Member News

An exciting and entirely unique opportunity has arisen for a skilled and experienced professional to join the Active Norfolk team and be a part of a national pilot with Sport England that champion’s physical activity in a whole-system approach to improve the lives of older people in Norfolk.

As part of the senior team both within Active Norfolk and Sport England, you will be part of a wider cohort of 8 similar posts across England that is piloting a new way of working founded on the principles of co-production, co-ownership and accountability.

The main purpose of this role is:

• To build high level relationships between Sport England nationally and local delivery (via County Sports Partnerships like Active Norfolk), thereby strengthening the connections within the system at national and local level, informing decision making at all levels. (relationships)

• To develop a deep understanding of local and national insight relevant to the role and ensure it’s used to inform national policy and programmes and local delivery, identifying challenges, opportunities and learning both nationally and locally to maximise engagement in sport and physical activity. (understanding and insight)

• To create additional leadership and influence within Sport England and the CSP area, contributing to system change within the sector and the wider system. (leadership)

• To facilitate new behaviours and ways of working within Sport England and CSPs, as well as between Sport England and CSPs, by modelling these behaviours and supporting colleagues to adopt and implement in their own work. (behaviours)

This is a two-year fixed term contract until September 2020, with an excellent remunerative package.

Closing date for applications is Wednesday 20 June, 2018.

Click here for more information and to apply for this exciting opportunity.

Recently marking its 7th Birthday, Norwich-based Gnaw Chocolate have just launched an exciting range of new healthier chocolate bars. The innovative new bars have required significant investment in the Gnaw factory and to ensure their business growth continues, there are also three additional members of the Gnaw team. Handcrafted in Norfolk with 35% healthy ingredients, natural flavours and no added nasties; the bars are made with seeds, fruits, nuts and Granola – grown in the finest Norfolk fields. “The new chocolate bars with granola have received a great reception so far, from both consumers and retailers. People are more conscious than ever about the importance of maintaining a healthier lifestyle and parents are also increasingly mindful of the occasional treats they give their children. With this in mind, our New Product Development team have developed these indulgent chocolate bars with a healthy twist”, states Matt Legon, Gnaw’s Founder. As with all Gnaw products, the new bars themselves are handcrafted, but the new 35g bars required their own packing line which required a significant investment into the manufacturers Livestock Market factory. The business has also invested heavily in their team in recent months. Gnaw prides itself on its customer and retailer support and with this in mind, Rebecca Buck joined the U.K sales and customer support team. Rose Hotten, relocated to Norwich to take up the position of Production Manager, overseeing all production and Angi Davies joined as Marketing Communications Manager. “It has been a really exciting time to join the Gnaw team. The new Chocolate and Granola bars are not only scrumptious, but these inventive products are wonderful to launch”, Angi explains. “The new range are all suitable for Vegetarian’s and those practicing the rapidly growing trend of Veganism can also savour the dark bar’s luxurious flavour. These healthier chocolate bars are also great news for those with food intolerances – all three are Gluten- free and the dark bar is also dairy-free”, Angi continues. There are currently three bars in the range; Milk Chocolate with Peanuts, British Granola & Seeds, Milk Chocolate with Cranberries, Raisins, British Granola and Seeds and Dark Chocolate with Orange, British Granola & Seeds. Gnaw plans to continue their expansion of this bite sized range with the addition of even more crunchy and delicious flavours.

