We are really excited to announce we’ve been nominated for five Royal Television Society East Awards this year, in Best Digital Content, Factual Programme, Production Craft Skills and Promotional Film. Thanks, as always, to our wonderful and creative team!
Here we have snippets of two of our nominated films, the first, a film for our client Humphries Weaving “The Quest for His Majesty’s Silk”, in the Factual Programme Category and in Production Craft Skills.
The second is a nomination for Best Digital Content, Tia’s Story, a series we made for The Royal College of Obstetrician and Gynaecologists. It tackles the difficult subject of birth injuries that isn’t talked about, but where detection and awareness can make such a difference. We created animations highlighting the experiences of three brave women who have anonymously spoken out about their experience of suffering from the effects of an OASI.
Congratulations to all the nominees. The winners will be announced on the evening of 14th March at a ceremony which will be held at Norwich University of the Arts. Fingers crossed.
Local children’s charity Break wishes to recruit new Trustees to join its Board in 2019. Break believes every child and young person has the right to a home where they feel safe and loved, so they can grow in confidence and look to the future with hope. For over 50 years Break has been working tirelessly to help young people in care and moving on, children with disabilities, families in need of support and children at risk. Hilary Richards Break’s CEO said “As Break continues to grow and diversify to meet changing needs, this is the perfect time for us to recruit. We are looking for a variety of Trustees that want to help improve the lives of young people in our community. We look forward to welcoming our new Trustees who will join our experienced skilled managers and longstanding Board.” Frank Shippam, one of Break’s Trustees said “Being a Break Trustee has been a fascinating, challenging and hugely rewarding experience for me. I have learnt many lessons from the charity’s employees and fellow Trustees and am proud that I have made a contribution to the brilliant work Break undertakes in changing young lives.” Break welcomes CV applications from individuals with strategic and clear thinking skills, the ambition and dedication to drive Break forward, and ability to contribute effectively as part of a team and with innovative ideas.
The Trustee positions are on a voluntary basis with appropriate expenses reimbursed. For further details or to view the full job description visit www.break-charity.org/join-us/become-a-trustee/To find out more about becoming a Trustee email Sally Butler for an applicant pack sally.butler@break-charity.orgThe closing date for applications is midnight on Monday 18th February 2019. Interviews will take place on Thursday 7th March 2019.
In our work here at ImportExportSupport, it’s clear that not every business knows that, in the event of no-deal with the EU on March 29th, for all movements into and out of the EU they will need to have an EORI number. They will also need to submit customs import and export entries. Here’s the ImportExportSupport guide to dealing with this issue.
1. Does this apply to my business ? If you trade with the EU, and we leave without a deal, you will need an EORI number. Without it, from 31st March, your goods will be stuck at port 2. What is an EORI number? Economic Operator Registration and Identification number, required by HMRC to allow you to: Trade goods into or out of the UK Apply to be authorised for customs simplifications 3. How do I get an EORI number? Apply online here4. What Information will I need? The information you’ll need to make the application depends on the structure of your organisation, but it’s not onerous. Details here5. Will it take ages? HMRC promise the application takes 10 minutes to fill in. You’ll get your EORI number by email within 3 working days. Our advice in a nutshell Don’t let your customers down by having their goods stuck at port, apply for your EORI number now. And find agents who can submit your customs entries before it’s too late. If your business depends on customers or suppliers trading with the EU, check they have an EORI number too. Please pass this information on to any colleagues in other businesses that may need the reminder. I regularly blog about important news and informatuion for import export professionals here
Have you decided that 2019 is the year to make a career change? Or simply to change the way in which you work? Professional recruitment specialists Pure explain how becoming a temp could open up doors into a new industry, help you to discover what you would really like to do or provide you with the variety, flexibility and work-life balance you are looking to achieve.
In an age of increasingly agile and flexible working, fixed term roles are becoming progressively popular among workers and more employers are looking to hire temporary talent into their organisations – at every level.
Working as a contract employee, freelancer or consultant can bring numerous benefits, whether you are looking for a career change, lifestyle change, or both.
