Member News

A message from Andy;

Hi.

I know it’s concerning for most people at the moment in these rather surreal times of uncertainty. It’s no different for me either. I’m seeing first hand what’s happening to the job market and in the local business community.

I’m speaking to employers and job seekers every hour of the day and I can feel the frustration and concern from all areas, but I can also feel a positive ‘carrying on’ vibe out there too, which is great to hear! We all need reassuring positive news in our lives, no matter how small it is.

Thinking about what’s happening and how unpleasant it is to be potentially thrust into a scary and volatile job market, or be living with the threat of possible redundancy hanging over you (I’ve been there myself several times throughout my working years!), I want to shout out to those that might be facing uncertain futures in their careers.

Those that might be worried about the job market. Those that think their CV looks dated or wondering if it represents them in the right light. Those that just want a bit of reassurance or advice or simply just a chat with someone that can give an honest overview of this side of business.

I want to let them know that I’m happy and free to have a chat. I can give you an idea of what might be out there, who was recruiting before this virus happened and who will probably pick up their recruitment process again when we get in the clear, or even who is still recruiting at this very moment (things are still happening out there…there are shafts of positivity poking through!) My team and I can have a look at your CV, make some recommendations about it, improve it (not that it’ll need it, I’m sure) or just give you some reassurance that we are here to help if you need us.

If you are worried or just want to have a chat, do give us a call on 01603622667 or email me at andy@serviceservice.co.uk

I do hope that you don’t need to talk to us though and also that you all keep safe and well.

Andy Pitt, Business Owner

During uncertain times it’s essential that business owners can keep track of their business’s financial performance in order to instil stability and minimise disruption.

Over the coming weeks, we’re expecting many offices to close and work patterns to be adjusted due to Covid-19. This is likely to include most professional firms. Fortunately, MHA Larking Gowen has a robust business continuity plan and all our teams can work remotely with no interruption to their day to day working. This means our teams can support our clients regardless of location.

As business owners, I’m sure that you will be requiring frequent contact and advice from your trusted advisor over the coming months. However, the challenge is – how can you provide them with access to your up-to-date business records if restrictions are in place?

Cloud Accounting

MHA Larking Gowen has Platinum Partner status for cloud accounting platforms Xero and QuickBooks.

If you haven’t heard of Xero and QuickBooks before, these are online cloud accounting software packages designed to make life easier for small and medium sized business owners. Most importantly, these are cloud based so can be accessed by both you and your trusted advisor anywhere, if you have access to the internet.

Not only can these be accessed anywhere, they also both provide essential efficiencies which will relieve you of mundane bookkeeping tasks and allow you to concentrate on minimising any disruption within your business.

Integrated features

Both Xero and QuickBooks have amazing integrated features to help with everyday bookkeeping tasks.

The main ‘time saving’ feature is the live bank feeds. Bank feeds automatically import transactions from your bank, directly into Xero and QuickBooks. Therefore, eliminating the need to enter bank transactions manually into your cloud accounting software.

We make sure all our cloud accounting clients are set up with Receipt Bank https://embed.vidyard.com/watch/x5coA6aEWFUK5wB8pW7nPe This third party application allows you to take photos of your sales and purchase invoices using an app on your phone or tablet. It then extracts data from these invoices before they are published through to Xero or QuickBooks, avoiding any manual data entry of sales or purchases.

Real Time Information

As business owners, I’m sure many of you will be required to make some vital business decisions in the coming months but how will you be able to do this if you don’t fully understand where your business’s finances are at, right now?

Technology can be used to provide Real Time Information, to help business owners understand exactly where they stand.

It is essential that business owners have all the tools in place to enable them to provide their trusted advisor with information instantly. In return, bookkeeping can be updated on a daily basis, providing business owners with Real Time Information. This gives business owners the detail they need to make informed business decisions.

Cashflow is going to be key in the coming months and third party applications such as Futrli (https://www.futrli.com/) can be used to further help business owners with decision making.

Futrli integrates with Xero and QuickBooks and enables you to create budgets and forecasts based upon multiple scenarios. This is essential to enable business owners to gain a real insight as to what the future of their business will look like and so they can ensure they are on track to achieving their objectives.

In this current climate, it is essential that business owners have the resources required to utilise technology to their advantage.

