Member News

City Centre charity, OPEN Youth Trust (OPEN), is launching a new fundraising initiative to help change the lives of some of the most vulnerable young people in Norfolk.

The campaign is aimed at the local business community, to make them aware that every penny of profit from the venue in Bank Plain is used to help disadvantaged young people aged 11-17. Despite positive developments over recent years, the charity still suffers from a problem of perception.  This initiative is being led by one of OPEN’s Trustees Karl Sandall, Group Chief Executive of The TaxAssist Direct Group, the international franchise group based in Norwich. (Known as TaxAssist Accountants)

The Regional HQ of Barclays Bank on Bank Plain was sold in 2003 to The Lind Trust and, after its refurbishment, the building was leased at a peppercorn rent to OPEN and now the vision of it becoming a hub for youth services in Norfolk is coming to fruition.

Mr Sandall said of the initiative: “The work of OPEN is nowhere near appreciated by us all living in Norwich and the county and I was tremendously impressed when I discovered the reality. With funding increasingly hard to come by, the team at OPEN is working hard towards self-sustainability for its youth work by growing commercial income through full venue occupancy and increasing capacity. This will take time to achieve and I am hoping that local companies and philanthropists will help to fund the gap.”

OPEN’s new corporate social responsibility brochure, which has been produced specially for the campaign, outlines how every penny of profit from the venue benefits young people in Norfolk . . . it’s a compelling proposition, especially if businesses are looking to enhance their CSR activity, either by donating a regular sum or hiring the venue’s excellent technical and catering facilities to help communicate with various stakeholders. 

The recent removal of the Bridge has restored the Banking Hall to its former glory, creating the largest and most flexible multi-purpose space in Norwich, increasing its capacities for seated events and making it the largest dining hall in the city centre, which will help OPEN achieve its long term goal of self-sustainability.

17 year-old Olivia, is one of the young people who have benefitted: “Before I came to OPEN I was very shy and faced bullying at school because of my weight. I regularly participate in dance, drama and musical theatre classes and help as a young volunteer, often running warm ups for dance classes. Without OPEN, I wouldn’t be the person I am today and honestly don’t think I would be alive if it wasn’t for the support and understanding I’ve received from members of the youth team.”

As well as performing arts, young people can find new directions in the gym with classes in boxing and mixed martial arts, but the creative writing group has also generated a lot of interest with the first group publishing a book of poems and short stories. 

Youth worker Johnny Raspin said: “Working with young people who have never written before has been inspiring and I challenge anyone reading the group’s first anthology not to be moved by recurring themes such as bereavement, disengagement, love, loneliness and suicidal thoughts. We would love to publish a second edition, but of course this requires funding, so Karl’s campaign is coming just at the right time for us.”

Mr Sandall added: “Without OPEN I don’t know where young people like Olivia or the creative writing group would go or what might happen to them. It’s thanks to the opportunities that OPEN offers young people of today, which helps them on the right road to success for tomorrow.   I would love any business to support the charity with a meaningful sum for a minimum of two or three years until the venue can maximise its commercial income to support the charity entirely. 

In return for becoming a Friend, I will work hard with the senior management team and fellow Trustees to ensure funds are used wisely, promoting your business or individual widely throughout the building, during events, in social media and on OPEN’s website. However, to fully appreciate our work and how the building has changed over the years, I recommend a tour, which may well spark further ideas of how companies can help either through sponsorship or taking advantage of the facilities for their own communication needs.

If anyone would like to take up this offer, John Gordon-Saker, CEO of OPEN and I would love to show you around.”

A regular monthly donation of £100 would cover 20 gym memberships for young people; £200 a month would pay for 80 bursary places on OPEN’s school holiday programme; £250 each month could fund a 12-month apprenticeship.

To discuss how you could help or to arrange a tour, contact Karl Sandall, Group Chief Executive, TaxAssist Direct Group, karl.sandall@taxassist.co.uk or John Gordon-Saker, CEO, OPEN, john@opennorwich.org.uk

PHOTO CAPTION: Olivia Muir centre with Elite Dance Team at OPEN – Credit OPEN Youth Trust

NOTES FOR EDITORS

•  Over 10,000 young people a year attend youth-related events, shows and conferences in the old Banking Hall, but OPEN is also a multi-purpose venue for conferencing, live music, meeting room hire, hospitality and secure storage.  

