Member News

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Following the Government announcement on 23 June, we are delighted to confirm the reopening of our Hotel, Restaurant and Bar from Saturday 4 July.

This initial reopening will include our overnight stays, breakfast, light lunches, afternoon tea, coffee, drinks and dinner, seven days a week. We will also be recommencing the boat hire of our beautiful six seater English Harbour yacht from 4 July.    For all the couples still waiting to start planning their weddings in earnest, we are also delighted to announce our reopening for venue viewings including The Garden Room in our Walled Garden, by pre-appointment only through our Events Team at events@norfolkmead.co.uk.    Sadly we are going to have to wait a little longer before we can safely reopen The Treatment Rooms and start hosting Weddings and larger events again – bear with us and we remain hopeful that it will not be too much longer. Do contact the events team with any specific questions about your plans.   Covid-secure measures   We take the safety of our guests and staff very seriously, and are putting in place the highest level of covid-secure measures so you can book and visit with confidence. With our plentiful outdoor spaces and multiple function room options, we can deliver social distancing and be your escape for a little while for you to rest, relax and recharge.    Back and better than ever!   We have also been undertaking improvements across the Hotel and Grounds whilst we have been closed, so prepare to be wow-ed by how gorgeous everything is looking! You’re going to love it all! We’ll be releasing some preview pictures over the next few days so keep your eyes peeled to our social media to find out more!    Book now!   Contact the Team via info@norfolkmead.co.uk for any questions, and to book, or browse our Hotel website where there are enquiry links and direct booking links for your ease!   We can’t wait to see you all again! Love Team Mead.   Read more including our detailed safety measures: Welcoming you back to The Norfolk Mead.

A multi-million-pound bid that could transform King’s Lynn town centre has been submitted to the Government.

It comes as the Borough Council for King’s Lynn and West Norfolk – together with its partners – works to support the town’s recovery and renewal from the economic impact of Covid-19.

The council has made a submission for £21.6m in grant funding to the Future High Streets Fund having been successful in its initial expression of interest in 2019.

And, if successful in the competitive funding process, with match funding, the total investment in King’s Lynn town centre through the Future High Streets programme could be in the region of £35.5m.

The plans, which aim to tackle the town’s priorities and support its long-term future, have been informed by feedback from the public through community consultation last year, and developed in partnership with Norfolk County Council.

Councillor Graham Middleton, Cabinet Member for Business Development said: “We are very pleased to be submitting this business case to the government, which comes at an important time for the town. We are committed to supporting the town centre and businesses in light of the impact of Covid-19.

“The Future High Streets Fund is a competitive process and our bid will be considered against submissions from across the country. We believe that we have developed a robust submission which reflects the long-term needs of the town centre, and which has been shaped with feedback we received through our community consultation.

“Our proposals support the sustainable long-term future of the town, which is now even more of a priority for us than ever. A successful bid would be part of our Covid-19 recovery plans for the town centre.

“But we don’t just want King’s Lynn town centre to survive – we want it to thrive. Our submission would help the town to do just that.”

The projects highlighted in the submission are:

A multi-million-pound bid that could transform King’s Lynn town centre has been submitted to the Government.

It comes as the Borough Council for King’s Lynn and West Norfolk – together with its partners – works to support the town’s recovery and renewal from the economic impact of Covid-19.

The council has made a submission for £21.6m in grant funding to the Future High Streets Fund having been successful in its initial expression of interest in 2019.

And, if successful in the competitive funding process, with match funding, the total investment in King’s Lynn town centre through the Future High Streets programme could be in the region of £35.5m.

The plans, which aim to tackle the town’s priorities and support its long-term future, have been informed by feedback from the public through community consultation last year, and developed in partnership with Norfolk County Council.

Councillor Graham Middleton, Cabinet Member for Business Development said: “We are very pleased to be submitting this business case to the government, which comes at an important time for the town. We are committed to supporting the town centre and businesses in light of the impact of Covid-19.

“The Future High Streets Fund is a competitive process and our bid will be considered against submissions from across the country. We believe that we have developed a robust submission which reflects the long-term needs of the town centre, and which has been shaped with feedback we received through our community consultation.

“Our proposals support the sustainable long-term future of the town, which is now even more of a priority for us than ever. A successful bid would be part of our Covid-19 recovery plans for the town centre.

“But we don’t just want King’s Lynn town centre to survive – we want it to thrive. Our submission would help the town to do just that.”

