Member News

Tudor Lodge Consultants are pleased to announce that we have recently started works on Tales of Teddy’s website. Tales of Teddy are a blog and luxury dog product website started over the last few years by Samantha Murray Greenway, who has previously worked across national newspapers and publications in the UK.

Initially started as a blog and dog information website, Tales of Teddy has evolved into one of the best-known ‘dog blogs’ on the internet. The products sold include handstitched collars, luxury dog bowls and a wide range of other British made, handcrafted products for dog and the discerning dog owner and lover.

Tales of Teddy approached us with the desire to climb higher up Google for numerous dog-related searches such as ‘schnauzer’ and ‘luxury dog collars.’ With their website already build to a good standard on the WordPress content management system (CMS), Tales of Teddy were in a strong starting position.

What We Are Doing

We started with a comprehensive consultation between ourselves and the client to identify their targets and goals and what they would like to achieve through extensive search engine optimisation (SEO). Through the feedback we received, we were able to provide a list of around 50 keywords that Tales of Teddy want to be found online for via search engines. We then assessed the met data of their website to research how well they are currently performing.

This was done as part of a comprehensive SEO audit that assessed various aspects involving the overall SEO status and online presence of Tales of Teddy. This included their meta data, content, link profile and general site health. It is the results of this audit that have helped shape the plan moving forward for Tales of Teddy.

We have updated their CMS so that it has a range of SEO-friendly plugins and features favoured by Google and other search engines. This ensures that all content and features on the site and everything featured is crawled by search engines in the most efficient manner.

We are also working on updating all of the website’s meta data, content and user experience and will be working to improve the site speed. We look forward to building on our progress and building a thriving partnership between the teams at Tudor Lodge and Tales of Teddy for the future.

Community clear up at Monks Close Community Centre Freebridge Community Housing employees and tenants teamed up on Thursday 4 May for a community clear-up day at the Monks Close Community Centre in Bircham Newton. The clear-up comes in advance of the reopening of the centre for use by the local community and other service providers. Services providers who have already expressed interest in using the facilities include the owner of the adjacent Dreamy Hallow Campsite, Nigel Day, who will be establishing a permanent exhibition in the centre, displaying the historical significance of the local area and its links to the First World War. The community clear-up saw employees from the Freebridge’s Providence Street Placeshaping Team working together with others in the community to help give the Monks Close Centre a facelift after it had lay closed for some months. Robert Clarke, Freebridge Director of Housing, said: “By reinvigorating the Monks Close Community Centre Freebridge are continuing to work towards our vision of supporting a better West Norfolk. “This is a great example of the positive impact our Providence Street Placeshaping Team are achieving in our area. The Providence Street centre has become a hub for supporting and accommodating charities and community groups that work in West Norfolk, and we hope these relationships continue to go from strength to strength.”

We are delighted to announce that Little Havens Hospice are our designated charity for 2017. We will be raising money in a number of events throughout the year.

Little Havens Children’s Hospice who are the only children’s hospice in Essex, opened in 1988 and designed specifically to provide the necessary care and support for children aged 0-19 from Essex and London.  Little Havens take it further than simply caring for the children that need it so much as they also take pride in helping the families of the children that have been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness and provide end of life care, as well as respite breaks for up to 8 weeks of the year.

In order to carry out these truly life-changing services, Little Havens need to raise around £2.5million per year. This is due to receiving very limited government funding and not charging a penny for the care that they provide. So in order to keep their services free of charge and as effective as possible, Little Havens Hospice relies on donations from the community and businesses.

  So the events that we will be involved in and planning are… 

·       19th May – their corporate golf day which we are attending

·       22nd – 26th May – Children’s Hospice Week –  cake sale & raffle

·       1st July – National Three Peaks Challenge

·       19th October – Monthind’s Golf Day

Paris, Amstelveen, 5 May 2017 – Ray Flower has been appointed Head of Technical College of KLM UK Engineering Limited as of 1st March. KLM UK Engineering is a wholly-owned AFI KLM E&M subsidiary specialising in maintenance & training solutions for regional and narrow-body aircraft fleets. Ray Flower started his career in 1979 and has carried out many aviation training roles within the industry over the last 30 years. Ray’s latest roles include Head of Aviation at Kingston University & Chief Academic Officer (CAO) for Al Ain International Aviation Academy (AAIAA) in the UAE, Engineering Head at Qatar Aeronautical College & Head of Aeronautical Engineering at MTC Oman.

On learning of his appointment, Ray Flower said: “I am very proud to be returning to KLM UK Engineering Limited as Head of Technical College. With my previous experience with the Company and the newly acquired knowledge over the last few years in the Middle East I will bring a valuable contribution to both KLMUKE and its students. Being part of the new International Aviation Academy – Norwich and helping to educate and inspire the next generation of aviation engineers is an exciting prospect and I look forward to the challenge ahead, as well as continuing to support the training of our current staff within the MRO’.

