Member News

A farmer in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, is enjoying the benefits of renewable heating with a ground source heat pump system powered by his own green electricity.

Attleborough-based renewable heating expert Finn Geotherm, installed the ground source heat pump for Hugh Whittome at his farmhouse. The property was previously heated by an oil-fired boiler, which was timed to go on and off in the morning/evening but it was cold during the day. Built in 1860s with single skin walls and Georgian sash windows, the farmhouse has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of E making it a challenge to keep warm.

Hugh said: “I decided to make our farm carbon neutral so I installed a wind turbine in 2010. This enable us to generate our own electricity and then Feed in Tariffs were introduced which provided an added bonus to sell back the power we didn’t use. With our electricity carbon neutral, the farmhouse heating and hot water was the obvious next step. We wanted to replace the boiler with a system we could run using our own green electricity. Having researched alternatives, a ground source heat pump was the ideal option – particularly as the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) was available and would enable us to recoup our investment in a short period of time.”

Finn Geotherm specified and installed a Lämpöässä Emi 28 ground source heat pump with 700 litre thermal store. The 1400 metre ground loop array was installed in a field next to the house and an existing outbuilding used as a plant room. While the farmhouse has a low EPC rating, the heat pump works efficiently to keep its owners warm by utilising the thermal mass of the property.

Hugh said: “It’s a common myth that you can only use a ground source heat pump with underfloor heating but our installation proves otherwise. We have radiators throughout and the house has never been warmer, day and night. The heat pump has taken away the hassle of heating and hot water – we just leave it to run and don’t have to order oil deliveries. I am very proud our farm is now carbon positive and the heat pump, which is a non-combustion based system (it doesn’t burn any fuel), runs entirely on our green electricity.”

For more information on renewable heating, contact Finn Geotherm by visiting www.finn-geotherm.co.uk.

 The first Festive Fair for King’s Lynn opened this weekend with music, entertainment, food, drink, crafts and a heated marquee!

With traditional Christmas market style sheds, children’s fairground rides, bandstand and heated marquee with craft activities, the Fair has something for everyone. It’s the place to pick up a quirky stocking filler or a treat for the festive period, at the same time supporting a small, local producer, and if you’ve had enough of shopping and need to rest your feet the Fair is the place to visit with friends and family. Catch up over food and drinks in the heated marquee, soak up the festive tunes, or bring the children and have fun making a Christmas decoration to take home. 

 Visitors can enjoy live music twice a day from bands including Jessie’s Ghost, Bear Club and The Georgia Shackleton Trio.  Craft sessions will take place in the marquee on Thursday at 430pm and on Saturdays at 1100 and 1400.

 Organised by Discover King’s Lynn (the Business Improvement District for King’s Lynn town centre) the idea behind the festive fair is to bring an extra serving of Christmas to the town centre.

“We want to give people an additional reason to visit King’s Lynn this Christmas, encourage them to stay a bit longer and leave feeling festive and wanting to come back.” Says Vicky Etheridge, BID Manager. 

“The Fair is intended to be a hub of all things Christmassy, a place to relax, eat, drink, shop and enjoy the atmosphere with friends and family. We’ve got different traders every week, they are all local to West Norfolk and for most of them their craft is a passion and a hobby which they’d like to turn into a living so you’d also be supporting a local entrepreneur this Christmas, ” added Vicky.

Stallholders will vary week to week but will always include food and drink to takeaway, artisan food and drink gifts, as well as homemade crafts and jewellery. 

 The Festive Fair can be found on the pedestrian area of Tuesday Market Place and

is open on Thursday and Fridays from 4-8pm, Saturdays from 10-6pm and Sundays from 10-4pm until Christmas Eve. It will also be open on 23rd & 24th December.

Further details including the band schedule can be found on Discover King’s Lynn social media pages. 

Hundreds of students from across Norfolk and Suffolk got a taste of the diverse career opportunities, apprenticeships and training courses on offer within the regions expanding and exciting energy industry last week.

Students engaged in STEM-based interactive activities such as virtual reality experiences, robot and ROV (remotely operated vehicle) control, weld testing and the use of breathing apparatus demonstrating how varied the industry can be.

