Member News

Our consultant, Tom, & Training Department Manager, Matilda, recently visited Nigel at MLH Transport to present him with his Transport Manager CPC certificate. Nigel completed his Transport Manager CPC training here at our training centre in Terrington St John, instructed by Steve Braim and supported by Tom. Nigel said: “The course was challenging, and there were moments when I doubted whether I would pass. However, the support from the CTS Training team was phenomenal. Tom offered one-to-one support, in addition to the instruction during the course by Steve. The team was always there to help with any questions or concerns, and I truly believe I wouldn’t have passed my exams without their guidance and encouragement.” This testimonial highlights the dedication of the CTS team in helping students to not just complete the course, but to excel in it. Tom said: “Here at CTS we take great pride in not only our ability to successfully train the Transport Managers of tomorrow, but to also provide additional support that many other training providers simply cannot.  To use Nigel as an example, it was a pleasure to give him some additional one-to-one sessions outside of the classroom hours and then see his success in passing the course. Our business is all about building partnerships with our customers and I am certain our partnership with Nigel and MLH Transport will continue for years to come.” Transport Manager CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence) training is essential for individuals aspiring to manage transport operations efficiently and legally within the UK. This qualification is a legal requirement for any business wishing to hold an Operator’s Licence and is aimed at ensuring that those responsible for the transport of goods or passengers are well-versed in relevant regulations and best practices. CTS Training & Consultancy Ltd is an experienced provider of Transport Manager CPC training, offering a structured and supportive environment for learners. Our courses are designed to cover all the essential topics in the CPC syllabus, delivered by experienced instructors who bring real-world insights to the classroom. The training at CTS is intensive and thorough, ensuring that participants are well-prepared for the CPC exam. One of the standout features of CTS Training is the level of support we offer to our students. From the start of the course through to the final exam, the team at CTS is committed to helping learners succeed. Our commitment to the success of our students is reflected in our pass rate of over 80%, compared to the national average of 45 – 50%. The Transport Manager CPC course at CTS typically covers a wide range of topics, including:

• Legal Requirements: Understanding the laws governing road transport, including driver licensing, working time regulations, and vehicle standards.
• Financial Management: Learning how to manage the finances of a transport business, including budgeting, cost control, and financial record-keeping.
• Safety and Compliance: Ensuring that all aspects of road safety are covered, including vehicle maintenance, health and safety regulations, and accident procedures.
• Operational Management: Gaining insights into effective management of a transport operation, including route planning, vehicle scheduling, and dealing with unforeseen events.

If you are serious about a career in transport management, the CPC qualification is not just a legal requirement, but a critical foundation for success. With the rigorous training provided by CTS, coupled with our unwavering support, students are well-equipped to pass the CPC exam and take on the responsibilities of a Transport Manager with confidence. If you’re considering pursuing your Transport Manager CPC, CTS Training offers the expertise, support, and resources to help you succeed in this vital qualification. Our next Transport Manager CPC course is running from 19^th March to 7^th April 2025. Contact us on 01945 880155 or training@ctservicesltd.co.uk to find out more about our Transport Manager CPC training.

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Out of over 350 nominees, we’ve made it through to the finals! That means the judges have recognised how we embrace the Quirky Weddings values of Uniqueness, Inclusivity, Accessibility, Sustainability and excellent Customer Service! Every couple who books us can trust we will put our hearts and souls into making sure their catering is perfect for them, no one gets left out and everyone is fed well! This recognition is a testament to our dedication to making every event memorable and one of a kind with our unique hog roasts. A huge thank you to all our clients for your support and trust. We can’t wait to continue bringing delicious, distinctive flavors to your celebrations!

Following their launch in July, two new Captain Fawcett products have been announced as Finalists in the Pure Beauty Awards 2024. Huzzah!

 Both Captain Fawcett’s ’Nebula’ Eau De Parfum Signature Series with John Petrucci and Captain Fawcett’s ‘Expedition Reserve’ Matt Styling and Volumising Hair Powder have been selected in the Best New Fragrance and Best New Hair Styling Product categories respectively. 

With Finalists selected by the Pure Beauty Awards independent judging panel, now a public vote will decide the Winners. 

VOTE FOR CAPTAIN FAWCETT BEST NEW FRAGRANCE HERE  VOTE FOR CAPTAIN FAWCETT BEST NEW HAIR STYLING HERE 

Captain Fawcett founder Richie Finney said “To have not one but two new products chosen as Finalists by The Pure Beauty Awards independent judges is hugely exciting. The panel includes highly esteemed experts and beauty insiders with significant influence across the international industry. As such, the whole Captain Fawcett crew is delighted to be recognised as producing some of the very best Gentleman’s Grooming collections available anywhere in the world.