•  All profits from the venue are donated to its youth charity, which over the past eleven years has made a massive positive difference to the lives of young people in Norfolk. 

•  4,500 young people a year engage with youth workers in its drop-in social hub, which has a gym, café, climbing wall and dance studio. 

•  1,500 of the most disadvantaged are given the life skills and confidence to make their own way in life and into work by attending workshops and activities.

•  Schools send their most troubled pupils who may be struggling with secondary transition or in the last stages of intervention for re-engagement by OPEN’s experienced youth team.

•  The youth team now works with 12 youth clubs in areas of rural isolation around the county, whose funding has been withdrawn.

•  The charity delivers to young people most in need of on-going support as they may be suffering from poor mental health or low self-esteem, because of bullying, abuse or disengagement from their families and friends.

The workplace expert also won the Pay Gap award and a highly recommended award in the Disability Confident sector at the event hosted by the Law Society on 2 July.

This year the judges reviewed entries across 22 categories, with Acas competing against organisations such as the Home Office, The Telegraph and the NHS.

The awards are enei’s opportunity to recognise organisations achieving diverse and inclusive workplaces and celebrate the teams and individuals who are making a difference.

Acas Head of Diversity, Julie Dennis, said: “We are truly delighted to be recognised by the industry experts in diversity and inclusion. To have won not one but three awards puts paid to all of the hard work that our hugely talented teams and individuals have done to make Acas the inviting and inclusive place to work that it is. 

“Diversity and inclusion is integral to every part of Acas and informs all the work that we do. We will continue to strive to be the exemplar of workplace diversity and inclusion and we look forward to helping workplaces across the country benefit from the value that a diverse and inclusive workforce brings.”

Acas has produced guidance and advice for workplaces on equality that is available here: www.acas.org.uk/equality 

Acas will be having a stand at Norwich Pride this year, it takes place on Saturday 27 July with Norfolk Day, and welcome businesses and members of the public to come and visit the team on the day.

The Food Standards Agency has issued a letter to businesses wishing to export food after Brexit. They wish it to be communicated to as many food exporters as possible. Please see attached letter.

Our Summer Programme which we are running week commencing 19th August, to allow young people to come into our centre and try out some of the activities we offer.

For more information, or to book your place, please email admin@st-eds,org.uk or call 01603 622035′

Click below for full size poster

Cloud, connectivity and data centre experts MIGSOLV have announced a new solution with partners blocz IO to help organisations unify their data with VMware.

US software leaders VMware provide a suite of products which help businesses create a common operating environment across on-premises, private cloud and public cloud services. With their partners blocz IO now members of the VMware Cloud Provider Program, MIGSOLV are offering VMware to support their ultra-secure colocation and cloud environments.

“Many businesses are seeking hybrid networks to provide the right environment for their data” states David Manning, Managing Director of MIGSOLV. “With our colleagues at blocz IO, we can now blend colocation and private cloud in our world-class data centre, with on-premises and public cloud, to create the perfect IT eco-system for any organisation.”

VMware allows MIGSOLV and blocz IO to consolidate on-site IT infrastructure and data centre colocation with native and public cloud to create a single virtual environment. For businesses with complex or legacy infrastructure, it can help rationalise their IT, facilitate better protection and improve flexibility. It enables organisations to run applications across clouds and devices, while maintaining consistent operations.

“We’re thrilled to have joined the VMware Cloud Provider program,” states Lee Norvall, CEO of blocz IO. “Working with VMware software will increase MIGSOLV’s and our own ability to provide robust, dynamic and agile cloud solutions for growing and established businesses.”

MIGSOLV deliver East Anglia’s only purpose-built commercial data centre, renowned for providing world-class levels of protection, connectivity and support. As well as the colocation of organisation’s existing IT, 2018 saw MIGSOLV launch a unique private cloud solution which helps businesses improve protection and avoid high costs associated with mainstream cloud services.

“VMware is another next-generation solution from MIGSOLV for protecting, connecting and managing business’ IT and data” adds David. “It’s a further move away from prescriptive answers towards the flexible and scalable solutions our clients have come to really value from us.”