Click here to read our client testimonial

If you’re worried about the impact Coronavirus will have on your business performance and would like to know more about your business’s current financial position, please call Jessica Rafferty-Smith on 01603 624181.

SOUL Church will now be streaming its Sunday services on Facebook and YouTube. In line with the latest health advice, the church is temporarily moving online and invites all those who are social distancing or self isolating to tune in for worship and Biblical teaching.

Pastor Jon explains, “In times of uncertainty and fear, the church has an opportunity to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and to share hope with those around us. We won’t be gathering in person for Sunday services for a while, but we will stream two live services online each Sunday so that people can tune in for an uplifting message of hope.”

From 25 March, Pastor Jon will also be sharing weekday ‘Good News at Noon’ updates and a weekly chapel session every Tuesday at 10:30am until the church can open its doors once more. It’s hoped that offering services online means those who may not be able to get to their own church can still share in a Bible-based service each week.

This Sunday, for Mother’s Day, the church will stream live at 10:30am. After that, services will stream at both 10:30am and 5pm each Sunday.

You can find out more at soulchurch.com

Live Streaming Sessions:

Wednesday Nights 20:00

Sunday Services: 10:30 and 20:00

With the current situation, your online presence is more important than ever. A good, visible website could be your only contact point for potential customers for the foreseeable future.

We are offering 20% discount for members off any website development including ecommerce and 20% discount for the first three months off our Small Business Booster Package which includes, SEO, PPC, Facebook and digital advertising.

Find out more at: www.mediainabox.co.uk or email: info@mediainabox.co.uk

Hello, I am Neil Hogg and my company is Paper Convertec Ltd

With my technical and manufacturing knowledge I am in a position to support local business that need technical technicians to either change or improve their production at this critical time. It maybe I can assist companies that would usually rely on overseas technicians for support. Therefore if you or your colleges know of any business that is critical, either medical or food production or distribution etc that needs technical, mechanical, automation support at this time to put them in contact with me to see if I can assist them at this time as I am free and available.

Please get in touch with me either of the following ways

Landline – 01953 2020000

Mobile – 07739 096768

email me: neil@paperconvertec.co.uk

AF Group Limited – the largest agricultural buying group in the UK and independent provider of advice, insight, and services to the farming community – have confirmed that David Horton-Fawkes will join them as their new CEO this winter.

Commenting on the appointment, AF chairman Nigel Savory said, “David is a proven leader with an enviable track record of business growth. Having someone at the helm of our business who not only understands farming but can also help navigate the headwinds the industry is about to face was hugely important to the board. Therefore, we are incredibly excited about the future of AF and the value we can offer to farm businesses across the UK under David’s leadership.

David is currently the chief executive of Gascoyne Estates and his previous roles include Estate Director at Holkham Estate and Lowther Estate, giving him a strong understanding of both large and small farming businesses as well as the increasingly diversified rural economy.

David says, “I am grateful to the Chairman and the Board for giving me the opportunity to lead AF at a time when farming is facing a turbulent future and when all businesses must be alert to change driven by technology, climate and social attitudes. The role is a huge and exciting challenge and I am determined to make a positive difference for AF, its employees and its Members”.  

This week a new anthology of poems by writers recovering from addiction was launched at the National Centre for Writing (NCW) at Dragon Hall in Norwich.

Anonymous Memoirs is a partnership project between NCW and the Matthew Project, a charity supporting children and adults across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex with issues around substance misuse and wellbeing.

The six-month project was designed to give participants in addiction recovery the opportunity to explore their voices through the written word, via a series of creative writing workshops led by local writers Lewis Buxton and Margaret Meyer, as part of a recovery programme. The programme culminated in a special anthology launch event at Dragon Hall on Monday afternoon.

Mark, a participant on the programme, said:

‘The Matthew Project has been fantastic. Not only has it got me in a group environment, it’s got me looking at myself and my different behaviours. It was a blessing to realise that I had all these people who are willing to help me.

‘Today I read out a poem by a guy called Cameron. In my twenties I was crippled with anxiety. Coming into my forties and now being clean and sober, I’ve recognised the need to step out of my comfort zone. Allowing me to get better and to grow. When coming here today…I didn’t allow it to eat me up like I would have done years ago. It’s the first time I’ve done something like this in twenty years.’