The projects highlighted in the submission are:

1.            King’s Lynn Multi-User Community Hub

Working in partnership with Norfolk County Council, this would provide a modern shared community space in the heart of the town that brings together a range of services anchored by a relocated town library.  In addition to increasing footfall, it would enhance training and skills provision in the town centre, providing a focal point for upskilling and accessing learning. It would be a multi-service hub, providing people with the space and resources to start up or engage in new activities and services. In the community consultation people said they wanted the town centre to feel inclusive with something for everyone. This would be a space for the whole community.

2.            Town Centre Housing Project

This project would provide in excess of 150 homes over a ten-year period, bringing more people to live in the town centre. Increasing the density of the in-town population would create greater sustainability, increase footfall, and expand use of the town centre. To facilitate the housing provision, this project would see land released from existing car parking space to provide the town centre homes.

With land from existing car parking space used for these much-needed new homes, an innovative sheltered car park would be constructed to provide spaces for town centre parking. This would incorporate green technology: namely photovoltaic panels connected to electric vehicle (EV) charging points. This would help to support the council’s green agenda. In December 2019, part of the community consultation focused on creating opportunities for town centre living which this project would create.

3.            St George’s Guildhall Refurbishment

This scheme would see the refurbishment of St George’s Guildhall, creating a new heritage and cultural attraction using the unique selling points of the oldest theatre in the UK and the Guildhall’s Shakespeare link. The refurbishment plans are based upon a recent feasibility study carried out in December 2019 by the Shakespeare Guildhall Trust and the council.  This project provides King’s Lynn with the opportunity to create a new heritage attraction bringing increased numbers of visitors to the town. This project would require a separate match funding application through the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Throughout the community consultation, people highlighted the heritage of King’s Lynn as the number one attribute that they feel makes the town centre special, and that which can attract visitors into the town.

4.            South Gate Gateway

To improve traffic flow around the town, and to protect the historic entrance at South Gate as a visitor attraction, this project would focus on creating a highway diversion. The South Gate roundabout is a key gateway for the town and a bottleneck.  This project would tackle this issue, creating better access.

This project would also see public realm improvements, creating a more pleasant arrival and capitalising on the South Gate as a visitor attraction.  It would also allow for improvements to London Road pedestrian crossings and traffic lights as well as pedestrian and cycle links, increasing the options for visiting town.

Not only would this project alleviate the access issues, it would also allow for improvements that would enhance perceptions of this key gateway into the town and support the future development around this strategic site. The proposal sits within the wider transport strategy to relieve congestion at this crucial bottleneck location and deliver wider visual improvements to the town’s primary gateway.  The feedback revealed the huge value that people place upon the historical assets and the living heritage that exists in abundance in the town; this project would capitalise on the South Gate as a visitor attraction.

The full details of all of the projects would be developed should the bid be successful.

As outlined, all of the projects link into themes which emerged during extensive community consultation. In the first survey in February 2019, over 700 people gave their views and their feedback helped to inform the expression of interest. In the second round of consultation in November / December 2019, around 500 people shared their thoughts on their town centre experience and their ideas for the area.

If successful, the Future High Streets funding would align with the wider Town Investment Plan. This is the town’s vision for its economic development over the years to come and is currently being developed. This will potentially help the council to access a further £25m of Town Deal funding that has been allocated by the Government.  The Town Investment Plan will be the overarching vision and strategy for the area.

The submission was made to government on 22nd June with a decision expected in the early autumn.

Councillor Graham Middleton added: “The Future High Streets Fund potentially represents a fantastic opportunity for our town centre, allowing us to address challenges and maximise the area’s many strengths. Vitally, it will help us to support the town’s recovery and renewal from the impact of Covid-19 – which we are all committed to.

“We want King’s Lynn town centre to be a place of choice, with increased use and satisfaction. This funding, alongside the other investment we are making, could be transformational for the town and leave a legacy for generations.

“I am excited for what is possible.”

Follow Vision King’s Lynn on Twitter @vision_lynn Facebook: Vision King’s Lynn or visit www.visionkingslynn.co.uk for updates and further information.

Stress at work can be crippling, whether you are the CEO of a construction firm or a frontline worker servicing water supplies. Think about how overwhelming it can be when you are under time pressure to deliver crucial services to people’s homes, or when a patient falls in their own home and it’s up to you to provide adequate care and keep your service users safe. 

In this article, we take a deep-dive into the factors that cause stress in the workplace and how you can take positive action to reduce stress for your workforce.

Read the full article here.

We are thrilled to announce that we are working with Money Savings Advice, a website recently set up by an experienced team of lead generation experts, to provide consumers with the best financial products available. Covering all areas of personal, secured and unsecured finance, Money Savings Advice is already well on the way to becoming a strong, viable prospect and a resounding success.