MIGSOLV initially partnered with blocz IO to create a fully-encrypted stand-alone backup for organisation’s critical data, housed in their data centre. This next step offers businesses higher flexibility and security, while enabling increased IT agility. MIGSOLV also provide solutions for enterprise-level cyber security and enhanced connectivity.

For more details visit www.migsolv.com

Hatch Brenner Solicitors and Norwich Theatre Royal have confirmed their continued partnership with the announcement of two new Season Sponsorships for the newly released 2020 programme.

The first is Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes, which will be in Norwich from Tuesday 18 – Saturday 22 February 2020. The Red Shoes is a tale of obsession, possession and one girl’s dream to be the greatest dancer in the world. Victoria Page lives to dance but her ambitions become a battleground between the two men who inspire her passion. Matthew Bourne’s triumphant adaptation of the legendary film returns to Norwich after winning two Olivier Awards and dazzling audiences across the UK and the USA. The production boasts music by golden-age Hollywood composer Bernard Herrmann, orchestrated by Terry Davies, with cinematic designs by Lez Brotherston, lighting by Paule Constable and sound by Paul Groothuis.

The second production is worldwide smash hit musical by Queen and Ben Elton We Will Rock You, which will play in Norwich from Monday 4 -Saturday 9 May 2020. The show offers the scale and spectacle that marked the band’s legendary live performances, with more than 16 million theatre goers in 19 countries having been thrilled by this awe-inspiring production since 2002.

‘A kind of magic. Spectacular. Magnifico!’ The Sun

‘An unmissable event and a sumptuous piece of musical theatre. The Show Must Go On, and on’ Capital Radio

‘Exhilarating and great fun’ Time Magazine

The production features Queen’s biggest hits including We Are The Champions, I Want To Break Free, Don’t Stop Me Now, Bohemian Rhapsody, Another One Bites The Dust and, of course, We Will Rock You. A musical phenomenon not to be missed!

These productions are in the latest brochure released by the Theatre, and will be on sale to the public from Tuesday 2 July 2019.

Dawn Parkes, Managing Partner and Private Client Expert at Hatch Brenner commented: “We are delighted to announce these two new productions to take our partnership with Norwich Theatre Royal into 2020. We have evolved our relationship with our Theatre Street neighbours over time, as demonstrated by the widening of the productions we are involved with from purely dramas, to a wider ‘Season’ sponsorship involving dance and musicals. In particular I can’t wait to see The Red Shoes with our guests from the business community. Matthew Bourne’s productions are consistently fabulous and it is very exciting to see The Red Shoes return to Norwich.”

More details about both productions can be found at www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk

We’re pleased to be embarking on our second year providing a range of marketing for pressure and gas flow measurement specialists, Chell Instruments.

Chell have seen notable growth over the last year as we’ve delivered social media, blogs, press releases and email marketing on their behalf. With ambitious plans and new products, they’ve asked us to deliver a number of additional activities throughout the months ahead.  

“We’ve had a strong year with support from Full Mix Marketing” explains Jamie Shanahan, Sales Director. “Sarah and her team have helped maintain contact with our valued clients and found new ways to reach and educate potential customers about our innovative products.”

Chell Instruments produce pressure, vacuum and gas flow measurement and control solutions. They have provided high-precision instrumentation for more than 40 years, to industries including Formula One, aerospace and pharmaceuticals. They’re internationally respected for the quality of solutions their engineers deliver.

At Full Mix Marketing, we’ve been pleased to work with the senior sales team to take away the pressure of delivering successful marketing, whilst autonomously creating new ideas and opportunities.

“We’re really pleased to be entering a second year working with Jamie, Nick and the Chell team” says our Managing Director, Sarah West. “They’re a terrific business, easy to work with, always positive and receptive to ideas. We’re very glad to have fulfilled our promise to truly understand what they deliver and become trusted to get on and deliver quality marketing.”

At Full Mix Marketing, we’re a results-focused marketing agency which provides all the strategic, digital and creative marketing businesses need to grow. Based in Norwich, we’ve helped a number of businesses with complex industrial or technological products to achieve further success through the right mix of marketing.

We’re very excited about the year ahead and would like to thank all at Chell.

