Member News

Briar Chemicals firefighters paid a special visit to Mile Cross Primary School to help pupils learn about fire safety as part oftheir Great Fire of London project.

The eager youngsters were thrilled to meet Fire Safety Officer, Sam Fisher, to learn about fire safety in the home. As part of the fire safety educationfor children in local primary schools, Briar Chemicals use their training and expertise to deliver key messages, in a reassuring way, to make sure children understand the importance of fire safety.

Year 2 pupils have been learning about the Great Fire of London, which swept through the central parts of London in September 1666. The children made a model village, including the bakery in Pudding Lane where the fire started, which Samused to show the children the dangers of how quickly fire can spread.

Stuart Allen, Head Teacher said: “It’s great for our children to receive a visitfrom a Fire Officerat Briar Chemicals. From barbecues to bonfires, outdoor events happen all year round and for a lot of people, lighting a fire is a great addition to the atmosphere and the event itself. However, just as fire safety is important indoors, it is also crucial that we take all relevant precautions for outdoor fires, too.”

“Having the opportunity to listen to a Fire Officer and fire safety messages, as well as having a go in a Fire Engine, is something that will have a lasting impression on the children and hopefully help them to stay safe around fire.”

120 pupils, aged 5-6 year old, at Mile Cross Primary were treated to an up-close look at a real fire engine and all the equipment. The children pretended to be part of the fire crew and sat inside the fire engine whilst firefighter Sam turned on the sirens. They also had the opportunity toaim the water hose andknock a ball off a cone in the playground.

Briar Chemicals’ Fire Safety Officer, Sam Fisher, said: “We work with local schools to educate young people about fire safety; helping them to identify potentials hazards and learn how to stay safe from fire. These visits are an effective way of delivering an important message, in a fun and memorable way.”

Fire safety advice is available on the Norfolk Fire Service website; www.norfolkfireservice.gov.uk

Dynamic Print was established in Norwich by Barney Phillips back in 1999.Barney spends his days designing and thinking of type. He prides himself in his typeface knowledge and is known in the trade for his ability to identify various fonts. He is even sad enough to go on-line and enter a competition recognising different fonts; his score being in the top 25 in the country!The team at Dynamic Print thought it was time to explain why hestill loves to print, even after a lot of years. This is where Eye Film could help, we love telling stories. Together we have created this hopefullythought provoking video, explaining very simply Barney’s motivations – somemany of us may connect with ourselves. Shot over a a couple of days, out on his bike, at home and at work, the result was’Type’.

Human Capital Department featured in the “Caring Times” – article about how HRMS can help drive efficiencies and cost savings in this hard pressed sector.

Contact us for more details Tel. 01553 609968

Email. info@humancapitaldept.com

Norwich website design agency, Bigfork, have designed and launched a brand new website for engineering recruitment specialists, Technique Solutions. The new website has a refreshed, modern design with improved site navigation to help visitors effortlessly search current vacancies. You can see the new Technique site at https://www.technique-solutions.co.uk/. Bigfork, who specialise in website design, search engine optimistaion and online advertising, have had an extremely successful year with a record turnover and many new clients wins.

Bigfork LtdWe make websites stand out T 01603 513080www.bigfork.co.uk

Airport Introduces new scheme for passengers with hidden disabilities

Norwich Airport has been working closely with numerous local charities to help make air travel accessible to all and improve the Special Assistance Service offered at the airport. As part of this commitment the airport is pleased to announce the introduction of a new scheme to assist passengers with hidden disabilities.

From Monday 5th December coloured wristbands will be available free of charge for passengers and any friends/family colleagues travelling with them to wear as a discreet sign to airport staff that additional support may be required whilst travelling through the airport.

Jamie Price, Norwich Airport’s Security Manager commented “Working with passengers who have or are affected by hidden disabilities such as autism, hearing impaired or sight loss can really help ease the fear of air travel. As a result we have made many changes to our Special Assistance Service including providing the opportunity to talk with us, on a one to one basis ahead of travel to try and alleviate any anxieties or fears they may have about using the airport. We are also able to facilitate a ‘trial run’ at the airport before their chosen flight which has already proven to be successful. We are keen to improve the airport experience for anyone travelling with a hidden disability and the new wristbands available for passengers who wish to wear them, is just another step towards improving the overall passenger journey through Norwich Airport.”