We are glad to announce that we are working in close conjunction with the team at Vaccoda Design on the Property Perfect Solutions website. Property Perfect Solutions (PPS) provide a plethora of building and maintenance services across the Kent and South London areas for numerous clients and customers.

PPS was founded by Louise Gallivan, who formed the business and established its principles based on her own experiences with builders and tradespeople over the years. Louise continues to recognise the importance of receiving not just an acceptable service, but a service that surpasses expectations. As such, the business has grown over the last few years with many satisfied clients.

The natural step for PPS has therefore been to expand their offerings online. This has involved a few steps and working with the talented team at Vaccoda Design PPS has already seen great results. However, in order to further progress their website and offerings through online marketing channels we have implanted various best practices and continue to improve their online presence.

What Has Already Been Done for PPS

Vaccoda have already helped PPS receive a top notch and high performing website that is built for purpose. With sections for specific offerings and user journeys through the site made very clear, the site is easily crawled [ranked] by Google and other search engines. In addition, the design of the site has been constructed to a very high standard, indicating a level of professionalism to users.

The SEO

We have carried out many SEO best practices to get PPS well on track to the best positions possible online. We carried out extensive keyword research based on PPS’ feedback and input. This has ensured that all SEO work from the very start is targeted, focused and relevant. Many sites find themselves ranking for terms and searches that they never wished to target, making their site less relevant to some users.

However, through the thorough keyword research, we are targeting very specific searches such as ‘property maintenance in Kent’ and other related services offered by the PPS team.

We have also provided PPS’ website with bespoke meta data; titles and descriptions across their entire site. This makes sure that Google and other search engines can read the site and individual pages in the most efficient and accurate way possible. These meta data updates have been done with the keyword research in mind to make sure specific pages target specific searches.

We have also started adding bespoke landing pages to the site, based on our keyword research and PPS’ feedback. These pages are designed to ‘capture’ users and those searching for the relevant service in PPS’ case. Additionally, we are continuing to monitor the site’s sitemap to make sure that all pages are included; being provided easily to Google read and rank accordingly.

We also continue to update any broken links on the site that will impact the speed and code structure of the website and we have already fixed several broken links to good effect.

We continue to provide additional, fully optimised content to PPS for their website and continue to identify new areas of expansion online through ongoing keyword research. We look forward to building on the solid SEO foundations we are laying and are looking forward to a successful and fruitful partnership with all the team at PPS.

Genix to Launch Norwich Coffee Means Business Genix, Norfolk’s business support organisation will launch its networking event, Coffee Means Business at The Space, Norwich on Tuesday 16 May. Genix’s informal and friendly networking format has been a hit in North Norfolk, over 40 people attended their April event at Holkham Studios. Leanne Castle of Genix, said, “Many businesses have asked us when we’d launch another Coffee Means Business, this time in The City. The events are designed to be a little different to the usual business networking and this month we have invited broadcaster, Nick Pandolfi to give his top tips on making social media your marketing friend. Genix Patron, Andrew Winship of i101 Digital will show how good imagery enhances business sales. “I think Coffee Means Business are so popular because we don’t charge joining or membership fees, just £2 per person, payable on arrival, due to the generous support of Genix Patron, Larking Gowen Chartered Accountants. Sharyn Scott of Larking Gowen commented, “We are delighted to support these events. We know that networking can be time-consuming and costly for smaller and start-up businesses. The Genix sessions create a great opportunity for business owners to meet other like-minded individuals as well as connecting with professional service providers, such as Larking Gowen, which can be invaluable both for making future connections and utilising their network, as well as learning how others have tackled issues they might be facing for the first time” Coffee Means Business will take place at The Space, Norwich NR7 8SQ on Tuesday 16th May and again on Tuesday 20th June, from 9.30am until 11.30am, booking isn’t essential and more details can be found at www.genix.org.uk.

Thomson & First Choice today launched the first flight to Rhodes for Norwich airport for anyone taking a holiday to the destination for summer 2017. Holidaymakers from Norwich will now be able to soak up the sunshine on the popular island of Rhodes, with its beautiful beaches, historical sites and party hot spots. The decision to introduce new routes is part of the holiday company’s plans to ensure customers across the UK can fly from their local airport and stay at the best hotels in some of the most enticing destinations. Hailed as the most popular Greek Island, residents from East Anglia will now have the chance to visit some of Thomson and First Choice’s most popular flagship hotels in Rhodes, including Thomson’s 5T Sensimar Imperial Resort & Spa by Atlantica. The adults only hotel sits right next the beach and has a huge lagoon pool surrounded by sunbeds and parasols. With summer 2018 holidays now on sale, holidaymakers from Norwich will also be able to stay next year at the brand new 5T TUI SENSATORI Resort Rhodes by Atlantica, the newest addition to the TUI Sensatori portfolio, offering a luxury spa, swim up bar and a variety of themed a la carte restaurants. Karen Switzer, Director of Aviation Planning for TUI UK & Ireland, said: “Introducing the new route to Rhodes is a key part of our strategy to enhance the holiday experience for our customers from Norwich and give them wider access to our exciting collection of destinations.” Richard Pace Managing Director of Norwich Airport said: “We are delighted that Thomson and First Choice have launched a new route to Rhodes. It demonstrates the holiday company’s commitment to the airport and provides even more choice to local people.”