In December 2016, Paul Greenan joined TaxAssist Accountants after buying a franchise resale in Newbury, Berkshire from retiring franchisee Richard Adams. A year and a half later, we catch up with Paul to see how he found the process, what he’s learnt and what his plans are for the future. A commercially experienced accountant with more than 20 years of business experience, Paul had always wanted to run his own practice. “I had been watching TaxAssist Accountants grow over the last 10 years, but the timing was never right to explore this any further.  However, in 2016 I was working as a contractor and was starting to think about my next role.  I then saw a TaxAssist resale opportunity was available in Berkshire which piqued my interest,” explained Paul. Having been involved with business sales in the corporate world in his previous life, Paul was pleased with just how smoothly the resale process ran. “Overall, the process was pretty seamless but that’s not to say there weren’t any hurdles to overcome though,” he said. “I raised the finance to purchase the practice through a mixture of personal savings and a bank loan and the TaxAssist five-year business plan was critical in securing the latter.” Richard had run the practice since 2004, opening a shop in 2009 and had two staff members. “Richard stayed in the business for an initial three months handover and then for a further two months on a contract basis.  He also came back to help with the 31st January 2018 Self-Assessment Tax Return deadline. This was great, as it was very much business as usual for the clients.” Having the right staff has been key for Paul as the business has grown and although he now has an additional three members of staff, including an apprentice, he admits meeting demand can sometimes be a challenge. “The business has grown primarily from referrals from existing clients, inbound leads and walk-ins. I have been to a couple of 4N meetings and I am a member of BNI Bourne in Newbury.  I have found the latter to be more productive because working as an accountant requires building trust and that can only be gained over time.” Being in the Thames Valley, IT consulting businesses are prevalent, but Paul has a good mix of clients. “This makes things more interesting, as well as reducing the risk to the business should one particular sector experience a downturn or be impacted by a change in tax legislation,” he said. “I’ve found having a genuine interest in each person’s circumstances and being helpful, no matter whether they become a client or not, pays off.  The best example of this was an Inbound lead who didn’t become a client.  She found our meeting so informative she told her friends, which has led to four new clients from that one initial meeting.” While the shop on Bartholomew Street is performing well, Paul knows that to take the practice to the next level, he needs to move the focus away from him. “The fee bank was £182,000 when I bought the business and it has grown to over £260,000 in less than 18 months, which I’m pleased with. But to grow further, the plan is to build capacity by introducing technology and training the team.  Once in place, I will be considering smaller satellite shops in my territory.” From speaking to Paul, it is clear that he is enjoying his new life. “Before buying the business, I was concerned about having to be a salesman; but, I needn’t have worried because I enjoy consultative selling as well as meeting lots of interesting people. The support from TaxAssist has been excellent and just knowing the Support Centre is there, is a great comfort. I should have made the decision to join TaxAssist years ago!”

Parent and son franchisees David, Anne and Ben Dixon, and their team of seven staff, look after over 900 clients across their four TaxAssist Accountants offices in Epping, Bishops Stortford, Harlow and Brentwood. David joined the franchise in 2002 with his son coming on board as a franchisee in 2014 as the business expanded. A qualified Chartered Management Accountant, David worked as a Group Financial Controller for a listed motor dealership group before joining the franchise. “I was initially attracted to TaxAssist Accountants because of the significant support – the whole package is incredibly solid which I found very reassuring,” states David. “The initial training taught me new approaches to accounting while reinforcing what I already knew. It gave me the confidence that I would be able to bring success to the business – refocusing my existing skills to ensure I had a full understanding of the TaxAssist Accountants’ model. “Being a part of the franchise over the last 16 years has been incredibly helpful. The rate of development with TaxAssist Accountants is strong and there’s a great deal of potential there for franchisees. “It’s been an enjoyable journey since 2002 and we’ve met many interesting people and businesses over the years. It was a great decision to join TaxAssist and we have built up a substantial practice which we are incredibly proud of. “We look forward to welcoming more clients and helping them navigate through the many changes ahead with the advent of Making Tax Digital in 2019.”

Leading independent insurance brokers and financial planners, Alan Boswell Group has given £50,000 towards a Big C funded cancer research project being undertaken at the Norwich Research Park in Norfolk. This is in addition to the group raising £15,000, in 2017, for the Norfolk and Waveney based charity.

