Member News

A newly-qualified Norfolk accountant is on top of the world.

Lauren Day, who works for East Anglian chartered accountants and business advisors Larking Gowen, has been awarded the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) Gold Medal for the highest global score attained over the final tier of five professional exams.

An aggregate score of 416 marks out of 500 left her top of a class of 5,000. It marks a triumphant end to a gruelling five-year schedule of accountancy qualification exams for the former Wymondham High Academy Sixth Form pupil.

ACCA is a global body for professional accountants, supporting 480,000 students in 178 countries.  A spokesperson for ACCA said the aggregate marks Lauren gained in the P (professional) level exams were an “amazing achievement.” It earns her the title of Top Affiliate from the December 2016 exam session and an award of £500. 

Lauren, who joined Larking Gowen’s Diss office straight from sixth form, said she was “stunned” to receive a congratulatory email from the ACCA’s Director of Learning. The letter described her performance as outstanding and informed her that her marks were the highest achieved anywhere in the world. The prize caps a study marathon which saw Lauren pass 20 exams in four-and-a-half years.

Taking so many exams in a relatively short period while also working full time was a big ask – but Lauren said her colleagues had been very supportive.

Larking Gowen partner Grant Pilcher, who has mentored Lauren throughout her time at the firm, was not at all surprised by her spectacular achievement.

“Since the day she began with us Lauren has been a model member of staff,” he said. “You only have to tell her something once and she has got it. She is a very bright young lady – and more than that, she invests so much application in everything she does. She thoroughly deserves the gold medal.”

Tim Howes, Regional Manager for training provide Kaplan Financial described Lauren’s attainment as “pretty special.”

“She gained top mark in the world for her P2 Corporate reporting paper in June 2016 – and that was no mean feat. But she has surpassed that with this amalgamated score recognition.”

 “We are extremely happy to share in Lauren’s success once again. Her dedication to her studies is plain for all to see and the rewards are testament to the time and effort she has invested over a sustained period. This kind of award is the icing on the cake for us at Kaplan Financial,” he said.

“We are proud to work closely alongside Larking Gowen in the delivery of their professional examination training and this proximity means we all feel part of their success in the nurturing of exceptional talent. Congratulations again to Lauren and we wish her all the best for her future career.”

Larking Gowen regularly recruit both graduates and A level students and have a history of producing prize winners. We would welcome anyone who thinks they can join that lengthening list to apply via our website.  

Tudor Lodge Consultants are thrilled to be working with Redstone Commodity Search, a Hertfordshire based consultancy specialising in the selection, recruitment and successful placement of candidates of all levels in the commodities industry. With commodities playing a hugely important part in all of our daily lives (from metals to coffee and cocoa), it is more important than ever for businesses to ensure they get the right expertise for their business.

Redstone Commodity Search came to us with a website that whilst having a clean design and traditional feel, needed modernising, optimising and updating. We worked with their developers to migrate the site over to an open source content management system (CMS), making it much easier for staff to upload and edit content and post jobs on a regular basis.

We also worked with the developer ensuring that the integration between numerous databases that manage the bespoke jobs section of the site was seamless.

Working directly and very closely with the client, we have created over 15 individual landing pages tailored to specific areas within the commodities industry. We have ensured that the site’s SEO practices are fully updated and brought into 2017, by cleaning up their link profile; removing spam, auditing their internal and external link structuring and providing each and every page with unique and SEO-friendly meta titles, meta descriptions and alt-texts. We have also made sure that all meta keywords, an outdated practice are fully removed.

We also made sure to submit them an up to date sitemap in the correct format, making sure it is properly crawled and ranked by Google and other search engines.

We worked to ensure that the site’s menu structures and links are fully updated, adhering to the cleanest SEO practices. This has also been the case with the site’s footer, where we worked to remove reciprocal and unnecessary links.

Furthermore, we are continuing to help Redstone Commodity Search write further SEO-friendly content for the site and are constantly working to build them a solid platform online; strengthening their presence through thorough link and keyword research across a number of different channels.

We look forward to working further with the team at Redstone Commodity Search, helping them to build on their already impressive and hugely promising progress.

One of the world’s top portrait photographers Rankin was in Sheringham, Cromer and Norwich this week filming a documentary for the BBC and Mustard TV.  He’s presenting a programme about the Sheringham’s famous photographer Olive Edis.  As part of the film Rankin was shooting scenes in Edis’s old studio in South Street where he was using her original camera to take pictures of Lord of the Rings star Bernard Hill.