Norfolk ground and air source heat pump installer Finn Geotherm, has become Carbon Trust accredited. Under the scheme, installations carried out by Finn Geotherm for small and medium sized businesses may be eligible for funding by the Trust of up to £10,000.

The Carbon Trust’s mission is to accelerate the move to a sustainable, low carbon economy. Its Accredited Supplier scheme is the UK’s market-leading initiative for high quality energy efficient equipment and renewable technology suppliers, providing independent validation and recognition of a supplier’s skills and services. Accredited suppliers must meet or exceed criteria set by the Carbon Trust, which is designed to examine their capability to deliver thoughtful, well-designed energy efficient and renewable energy systems.

Finn Geotherm is one of only a limited number of UK heat pump companies accredited by the scheme. By achieving Carbon Trust accreditation, Finn Geotherm is able to undertake installations for small and medium sized businesses that may be eligible to receive up to £10,000 from the Carbon Trust Green Business Fund towards their energy saving equipment purchase.

Guy Ransom, commercial director at Finn Geotherm, said: “We are very pleased to have achieved Carbon Trust accreditation. The accreditation not only recognises our expertise in ground and air source heat pumps, but it also gives us the opportunity to further help small and medium sized businesses who are considering installing renewable energy systems and may benefit from the Carbon Trust Green Business Fund.”

For more information on Finn Geotherm, visit www.finn-geotherm.co.uk. For details on the Carbon Trust and the Green Business Fund, see www.carbontrust.com. 

It was all hands on deck at JMS headquarters last week, with a quick turnaround needed for new sponsorship bumpers for returning client TrustATrader.

After creating ITV Anglia weather bumpers for TrustATrader last year we were happy to be given the opportunity to pitch for their new national sponsorship bumpers for ITV1’s Bigheads, but it was a last minute job.  We had less than 24 hours to pitch ideas and from green light to delivery we managed to cast, set build, edit, clear and deliver all the idents needed within just 4 working days.

‘The Trader Olympics’ is made up of a series of eight short and colourful bumpers showing tradesmen competing with each other for the title of champion trader. The action and aesthetic complements the zaniness of Bigheads, with plenty of fun and energy!

From conception to delivery, we were able to deal with all aspects of production in-house, keeping to the tight deadlines. You can see our work on ITV at 7pm on Sunday evenings.

We’re glad to announce that working in conjunction with Vaccoda Design, we are working with gas engineers and Bromley based gas and plumbing experts Gas Safe, providing search engine optimisation (SEO) for their website(gassafe.net). Gas Safe are a South London based business that provides a wide range of plumbing and gas-related services including boiler servicing and installation, power flushing of central heating systems, Legionella assessments and much more. Initially, Gas Safe’s website was lacking a number of fundamental SEO aspects including meta data, including titles and descriptions, SEO-friendly content and a competitive and clean backlink profile.

What we have Done

Initially, in depth keyword research was required for Gas Safe to ensure relevant keywords and online searches were targeted. A competitive industry, it was important to research both long tail searches and short tail searches relating particularly to boilers and central heating services offered by Gas Safe.

Based on the SEO-friendly content management system (CMS), WordPress, we needed to update various settings for their website to make sure that Google and other search engines are able to properly crawl [analyse and rank] the Gas Safe website.

This has included installing various plugins for the website such as Yoast SEO. We were also required to remove meta keywords from the website as this is an outdated practice that is not beneficial for modern day SEO.

Having completed the routine updates of the website, we undertook a full meta data update of the website. This entailed going through each of their site pages and updating their meta titles and meta descriptions to make sure they are best placed to be ranked by Google.

We have also begun to populate the site with content and have written a brand-new landing page for their newest service; boiler finance.

As Gas Safe have not previously optimised any element of their website we have also been researching various competitive keyword terms for Gas Safe to target and rank well for. Furthermore, we are carrying out clean and SEO-friendly link building to increase the number of reputable websites that provide link traffic to the Gas Safe website. This is important as it acts as a powerful trust signal to search engines that the site is worthy of higher rankings.