Dr Dan Brewer will work with Professor Colin Cooper to research and discover new sub-types of cancer. Understanding these sub-types of the disease is important to help predict survival, inform treatment options and suggest new drug treatment strategies to improve the lives of those affected by cancer.

Dr Chris Bushby, Chief Executive at Big C, said “We are extremely grateful to the board of directors at Alan Boswell Group for their commitment and partnership in this significant cancer research project, which will benefit those affected by cancer locally and far beyond. It is a fantastic example of a corporate organisation pledging their involvement and financial backing to help accelerate the progress of cancer research and enhance our understanding to better prevent and treat the disease. We would welcome approaches from any other organisations interested in this area of support.” 

Group Executive Chairman Alan Boswell, comments: “Everyone has a story about somebody close to them who has been affected by this disease. We’re extremely proud to help support the amazing research undertaken right here in East Anglia.”

 Big C has a long-standing partnership with Alan Boswell Group, which has seen the company raise nearly £100,000 over the past 20 years for those locally affected by cancer.

To learn more about the work Big C does to improve the lives of those affected by cancer in Norfolk and Waveney, please visit www.big-c.co.uk

The Eastern Landlords Association (ELA) has formed a strategic partnership with Birchwood Energy Norwich to support its members with the procurement of the best Gas & Electricity supply tariffs and contracts. 

With so many suppliers and tariff options to choose from, selecting an energy supplier and correct contract structure can be an overwhelming task. Birchwood Energy takes this task onboard and will offer all ELA members a no obligation energy contract audit.

The process is simple. Members of the Eastern Landlord Association engage with Birchwood Energy who will carry out detailed analysis of their current supplier and then procure the energy via a tendering process on their behalf. Birchwood Energy does not charge for the service as they are paid by the energy provider, making it a well worth exercise. It is reported that 86% of customers who used Birchwood Energy saved money on their gas or electricity contracts.

Warren Munday, Director or Birchwood Energy said: “we are delighted to form a partnership with the Eastern Landlords Association. Helping landlords who tend to have multiple properties is a real pleasure and we are looking forward to creating many new relationships. Our mission is to ensure each and every customer finds the very best way to fulfill their energy requirements, whilst driving down costs and improving energy efficiency.”

To obtain a no obligation energy contract audit, please call Birchwood Energy on 01603 754112 or email warren@birchwoodenergy.co.uk.

We’re constantly growing at Netmatters, our most recent example being our merging with Gapton Computers. This move represents the creation of one of the region’s largest full-service technology agencies.

We thought we’d mark our most recent expansion by purchasing a new building. This space has been renovated so it links seamlessly to our business premises. Take a quick look to see how it went. There are certainly some moments worth pausing on!

If you’re looking to expand to new premises or update your current workspace, we can handle it from start to finish. You can have your office installed and decorated and then get your IT equipment and software migrated over by us. We’ll work promptly and professionally, so your business is up and running as quickly as possible.

We believe in focusing on the new, an attitude that has proven successful when helping our clients succeed. Here are just some of the other ways we help our clients make new starts for their long-term goals:

• Wireless and Paperless Offices – Embracing new digital channels makes sure everyone can get up to speed regardless of location.
• Voice Activated Technology – With 2018 seeing an increase in voice-search and voice-activated products, communication will be cutting-edge and efficient like never before.
• Broadband and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Systems – Streamlining communications with cloud-based solutions, and supplying a fast, consistent internet supply.
• Remote and Onsite IT Support – Remaining proactive in identifying threats and vulnerabilities, so your business can focus on what’s important.

One thing that links all of these services is flexibility. We want reliance on physical premises and hardware to be a thing of the past. If you want to future-proof your business and embrace all things digital, make Netmatters your first port of call.

Whether you need help moving your office, require fast and friendly IT support or want to overhaul your business communication platforms, contact Netmatters today on 01603 704020 or fill out our contact form here.