The search engine optimisation (SEO) team at Tudor Lodge Consultants have been, over the past few weeks working hard and behind the scenes with the design, development and lead generation team at Money Savings Advice. We are working closely to ensure the site is set up from its outset and from the very beginning to capture online users via Google Search.

SEO is at the heart of what Money Savings Advice are working hard to achieve. From Equity release to bridging loans, short term personal loans and even personal funeral plans, the rankings which are expected will cover a wide range of areas.

We have been working with Money Savings Advice on every aspect of their website’s online positioning and SEO and this has already included:

Crawling – We are working to ensure the site is able to rank on and be understood by Google for its desired search terms and phrases. This is paramount from the outset as the content being written is designed to target specific ‘clusters’ of searches.

Website Code – The source code of a website is the very basis upon which a website’s information and features are built. Therefore, much like the design of an engine, the source code must be optimised and efficiently structured to function to the optimum level.

Targeting – What the website targets is just as key to its success as how it targets the desired areas. Thus, working with the experienced team at Money Savings Advice to ensure that the best search terms in each area are targeted remains one of the most important tasks thus far.

Online PR – Online PR in SEO is a very important factor, acting as a trust signal to both search engines as well as users and potential customers. We are therefore working with the team at Money Savings Advice to create and disseminate the best PR for the brand for both SEO and user purposes.

Technical SEO – SEO relies on various areas of focus, one of which is the technical SEO. It is in large part, these technical factors which, through the content and PR allow websites to rank and be picked up for the desired terms.

We are looking forward to what the future and the coming months have in store for Money Savings Advice, who are already seeing leaps and bounds of progress in their area, and we are sure there is more to follow.

E-commerce gives shoppers certain expectations when it comes to customer service interactions. Here’s how to tailor your service for online.

In a recent survey of over 200 consumers, 28% said they preferred buying from a small business on the high street than from a large retailer, because of a perceived higher standard of products. This was underpinned by 27% saying that customer service was extremely important to them – small businesses, they added, seemed to go out of their way to help make the shopping experience memorable.

For small businesses that receive all or most of their business online, there are additional challenges: first, standing out from the thousands of other websites; second, competing against larger firms with a bigger and more consistent online presence.

We look at ways to tailor your customer service to ensure a high satisfaction rate and, ultimately, increase sales.

Optimise web design and layout

Many businesses on the high street invest a considerable amount of time and money into the layout of their premises. Products are often strategically placed throughout the shop with the hope that shoppers are funnelled with full baskets to the checkouts.

However, businesses that don’t have a bricks-and-mortar store – and indeed those with both physical and digital stores – will have to optimise their web presence in order to attract customers and ensure that they don’t abandon their cart before reaching the checkout page.

E-commerce businesses should try to recreate the offline shopping experience as best as they can, and a tailored customer service is an essential part of this.

“You need to make customers’ lives easier wherever possible, whether this is designing your website to make it easy to click through to the checkout or having some form of after-sales support,” says Lesley Bambridge, founder and director of marketing consultancy We Mean Business. “By making it a breeze to buy from you and giving customers the help they need, they’re more likely to sing your praises and return time and again.”

Create buy-in

While a shopfront will be presented in a such way to attract customers inside, online businesses have to be smarter when it comes to making sure browsers don’t exit before they buy.

Charlotte Jamme, director and founder of handbag brand Mia Tui, has found that an effective way to reduce bounce rate is to create some sort of buy-in.

“We have a loyalty scheme where customers receive points as soon as they sign up to the site, which they can then use on their first purchase. This incentivises customers more than gifting them points only once they’ve completed the purchase would,” says Jamme.

Deal with complaints competently

One sticking point of the online shopping experience for customers will often be not being able to try before they buy. Research by online retail giant Rakuten has concluded that 86% of shoppers consider buying clothes online a gamble. Indeed, products bought over the internet cost the UK economy an estimated £20bn in returns every year.

Like clothing, food items can also be susceptible to unhappy customers. Andy Lawson, founder and CEO of BoroughBox, a marketplace for independent food producers including Rubies in the Rubble and Snact, believes that while this isn’t completely avoidable, it’s important to show customers how competent you are.

“For us to create and maintain trust with our customers online, we can’t be hiding in the virtual shadows”Andy Lawson, founder and CEO, BoroughBox

BoroughBox delivers many of the products itself, but some are distributed by the producers. This has the potential to cause issues, especially if sellers were to fail to meet the standards expected.