“Olive took photographs in her studio using only natural light and it’s quite a challenge using her camera that’s over a century old to emulate her style,” said Rankin. “Olive was a pioneer of portrait photography and one of only a handful of female photographers making their mark in a male world.  Her work is hugely inspiring for what I do today.”

Olive’s photography spanned the social spectrum but her work is largely forgotten today.

“She was equally at home taking portraits of Princes as she was recording ordinary working people like her evocative studies of fishermen. She had an innate ability to put anybody who sat for her at their ease. Her fame a hundred years ago was second to none and our film aims to bring her story to a wider audience,” said director Clive Dunn.

“Olive’s place in the history of photography has been overlooked but thanks to a recent exhibition of her work at Norwich Castle and the forthcoming TV film, this renewed attention will help reinforce her reputation,” added the film’s producer Charlie Gauvain.

Being made by Norwich production company Eye Film, Fishermen to Kings – the forgotten photographs of Olive Edis will be shown on BBC 1 and Mustard TV later in the year and you’ll have to wait until then to discover how Rankin’s portrait of Bernard Hill turned out.

For further information please contact: Producer, charlie@eyefilm.co.uk

One of the world’s top portrait photographers Rankin was in Sheringham, Cromer and Norwich this week filming a documentary for the BBC and Mustard TV.  He’s presenting a programme about the Sheringham’s famous photographer Olive Edis.  As part of the film Rankin was shooting scenes in Edis’s old studio in South Street where he was using her original camera to take pictures of Lord of the Rings star Bernard Hill.

“Olive took photographs in her studio using only natural light and it’s quite a challenge using her camera that’s over a century old to emulate her style,” said Rankin. “Olive was a pioneer of portrait photography and one of only a handful of female photographers making their mark in a male world.  Her work is hugely inspiring for what I do today.”

Olive’s photography spanned the social spectrum but her work is largely forgotten today.

“She was equally at home taking portraits of Princes as she was recording ordinary working people like her evocative studies of fishermen. She had an innate ability to put anybody who sat for her at their ease. Her fame a hundred years ago was second to none and our film aims to bring her story to a wider audience,” said director Clive Dunn.

“Olive’s place in the history of photography has been overlooked but thanks to a recent exhibition of her work at Norwich Castle and the forthcoming TV film, this renewed attention will help reinforce her reputation,” added the film’s producer Charlie Gauvain.

Being made by Norwich production company Eye Film, Fishermen to Kings – the forgotten photographs of Olive Edis will be shown on BBC 1 and Mustard TV later in the year and you’ll have to wait until then to discover how Rankin’s portrait of Bernard Hill turned out.

For further information please contact: Producer, charlie@eyefilm.co.uk

TaxAssist Accountants moved up two places from 24th into 22nd in Accountancy magazine’s Top 75 firms survey, with fee income continuing to grow for a seventh year running among the UK’s biggest accounting firms.

A key factor behind the continued growth of the TaxAssist Accountants franchise network was its 13.1 per cent increase in fee income, up from £29.7m to £33.6m.

Early indications throughout the industry suggest that revenues will continue to grow in 2017, with businesses increasingly turning to accountants for guidance and support to negotiate the uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the EU referendum and the consequent volatility for exchange rates and the political scene.

Inside the top 20 firms within the rankings, there was no change of positions whatsoever. The ‘Big Four’ firms, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Deloitte, EY and KPMG, received a combined income of £10.69bn, accounting for more than three-quarters (77 per cent) of the entire fee income reported by the Top 75 accounting firms in the UK.

The best performing firm outside the top 10 firms was Menzies, reporting 18.5 per cent growth to £40.3m. Encouragingly, TaxAssist Accountants recorded the ninth highest year-on-year fee income growth outside the top 10 firms.

TaxAssist Accountants is continuing the expansion of its network of shops and offices across the UK, with the remit of making life simpler for small business owners, allowing them to focus on doing more of what they do best: running their business.

With more than 200 franchised areas already across the UK, the network is always looking to further expand its reach and encourage more people to run their own TaxAssist accountancy franchise.

Our Discovery Days are the perfect starting point for anyone that’s thinking of branching out on their own as an accountant. They help accountants to understand the TaxAssist business model, the support on offer and more importantly, meet the senior TaxAssist team.

Our next Discovery Day is on 2nd March 2017, with other days planned for 11th April and 17th May. Call us today on 0800 0188297 for a confidential chat about becoming an integral part of the TaxAssist Accountants network.