 “In 2020, the ‘Nebula’ Signature Series Moustache Wax, Beard Oil and Beard Balm were introduced to remarkable success, sparking demand for a complementary Eau De Parfum. Captain Fawcett’s Master Blender collaborated with John Petrucci to develop and refine a fresh rendition of the ‘Nebula’ fragrance, crafted to the same exceptional standards, yet blazing its own trail. This took time, travelling back and forth across the Atlantic, to make sure it was absolutely spot on, so it’s hugely rewarding for the resulting fragrance to be thus acknowledged by industry leaders.”

The ‘Nebula‘ Eau De Parfum landed in July. The first 1000 bottles were released as a Limited Edition, accompanied by a specially designed ‘Nebula’ Guitar Pick, John Petrucci Monogrammed Enamel Badge and unique numbered card, signed by the Grammy Award-winning Guitarist himself. Anticipation ran high, with a strong promotional campaign and wait list leading to the initial Limited Edition run swiftly selling out in the UK. 

 Captain Fawcett’s ‘Expedition Reserve’ Matt Styling and Volumising Hair Powder is part of the acclaimed ‘Hair Couture’ styling range, created for use in salons, barbershops and also at home. 

 Richie Finney says: “Captain Fawcett’s ‘Hair Couture’ range is tested, used and recommended by professionals across the world. Hair Powder is a hugely convenient and versatile product, often with a neutral aroma. Captain Fawcett’s version is imbued with the delectable ‘Expedition Reserve’ fragrance making it just the ticket for scent-layering and, as such, offering an outstanding sensory experience to the contemporary gentleman.”

 The Pure Beauty announcement comes as Captain Fawcett is set to launch his latest range this autumn. Keep an eye out for more news soon!

 The Pure Beauty Awards Winners 2024, will be announced on 24 October at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London at an exclusive black tie Awards ceremony.

We are delighted to announce that our AA 4  Star Silver has been reconfirmed for another year. In August we unsuspectingly welcomed the AA Inspector to stay at the Hotel. The AA Hotel Inspector books their accommodation anonymously to stay and dine and therefore the team have no idea they are arriving. They only make their presence known after checking out the following morning. Upon settling their account they request to meet with the General Manager to discuss their findings. Read More

The Paston family were one of the most powerful and influential families in late medieval Norfolk. They rose to being wealthy landowners and courtiers. Read more 

Alan Boswell Group is pleased to announce that its Employee Benefits team have been honoured with the prestigious Dr Marius Barnard Recognition Award. This accolade was presented in recognition of the team’s commitment to making protection policies a cornerstone of their client offering, ensuring clients are well-supported in meeting their protection needs. Dee Myhill, Senior Employee Benefits Consultant, and Will Gaines, Protection Specialist, represented the Group at the Scottish Widows event in London, where they accepted the award. The award ceremony highlighted firms and individuals who demonstrate exceptional dedication to the industry, ensuring protection remains integral to their proposition. The award is named after Dr Marius Barnard, who pioneered the concept of critical illness insurance. His vision led to the introduction of the first critical illness policy on August 6, 1983, designed to provide financial support to patients diagnosed with severe illnesses, such as cancer and heart disease. Commenting on the achievement, Dee Myhill said, “We’re proud to receive this award, which is a testament to our team’s dedication to ensuring our clients have financial protection when they need it most.”

Eastern region accountancy and business advisory firm, Larking Gowen, has launched a new service to help clients capture and use sustainability data to benefit short and long-term goals. Eastern region accountancy and business advisory firm, Larking Gowen, has launched a new service to help clients capture and use sustainability data to benefit short and long-term goals.

The firm has entered a strategic partnership with neoeco, a software platform focusing on ESG (environmental, social and governance) reporting.

Larking Gowen Partner, Laurie Hill, says that businesses today not only have to have a sound ESG policy in place, they also have to demonstrate its implementation and effectiveness. The key to doing this is data.

“The need to demonstrate your ESG credentials is being driven by top-down regulation currently impacting larger businesses, and it’s beginning to be pushed down the supply chains. If you’re being asked to tender for a particular contract that requires demonstrable sustainability credentials, you’ve got the data to back up your ESG policy, and you can be ahead of the game,” he said.

Jake Bond, VP of Business Development at neoeco, explains: “We identified that a lot of the foundational data required for ESG reporting is held by accountants and finance teams. They play a key role in sustainability reporting by managing critical accounting data. With neoeco, you can easily capture supply chain primary data through our intuitive supply chain data capturing module, accounting data directly from the general ledger, and LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) product data.

“It’s an all-in-one, end-to-end solution that integrates seamlessly with your existing systems. Our AI-driven technology automatically aligns transactions with relevant sustainability factors using activity-based calculations,” he added.