“We’re here to provide a service and, ultimately, like any supply chain with moving parts, any one part can have an issue,” says Lawson. “But we want this to be as infrequent as possible and we want our customers to have faith that when something does go wrong, we’ll work tirelessly to make it right again – just like if they walked into a physical shop with an issue.”

Lawson adds that it’s important to always have multiple communication channels open, especially direct telephone numbers.

“For us to create and maintain trust with our customers online, we can’t be hiding in the virtual shadows,” he says.

It’s also vital that you make it clear on your website what your delivery terms and returns policy are.

React swiftly

“It’s not just how you put it right that matters, but also how quickly,” says John Armstrong, co-founder of Newcastle-based printwear and branding specialist Custom Planet. “If you prolong it or make it difficult for the customer, then they’ll walk away and you’ll lose their business.”

Customers have come to expect that they can have anything delivered pretty much instantly with as minimal fuss as possible – Armstrong puts this down to the way technology has revolutionised the online buying and browsing experience.

Professor Phill Dickens discusses the use and development of 3D printing – but warns not to believe the hype.

Phill Dickens, professor of manufacturing technology at the University of Nottingham, started work in rapid prototyping [3D printing] in 1990. In the early 1990s, he founded the Rapid Manufacturing Research Group (RMRG), leading various research projects and securing an international patent that is still being used. The first recipient of the International Freeform and Additive Manufacturing Excellence (FAME) Award in 2009, Professor Dickens is also founder and director of Added Scientific, a spin-out from the University of Nottingham that helps companies in the supply chain for additive manufacturing (AM) with technical assistance in developing materials and processes.

So what is AM?

It’s quite different from most other manufacturing processes in that we make parts by adding layers of material. Where other manufacturing processes take material and deform it or machine it away, we build up the material as we go along to get the final shape. The first commercial rapid prototyping machine was launched in 1987, so it’s been 30 years in the making.

There has been a lot of talk about AM, or 3D printing as it is frequently referred to, but is it delivering on its promise?

Some people say 3D printing is going to solve all our problems and we’re going to be doing everything by AM in the future. It has perhaps been hyped too much, but there is a lot to be gained by using the technology. It can eliminate tooling and give you greater flexibility over your design. It can produce shapes that would have been difficult or impossible in the past. It also presents the opportunity to change business models. In the pharmaceutical world, for example, we’re doing a lot of work at the university on printing pills. AM offers many opportunities, some on cost, some on lead time and some on design.

“We have an opportunity in the UK to exploit the capability within R&D, but we only have a small window of opportunity, maybe three or four years, to do this” There are various AM technologies available, but which offers the greatest opportunity?

It depends on the application. Probably the most advanced are either the vat photopolymerisation, in which liquid photopolymer in a vat is selectively cured [hardened] by light-activated polymerisation, or powder-bed fusion, where thermal energy selectively fuses regions of a powder bed using a laser or electron beam. The powder-fusion technology is probably used the most for manufacturing at the moment.

The focus appears to be on plastics right now, but is the technology moving on to other materials?

Metals tend to be more difficult because their operating processes are at a higher temperature, so you are building tensile overload. Having said that, the progress that has been made in metals in the past five to 10 years is phenomenal. People are now making metal parts in a range of industries, using these techniques for manufacturing.

Most current applications focus on prototype or low volume. Can you envisage AM moving into mass-market production?

I have no doubt about that at all. What we’re seeing now are companies that are attempting to manufacture using processes that were developed for rapid prototyping, but processes are coming about that are designed for manufacturing in high volumes. There’s a company called Photocentric that is undertaking some very interesting work in this area. Once those technologies [become more mainstream] then the economics will change and things will become more suited to high-volume manufacturing.

Why is AM so attractive?

AM gives companies the opportunity to go into low-volume, customised products and produce parts and products that have much greater performance. It also offers a reduction in cost and lead time, as well as real opportunities in terms of new products, new businesses and new ways for businesses to operate.

Are there any areas that AM is more suitable for than others?

There are various areas of industry that AM can offer an advantage in, such as prototyping, design freedom, customised products, high-value manufacturing and applied topology optimisation. In some situations, some of these will be irrelevant and in other situations one of them might be the only reason you’re using AM. It depends on individual products rather than companies.

What can be gained by applied topology optimisation?

Topology optimisation is where you take a design and add or remove material where it makes sense, normally to increase the strength-to-weight ratio. By doing that, you can reduce the weight of parts by about 50%. The best examples of topology optimisation are people. Take bone structure, for example, and the internal geometry of bones, which is highly optimised because we’ve gone through millions of years of optimising bone geometry. What we’re doing [with AM] is taking that principle and applying it to engineering parts.