February 2017

Honouring shooters from across a selection of categories, the CPSA Awards 2017 were held on Saturday 4 February. Sporting inspiration,Sharon Davies MBE, guest hosted the evening to complete an evening of achievement and glamour.

Founded in 1928,The Clay Pigeon Shooting Association (CPSA)co-ordinates clay target shooting for around 25,000 members. Another 200 trade members, along with 400 grounds and clubs, are also affiliated with them. Organising competition opportunities, the CPSA, also organises events for the selection of the England Shooting Team or the GB Team throughBritish Shooting.

Young Shooter of the Year 2017

Nominated for the Young Shooter of the Year, our sponsored local shooter, Charlie Soanes attended the ceremony with his parents. Although the remarkable young shotAmy Easemantook the trophy, Chalie nevertheless walked away with the runner-up trophy. Charlie and his successes over the past year have made TVC proud, furthermore, reaching the nominations is a fantastic achievement! The award is a great accomplishment since he competes against older and experienced shooters the majority of the time.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to all award winners and nominees, it is an extraordinary reflection of your determination and skills being recognised in this way.

A video of the ceremony is available on the CPSA Facebook page, clickhereto view.

Picture (from top-left): Charlie and his parents; Charlie’s trophy; Charlie and Amy Easeman; Charlie and his mum and lastly, enjoying his meal!

The race is on to secure your place in the fifth annual West Norfolk Fit4Work Games! Registration is now open for all businesses ready to take on the challenge of the West Norfolk Fit4Work Games, which will be held on Wednesday 8th March at Alive Lynnsport. Get your colleagues together and enter a team for this year’s Games! Network, be competitive and have fun competing in a variety of sports such as football, badminton, netball and fitness triathlon with trophies up for grabs in each of the sports. The games, offer a unique opportunity for colleagues to get together and show off their team work and sporting skills against teams from other local businesses. Kicking off at 6pm and finishing at 9pm, the West Norfolk Fit4Work Games promises to be an action packed event, providing teams a great chance for a bit of team bonding with colleagues as well as an opportunity to network with local businesses. Chair of Alive Leisure Peter Lemon said: “The Fit4Work Games is an event organised jointly by Alive Leisure and Active Norfolk. The Games encourages employers to get their staff to take part in activities that will improve their physical health and therefore their productivity, motivation and attendance at work. The Games promote team work and is a great way to make new friends, the Games keep growing each year and I’m sure this will be the best yet.” Fit4Work is a free workplace health scheme that provides employers access to a wide range of opportunities to engage, inspire and help improve employees’ overall health and physical activity levels. Katie Tierney, Active Norfolk Fit4Work Project Officer, said: ‘It’s great to be working with Alive Leisure again this year to run the event. It is always a really fun evening giving colleagues the chance to enjoy some time together outside of the work environment and creating a buzz in the workplace in the days preceding and following the event. Each year we see new businesses taking part in addition to lots of organisations returning which is really positive to see.’ Teams from businesses in West Norfolk are invited to enter into this fun tournament. All abilities are welcome! For more information and to book your place, please visit www.activenorfolk.org/west

How are you feeling after being back at work for a month? Is it time to address any lingering thoughts about finding a new role? With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, here’s our top tips to starting your journey to finding a job you’ll love.

Decide what you want to change -Motivate yourself to get started by looking at what you want to change and why. What do you enjoy doing in your current role? What do you want to be doing more of? What would make your day-to-day life happier? Is it a pay rise, a shorter commute, or more flexible working hours? Everyone’s motivations and desires are different. Decide what matters most to you.

Assess the market -Spend some time having a look at all the jobs available in your industry and in your chosen location. Get a general feel for the career opportunities out there now. What skills are in demand? What salaries and benefits are on offer? Our new website makes it even quicker and easier to see the career opportunities we’re currently recruiting for.

Update your CV -It’s the obvious starting point and should also be a real confidence boost. Add in your latest role, the skills and experience you’ve gained, and what you can offer a future employer. Don’t forget to update your profile summary accordingly as well.

Polish your LinkedIn presence -LinkedIn has become a fantastic tool for job seekers and for employers looking for new recruits. Just like your CV, make sure your summary highlights your achievements, experience and skills. While it needs to be an accurate reflection of yourself, don’t be shy about showing what you can offer potential employers.

Build your contacts -Sometimes the best potential career opportunities come through word-of-mouth alone. As well as actively looking for advertised roles, talk to family, friends and other people you know to find out where there may be opportunities. Build your general network of contacts by attend networking events and relevant industry events – maximising your chances of hearing about any potential roles on the grapevine.

