and relax.

The Black Swan is part of the eat out to help out scheme whereby every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday throughout August you can take advantage of a 50% discount on all food and non-alcoholic drinks (maximum £10 per diner). With no voucher required, no limit on how many times you come, no reservation necessary and no limit on your spend, why not treat yourself, your loved ones and your family to a long overdue trip out to the spacious and welcoming atmosphere at The Black Swan.

We look forward to welcoming you soon.