Data can be collected from various sources, including accounting software, HR systems, ERP systems, and smart energy meters, then reconciled with sustainability points from national or international databases. This data not only generates reports but also aids in strategic planning and forecasting.

Adam Soall, Director of Norwich-based removal firm, Loads4Less, is Larking Gowen’s first client to be signed up to neoeco’s software package and the ESG advisory service. He is passionate about sustainability and is helping Larking Gowen and neoeco spread the word about the benefits of ESG data capture and reporting.

“Larking Gowen said they would be moving into the advisory market for ESG and asked if I would like to be their first client on the neoeco platform, which really aligns with where I’m going. I wanted to be a pioneer of this in the removal industry in Norfolk, and I’m working on a plan for net zero, reducing our carbon emissions where possible,” he said.

“neoeco offers a service where we can send a link to our suppliers, they fill in the data and it helps us decide who we are using. It also helps them to understand how to achieve sustainability. When it comes down to it, we are going to choose to work with businesses who operate with sustainability in mind, even if they are a little more expensive,” he said.

Laurie Hill said that the software and advisory support will bring benefits to companies of all sizes and within any sector.

“Larking Gowen’s role is to work with clients on their ESG strategy, whilst being able to provide access to an intuitive ESG reporting platform in neoeco, allowing us to assist to interpret the data, adapt financial modelling and provide advisory services to work with businesses to make positive change and futureproof.

“If a client wants to look at supply chain improvements, we can look at how this might affect their profit margin. If the new suppliers come with added cost, due to provision of more sustainable materials, for example, we can advise and assist with financial modelling that builds in gradual ‘sustainability’ price increases to protect against margin erosion.

“The other element is around forecasting. You can say within the software you want to be carbon neutral or reduce carbon by 25% in the next ten years, and with the right data, you can roughly forecast the cost of that,” he said.

Laurie added: “If you are making changes to your business from the sustainability perspective and you have the add-on of a software platform, this can help you make data driven decisions.

“There is also a consideration for business owners to apply a ‘sustainability’ uplift to pricing metrics because of green credentials, and potentially win business over firms that do not have the same data to hand.”

Adam recently recorded an episode of the podcast Larking Gowen Insights, where he chatted to Laurie Hill and neoeco about his journey in more detail, listen at larking-gowen.co.uk/LGI or wherever you get your podcasts.

Open Road West Norfolk celebrated the achievements of its outstanding young trainees at its annual awards evening, held on the 11^th September. The event, attended by the High Sheriff of Norfolk, David Flux, showcased the hard work and dedication of aspiring motor mechanics and builders, recognising their accomplishments in vocational training.

The evening brought together students, their families, supporters, staff, and trustees, creating a celebratory atmosphere as the trainees were honoured for overcoming challenges and excelling in their fields. Jo Pearson, Chair of the Open Road Trust Board, highlighted the significance of the event, saying, “The positive impact I see most at Open Road is on individual students. Celebrating their hard work and dedication is a wonderful thing to be a part of.

Open Road provides hands-on training in state-of-the-art automotive and construction workshops, offering a lifeline to young people who have struggled in mainstream education. The qualifications they receive pave the way for apprenticeships and stable employment. This year’s awards were a testament to the program’s success, with 63 presentations in total.

Fifteen students were awarded a BTEC Level 1 Award in Construction, 22 students received an IMI Level 1 Award in Transport Maintenance, and one student earned an IMI Level 1 Diploma in Transport Maintenance. These industry-recognised qualifications mark a significant milestone in each student’s journey toward a promising career.

Open Road has been offering construction qualifications since 2019, and the automotive industries workshop continues to be a key training ground for aspiring professionals. Martin Slater, Managing Director of Open Road, emphasised the importance of the event, stating, “The evening is all about celebrating our students, who have shown incredible determination to achieve their professional qualifications.”

Mr Slater added, “Open Road remains committed to working with young people. We have a range of programmes lined up for the new school year, and we are actively engaging new students. However, there are still places available in our motor vehicle and construction training programmes, and we encourage academies, parents, and young people to contact us to secure a placement.”

In partnership with the College of West Anglia, Open Road also provides English and maths tuition, ensuring that students develop their vocational skills and build the academic foundation needed for success in the workforce.

For more information or to inquire about available placements, please contact Open Road at 01553 776600 or via email at office@openroadtraining.co.uk.