Look for the right cultural fit -Look at what an organisation would really be like to work for, as well as at the job description. Explore company websites for information on culture, values and staff wellbeing policies. How do they portray themselves on social media channels? Are they featured on any forums where previous employees post about what an organisation is like? External awards for being a ‘best employer’ or ‘great place to work’ are also a good sign as these types of commendations are only awarded after the organisation has been judged by independent experts.

Get support -An expert recruitment consultant can help maximise your chances of finding your ideal next role by matching your skills and experience to an employer’s requirements. Here at Pure we also pride ourselves on working with candidates and supporting them through their career journey. We want to ensure that the recruitment solution we offer you meets your life and work objectives and we will only ever suggest roles that we believe are right for both you and the client.

Good luck!

Help us protect the heart of the Norfolk Broads!

We are appealing for your support to help meet our target of raising £1 Million for the Hickling Broad Land Purchase Appeal by 31 March 2017

We are pleased to announce that we have raised £500,000 so far but time is short and we are asking for people to get involved and raise funds during our Community Fundraising Week. There are some fundraising ideas in the pack attached . Perhaps someone would be willing to act as a ‘champion for Hickling’ and organize an event that is fun, challenging or just plain silly! Or maybe you could have one of our donation boxes available for the week for staff and visitors to make a donation.

We’d like our big ‘Help Hickling’ fundraising day to be Friday 3 March and the more of us who fundraise on that day in particular the better!

We can supply poster templates, sponsorship forms and help with publicity. We’d like you to promote your event via social media or if you can provide us with the information as soon as possible, we can do this on your behalf. We will send out a press release in advance so we need to know what fundraising event you are planning. For further information, help and advice, please get in touch with Jacqui Rogers, Fundraising Officer on 01603 625540 or email jacquir@norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk . We look forward to hearing from you with details and good luck with your fundraising event!

Norfolk Wildlife Trust has announced today on World Wetlands Day that over £500,000 has been donated so far to the Hickling Broad Land Purchase appeal in just 3 months. The Trust is working to raise £1 million before the 31 March 2017 deadline to purchase 655 acres of the Hickling Broad Estate that were put on the open market in September 2016.

However, there is still a way to go to ensure that this internationally important and wildlife-rich wetland is secured for the future. Hickling Broad is a Site of Scientific Special Interest (SSSI) and a National Nature Reserve (NNR). It is also designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) under the EU Birds Directive and as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EU Habitats Directive in recognition of its European importance for its habitats and the wildlife that depends on them.

Norfolk Wildlife Trust Chief Executive, Brendan Joyce said, “Hickling Broad is a nationally and internationally important wildlife jewel. This will be the biggest land purchase in the Trust’s 90 years’ history. On a day that highlights the significance of wetlands across the world, we are asking everyone to think about one of the most important wetlands in the UK and help us. This is a golden opportunity to secure Hickling Broad for the future so that its wildlife is protected and that its natural resources, from which many people benefit, are used wisely and sustainably.”

World Wetlands Day raises awareness of how essential wetlands are in providing valuable wildlife habitats but also how they support people. Norfolk Wildlife Trust Ambassador and evolutionary biologist Ben Garrod said “we cannot underestimate the importance of our wetlands – they are a vital part of ensuring we have a healthy natural environment, protecting and improving water quality and working as a sponge to store floodwaters.” He continued. “Hickling is one such wetland that is also internationally renowned for its rich biodiversity. Nowhere else in the UK can you see the powerful Norfolk hawker dragonflies darting over the water, marsh harriers floating overhead or common cranes dancing at dawn, as well as kingfishers, Cetti’s warblers and otters. It is absolutely essential that it is protected for wildlife into the future. We must not let all our conservation efforts be undone or let endangered species lose their homes.”

More than 1,400 acres of reedbed, fen, grazing marsh, open water and woodland make up the Hickling Broad National Nature. Its wetland habitats, sensitively restored by Norfolk Wildlife Trust, offer a year-round haven for threatened wildlife such as iconic swallowtail butterflies, marsh harriers, Norfolk hawker dragonflies, the common crane and of course, the bittern.