For more information contact www.fullmixmarketing.co.uk

Results-focused agency Full Mix Marketing is marking globe-trotting marketer Sally Baines’ first year as Marketing Executive within their growing team.

Sally joined the Norwich-based marketing agency in June 2018 following a career break to raise her young family. She returned to her native Norfolk with 13 years’ international marketing experience working for big name brands including Bell in Canada, NBC in Australia and Reed in London.

“It’s been a fantastic first year” states Sally. “I’ve been fortunate to find a job where my experience really counts. I was looking for a role that was challenging and varied, working with a lovely bunch of people. It’s great to be in an environment where everyone is so focused on doing a great job.”

Former marketing communications graduate Sally has cemented her position within the agency’s team as a skilled marketer and effective coordinator. As well as delivering social media, direct marketing and website development, her role has grown to include account management and helping prioritise work for her fellow marketers, digital experts, copywriters and designers.

“Sally has been a pivotal addition to our team” says Sarah West, Managing Director. “With her experience comes great organisation skills and a real talent for understanding what clients need. She’s a great communicator and helps everyone stay on top as our client list continues to grow.”

Sally has become an account manager for a number of new clients, acting as their primary point of contact. As well as coordinating efforts, she contributes to key marketing delivery and identifies fresh opportunities for the businesses she works with.

“Everyone in the team is so keen to help both clients and Full Mix Marketing grow. It makes for an exciting environment!” states Sally. “There is genuine buzz when a client tells us about a particular success from marketing we’ve delivered. I really enjoy the variety of clients we work with.”

Sally’s performance within the seven-strong team has led to the announcement of her promotion to Senior Marketing Executive.

“Sally is fantastic at keeping on top of our growing workload” continues Sarah. “As a business owner, it never easy to entrust others with your clients but Sally absolutely shares our passion, purpose and professionalism. She really understands the businesses we work with and helps everyone feel organised and able to do a great job.”

Full Mix Marketing is a results-focused agency, providing all the strategic, digital and creative marketing businesses need to grow. Whether delivering an individual element or entire marketing strategy, they’ve quickly gained a reputation for being trusted by businesses to deliver the results they need.

More details on Full Mix Marketing can be found at www.fullmixmarketing.co.uk

The TaxAssist Training Academy helps to keep franchisees and their staff one step ahead of the competition. A series of recent masterclasses which saw some of the leading franchisees sharing best practice proved a real hit for the network

TaxAssist Accountants provides regular training, update days and has expanded this year its masterclasses to its network of franchisees which are proving to be very popular.

James Mattam, Group Business Development Manager, said: “We’ve always enjoyed the Masterclass sessions each year with our franchise network which sees a panel of six leading franchisees share their real-world experiences surrounding all manner of areas of running and growing their accountancy practices. 

“One of the recent masterclasses centred around ensuring our network provides the best service to clients at the right pricing point, creating value for each accounting practice. The feedback we received from the day was overwhelmingly positive.”

Walthamstow-based franchisee Nadeem Iqbal said: “It was a privilege to be a part of the ‘expert’ panel for fellow TaxAssist Accountants. What collective wisdom across the participants! I have many takeaways from the session. A big ‘thank you’ to Directors Daren Moore, Sarah Robertson and James Mattam for arranging this series of masterclasses.”

Umer Farooq, Luton-based franchisee, commented: “It was great listening to the different views of successful franchisees. I have taken note of a number of improvement points to implement in my practice.”

While Oxford-based David Lushington said: “The TaxAssist masterclasses are a brilliant way to find out about best practice within the network and are also a great opportunity for networking with other franchisees. They are just one of the many benefits of being a part of a successful franchised network.”

The TaxAssist Training Academy provides a comprehensive range of ongoing technical and business training courses on a regional basis on subjects as diverse as practice management, social media, multi-site strategy, data security and succession planning.

To find out more about the benefits of being a part of the TaxAssist Accountants network, please call Nikki Haythorne on 0800 0188297.  

As it reaches a landmark 25 years in business, Norwich-based brand and creative communications agency The Point has promoted Senior Account Manager Tom Howell as its new Client Services Director. Tom’s appointment to the agency management team is the result of succession planning as Michael Gurney steps away from the role and retires from the business he co-founded in 1994. Tom takes up his new role with immediate effect and represents a key part of the agency’s future development strategy, adding another dimension to the reshaping of its management structure. As head of client services, he will continue to lead his existing clients whilst also being responsible for developing customer relationships across the agency’s entire client roster.