After months of hard work, Aston Shaw has finally revealed what they have been busy working on behind the scenes! You might have seen they have made a few changes, taking the time to refresh their brand and website to more accurately reflect their fresh approach and strength of their dynamic team. The refreshed brand stands for simplicity and accessibility in accounting. They pride themselves on breaking down the complexities of financial management, to deliver ‘Accountancy for Everyone’ —regardless of background or scale of accountancy needs. In everything they do, their goal is to support you, by giving you the peace of mind that comes with knowing your finances are in capable hands. They are not just accountants, but partners in your success, offering a fresh and welcoming perspective to your financial needs. They may have a new look, but our mission is still the same, to make your accounting, tax and financial management straightforward and easy. Allowing you to relax and get on with running your business and life. Let us know what you think by emailing info@astonshaw.co.uk

(Credit: National Rail Awards)

At the annual awards event last Thursday night, Greater Anglia (GA) also won the Fleet Achievement of the Year award for its successful transition to a complete fleet of new trains (in one of the biggest fleet replacement projects delivered in the UK over the last 30 – 40 years, completed successfully despite added complications caused by the pandemic), while Cambridge won the Large Station of the Year award.

In addition, GA was highly commended in the Customer Service Excellence award for both its We’re All Ears customer feedback programme and for the customer-focused design and delivery of its Stadler-built intercity, Stansted Express, and regional train fleets. Meanwhile Bures and Norwich were finalists in the Small and Large Station of the Year awards, respectively.

Jamie Burles, Managing Director, Greater Anglia said:

“Everyone at Greater Anglia is very proud to have won the Passenger Operator of the Year award for the second time in three years. Right across our company, colleagues are passionate about doing their best for the customers and communities we serve. With excellent performance, a commitment to customer service, high quality new trains, and effective partnerships with other rail industry organisations and wider stakeholders, we’re fully focused on maintaining our high standards.

“It was also pleasing to see further recognition with our Fleet Achievement award, our Large Station award for Cambridge and commendations in Customer Excellence for our We’re All Ears customer feedback programme and, with Stadler, for the customer-focused features of our intercity, Stansted Express, and regional trains. They illustrate again our efforts and achievements in providing the best possible service for passengers across our network, day in, day out.

“We’re also grateful to key partners, such as Network Rail, the Department for Transport, Stadler, Alstom, community rail partnerships, station adopters, other rail industry organisations and regional stakeholders who all play a key role in helping us provide a high-quality service. We will continue to work to keep up our high standards and keep on improving – always focused on delivering the best train service we can for customers, communities, and wider stakeholders across our region.”

Judges’ citations for GA’s other award wins were as follows:

Fleet Achievement of the Year: “A ‘hands down winner’, owing to the strong focus on passenger benefits and close coordination between operations and engineering teams during the operator’s fleet replacement programme.”

Large Station of the Year – Cambridge: “This city station has improved even further since it last won the category back in 2017, adding a multi-storey cycle hub, more ticket gates and bigger ticket office. The judges felt it provided a modern welcome to the famous university city without compromising the historic atmosphere.”

The clock is ticking for local businesses to grab one of the final safari animal sculptures that are set to take over Norwich and Norfolk next summer! With limited opportunities available, time is running out for businesses and organisations to be part of the latest GoGo trail,  GoGoSafari – an inclusive public art sculpture trail that will see Norwich and Norfolk overtaken by rhinos, elephants, giraffes, gorillas and lions for ten weeks from June 2025. Delivered by local charity Break, in partnership with Wild in Art, Zoological Society of East Angila, Norwich BID and Chantry Place, the trail is a unique opportunity to be part of something spectacular with all funds raised going towards Break and their work supporting young people living in care. The trail follows on from the stomping success of GoGoDiscover in 2022 with T.rex and Steppe Mammoth sculptures, which saw estimated 350,000 people take on the trail. And over half of visitors said it encouraged them to stay longer in the city to shop, eat and take in other attractions such as the cinema with some discovering new places they’d never been to before. Pete Marron, Senior Partnerships and Projects Manager at Break, says: “We have so many great businesses already involved, but there is still room for more! It’s such a creative way for businesses to reach a wide and varied audience. We welcome any sized business and can offer bespoke and flexible packages. We work closely with all our sponsors to ensure that they achieve what they want from being involved in the trail. This could be to engage a new audience, boost their brand, assist with employee engagement, or build new relationships and we can help facilitate that.” Nearly forty businesses have already sponsored a sculpture including Alan Boswell Group, Birketts LLP, Castle Quarter, Royal Arcade, First Buses and Norwich City Football Club. Commenting on their involvement, Lee Boswell from Alan Boswell Group says: “We’re pleased to continue our support of Break through their GoGoSafari trail. Having sponsored previous trails, we recognise the value they bring to the city and the wider community, and, of course, in contributing to the vital charity work Break does in the region.” With only a handful of sculptures left to sponsor, now is the perfect time to take that journey and secure your spot! Each sculpture is decorated by professional artists, chosen by the sculpture sponsors at an exclusive Art Selection Event. Once the trail has finished, all animals will be going to auction to raise vital funds for Break and the work they do for young people living in and moving from care. Visit gogosafari.co.uk to learn more.