Gemma Head, Skills for Energy Programme Manager at EEEGR, said: “This event has been a real eye-opener for the students that were in attendance, and with so many different activities to participate in there was a real buzz around the building. Our SfE event gets bigger and better every year and we’re already looking forward to inspiring the next participants in 2020”

Organised by the East of England Energy Group (EEEGR) and held in the new £11.4m Energy Skills Centre at East Coast College, the Skills for Energy event, sponsored by OPITO, the global skills organisation, aimed to inspire ambition and aspiration in the next generation of energy professionals, and with over 90% of those surveyed saying attending the event had made them consider a career in the industry it brings the sector a step further to bridging the skills gap.

OPITO said: “It is inspiring to see so many students from across the region eager to find out more about the energy industry. Support from exhibitors brought the energy sector to life for event attendees who now have a clearer picture of the many opportunities the sector has to offer.”

More than 30 companies exhibited at the event including ScottishPower Renewables, EDF Energy, 3sun Group, James Fisher Marine Services, Flameskill, OPITO, Survitec, Orsted, ECITB, Gee-Force and Vattenfall.

The Skills for Energy event is just one of the elements of the East of England Energy Group’s (EEEGR) Skills for Energy Programme which aims to ensure the ongoing diversity and volume of skilled individuals for the current and future wellbeing of the energy sector. Working closely with industry as well as education and training providers, Skills for Energy helps individuals and companies benefit from the many opportunities the unique and varied energy sector in the East of England offers.

Ten community groups across North Norfolk are celebrating a combined windfall of over £41,000,  following the latest round of grants from the Victory Housing Community Fund.    Children’s play areas, a men’s mental health project, a climbing wall and an inter-generational sports  programme are just a selection of community initiatives that are set to benefit from a series of grants  ranging from £2,333 to £5,000 – bringing the total handed out by the Fund to £551,698 across 166  grants since it was established in 2008.    The inter-generational sports programme is run by ‘Exercising People in Communities (EPIC) Norfolk  Ltd’ who operate throughout Norfolk. They were awarded a grant of £2,233 to contribute towards  staffing, equipment and office costs for their 13-week inter-generational sports programme in North  Walsham. The programme is specifically aimed at tackling isolation and loneliness in local  communities. The group are looking at involving school children to mix with older customers to play  various games and take part in fun exercises.     In addition, MensCraft CIC, received £4,700 towards the running costs of their new mental health  project which supports men in the North Walsham area, offering free MOT’s to those who attend.    The latest round of grants were awarded by a panel of Victory residents, advised by the grants team  at Norfolk Community Foundation, which administers the Victory Housing Community Fund.          The organisations receiving support were: • Bacton Parish Council, which received £4,000 to contribute to the cost of installing two new items of play equipment. • Briston Parish Council, which received £3,026 to contribute to the cost of refurbishing play equipment for the village play park. • Cromer Town Council, which received £4,096 to install a climbing wall at Lynewood Close Pocket Park.  • Exercising People in Communities Norfolk Ltd, which received £2,233 to contribute towards staffing, equipment and office costs of a 13-week intergenerational sports programme in North Walsham.  • MensCraft CIC, which received £4,700 to contribute to the running costs of a new mental health project working with men in North Walsham.  • Mundesley PCC, which received £5,000 to contribute to the cost of renewing the heating and hot water system in the All Saints Community Rooms. • New Life Community Church, in North Walsham, which received £5,000 to employ a new child and Families Work for one year. • Pandora Project, in Cromer, which received £4,979 to increase the hours of the North Norfolk Support Worker. • Stalham & Smallburgh First Responders, which received £3,000 to purchase equipment for volunteer First Responders.  • Worstead Pre-school, which received £5,000 to contribute towards the cost of replacing the paving of the outside play area with a safer surface.     “We’re delighted that we have the opportunity again to give out grants to organisations that play such  an important role in our region said Lisa Collen, Managing Director, Victory Housing Trust & Director  of People and Workplaces. The panel has allocated funds to a variety of organisations, to which all  age groups will benefit. Where we can, we must continue to support both the individuals and  organisations that contribute so much to our communities”.     Full details of the Victory Housing Community Fund can be found at www.norfolkfoundation.com.       For further information, please contact:   Communications Team   Flagship Group    Tel: 0845 258 6399  Email: commsteam@flagship-group.co.uk

As the sun rose over the tranquil setting of Barnham Broom, guests started to arrive at the Hotel & Spa eagerly looking to get their day started right with a morning of breakfast and networking.