The pale blue wristbands will be available from the Special Assistance desk located just inside the terminal building.

For further information on the Special Assistance/PRM (Passengers with restricted mobility) facility at Norwich Airport please call 01603 420672 or visit www.norwichairport.co.uk/special-assistance

Steve Jenkins Design have worked with Schäffer in the UK for the past two years on their Marketing and Advertising material, contributing to a growing market share in the UK. SJD’s successful approach has even been adopted by the German parent company. We have just created the new 2017 campaign to reach across all medias including journal advertising, social media and exhibitions.

When it comes to articulated telescopic loaders, Schäffer machines are the most successful in their class with the widest range worldwide. Precision performance on any terrain, with lifting heights and loads that you will not find in comparable machines from the competitors. The compact design, which is characteristic of all Schäffer loaders, makes them easy to use particulary in hard-to-reach areas, where size matters! Add to this the renowned Schaffer reliability, built in user friendly controls, modern and purposeful styling and you have the perfect material handling solution.

You know what it is like. You buy a car. Your dealer may give you half a tank of fuel with the deal. It’s only going to take you so far before you have to fill up again. This is pretty much the same with a website. You need to fuel it up every so often. If you don’t it is like putting a Ferrari on the Autobahn with a Skoda engine inside it: It will look fantastic, but it will never perform to its full potential.

Until now companies have(typically) relied on an SEO agency to ‘fill up’ their website, on a monthly basis and have commited to beingin a long-term contract. This may be good for some, but invariably the process becomes stale and the impetus is lost as nothing really changes. Filling up your website means that you need to have the right ‘juice’ to gain improvement online. But, it is likely your competitor will change their ‘additives’ (content on page and off) and therefore likely that you will have to too. So, a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is likely to fail.

SEO is a methodical process. It takes time, understanding of your market, and skill in changing and replacing code to satisfy the cravings of the engines. It is up and down – like fuel prices! The needs and requirements of the search engines are also up and down.

At Metalfrog we have always tried to do something a little different.

So what makes us different? Well, Metalfrog is on page 1 Google UK and .com for a number of major searched key phrases covering SEO services and associated practices. There are testimonials and endorsements across the Internet and stored at its offices too.

We know that there are many companies out there offering the kind of services we do, but we’ve never seen this particular type of offering before.

If you want more details please checkout our new page on the website:https://www.metalfrog.co.uk/pay-as-you-go-seo-the-new-way-to-improve-your-websites-ranking

If this interests you please get in touch and we can tailor make a package for you and against your competitors. We look forward to speaking to you soon.

Metalfrog: creative search engineers.

Bluemoon Investigationsare a long established company, specialising in covert inquiries for both public and private concerns. From providing evidence to the court in cases of fraud, to tailing cheating spouses across the globe, Bluemoon have had over thirty years experience in getting to the truth. They also run a College training people how to become professional private investigators. They came to Naked Element with a desire to have a better and more efficient client-facing web presence for the College.

SEO specialistSean Clarkhad been working with Will Clayton, Director ofBluemoon, to improve their web search rating, and recommended Naked Element to him for a new website. “Our old website wasn’t branded, slow and not working for us, we needed a whole new design to improve communication, speed and our web presence to potential business.” Our designer Shelley took on the challenge and worked closely with Will to get the result Bluemoon wanted. “The process was easy and straightforward – Shelley made design suggestions, and we approved those we liked, and the build was quick and painless! We’ve received prompt help and support for the small changes we’ve requested since the site went live too. There were some style changes I wanted to make, which Shelley explained could be difficult, but Naked Element worked hard to resolve them and give me what I wanted.”

The result is a responsive website that welcomes potential clients and provides Bluemoons’ service details in a clear and user-friendly way. From Shelley’s point of view the process was mostly plain sailing. “The only challenge I had was super tiny – it was to do with text layout on one page. Most people approach web design like magazine design (which has a fixed size and layout), so they assume you can be pixel perfect. Due to different screen sizes, that’s not always possible, but there are always workarounds so it was a case of trying to get the right balance across all screen sizes.”