Originally posted by Netmatters Ltd

We were delighted to be tasked with redesigning the Norwich Housing Society website, a not-for-profit organisation which provides affordable housing for older people.

Our brief was bring the website up to date, make it easier to use, more accessible and attractive. Bigfork developed many new features for the new website including a search filter to help visitors quickly find suitable housing and an easy to manage document library for providing resources.

See more on our website.

Bigfork – Intelligent Website Design

01603 513080

The board of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has approved £8.2m from its Local Growth Fund towards the second phase of the Environment Agency’s work to protect Great Yarmouth against flooding. The £39m Great Yarmouth Flood Defences project aims to protect housing and businesses through the construction and refurbishment of 3.8 kilometres of flood defence walls, unlocking economic growth in the town estimated to create:  • 7,100 new jobs • 1000 new properties • 500 new businesses • £405m per annum GVA growth for Great Yarmouth Central government money for flood risk management together with a number of other sources will fund the remaining £31m. The Environment Agency carry out the project, subject to its own appraisal of the scheme. Work is expected to start in autumn 2019.  New Anglia LEP’s total Growth Deal from Government is £290m to 2021. Through investment in skills capital projects, innovation centres, transport and infrastructure projects and targeted business support it is estimated to create more than 54,000 new jobs, 6,800 new homes and to generate more than £600m in additional public and private investment.  Doug Field, chair of New Anglia LEP, said “This is an exciting time for Great Yarmouth. Our energy coast is at the centre of the world’s largest market for offshore wind and is of huge strategic importance to our economy.   “Safeguarding the town’s coastal economy, allowing homes to be built and businesses to grow without fear of disruption is key to its future prosperity. This project will allow that to happen and the LEP is delighted to be able to contribute.” Dr Charles Beardall, Area Director at the Environment Agency, said: “We are delighted that the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership will be making such a significant financial contribution to this vital flood risk project in Great Yarmouth. This comes after many months of close co-operation between Great Yarmouth Borough, its Tidal Defences Business Partnership and New Anglia, and recognises the importance of flood risk infrastructure to providing economic growth.” In a joint statement, Cllr Graham Plant, leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Cllr Carl Smith, chairman of the Environment Committee and Cllr Trevor Wainwright, Labour Group Leader, said: “This brilliant and positive decision for our borough reflects the strength of our funding bid and the borough’s economic prospects, as well as successful lobbying and partnership work by the borough council, Environment Agency and local businesses.  “We would like to thank the LEP for their investment in this vital infrastructure, which is central to reducing flood risk to thousands of homes and businesses, while attracting and sustaining business investment and jobs in key industries that are essential to the prosperity of our local and regional economies.” The funding bid was supported by the Tidal Defences Business Partnership, a business-led group working together to move ahead the tidal defences works as quickly as possible.  Keith Vincent, chairman of the Tidal Defences Business Partnership, said: “Great Yarmouth’s Tidal Defences are a huge benefit to us all, they protect our homes, our jobs, and the highways and infrastructure we need to ensure everything works safely and smoothly on a day by day basis. As businesses they protect our places of work, our staff and equipment; essentially they give us the confidence to continue to invest in, and grow our businesses in Great Yarmouth.   “This crucial and really welcome investment by the LEP in Great Yarmouth is a key goal which the Tidal Defences Business Partnership has been working towards and will help the Borough to realise its full economic potential, unlocking huge opportunities for businesses based in the Borough.”