Upon entering the building, you sensed that Christmas was around the corner and this was possibly due to the fact the hotel had a recent delivery of 30 Christmas Trees. All beautifully arranged along the entrance, past the welcome desk leading up to the hall – a festive treat!

The mellow festive ambiance continued throughout the first part of the morning, where our guests had the opportunity to meet old acquaintances and new businesses.

Representing our featured charity was Zoe from Creative Arts East. She was raising awareness of the wonderful things they do, improving skills, health and wellbeing, decreasing isolation, making a real difference to those rural communities – all through the power of the arts.

Conversations were in high gear, trickles of laughter were in the air accompanied by the aroma of freshly pressed coffee, after which we were gently called to our seats for breakfast.

Once breakfast was finished, our guests welcomed speaker John Dolan to the stage. John works as a Counter Terrorist Security Advisor. He explained that he was part of the team ERSOU (Eastern Region Special Operations Unit).

We received an informative overview of how they can help businesses if ever found in a terrorist situation. Whilst this is a subject most would choose not to think about, it was quite reassuring to learn that there is a specialist team in place that could help in many ways and most importantly; at no cost.

Our event then drew to a close and all guests were ready to start their day.

To find out more about Creative Arts East, visit their website: https://www.creativeartseast.co.uk/

To find out more about ERSOU, visit their website: https://ersourocu.org.uk/

The Recruiting Office

They say it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Well if like me, you’ve had the misfortune of trying to recruit a vital role for your team in the run-up to Christmas, then you’ll know that the next few weeks can be anything but a time for cheer.

Resignations are handed in unexpectedly, candidates ghost you, and everything needs to be done yesterday, all in the midst of client events, summer Fridays and, of course, the work Christmas party.

Whether you’re a recruiter, a hiring manager or an HR professional, here are a few helpful tips to help you get through the silly season.

1. Manage Expectations “I need someone to start in the first week of Jan” – your favourite hiring manager

It’s more important than ever to set clear expectations with hiring managers about the time constraints of evaluating the market for talent, getting people in for interviews, and managing those pesky notice. According to Indeed, searches for roles on job boards fall by around 25% from November. However, hiring managers often expect you to deliver a holiday miracle, by providing a shortlist of candidates ready to start, the first week back from the holidays.

Start by asking how urgent it really is to have someone start in early Jan. If it is critical for the business, then work with your hiring manager to identify alternative solutions such as hiring contractors or making creative use of internal resources to manage workloads in the short-term.

This is also a really important time to manage expectations with candidates from the beginning of the process. Have you ever had someone go through three rounds of interviews, just to decide they are staying put, after receiving a counter-offer? Make sure their career aspirations and remuneration align with your role from the first conversation and check-in after every interview for feedback and to re-confirm their interest.

2. Remember – candidates are also evaluating you No matter what your role in the recruitment process is, never forget that hiring is a two-way street and the best candidates are evaluating you as much as you are them.

Candidates have access to a multitude of platforms and opportunities to demonstrate their talent, presenting recruiters with the challenge of an incredibly competitive hiring landscape while searching for that coveted unicorn.

It is important to stand out from your competitors at every turn. Take the time to really get to know your candidates, understand what they’re looking for and if you feel that they’re a great fit, then show them how this role is everything they’ve been looking for. Treat your candidate like you would a customer, delight them at every opportunity you get to ensure that their experience is a positive one – even if they don’t end up in the role. Give them timely feedback, follow up when you say you will and be transparent throughout the process.

3. Be Creative When time isn’t on your side, you need to be creative about how you get things done. If you know a candidate usually takes 2-3 days to respond to an email, call or try texting them instead. Some applicant tracking systems allow you to send messages directly via text and send an automated follow up if you don’t receive a timely reply.

References are an essential part of any good recruitment process, but there’s no need to wait until your candidate has accepted an offer. Most will be happy to provide you with a couple of references prior to their final interview and doing this can save valuable time, with stakeholders in and out of the office in December. If references consistently cause delays in your process then you should consider automating them.

4. Think about the New Year “New year, new me” – probably you?

January is the busiest time of the year for active job searching and if you’ve already spoken to a candidate in the past few months, they’re much more likely to think of you when they are applying for roles in the new year. Which roles are you going to be hiring over the coming months? What skillsets does your business always need? Start reaching out to or re-connecting with these candidates now and you’ll be the first call they make once the New Year’s Eve hangover wears off.