The participating writers took to the stage with their finalised poems, choosing to read their own or work by a friend from within the group. In attendance were their family and friends, and programme partners.

Andy Sexton, CEO of the Matthew Project said:

‘This partnership between the National Centre for Writing and the Matthew Project, funded by Broadland Meridian, has been incredibly important in helping build resilience in people in recovery. The process of writing, being published and being able to read aloud their work to an audience has been powerful. It enabled the participants to not only express their feelings about their past and current situations but helped them to look beyond the past to a stronger future.’

Hannah Garrard, Learning & Participation Manager at NCW said:

‘Partnering with the Matthew Project to bring creative writing into their recovery programme has been an inspiring experience for all involved. We learned a huge amount about how to facilitate a creative space for those in addiction recovery and learned equally as much from the writers who took part-so thank you to them for being so open and up for the challenge.’

Additional support for the project was provided by Broadland Meridian Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, and Arts Council England.  

A New Me Karen

New home, new road new life, new leaf new page for me to place my feet.

New dreams, new hopes new thoughts, new goals or are they old just like ‘new’ Gold?

Gleaming, polished and sparkling, they’re fitting like the perfect ring.

They’ve swept me up and pulled me in. Right here, right now my life begins.

Untitled Ashley

One of the most amazing things is life: the ups and downs the struggles, the strife. One life starts, another ends but life carries on, it curves round the bends. One of the most amazing things is the rain how it cleans everything, this dust, the pollution,

the air that we breathe, the smog that we see, the microbes we don’t, pulling them down, Trapped in a boat.

                                The rain is amazing, keeping me afloat

As I lay here amazing, in a boat.  

Where am I from? Stephen

I’m from brothers and sisters that didn’t get on, I’m from having sex for the first time in the underpass And feeling like a million dollars. I’m from shamelessly stealing other people’s ideas, And passing them off as my own. I’m from a day of civil disobedience that lasted for ever. I’m from being scared at night on the way home. I’m from peace plans that involved guns and roses. I’m from hand-me-downs that I was proud to wear.

On the day of the Budget, TaxAssist Accountants was pleased to provide its franchisees with personalised versions of the Budget 2020 material to share and communicate with clients, prospects and business referral contacts.

This included a summary highlighting the announcements that will affect small businesses and the self-employed, and an e-mail newsletter to its clients.

The latter was personalised for franchisees’ individual websites, and produced for print and e-publications, enabling franchisees to share with their clients the changes pertinent to their businesses just hours after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, delivered his Budget.

During the day, the Support Centre team posted live updates to the @TaxAssistUK Twitter, as well as posts on the national Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.

The following content was added to the website www.taxassist.co.uk for franchisees to share on their social media profiles:

• Budget 2020 – Summary for Small Business • Individuals urged to be mindful of Budget 2020 measures • Budget 2020 gives the UK business community a shot in the arm • Support for employers in Budget 2020

James Mattam, Group Business Development Director at TaxAssist Accountants, said: “As we do every year, the Support Centre team worked hard to ensure we delivered bespoke Budget commentary in a timely and efficient manner for the benefit of both the accountants in our network and their clients.

“We emailed the Budget summary to over 40,000 clients on behalf of franchisees, leaving them free to concentrate on running their practices – one of the many beneficial services we offer to our network of accountants. The franchise network will now follow up with their clients to see how they can advise them further after the many announcements the Chancellor made in his speech.”

If you are interested in finding out more about the benefits of joining TaxAssist Accountants and the services provided by the Support Centre, call 0800 0188297 for a confidential chat.  

Salmaan Shaikh has opened a new walk in tax and accountancy shop on 57 Brighton Road, Surbiton.

Salmaan Shaikh FCCA, is an accountant with more than 15 years’ experience working with Big Four accountancy practices and small and medium sized businesses. Keen to establish his own practice in his local area, he joined TaxAssist Accountants in 2019 with ambitious plans for growth.

“I always knew that I wanted to build my own practice,” said Salmaan, “but I wanted the back up and support provided by a franchise. I did my research, came across TaxAssist and my mind was made up! I would like to thank every member of staff who has helped me to get where I am today, as they have always been nothing but professional, friendly and positive.