To donate to the Hickling Broad land purchase appeal you can donate by visiting our website at: www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/support-us/hickling-broad-land-purchase-… or on our Just Giving page: www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/norfolkwildlifetrust/hickling or telephone: 01603 625540

– Ends –

For more information and images contact:

Sue Borges at Norfolk Wildlife Trust

Office: 01603 625540

Mobile: 07919 064615

Email: sueb@norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk

Norfolk Chamber Gold Patron Greater Anglia is supporting national plans to simplify train fares and make buying tickets easier, by making its own customer-focused improvements.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents all train operators and Network Rail, today (Wednesday) announced trials of a new fares system and an action plan for companies, aimed at making ticket purchase from ticket vending machines easier and simpler.

Andy Camp, Greater Anglia Commercial Director, said: “We fully support the Rail Delivery Group’s plans. We are already well advanced in adopting and delivering the actions announced, with some initiatives already in place and other planned as part of our new franchise.

“We are committed to offering our customers great value fares and make it as easy as possible for them to use our services.”

Greater Anglia has introduced a new fares “Price Promise”, guaranteeing the best price possible if customers book via the Greater Anglia website or app, or refunding the difference if they find the same ticket cheaper elsewhere.

The company has launched a new website which includes an easier ticket-buying process and highlights how many bargain Advance purchase tickets are still available to buy.

Further new, great value fares and tickets are due to be launched later this year, including an Advance Purchase ticket available up to ten minutes before departure and next year an enhanced FlexCarnet season ticket will be introduced for travellers who use the same route, but not every day.

Changes to ticket vending machines include eliminating some confusing jargon and routes, such as removing the terms “Any Permitted” and “London Terminals” where appropriate to do so and putting on a “cheapest fare” button.

Customers will also be able to buy a wider range of tickets from ticket machines, including Advance purchase, weekly PlusBus and monthly season tickets.

Existing card readers on the machines are being replaced with contactless readers which accept Apple Pay and Android Pay.

All existing and new ticket machines will be Smart-enabled for collection and purchase of Smart season tickets. They will also provide a real-time information button, displaying the departure board from the station where it is located.

Another benefit for customers will be the installation of extra ticket machines at some of Greater Anglia’s busiest stations, including London Liverpool Street, Stansted Airport, Chelmsford, Colchester and Ipswich.

There also plans to install 14 additional cash and card ticket machines at a number of Essex stations, as part of a wider roll out of ticket machines across the Greater Anglia network, with more details due to be announced in the next few weeks.

Norfolk-based renewable heating expert Finn Geotherm, has won two highly prestigious industry trophies at the National ACR & Heat Pump Awards 2017. The company was also highly commended for a third.

Finn Geotherm was awarded the Non-Domestic Ground Source Project of the Year Award for its landmark installation at RAGT Seeds in Cambridgeshire. The ground source heat pump system provides both heating and passive cooling for six of RAGT Seeds’ glasshouses which are used for developing crops. The installation has revolutionised the way in which RAGT Seeds heats and cools its glasshouses, not to mention producing significant cost and energy savings.

The company also won the Domestic Ground Source Project Award for its ground source heat pump installation at Weybourne Mill – a picturesque 18th Century tower windmill in North Norfolk. The system specified and installed by Finn Geotherm provides low maintenance heating and hot water for the whole house, including a mill bedroom all the way up on the fifth floor.

In addition, Finn Geotherm was highly commended within the Heat Pump Installer of the Year category.

The sought-after National ACR & Heat Pump Awards celebrate excellence in innovation, projects, installations and environmental successes in the air conditioning and refrigeration and heat pump industries. They bring together manufacturers, end users, distributors, heating engineers, ACR contractors and consultants from across the country.

Guy Ransom, commercial director of Finn Geotherm, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won two awards at the National ACR & Heat Pump Awards and to be highly commended for a third. We undertake every single installation with the utmost care and attention to detail to ensure that we deliver the best possible heating and hot water system to meet the needs of each customer. It’s the way we have always run Finn Geotherm throughout our 10 years in business. To be recognised in these top national industry awards is a fantastic achievement and testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire Finn Geotherm team.”

David Alston, technical director at Finn Geotherm, added: “The RAGT Seeds project was our most complex and largest ground source installation to date, which took months of meticulous planning and careful installation, but has achieved some truly remarkable results for the customer. Similarly, the windmill at Weybourne, really gave us something to get our teeth into to ensure the heating and hot water generated by the ground source heat pump would circulate effectively all the way through the house including up to a bedroom on the fifth floor of the mill tower. We’re extremely proud of both these installations – and all of our others to date – so to be awarded these titles which recognise the best in the industry is a truly great accomplishment.”

For more information on ground and air source heat pumps and details on Finn Geotherm, visit www.finn-geotherm.co.uk.