Building up a pipeline of passive talent in November and December will also allow you to focus on other priorities during the busy new year recruitment period when you’ll have too many other tasks to juggle, to have time to trawl through Linkedin.

5. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket How many times have you thought you had the perfect candidate lined up for a role, only for them to pull out of the process at the last minute? It happens to everyone, regardless of how effective your recruitment process is, and it can be particularly disruptive to your business with the holiday period on the horizon.

Try to bring multiple candidates forward to final interviews and always do references for your top two, so that if one of them pulls out late in the process, you won’t wake up on Christmas day wondering how on earth you’re going to fill that role when you’re back at the office.

Article – 5 Tips for Recruiting Over the Silly Season – by James Stewart originally posted on xref

Want to help to shape the King’s Lynn town centre of the future – and maybe win £100 in vouchers for Alive Corn Exchange too?

The Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk and its partners are shaping plans for the town centre and are now inviting the public to share their ideas around what could make the town centre a better place to live and visit. There are just five questions around the themes of the town centre experience, town centre living, and bringing the heritage to life. Could you please spare a few minutes to share your suggestions? Take the online survey now. 

If you would prefer, you can share your ideas in person at the Events Trailer in the Tuesday Market Place on these dates:

12noon  – 2pm, Wednesday 4th December

12noon – 3pm, Saturday 7th December

And, you can also join in the conversation online: Facebook @visionkingslynn Twitter: @vision_lynn and Instagram: visionkingslynn

This survey runs from 29th November – 9th December and, everyone who completes the survey can enter our prize draw to win £100 in vouchers for Alive Corn Exchange!

Your suggestions will help as the Council and its partners develop the town centre plans, and specifically the Heritage Action Zone funding submission. The Heritage Action Zone applies to the High Street and Norfolk Street and your ideas will be used to help to shape these areas.

Please do share your ideas! Your suggestions could help to shape King’s Lynn town centre of the future.

Black Friday exclusive offer for Chambers members 

Book a table of 10 for Barnham Broom’s Christmas Part Night on December 20th and pay just £250! A standard ticket price is £34.95 so this represents almost a 40% saving. To book contact Sarah sjones@barnham-broom.co.uk, valid until 6th December.

Festive Afternoon Tea services throughout December, 12pm – 5pm from £15.95. Reserve a table for your team: 01603 759393 or enquiry@barnham-broom.co.uk

Clifton and Portishead-based Ali reflects on her decade of business building

For Ali Redwood, it was her desire to leave corporate life that inspired her to join TaxAssist Accountants.

With a background in banking and finance and experience of running a family business, self-employment held no fear for Ali, who relished the opportunity to establish her own practice.

“The experience of running my family business equipped me with a sound knowledge of accounting and the finance skills required to run a small business,” explained Ali. “It also gave me a real passion and joy.

“As I grew tired of corporate life, I started to look at my options and owning a TaxAssist Accountants franchise appealed to me as I valued the on-going support and readymade systems which would fast track my business.

“I didn’t want to be ‘just an accountant’. I recognised that with TaxAssist, I would be building a team, allowing me to be the principal of the business, meeting new and existing clients, managing staff, supervising work, networking and managing the customer experience.

“The support from the franchisor and fellow franchisees over the last 10 years has been fantastic. My neighbouring franchisees are not in competition with each other, due to our exclusive territories, and it gives us a real opportunity to work together and support each other. You have your own business but you are not on your own. My staff get great training from the courses provided and I get the benefit of on-going great marketing and operational support.

“The business has grown well, and I now have an exceptionally good team in place. I opened a shop in Clifton in Bristol in 2011 and an office in Portishead in 2016 and I am hoping to open a third premises within the next three years.

“I feel that I am now building an asset for a comfortable retirement, which I would not be in a position to do, had I remained in employment. If you asked me if I would do it all again – the answer is definitely yes!”

We are so proud to tell you that we have been crowned Best Landlord Insurance Provider at the 2019 National Landlord Investment Show awards. This is 

A Norwich-based food processing equipment manufacturer has increased its presence in northern Europe by supplying a new production system for a Scandinavian snack giant.

