Member News

East Anglian recruitment company Cooper Lomaz is proud to be a sponsor of the inaugural Nelsonspirit Future Leaders Crew, a fantastic programme for young people in Norfolk.

“I am delighted that Cooper Lomaz is sponsoring this fantastic programme to help inspire and grow young leaders into the leaders of the future. As a business leader myself, it is an honour to be able to help young people develop the skills necessary to become a leader too” – Charlotte Cooper, CEO of Cooper Lomaz

The Nelsonspirit Future Leaders Crew is a leadership programme for Norfolk young people aged 16/17 who aspire to be the leaders of tomorrow.

Nelsonspirit is offering high potential sixth formers, selected from schools across the county, the opportunity to work and learn together as a ‘crew’ in close engagement with the leaders of today. Over 12 months and 7 half day meetings, the crew will be exposed to master classes and mentoring with MDs and CEOs from business and charities. The crew will also enjoy bespoke workshops on leadership development, and, we offer the opportunity to deliver a leadership project in a charity.

Founder and Chairman of Nelsonspirit, Nigel Cushion, says “We are excited to be launching the Nelsonspirit Future Leaders Crew in Norfolk this autumn. Leadership is the key ingredient that takes businesses and communities forward, and it is fabulous that the 5 pilot schools have engaged to help us inspire young people and select the leaders of tomorrow.” he continues “We look forward to delivering the master classes and linking the young people with 40+ leaders of today in our regular adult crew, as well as supporting them delivering leadership projects in charities. Our inspiration comes from Nelson a great Norfolk leader of yesterday, but we are also inspired by companies like Cooper Lomaz, the leaders of today, who are prepared to join us and invest in, the leaders of tomorrow.”

The Future Leaders Crew not only represents a fantastic opportunity for young people to develop their leadership skills, but, the programme will also help with important decisions on their future.

The programme gives successful applicants access to leading employers, experience and insight of work and is evidence for CVs & UCAS, thus supporting any future job or college applications.

The aim of the Nelsonspirit Future Leader Crew is to support, inspire and grow all participants to the programme by guiding them on their individual leadership journey and bringing them into contact with business and charity leaders.

This is the first year of the Future Leaders Crew and Nelsonspirit has worked with 5 high schools around the Norwich Area – Open Academy, Norwich School, Wymondham College, Taverham High and Norwich High School for Girls in order to bring a wide variety of 24 applicants from all backgrounds and walks of life.

The 24 applicants will now be taken through to a selection morning on 13th November 2016. Following that, the successful applicants from this round will form the crew which will begin in late November.

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About Nelsonspirit:

Nelsonspirit was founded in 2008 by Norfolk businessman Nigel Cushion following the death of his close friend Dr Hal Belknap.

Hal believed that all leaders have an active role to play in their local community. His life creed was that “There are those in your community who need your help – reach out to them. Helping others is one of the best ways to help yourself”

Nigel realised that all communities anywhere in the world have fantastic local leaders in business and in charities, but most tend to work in isolation.

Nelsonspirit – Named after great Norfolk leader, Horatio Nelson – is about bringing leaders together in close engagement to help each other on their leadership journey.

Www.nelsonspirit.co.uk

About Cooper Lomaz Recruitment:

With its roots in Norfolk and Suffolk, Cooper Lomaz is now pushing into regions beyond East Anglia, providing benchmark recruitment services for candidates and clients alike. Whether you’re looking for a new job or a new employee, Cooper Lomaz Recruitment Consultants are committed to delivering an unrivalled range of recruitment services covering permanent, contract, and interim appointments. They boast to have over 25 years’ experience recruiting in the East of England. Our team of over 60 specialist consultants deliver our award-winning, intelligent recruitment services.

Cooper Lomaz recruits in a number of specialist industry sectors including Accountancy, Engineering, Insurance, I.T. and Food Manufacturing and placed 22nd in The Times 100 Best Small Companies to Work for in 2015.

https://www.cooperlomaz.co.uk

Sixty young scientists from across the region were invited to the Top of the Bench Science Investigation Day, where they were tasked with chemical conundrums around the theme of the Olympics.