“My shop looks great and will provide the perfect environment to meet with clients. It is well located with good accessibility and plenty of parking close by. I’d like to encourage anyone interested in finding out more about our services to come in for a free initial consultation.”

If you are interested in finding out more about joining TaxAssist Accountants, regular Discovery Days are held, where you meet with the Directors of the franchise and find out more about the technical and business development support on offer. Call 0800 0188297 to find out more.  

We are very proud of the whole team at KLM UK Engineering, but wanted to celebrate our women with a few images!

Approximately £500,000 is available for community-based structured learning projects aimed at unemployed and inactive people aged 16+ who are facing barriers to work or disadvantage in the work place.

The fund is managed by the Local Investment in Future Talent (LIFT) programme, with grants available up to a maximum of £20,000, which can be used to cover up to 100% of project costs.

Cllr Graham Plant, Deputy Leader of Norfolk County Council and Cabinet Member for Growing the Economy, said: “This funding is for projects that will support people to gain the confidence, skills and knowledge to move into employment or into formal accredited learning and skills provision.

“Many people face multiple challenges to securing employment and this scheme is designed to help people benefit from effective targeted support at a local level.”

Funded by the European Social Fund, LIFT Community Grants are aimed at Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations for eligible projects. These will aim to fill gaps in local community provision within Norfolk and Suffolk, the New Anglia LEP area.

Twenty organisations from across both counties have been awarded a grant so far and there are funds available for at least a further 24 projects.

Case study:

New-U Enterprises, a UK registered charity, have been awarded a grant of £20,000 to run their You’ve Got This project for young people aged 16+ who are not in employment, education or training (NEET).  The project will run workshops to build confidence, self- esteem and aspiration and offers individualised retail work experience and training in their clothes and accessories swap shop in Castle Quarter, Norwich.  Participants will be able to put all they have learned into practice by helping organise an New-U event, each person working to their individual strengths.  Support to take up options for moving into employment, self-employment or further training will also be provided.

Helen Read, LIFT Project Facilitator said: “‘You’ve Got This’ is bringing together young people furthest from work from a variety of backgrounds. It is heartwarming to see people who have been isolated working as part of a team and those lacking in confidence realising they have something of value to contribute.  This funding has allowed us to bridge the gap for people who need flexibility and reassurance to build on soft skills such as self-esteem, team working, communication and reliability as they move towards work or training.”

Toby – participant (not real name) in the scheme said: “I’ve made friends and enjoyed working with others to solve problems.  I didn’t think I’d be able to contribute much, but I did and that feels good.  I am looking forward to helping organise an event by writing a blog, something I have not had the chance to do before.”

For more information about the community grants scheme visit www.liftprogramme.co.uk/communitygrants or email lift@norfolk.gov.uk

Following our annual inspection by the AA Hotel and Hospitality Services, we are delighted to have retained our AA quality assessment accreditations.

The inspector, who stayed with us overnight in our Hawthorn Suite, commented on her “enjoyable stay at a well-presented and friendly establishment.”

She went on to say: 

“The exterior provides a very good first impression upon arrival and (The) Norfolk Mead offers a very good standard of comfort and quality throughout; decor and furnishings, well-maintained, tasteful and suit the property. 

“Hospitality and service received from arrival to departure were delivered with a real guest focus – a really friendly team who were natural and genuine. 

“The evening meal taken was to a very good standard allowing the award of Two AA Rosettes to be continued; well done to Damien, Keiran and the brigade for their efforts.

“Breakfast offered a very good choice and quality of food, which was tasty and it was positive to note local produce used.”

The Norfolk Mead continues to achieve the Four Star Silver Country House Hotel grading with a slightly increased AA merit score of 86%. We have held our AA accreditations since 2013; gaining the 2 Star AA Rosette in 2016, and Silver-level Country House Hotel grading in 2018.

James Holliday, Owner of The Norfolk Mead said: “I would like to thank our whole team for their continued hard work and dedication which has been recognised once again in the AA inspection report. I am particularly pleased that the inspector commented on the natural and genuine approach to service from our excellent Front of House team, and that our hard working Chefs also got a mention for our great restaurant. As one of the top Hotels in Norfolk, we continue to strive for perfection.”

More information about the AA accreditations is included on their website at: https://www.theaa.com/hotel-services/ratings-and-awards