Fabcon Food Systems has provided two of its potato chip batch fryers, alongside new weighing, slicing and feeding equipment, to KiMs for the potato snack firm’s production plant in Skreia, southern Norway.

The installation of the equipment marks the first time the Norwich firm has supplied the snacks maker – part of the Orkla Company with facilities across Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Latvia.

Trevor Howard, managing director of Fabcon Food Systems, said: “To supply one of Scandinavia’s most respected snack manufacturers is another milestone for us as it shows again that our products and designs are in high demand.

“It has been a game-changer for Orkla C&S Norway as they look to produce new products. We look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”

Founded in 2015, Fabcon Food Systems manufacture, supply and install handling and processing equipment for the food industry. Designed and built at the company’s Delta Close factory, Fabcon’s team of 25 supply systems and machinery to customers in the UK, mainland Europe, the Middle East, Australia and Africa.

Last year the company’s success was recognised with Fabcon winning the Regional International Expansion of the Year Award at the 2018 Barclays Entrepreneurs Awards.

Congratulations to Larking Gowen, winners of the Best Employer category at the Norfolk Business Awards; and to the East Anglian Air Ambulance, Liftshare and Holkham Estate as the extremely well-deserved finalists.

As proud co-sponsors, alongside Birketts, Pure’s Executive Director Lynn Walters was one of the judges. As a team, they were faced with an exceptionally difficult decision in selecting not just an overall winner but also in shortlisting the finalists. The quality of all the entries received was very high and there was a record number of applications.

Lynn said: “Norfolk businesses are taking their people and workplace culture strategies seriously. They understand the benefits of engaging their people and are pushing the boundaries to develop their workplace cultures. This echoes what we see in our work as professional recruitment specialists. Business leaders are recognising the importance of culture and engagement when it comes to competing for, and retaining, high-calibre employees and they are embracing opportunities to develop inspiring environments.”

The judges visited seven organisations before narrowing down the field to the four finalists, all of whom demonstrated a clear passion for creating great places to work and in supporting their people. While each organisation had developed strategies bespoke to its business and aligned to its own company values, there were some noticeable common themes. The progression towards agile working stood out across all four finalists, with the judges seeing genuine examples of job shares, flexibility and different working patterns at both senior and junior levels. The importance placed on mental health and wellbeing was also clear, with each finalist having mental health first aiders in place.  

Lynn added: “The calibre of all the finalists was outstanding. It is a privilege to appreciate the culture of these businesses, to understand their vision, values and purpose and how they bring this to life for their staff. The movement towards agile working is a definite step change from previous years. It shows a positive shift from a culture of hours spent in the office to people being trusted and empowered to deliver what is expected of them in truly agile ways. It is also extremely encouraging to see people being supported and encouraged to have more open conversations about mental health, with senior leaders heading the change by talking about their own vulnerabilities.”

Pure has supported the Best Employer category at these awards for many years now. As judges, we have seen how the strategies behind employee engagement and workplace culture are continuously evolving each year. Engagement is an ongoing journey, and this is what helped the judges to make the final decision on the overall winner. In the past five years, Larking Gowen has really been on a journey of making positive changes and taking brave decisions.

Lynn concluded: “Since Larking Gowen first became involved with Best Employers five years ago, the difference in the organisation is nothing short of transformational. I remember meeting them when they first entered and they had all the right intentions but nothing yet firmly in place. Having discussed with them what they needed to consider, it has been a pleasure to watch the changes unfold. Led from the top by Managing Partner Jon Woolston, the culture change has authentically permeated down and the business has developed to become a true employer of choice.

“While it was difficult at the time, it was fantastic to be faced with such a tough decision between four outstanding Norfolk businesses. They all really stood out to us, and that means they will also stand out to current and future employees, and to those they do business with. Congratulations to all of them.”

Throughout its engagement journey to becoming an award-winning employer, Larking Gowen also benefited by participating in Best Employers Eastern Region. Founded by Pure with psychometrics experts eras ltd, Best Employers has become a force for culture and organisational change which businesses are using to shape and develop their employee engagement strategies. It was a real enabler for Larking Gowen as the employee survey findings helped to guide and inform them on the key the priorities to focus on.

Best Employers Eastern Region returns in 2020. Business leaders who are passionate about developing their organisation’s culture, engagement levels and workplace environment can now register to take part and book a place at the launch event in March by visiting www.best-employers.co.uk