The Point’s creative co-founder Ian McKinnon-Evans said of the move, ‘Tom was handed the challenge of managing Dow AgroSciences last autumn with an eye on the future shape of the agency. Dow was going through a significant brand transition and his management style has instilled enormous confidence in the client during a complex, multi-disciplined re-brand into its new global entity Corteva AgriScience.’ McKinnon-Evans added, ‘Clients expect professionalism, insight and above all need dependability. Tom has proved he can deliver these.’ 

Brand creation and brand development remain a core offering of the creative shop, which since the turn of the year has delivered projects for Back from the Brink, the hugely ambitious UK conservation project; the London Scottish Regimental Trust, GWT Insight and Earlham Institute as well as long standing Norwich-based brand Anglian Home Improvements.

Commenting on his appointment, Tom said ‘I’m delighted with the opportunity and excited about influencing the business and its growth as we head into what we plan to be a dynamic new phase in the agency’s life.’

Staff of Risk & Policy Analysts Ltd (RPA) based in Loddon and London were delighted to be part of the UK Employee Ownership Day (EO Day), run by the Employee Ownership Association (EOA), on Friday 28th June 2019.

RPA are taking part in the campaign to highlight the impact of employee owned businesses on individuals and the community, following their recent transition to being an employee owned business (April 2019).  Employees at RPA want to share their experiences and engage with the broader employee owned business community to learn, develop and maximise the advantages of employee ownership.

To celebrate EO Day, on Tuesday 25th June, RPA came together in our Loddon and London offices, with Independent Trustee Alan Jennison, to share our experiences of employee ownership since our transition in April and to discuss the future, over tea and cake. Panos Zarogiannis, who has worked for RPA for over 20 years and became a Director at transition, led the celebrations with a personal overview of what the transition has meant to him and what he hopes it means for the future.

Local Loddon based cafe Spoon Cake made the bespoke cake for the Loddon team.  In London the team shared their cake with a special guest, office dog Remy!

Formed in 1990 and employing over 30 staff, the UK and European policy consultancy, who are an EDP Future 50 2019 member, is proud to celebrate employee ownership alongside others in the sector, as Matthew Lambert, Managing Director, explains:

“We transitioned to be an employee owned business in April and so it is still relatively new for us as a company.  EO Day gives an opportunity to come together to reflect on how far we have come and how far we would like to go.  The co-owners have already started to discuss how we want to celebrate EO Day 2020!”

Deb Oxley, CEO for the Employee Ownership Association, said:

“Companies such as RPA are great examples of the economic and social benefits that can be achieved in an employee owned environment. This is why we celebrate the impacts of employee ownership on the individual, the business and the communities in which they are based.

The EOA is proud to lead the sector-wide celebrations of employee ownership on EO Day 2019, as part of our activity to raise awareness and support the growth and impact of employee ownership in the UK.”

Abate Pest Management has just recruited its 7th Service Technician to support its continued growth.

Danny Trowsdale, a highly trained pest technician with many years’ experience working with National companies, joins the team. Danny will be working in the Norwich area providing preventative and reactive pest control for businesses and domestic customers. This new recruit takes the number of service technicians to seven in the Eastern region, plus the Operations Manager/Field Surveyor and administrative support.

Earlier this year Abate celebrated 20 years in business and won the Small Company of the Year at the British Pest Management Awards held in London. Following this, they were welcomed into the Future50, which is an exciting business growth programme designed to recognise Norfolk and Suffolk’s most innovative companies

Jon Blake, Managing Director of Abate said “It’s great to be in a position to expand the team. We are extremely busy implementing new contracts and discussing new enquiries. We are also very fortunate in our ability to supply pest control services at required BRC standards to the food production industry. We are now coming into the busy summer months, so we are now in an ideal position to handle any peaks. We have also just started a recruitment campaign in Essex to expand this area and we continue to focus on our franchising operations.”

If you need any support with pest control, give Abate Pest management a call on 0800 980 9767 or visit https://www.abatepestmanagement.co.uk