Energy services company, Proserv has officially opened its new purpose-built Centre of Excellence within Great Yarmouth’s Beacon Park. Developer, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, together with New Anglia LEP and key stakeholders, joined Proserv at the 65,000 sq ft ‘Artemis House’ – named after the site’s ‘Artemis 2G’ (A2G) subsea control system technology – to mark the occasion with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Artemis House is the largest site within Beacon Park, featuring modern offices, 25% additional manufacturing space and a yard area. There is also the ability to add a further 20,000 sq ft of workshop capacity in the future and increase office headcount. Davis Larssen, COO of Proserv, welcomed the guests. During his opening speech, he highlighted the importance of the move to the enhanced site, underlining Proserv’s long-term commitment to the area and, indeed, the energy industry. He said: “”Having just began building this exceptional site a little over a year ago, I would like to thank everyone involved in helping us reach this key milestone. This opening is a new chapter for us as we consolidate more than 180 employees from our previous two sites in the area. It’s fantastic to see our workforce unite, ensuring we are well placed to not only meet customers’ expectations but exceed them, now and in the future.” In a joint statement, the borough council’s political group leaders, Cllr Graham Plant and Cllr Trevor Wainwright, said: “This landmark HQ is a symbol of Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s partnership work as a proactive authority dedicated to supporting local investment, jobs and growth, as well as bolstering Beacon Park’s national reputation as an established energy hub and top-performing Enterprise Zone. “Artemis House will ensure that these skilled jobs, mostly held by local people, will continue to be based within the borough, while generating rental income which will be used to help support vital public services. As the developer, we would like to thank the skilled team who helped to make this important development a reality, and we’re sure that Proserv’s staff will enjoy their brand new purpose-built workplace.” Doug Field, chair of New Anglia LEP, added: “The completion of Artemis House is great news for Proserv, its employees and the wider economy. LEP investments through our Growing Places Fund are targeted to make an impact, and this project will do exactly that. It’s further evidence of the strength of our energy coastline – within which Proserv is a key supplier and employer – and of our Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Enterprise Zone in attracting and retaining investment in the East.” Beacon Park is part of the Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft (New Anglia) Enterprise Zone, which focuses on attracting and supporting energy-related businesses within the East of England. Great Yarmouth Borough Council, with support from the Local Enterprise Partnership, developed the site and remain landlord for the facility. Proserv is a technology-driven company providing products, services and bespoke solutions to clients across the energy industry. Operating worldwide through 22 operating centres based in 12 countries, the company has won a string of industry awards over the years in recognition of its achievements. For more information about Proserv visit: www.proserv.com For more information about Beacon park visit: www.beaconpark.co.uk

KLM UK Engineering entered a team of 6 colleagues to take part in the East Anglian Air Ambulance EPIC 50 mile cycle ride Friday 18th May. Colin Gamson, Paul Green, Mark Walker, Janel McFadyen, Shane Boyle & Steve Batten completed the ride as a team on this North Norfolk course starting & finishing at North Walsham Rugby Club.

A big thank you to our team for volunteering and completing this challenge and to East Anglian Air Ambulance & Pedal Revolution for organising this charity event. We look forward to next years event!

Archant Local Impact is a new marketing services business brought to you by Archant in partnership with Hearst.

Local Impact aims to offer small businesses a full marketing service. It will offer customers everything from simple advice to a complete marketing campaign. With a range of products including print advertising, digital display, content marketing, social media, search engine optimisation, email marketing, pay per click and digital presence management, Local Impact aims to help local businesses to improve their marketing presence across a range of platforms.

Local Impact customers also have access to a unique, easy to use, reporting portal. This portal allows clients to track how each element of their campaigns is performing in real time, providing measureable and accurate results and allowing companies to simply and quickly see how ads are performing. It also allows them to make changes to their campaigns and elements all within one simple tool.  

Archant have partnered with Hearst, who are one of the world’s major media and information companies and whose portfolio includes worldwide magazines and numerous newspaper titles in the US. Hearst is the parent company of Local Edge, its internet and marketing services business. Local Edge has been in business since 2004 and has helped thousands of customers in the US, Australia and Canada to grow their businesses. This new partnership with Archant means that UK SMEs are now able to benefit from the same service and level of experience exclusively through Local Impact.

You can get in touch with Archant Local Impact on 03331 365390, hello@archantlocalimpact.co.uk or visit www.archantlocalimpact.co.uk to find out more.