Find the work you want to do
Working as a temp is a great way to explore a new industry, find out more about the different types of roles available and still earn an income. If you know you would like to make a career change but are not yet sure what you would like to do, then temping can give you a wealth of experience in different roles, industries and organisations to help you to narrow down what really interests and engages you. By experiencing different workplaces, you will also get to understand more about the type of company culture and workplace environment you most enjoy working in, helping you to make more informed decisions about future positions. At a senior level, working on a fixed term contract can give you the opportunity to offer your skills and experience to a particular project and gives you the freedom of choosing the work you want to do. Whatever level you are working at, you may even discover you are a great fit for a particular role, field, specialism or organisation you had not even heard of before!
Use or develop your practical skills and experience
Temp assignments also provide the opportunity to boost your CV with a wide range of new skills and experience, which could make all the difference when it comes to securing a permanent position in the future. By working across a variety of organisations, even if they are in the same industry, you will inevitably learn about a range of different systems, processes and software used, this knowledge will make you far more employable either as a permanent or fixed-term employee. For those looking to offer expert consultancy on a short-term basis, temporary fixed term assignments will help you to build up a portfolio of project examples to demonstrate where you have used your extensive experience and skills to provide specialist support.
Increased flexibility
Working on fixed term contracts can give you more control as to when you work and when you need time off, making it easier to balance work and home life. If you are looking to change career, then working as a temp could give you the flexibility to study for new qualifications while also working part-time or on fixed term assignments between projects. It can also be a great way to transition into retirement by taking on fixed term projects rather than working as a full-time employee and potentially choosing to apply your extensive experience to charitable organisations or to take on Non-Executive Director roles.
Pathway to a permanent job or regular assignments
Many temporary positions can lead to full time positions or regular fixed term assignments. It can be a great way to get a foot in the door and gives both the employee and the employer the chance to ‘test drive’ the relationship. Treat every temp role as having the potential to lead to a permanent job or an ongoing relationship and give your full effort to show your value and cultural fit. Let your employer know if you are enjoying working in the organisation and ask to be considered for any potential jobs or projects in the future.
Networking
By working across different organisations you will get to meet a lot of new people, building your network and increasing your chances of hearing about other temporary or permanent positions which may interest you. If you are seeking a full-time role, the company you are placed with may not have one available but they are likely to know about other openings within the industry and the organisations they collaborate with. If you prove to be reliable, enthusiastic and keen, the people you meet will become your advocates and recommend you to other employers.
Variety
You may even find that the variety and the different challenges and activities of working as a temp suits you. More and more people are choosing to work on a contract, freelance or consultancy basis and with many employers looking for excellent temps and contract workers at all levels, it could become something you consider long-term.
At Pure, we work with companies who are looking to take on temporary workers for all sorts of reasons, whether it is covering staff leave, planning extra resources during particularly busy periods, finding additional skill sets to assist with special projects or as an interim appointment until a permanent employee is recruited. We can match you and your experience to employers looking for temporary recruitment solutions at all levels, and we will support you every step of the way by managing the contracts and placements and ensuring you have access to all the entitlements a temp is eligible for. Contact Pure for more information about working as a temp and the potential opportunities available.
Shoot days are usually very busy – you rarely get time to sit down… except on this one!
We were asked by advertising agency Brazil Street to create a daytime TV campaign for Grosvenor Mobility. The subject? Rise and recline chairs. The target audience? The over 65s.
Grosvenor Mobility products are all made bespoke. There are many designs and add-ons to choose from, resulting in hundreds of variations of the product. Therefore the client opted not to focus on one particular design but instead to concentrate on the comfort and movement of the product. After all, with these chairs the function is just as important as the style.
As the chairs are handmade why not treat the commercial with the same approach? We settled on an animation style that gives the visuals a hand drawn effect. For this concept we filmed one of the chairs to provide the base for the animation. The chair was delivered to our onsite television studio where we filmed a few test shots to assess how long the chair movements took and iron out any other issues – like ensuring our actress would be wearing clearly contrasting colours to that of the chair material. Our Motion Graphics Designer then took the captured footage and began creating the final hand drawn effect.