“Will can be a bit of a perfectionist, which is really nice actually – he’s not at all picky but is great at noticing detail. Working with him was nothing but a pleasure.” And from Will’s point of view? “I haven’t had to be involved much with Naked Element in all honesty – the whole process has been painless and relatively easy, which is exactly how it should be.”

Does your business use interpreters, translators or other language skills? Do you market your products and services internationally?

Our member Sprowston High School are looking for business people to share their experiences of using different languages in business with Year 9 students. They are at a crucial point in their academic career to decide whether to continue with language education, and we would like to show them some of the uses in their later career.

Venue:Sprowston Community High School, Cannerby Lane, Sprowston, Norwich NR7 8NE

Date: Any Friday sometime between 9:15-12:30

Timings: 30min/1 hr session, flexible

Please contact Elinor Goodhead on elinor.goodhead@norfolkchamber.co.uk to participate.

East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) is appealing for businesses to help them achieve their vision to transform children’s palliative care across Norfolk and reach more families at a time they need it most.

EACH cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across East Anglia and supports their families. The charity has outgrown it’s current hospice in Quidenham – restricting the care they are able to offer. The nook appeal aims to raise £10 million to enhance these services, including a purpose-built hospice called the nook.

The building at Quidenham is old and the charity can’t develop the site more than they already have. EACH believes families in Norfolk need to receive the very best services and to do this they need a 21st century building to provide 21st century care.

The nook will be five-miles south of Norwich and provide a central hub, serving families across Norfolk with specialist care both in the hospice, the family home and community.

The new hospice will offer services unavailable or extremely limited at Quidenham including a hydrotherapy pool, music studio and larger and more accessible outside space.

There are plenty of ways your company can support the nook appeal and help families at an unimaginably difficult time:

Sign up for the nook business network and join more than 30 local businesses who have already pledged to raise money Partner with EACH and choose the nook appeal as your charity of the year

For more information on the nook appeal please visit www.each.org.uk or contact Norfolk@each.org.uk.

Alan Boswell Group, one of the UK’s largest independent insurance brokers and financial advisers, today announced that it has acquired S-Tech Insurance Services Ltd.

Founded in 1982, S-Tech provides guidance on insurance to both businesses and individuals and has more than 65 employees based at its head office in Cambridge. S-Tech will retain its name and all staff as an ongoing enterprise.

The acquisition sees gross written premium for the expanded group rise to £82m, while the Norwich-based firm will see staffing numbers exceed 300 people.

“We have been actively looking to broaden our reach into Cambridgeshire and S-Tech is the perfect fit. The company shares the same values as us, providing expert, friendly advice to its clients. But S-Tech also offers the group something new, because it specialises in technology and science, research and development and credit insurance,” said Alan Boswell, Executive Chairman. “I’m particularly pleased that we have been able to secure S-Tech’s independence, which is a rarity these days.”

Shaun Walker, founder and CEO at S-Tech, added: “We are delighted to become part of Alan Boswell Group. The sale provides security for our staff and enables us to grow our business in our chosen sectors under our existing brand and management.

“I’m sure both our existing and new customers, professional networks and introducers will continue to benefit from the group’s commitment to customer service – a key driver in reaching this agreement.”

Alan Boswell Insurance Brokers directors, Chris Gibbs, Alastair Drew and Alan Boswell will join Shaun Walker, Desmond Matthewson and Laurence Hill, on the board of the new company.

Here at Norwich Print Solutions we are excited to announce the launch of our brand new website!

Our aim was to create an engaging and user friendly site which clearly demonstrates the wide range of exceptional value, high quality products and services we offer. Please do take a look at www.norwichprintsolutions.co.uk.

To celebrate its launch, we are offering the chance for you to win a bottle of fizz! It’s so simple to enter – all you have to do is enter your name and email into our contact formand quote ‘Website launch competition’ as your message. The winner will be announced Monday 28th November 2016. Terms and conditions apply.