What do people mean when they talk about ‘state of the art’ in AM?

One thing we really have to do in AM is switch from prototyping to manufacturing, and to do that we need machines designed for manufacturing. They need to be more automated, they need real online control and inspection, and they need to eliminate a lot of the post-processing we currently have to do.

We also need more simulation so we can predict what’s going to happen when we build a part because sometimes you plug in the process parameters, but the part that’s produced is not very good. It might have porosity, cracking or other faults. We need much more upfront simulation so we know it’s going to be right first time. That’s more important in additive manufacturing than conventional manufacturing because with conventional manufacturing you’re often looking at big numbers, maybe thousands or hundreds of thousands of parts, so you can afford to make the first 10 or 20 and sort out your process parameters. But with AM, we’re often only going to be making one so it must be right first time.

How strong is AM in the UK?

In terms of research, the UK is pretty strong, on a par with the US and Germany, but if you look at application, we’re quite a bit behind those two countries. When it comes to actually making money out of AM, I’d put the US quite a long way ahead of us at the moment, and we’re some way behind Germany.

We have an opportunity in the UK to exploit the capability within R&D, but we only have a small window of opportunity, maybe three or four years, to do this. If we haven’t caught up with the US or are well on the way to catching them up within the next three or four years, we’re going to have a serious problem.

What’s holding the UK back?

The short answer is a lack of skills. We simply don’t have the qualified workers to take advantage of the new technology that’s being developed. They’re not coming out of schools and not studying the right courses at university. There are moves to address that, but it will take at least four years, more likely seven, before we see the benefits. By that time it will be too late for the UK to take advantage of the technology.

The UK economy faces several headwinds, including tightening monetary policy, low productivity, geopolitical instability and, of course, Brexit. But Rowan Austin, NatWest’s head of trade and working capital, had positive news for attendees at the EEF National Manufacturing Conference 2018, as he revealed his seven key tips for the sector. 1. Capitalise on export markets and global growth

“We’re all aware of the headwinds facing the UK economy. We also know about the following winds, such as low unemployment, possible fiscal easing and record low-interest rates,” said Austin.

“Most importantly, we’re seeing a strong global recovery of our key export markets, including the US and Europe. This, along with the devaluation of sterling since the Brexit vote, has led to a boom in UK exports. Export orders are at the highest levels for 30 years, and some suggest global growth could offset any short-term negatives of Brexit on the UK economy.

“So it’s time to capitalise. Businesses should think about building beachheads in new markets and having a clear export strategy to target these markets.”

2. Line up your stakeholders early

“Three key stakeholders are there to help you tap into export markets. The first of these is the banks. We’re here to provide funding and risk-management tools to facilitate trade and to support investment in domestic infrastructure.

“Second is UK Export Finance – UKEF’s mission is that no viable British export should fail for a lack of finance. Working closely with the banks, UKEF is becoming more ambitious and innovative in supporting UK exports.

“Third is the Department for International Trade. DfIT has experts placed in embassies across the world. It’s a fantastic network that gives practical support and advice for exporters and guidance around local practices.

“These three stakeholders are working closer than ever before. So make use of them, and the key is to engage them as early as possible so they can support you from the very beginning of the deal.”

3. Pick your partners carefully

“Businesses have rigorous processes to select those that supply raw materials, equipment and services. In the same way, companies should choose their financial partners very carefully. For example, most people have longer relationships with their bank than they do with their spouse. Surprising but true.

“The world of banking has changed dramatically since the financial crisis. While the world has globalised, lots of banks have gone the other way, and many banks now focus solely on their domestic markets.

“Export orders are at the highest levels for 30 years, so it’s time to capitalise. Businesses should think about building beachheads in new markets”

“To support you in global growth, it’s critical to find the right banking partner – one with knowledge, sector expertise and cross-border product capability. Be demanding of your banks and change banks if you’re not getting what you need.”

4. Stay sharp on financial risk management

“The world might seem like a relatively benign place at the moment, but now is the time to prepare for financial risk. There are three key areas – the first of which is interest rates. The Bank of England has already signalled that rates will rise, so lower for longer won’t mean lower forever, and borrowing costs will increase.

“Second is currency risk. Sterling devaluation has helped exporters, but where will it go next? Having strategies to manage currency risk in a volatile environment is critical.

“Third is counterparty risk. Supply chains have become increasingly globalised. Trading with a counterparty in Boston, Lincolnshire, is very different from trading with a counterparty in Boston, Massachusetts. So managing the financial risks of trading with overseas counterparties is essential.”