The main aim of the event, which has been hosted at Briar Chemicals for over 15 years, was to challenge budding young scientists to undertake experiments they had not witnessed before, and draw clear conclusions from their results.

A team of Harrison Death, Year 11, Michael Walker, Year 10, Elita Tmava, Year 9, and Charlotte Smith, Year 9 from Sprowston Community High School were victorious at the Top of the Bench East Anglian heats and will go on to compete in the national finals next year.

Headteacher Andrew John said: “I am absolutely delighted with the success of our students being the regional winners in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Top of the Bench Competition. We have one of the bets science faculties in the county, and I am so proud of their latest achievement. A superb team effort.”

Dr Sean Thurston, an education coordinator of the East Anglia section of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “The Top of the Bench regional heats were a fantastic event that brought together schools from across the region to compete in a range of chemical challenges. It’s been a while since East Anglia had a national winner… so fingers crossed for this year!”

The winning team of four from Sprowston Community High School will go on to compete in London at Easter 2017, and the pupils are very much looking forward to the challenge. 15 schools took part in the event, with Bury St Edmunds County Upper in second place and Gresham’s School in third.

Tim Green, site manager at Briar Chemicals, said: “It’s a pleasure for us to host this event again this year. It’s a great way to challenge these young chemistry students and the tasks are not easy. It’s always an interesting morning which often throws up surprises.”

Whilst the panel of judges marked the experiments, the young scientists were given a tour of the Briar Chemicals site so they could see the chemistry working on an industrial scale.

The national Top of the Bench competition is for 14 -16 year old students studying chemistry. Royal Society of Chemistry Local Sections run heats during the autumn term to select a team to represent the section in the UK final the following year.

The Royal Society of Chemistry organise the finals to take place in the following spring which includes a short test of factual chemical knowledge and a practical chemical problem solving team exercise.

First prize is awarded to the best overall school performance, with five teams receiving runners up prizes. The Jacqui Clee Award is given to the student who has demonstrated an outstanding individual contribution to the day.

To find out more and apply to take part please contact your nearest Local Section Secretary.

FreeSeminar Ready for Growth Event to Take Place in Norfolk

Claire Brooks, managing director of Suffolk based, Box-it East, the confidential document storage company, will be the keynote speaker at ‘Ready for Growth’, an event for Norfolk businesses taking place on Wednesday 23rd November at North Walsham.

The event has been organised by Genix the business support organisation and Alex Till the CEO of Genix said, “Our aim is to inspire and inform local businesses. We’re thrilled that Claire has agreed to speak. She’ll talk through how she has expanded the business, building new secure warehousing and employing staff. Claire has a wealth of experience from project planning, customer care, sales, finance and HR. We’ll no doubt gain some top tips for growth and hear about the pitfalls to avoid.

“This will be a useful morning for any business, ambitious to expand and my thanks to Neil Burr of DesignTec who is sponsoring the event.”

During Ready for Growth there will be ideas from DesignTec on how to grow a business online and Larking Gowen Chartered Accountants will explain how to cover the costs involved when growing a business and managing cash flow.

There will also be the opportunity to ask questions of a panel of business support organisations Genix has brought together and free refreshments and networking opportunities.

Ready for Growth has been commissioned by NNDC and Cllr Nigel Dixon, Cabinet Member for Business and Economic Development said: “The event is designed to support traders and businesses who are looking to expand their business and benefit from the insights of fellow entrepreneurs and business support organisations. I would urge businesses to come along to the event and find out more.”

Ready for Growth, is free to attend and takes place at Scarborough Hill Country Inn, in North Walsham on Wednesday 23 November, from 9.30am until 12.30pm. Booking is essential and spaces are limited. To book go to www.genix.org.uk/?p=seminars or call Genix 0800 096 3013.

Tudor Lodge is pleased to announce the launch of its very own online tech magazine: TechRound.co.uk. The website is dedicated to the thriving tech and start-up scene in the UK and the website offers interviews with start-ups, industry insights and tech journalism in an magazine format.