Due to distance the client was unable to attend the shoot in person. However, we have plenty of experience working remotely and were able to keep the client fully informed at every stage of the production process.
From filming in front of a green screen, to completing the graphics, to recording the soundtrack, to delivering to the TV stations, JMS were able to handle the entire project in house. Look out for the commercial airing soon on Sky News, BT Sport, Yesterday, True Entertainment, and various other channels.
So – that’s another shoot wrapped! Not that we can put our feet up for long. More briefs incoming…
Figures just published show that more new businesses were established in Norfolk during 2018 than in any previous year – despite the challenges of political and economic uncertainty surrounding Brexit.
In terms of new companies, 4,542 were registered in the county compared to 4,399 in 2017 which represents an increase of 3.3%.
This brings the total number of registered companies in Norfolk to 37,466, up from 36,459 at the end of 2017, which equates to 2.8% growth.
The statistics come from the Inform Direct Review of UK Company Formations using data from Companies House and the Office for National Statistics.
Norwich formed the most new businesses (1,092), followed by King’s Lynn and West Norfolk (733) and Breckland (645).
John Korchak, Director of Operations at Inform Direct said: “These record high figures for new company formations in Norfolk show a very positive picture for business against a background of political and economic uncertainty. It is clear that the county continues to provide a supportive environment, both for new business ventures and existing enterprises.
“It is heartening to see entrepreneurs making their mark with increasing numbers of new businesses being formed. This picture is mirrored elsewhere in the UK, with a number of regions seeing more new formations in 2018 than at any time in their history and the UK as a whole achieving a new record total of registered companies.”
Across the UK as a whole, a record number of new companies were formed- 669,855 compared with 634,116 in 2017.
The number of registered companies in the UK also continued to grow, finishing the year with a total of 4,308,022.
To see a more detailed picture of company formations in Norfolk – including a full local breakdown, visit:
Inform Direct is a company secretarial and formation specialist. Its award-winning company secretarial and formations software currently supports more than 100,000 UK companies.
The UK’s largest network of small business accountants has relaunched its successful and innovative advertising campaign across a number of terrestrial and digital TV channels leading up to and during the height of the tax return season.
TaxAssist Accountants has heavily invested in a timely TV advertising campaign to raise brand awareness and drive new business as part of the national marketing package offered to its 200-stong franchise network.
James Mattam, Group Business Development Director, said: “Our ‘Get All Relaxed About Tax’ campaign was launched last year, resulting in a good uplift in enquiries and helping to push the TaxAssist brand on a local and national level.
“With more than 328 visible and accessible TaxAssist Accountants shops and offices across the UK, our accountancy network is ideally placed to service the increased demand from small businesses during the tax season and beyond, particularly as we head towards Making Tax Digital for VAT which comes into force in March.”
The TaxAssist Accountants franchise has been operating successfully for more than 24 years and has been a game changer for both the accounting industry and for small businesses in the way it ‘retails’ tax and advisory services through open and welcoming shops.
If you are interested in find out more about operating a practice under the TaxAssist Accountants brand name, please call 0800 0188297 or visit www.taxassistfranchise.co.uk We look forward to hearing from you.
Branded and centrally supported Tax and Payroll insourced services are now on offer to franchisees providing an enhanced service, benefiting both franchisees and their clients.
Since joining the TaxAssist Accountants Board last year as Group Commercial Director, Daren Moore FCCA has been keen to develop centralised services to help support franchisees, offering huge benefits in terms of pricing as well as time efficiencies and marketability for franchisees.
“We already have a number of external partners providing payroll and tax consultancy services, but while our external partners provide a great quality service, they are generally aimed at larger clients and more complex situations,” explained Daren. “By using our collective experience in the small business market, we are able to tailor services to our typical clients.”
TaxAssist has built an in-house team of experts to deliver the TaxAssist branded services, generating economies of scale, which will be reflected in the pricing for these services helping franchisees increase their profitability.
And with payroll services being run through a leading cloud-based portal, insourced services can provide enhanced functionality for the franchisee, the client and their employee.
“We want to create as much flexibility as possible for the network and we hope that by introducing insourced services, we will help franchisees generate additional fees and free up valuable staff time that may be better used elsewhere,” added Daren.