5. Keep your eye on working capital

“In the UK, it’s estimated that £150bn is locked up in excess working capital. In Europe, this could be as high as €1trn. Poor working capital management can mean sacrificing investment to maintain cash flow – or, to put it another way, tied-up working capital is a resource that can be used to fund growth.

“It can be easy to take your eye off the working capital ball when interest rates are low. It means getting finance can be easy and cheap, but rates are rising from historical lows, and optimising working capital management can deliver real competitive advantage, so it’s crucial to get into the right habits and practices now. Developing a cash culture and improved discipline in working capital management should be a priority.”

6. Embrace technology

“Whether it’s the products you sell or how you run your business, technology is changing our world faster than we can imagine. AI, blockchain, VR, robotics and nanotech – they’re all in vogue, but which are going to be fads, and which are on an exponential growth path? That’s difficult to predict, although it’s not a new conundrum.

“Business models are changing incredibly fast. There’s a lot of disruption. Uber is now the world’s biggest taxi firm without taxis. Airbnb is the world’s largest provider of rooms without owning a hotel. We also see in banking how fintech is changing the way we operate and how we think. So embrace technology and the growth mindset. Make it work for you professionally and personally: prototype and experiment, test stuff, play around and be prepared to fail.”

7. Cyber security

“Technology brings great opportunities but also brings threats. Cyber security is a growing risk to us as individuals and also as companies. Europol estimates that more money is made from cybercrime than the entire international drugs trade. Hacking is a risk that affects brands, customers and businesses.

“In 2017, we saw WannaCry cripple the NHS. We also saw NotPetya spread to 100 countries in just a couple of days and hit some of the biggest corporates, such as Maersk, Reckitt Benckiser and FedEx. It’s estimated the cost of that outbreak was hundreds of millions of dollars, just for those three companies. So in a world where we’re becoming ever more connected, the need for vigilance and cyber security is critical.”

On 19th June during Men’s Health Week (15th to 21st June), two novice cyclists, who discovered the new hobby during lockdown, successfully challenged themselves by taking on an attention-grabbing 120-mile bike ride around the Norfolk and North Suffolk coastline on behalf of Big C.

Simon Gooch, Big C’s Health and Education Office and friend, Aaron Wheaton, both 29, cycled from King’s Lynn to Southwold to raise awareness of male cancers. Both wore bright and striking t-shirts featuring the bold design of a giant pair of testicles.

Simon said, “The idea of the t-shirts is to make sure nobody misses us and we get our message across loud and clear! We want men across the region to be body aware and seek prompt medical support if they are concerned by any symptoms. When cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, treatment is more likely to be successful.” There are around 130 newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer in the UK every day, 6 new cases of testicular cancer and 2 of penile cancer. Prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK. (Prostate Cancer UK) Simon continues, “There is some positive news amongst these worrying statistics, as the rise in prostate cancer can be partly attributed to the fact that men have become better at seeking medical advice, leading to increased levels of earlier diagnosis. With the intimate nature of male cancers however, some men are worried or embarrassed to seek support. This situation is steadily improving, but there is still some way to go to ensure the best possible outcomes. We hope our cycle-ride will draw attention to this issue and help reinforce this crucial message – Take Action, Talk to Your Doctor.”   Dr Melanie Pascale, Director of Charitable Operations at Big C, said “This was a fantastic and timely initiative during Men’s Health Week. The t-shirts are both fun and a very effective way of delivering this crucial message for men’s health and making sure it gets the attention it deserves! A very well done to Simon and Aaron and thank you for your support.”   A Big C thank you to Adnams who kindly met Simon and Aaron at the finish line in Southwold with some beer to celebrate!   To find out how to access support from Big C please visit support.big-c.co.uk   Simon and Aaron are raising funds for Big C . Their target is £966 to represent that more than 966 male cancers are diagnosed each week. If you would like to donate to support Big C’s local work supporting all those affected by cancer, please visit Justgiving.com/menscancer

We want to alert businesses who trade with or through Northern Ireland to a simple but important job. HMRC is asking all businesses who move goods between GB and NI to fill in a short questionnaire. This will allow them to keep you updated as and when important information is released.