Gas Safe have already seen several keywords move up a number of pages on Google including ‘boiler finance’ and we are looking forward to helping Gas Safe improve further online through carrying out further keyword research and planning as well as constructing a wide range of bespoke and content-rich landing pages to improve rankings and increase the offerings of the Gas Safe website. 

5 years ago today, on the 26th April 2012 Naked Element was incorporated by Matthew Wells, Chris Wright and our CEO Paul Grenyer.    Over the 5 years Naked Element has successfully developed software for a wide variety of clients, helping them to improve their business processes and to increase their efficiency, saving them both time and money.    A couple of most recent projects that we’re proud of:   Fountain Partnership – An online marketing agency. “Naked Element’s software for Fountain reduces processing time by 95%.” Naked Element were chosen to build a script which would allow Fountain to manage one of their largest clients in Google AdWords. In simple terms a script was created that allowed the user to specify AdWords accounts, campaigns and ad groups and then to enter a search, replacing each with a phrase or word.   IDSystems – Suppliers and installers of doors and windows. Naked Element developed a bespoke web application for IDSystems. The new application is designed to aid their trade partners through the complex choices and range of options available to IDSystems customers. Because of the complex nature of the product and service that this Norfolk company offer, the software used to handle their sales and quotes, both internally and when with a potential customer, has to be truly unique.   Over time we’ve evolved to not only offer software development, but also the design and build of responsive websites and consultancy services to improve development processes.   In the beginning, neither Paul or Matthew claimed to be professors on the business side of things and only really wanted to write software! In order to grow, the guys worked with a handful of consultants to keep them on the right track. Emma Gooderham, who is now our Commercial Director helped back in 2015 for a few weeks to market Naked Element. We have also worked with James Allison from WLP who took on the role of our growth accelerator coach from April 2016-2017, and we continue to undergo sales training with Ermine Amies of Sandler.   Along with other networking events, Naked Element have been members of the Norfolk Chamber for a little over 3 years, and we continue to use the events as a way to build up our network and bring in business.   Over the years we’ve built up expertise in iOS Development, Front and Back end, .Net development and cross platform mobile apps using Xamarin with our trusted team of developers.   What was a team of 3 full time employees, is now an expanding team consisting of:   Paul Grenyer, CEO Charlotte Grenyer, Sales Co-ordinator Emma Gooderham, Commercial Director Rain Crowson, Administrator Apprentice & PA Chris “Frankie” Salt, Software Developer Jack Rogers, Software Apprentice Emily Vinsen, Junior Software Developer Shelley Burrows, Web Developer Kieran Johnson, Software Developer Adrian Pickering, Software Developer Luke Rogers, Software Developer   Lewis Leeds also played a big part of Naked Element and was with us throughout his apprenticeship and beyond. He recently moved on to pursue his interests in Project Management and wish him well in the future.   Naked Element are very keen to help bring young developers into the industry. We offer work experience to students throughout their courses and A-levels. A couple of A-Level students, Tom Alabaster and Chelsea Crawford were especially brilliant have returned to Naked Element  to work during school holidays.   So here’s to another 5 great years of expanding our team, our clients and our network. We thank everyone who has helped us to grow along the way, and we look forward to driving our successes even more over the next 5.   Click here to read on our blog.

Leathes Prior are proud to announce that they will be supporting their 2017 Charity of the Year, The OPEN Youth Trust, by co-sponsoring the charity in their inaugural Oktoberfest event, alongside Adnams and Bitburger.

The already popular event will take place at the former site of Barclays Bank on Bank Plain in Norwich, now the home of the charitable youth trust which primarily focuses on enhancing and improving youth care in the community.

Oktoberfest will run from Thursday 5th October to Saturday 7th October, with the Friday and Saturday sessions having already sold out, there is now only limited availability for the Thursday session.

For as little as £10, plus booking fee, guests will receive a specially branded limited edition Norwich Bavarian Beer Stein and access to full evening of Bavarian food, drink and musical entertainment provided by top Umpah band The Bavarian Strollers and local pop favourites Night Train. A limited amount of VIP tickets are available at the cost of £35 + VAT for the Thursday evening, which provides reserved stage side seating, table service, complimentary first drink and Bratwurst and the aforementioned Beer Stein.

As a firm Leathes Prior are delighted to be supporting their Charity of the Year OPEN in such a way that will allow them to entertain guests at such a fantastic event whilst also helping raise funds that go directly to the charity.

John Gordon-Saker, Chief Executive of OPEN said:

“We’re delighted that Leathes Prior have agreed to be official co-partners alongside Adnams and Bitburger for our inaugural Oktoberfest event. Money raised from the event will be donated to the Open Youth Trust which will enable the charity to offer a diverse range of activities, most of which are free to attend, for young people aged from 7 to 25“.

To find out more about Oktoberfest at OPEN or book tickets for the event, make sure you visit their Eventbrite page.