These services don’t just benefit existing clients, tax and payroll services are also highly marketable services for franchisees.
“Our marketing plans will reflect the launch of our new insourced services, allowing us to target different types of clients and increase the number of existing businesses we can provide leads into for the network.
Looking ahead, TaxAssist will continue to develop insourcing plans and will look at other complimentary services that can be brought in house as we see huge benefits in these services and opportunity for all.”
If you would like to find out more about joining the TaxAssist Accountants network, please call 0800 018829 or visit www.taxassistfranchise.co.uk
There has been recent media coverage in relation to the use of faux furs and instances where it has been revealed that real fur is present. The Advertising Standards Authority have created some guidance for businesses where this may be an issue.
Norwich Business School at UEA has launched this year’s graduate recruitment programme. This is a great way to target 2019’s business graduates who are looking to work in the East Anglia region.
We’re inviting employers to sign up to this year’s GTMS – with no fees or obligations to recruit – by mid-February.
The programme is designed to help your organisation find talented graduates while saving time and recruitment costs.
What is the graduate recruitment scheme?
An innovative recruitment Service offered by UEA’s Norwich Business School.
Matching talented and enthusiastic graduates to your business needs.
Minimum nine-month contract, with a salary of £20,000 or above.
The flexibility to retain the graduate as a permanent member of the team.
Why should our organisation get involved?
Save money on recruitment and advertising costs.
Full assessment centre process, delivered free of charge.
As a leading UK business school, you can select students from accounting, finance, marketing, or general business management degrees.
We can support you every step of the way, from drafting the job description to on-site support visits after appointment.
Flexibility – you decide the role and contract length. There is no obligation to appoint.
What skills do our graduates offer employers? Our undergraduate degrees equip graduates with knowledge across a range of business subjects:
BSc Accounting and Finance
BSc Accounting and Management
BSc Business Finance and Management
BSc Business Management
BSc Marketing and Management
How does the scheme work? The first stage is to identify the role you’d like to recruit to and the kind of person you are looking for – we are happy to discuss your requirements to ensure you recruit the right candidate to the post. We will then advertise the role to all our final year undergraduate business students. They will apply for the scheme and express their preferences for the roles on offer. Successful applicants will be put forward for a comprehensive assessment centre – including psychometric tests, interviews and group exercises – held at the business school but facilitated by external business experts. Taking into account the applicant’s CV, assessment centre scores and preferences, we will provide you with a shortlist of students. You can select the candidates you’re interested in and interview them according to your organisation’s preferences (N.B. we can provide interview rooms on campus, if preferred). Timings January: Employer identifies suitable role(s) and submits job description February: Programme is launched to students; posts advertised and applications open March: Applications close and NBS assessment centre held April: Shortlisted CVs sent to employer May: Employer interviews July onwards: Employment commences (start date to be agreed between employee and graduate) How much does it cost? There is no additional charge for the scheme – we run the programme solely to help match organisations’ requirements with our pool of graduate talent. What’s the first step? Contact us to discuss your needs on (01603) 591002 or email us at GTMS@uea.ac.uk.
As so many cases of graffiti go unrecorded, it is not possible to confirm the number of incidents in the past year, but the crime does seem to be on the increase. The question of whether or not it is art or just a case of criminal damage becomes somewhat irrelevant when it is plastered all over your business premises. Graffiti doesn’t just give a poor first impression to potential customers; it has the potential to damage your brand (particularly if it is explicit) and reduce the value of your property. Left for any length of time it is likely to attract further acts of vandalism which could prove to be very costly.
So, if it’s not an original Banksy, or of a similar ilk, chances are you will consider it to be an eyesore and want it removed quickly and effectively. To ensure compliance with health and safety requirements and to prevent further damage to the graffitied surface we recommend using the services of a professional cleaning company that specialises in the removal of graffiti.
At Monthind, we are specialists in the safe and efficient removal of graffiti from all types of surfaces and are able to provide anti-graffiti coatings to protect areas liable to suffer from this form of vandalism. Both permanent and sacrificial coatings can be applied. Call us on 01206 215300 to find out more.