HMRC questionnaire here UK’s approach to the NI Protocol In the meantime, the government has released a policy paper setting out how Brexit will fit into the objectives of the Good Friday Agreement, with information vital to importers and exporters. So you don’t have to plough through the entire document, we’ve summarised the key points. No hard border in Ireland or the Irish Sea

• Creation of a customs territory which means:
• Removal of internal tariffs & trade barriers
• Common approach to external trade partners
• Trade deals: NI will benefit from preferential access that the UK negotiates

Supplies from UK to NI: no changes

• No import/export customs or safety and security declarations
• No customs check
• No tariffs – only goods which ultimately enter Ireland/EU, or are at a clear and substantial risk of doing so, will face tariffs

Supplies from UK to NI: changes

• UK must apply EU rules to goods which enter NI
• When goods leave the UK to NI, no export or exit declaration or customs clearance is needed
• When goods enter NI, they will need customs declarations and safety and security information
• The customs duties in respect of a good being moved by direct transport to Northern Ireland other than from the Union or from another part of the United Kingdom shall be subject to the duties applicable in the United Kingdom unless that good is at risk of subsequently being moved into the Union, whether by itself or forming part of another good following processing.

Agri-food To ensure that Irelands status as a Single Epidemiological Unit (SEU) is maintained, some kinds of products will have additional border inspection checks.

• NI will align to the EU Sanitary & Phytosanitary rules
• Agri-food products entering NI from GB will be done via a BCP Border Control Point or Designated Point of Entry*
• They will be subject to physical examination & identity & documentary checks, frequency and process of these TBC

*Belfast Port/Belfast Airport/Larne Port – TBC Regulation of goods

• NI to align with the EU rules relating to the placing on the market of manufactured goods
• Enforcing and authorising authorities will be the same as they are now
• Checks can continue away from the ports as they do now, dependant on risk
• The UK will recognise NI/EU approvals and certifications for the purpose of placing goods on the GB market

VAT and Excise

• NI remains aligned to some EU rules on VAT/Excise
• HMRC not the EU will be the tax collector
• Although bound by the EU VAT rules, NI can match exemptions, reductions and zero rating applied by the UK government
• For excise goods, a movement from GB to NI will be regarded as an ‘import’ into NI and a movement from NI to GB will be regarded as an ‘export’ from NI
• Whereas, excise goods moving from NI to an EU Member State and vice versa will be regarded as an intra EU movement

HMRC questionnaire here Full policy document here We can expect further developments during the transition phase, we will endeavour to keep you updated. As always, please call or email me with comments or questions, we’re always happy to discuss individual issues. Import Export Support website here

A new survey on the impact of COVID-19 for the Tourism, Leisure and hospitality sector indicates the significant financial consequences of lockdown and the ongoing impact it is having, even with the easing of regulation, enabling businesses to at long last open, and longed for reductions of the social distancing rules.

Key highlights

• The turnover of the businesses surveyed anticipated income in 2020 to total £189m but latest forecasts, even with June and July openings, to fall to £97m.  If that value is extrapolated, across the whole sector, then the economic value lost to Norfolk and Suffolk would be over £1.8bn.
• Expectations of sample alone are for lost profits to exceed £26m.
• Of those businesses surveyed they employed over 2,400 in the high season last year. At the end of May 2020 less than 10% of that number were working.
• As furlough support reduces, and employer contributions rise, businesses fear up to 22% of staff (518) could be made redundant between July and October alone.

“The true cost to the sector of this pandemic is going to be huge” said Chris Scargill of MHA Larking Gowen, who have led the production of the survey results.

“This sector is facing challenges that nobody would ever have imagined and while some parts of the sector are in the early stages of re-opening, the vast majority are still hoping the potential date of 4 July is a reality, but it is accepted that any form of normality is way off and some parts of the sector are likely to be last to be released from lockdown.” 

“There can be little doubt that COVID-19 is having a dramatic financial impact on the sector”, he added.  “The local impact has not been measured before, and the numbers are quite frightening. Extrapolate these results – which in themselves represent just over 4% of the direct economic impact of Norfolk and Suffolk – and the numbers become quite scary”.

The survey was facilitated by a group of local tourism leaders and included; Ian Russell, MBE of Wroxham Barns and Chairman of ‘Where to Go in North Norfolk’, and Director of Visit East Anglia; Chris Scargill of MHA Larking Gowen, Chartered Accountants and  Business Advisors; Dr Andy Wood, CEO of Adnams,  Chair of Visit East of England and a member of VisitEngland Advisory Board; Andrew Hird, Chair of Visit North Norfolk; Martin Dupee. Director of both, Norfolk & Suffolk Attractions and Visit East of England; Peter Williamson, Chair of Norfolk & Suffolk Tourist Attractions and Greg Munford, Chief Executive Director of Richardson’s Boating Holidays and Holiday Parks and also President of British Marine.

The economic value of the sector to Norfolk and Suffolk is £5.4bn of which £3.83bn is direct revenue and employs approximately 120,000 people both directly and indirectly. The turnover of the businesses surveyed totalled £171.6m in 2019, and with investment and expansion those surveyed had initially forecasted 2020 turnover to be £189.2m but now they anticipate, even with June/July opening, that turnover would fall to £97m. If that informed value is extrapolated, then it would mean this sector alone could shrink by one-third (lost economic impact of £1.8 bn).

Those surveyed employed over 2,400 in the high season last year, but at the end of May less than 10% of that number were actually working. The partial furlough regulations will offer some respite, with 53% of businesses saying its introduction has helped stop some redundancies. The report also shows that some 20% of the workforce being seasonal and zero-hour labour and have therefore not been able to be on the furlough scheme.

The sector is keen to see further changes to the regulations, as with the current restrictions in place, as government furlough support reduces, and employer contributions start from 1 August (estimated to be 5% initially rising to 25% in October, when the current support system ends), businesses fear up to 22% of staff (518) could be made redundant between July and October alone.

“Even when they open, businesses will have to operate in a completely new way, with greatly reduced capacity and revenue, whilst working with expensive and challenging guidelines. Those businesses surveyed already anticipated spending over £160K to facilitate the re-opening.  A tough call when the expectations are that lost profits will exceed £26m” said Chris Scargill.  The redundancies are sadly inevitable if the level of business is not there, as there is no income to pay the staff. It is unsurprising therefore that 81% of business felt the sector needed a furlough scheme to see them through the winter. If nothing is done in this regard the simple fact is that some of the Government’s efforts to stop redundancies and keep jobs open will simply have been a deferral of the inevitable”.

One of the key players, party to the creation of the survey and the importance of this research, is Ian Russell MBE of Wroxham Barns and Chairman of Where to Go in North Norfolk. He said “the numbers involved in creating the economic value to the counties are of an unimaginably huge scale, and the sum of thousands of small mainly family owned businesses. These businesses are in it for the long term, they are resilient, loyal to their staff and have seen ups and downs over many decades, but nothing has prepared us for what is coming down the track over the next nine months.

In the absence of Government guidelines we have to assume our capacity will be reduced to circa 30%,  .resulting a huge reduction in summer revenues. Like many attractions, we have been encouraged to weatherproof our visitor experience but those all important indoor spaces, playbarns and entertainment facilities will not be able to open.

The cold reality is that we (the sector) are on the floor, winded, bruised and running dangerously low on fuel. We are not in the shape we need to be to lead the economy back from the cliff edge. But being the optimists that we are, I believe that with some specific interventions we can fight back; we have the spirit, the self-belief and we have our loyal teams and communities on our side.”

Ian Russell concluded: “to cut to the chase, this is what I believe we need to give us a fighting chance:

1.     Reduce VAT for Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality to 5% for the next 12 months

2.     Extend the flexible furlough scheme for Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality businesses until Spring 2021

3.     Extend CBILS payment terms to 10 years”  

Andrew Hird, Chair of Visit North Norfolk said “I think we all have an understanding of some of the issues surrounding the individual elements covered by this survey, but by pulling them together it brings home the enormity of the issues facing the sector and its impact on the wider economy. This will affect so many people and so many livelihoods that have invested everything into the sector. Put simply, even with some reduced social distancing provisions, businesses will need extended help and support to retain staff and give them a fighting chance of surviving through to next April. The road to recovery is looking to be a long one.

Martin Dupee, Director of both, Norfolk & Suffolk Attractions and Visit East of England said “we know our local attractions have been working hard to open and operate safely but businesses face further financial hardship due to investment and management of those provisions,  outdoor catering can only be considered for so long. I am feeling sorry for the attractions with substantial indoor areas. I am confused why the High Street can open, yet walk through indoor attractions areas are being forced to remain closed”

Peter Williamson, Chair of Norfolk and Suffolk Tourist attractions added “We are really pleased with the support our members gave to the survey. They have entrusted their private and sensitive information to allow a further understanding of the numbers to be represented. The “three winters” scenario will put a significant number of businesses and jobs at risk.”

Greg Munford, Chief Executive Director of Richardson’s Boating Holidays and Holiday Parks and also President of British Marine said “The future of Inland waterways hire companies is at risk, action needs to be taken to mitigate what is in affect three winters in one year. Boating operators have large costs in preparing for the season – these costs are already sunk. If action is not taken many operators may not survive”

Chris Scargill, Tourism Partner of MHA Larking Gowen concluded “The Government is making announcements all the time that affect the economy and this sector. We appreciate the support given to the survey, which needed a quick turnaround and I am grateful to all those in my team who have helped publish the data.” 

You can download the full survey results report here.