Why we created TechRound

Tudor Lodge specialises in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) which refers to the techniques used to get a website higher up on Google’s search results and other search engines too including Bing and Yahoo. We have been trading for just over two years and have achieved some great results with our clients including Be Wiser Insurance and you can read some of our other case studies on the Norfolk Chamber directory.

One of the biggest factors that helps a website’s rankings on Google is getting strong PR mentions, links and citations from other websites. We tend to constantly reach out to journalists and even pay for articles to be published on behalf of our clients. By creating our own tech website and strengthening the domain through strong links and quality content, we can give our clients a bit of a boost by adding their link to the TechRound website. Its also quite a nice thing to offer a new client that as soon as they come on board, we can give them some PR and a strong link.

How this can benefit Norfolk Chamber members

As part of our commitment to the Norfolk Chamber who have always supported our work, we are happy to offer interviews, articles and press releases for free to Chamber members. This is something that we are already charging companies for, but we would be delighted to help you or your clients get some exposure and of course, a nice link will help their rankings on Google too! So if you have any ideas that you would like to contribute, feel free to email us at info@techround.co.uk and we will get back to you on the same day!

Renewable heating expert Finn Geotherm, has become accredited by Constructionline – the leading provider of procurement and supply chain management services.

Constructionline is a resource for public and private organisations, such as health trusts, housing associations and private companies, looking for high quality suppliers and contractors. In order to qualify under the Constructionline scheme, contractors must complete rigorous health and safety compliance and provide details of its business competence. The accreditation provides reassurance for public and private organisations that they are dealing with the best suppliers in the industry.

Guy Ransom, commercial director at Finn Geotherm, said: “We are very pleased to become Constructionline accredited. Having already been working with a number of public and private organisations, Constructionline will simplify the tender and appointment process, enabling us to continue installing more great energy-saving, heat pump systems for our customers.”

For more information on Finn Geotherm, visit www.finn-geotherm.co.uk. For details on Constructionline, see www.constructionline.co.uk.

Are you approaching the staging date to have your company’s workplace pension scheme in place?

Business owners and Management have enough to deal with, without the deadlines and the consequences of non-compliance for Automatic Enrolment.

Combine this with the requirement to pay the contributions and you can see why many employers view this as burdensome.

However, if you approach it from another angle it is a fantastic opportunity!

Regardless of your company size and structure, if you consider our tips, the associated costs with Automatic Enrolment won’t be wasted, and instead can be viewed positively.

Read our four reasons how it can help you attract and retain the best talent if implemented effectively.

You can get in touch with Ryan Oates for more information on 01603 760866 or Ryan@sgcorporateservices.co.uk.

One way to grow a business is by spotting a new niche and diversifying. That’s exactly what one local forward-thinking marketing agency has done with the launch of their new website inkonfabric.co.uk.

For the past three years, Example Marketing and Web Design has been working with businesses across Norfolk to help get them noticed by potential customers. One aspect of that work is helping business owners get the most from exhibiting at trade fairs and events. Owner, Emma Raines, explains more:

“We’re often contacted by businesses who’ve booked space at a trade show, but have no idea how to make the most of the opportunity. One of the things we help them with is making sure their stand has impact and looks great – first impressions are really important. Through researching options available for good value exhibition kit that can be reused at a number of different events, we identified the Ink on Fabric range as one of the very best solutions.”

Fabric exhibition stands are fairly new to the market. The basic design is a lightweight aluminium frame with a printed fabric cover that’s simply slipped over the top and zipped in place. They’re proving to be an excellent alternative to traditional pop up curve stands and roller banners.

“The fabric scheme addresses a lot of the downsides of more traditional reusable stand options. They’re easy to store and transport and are really quick to assemble. The covers can be easily replaced, or you can shove them in the washing machine to keep them fresh.A really practical solution for small and medium sized businesses who exhibit at several events each year.”

The new inkonfabric.co.uk website enables business owners to purchase the range of products online. Customers can either upload their own artwork, or request design as part of the package. Emma continues:

“We’ve tried to make the process as simple as possible. We’re hoping that by creating a site which specialises in the fabric range we can make more people aware of the options available to them. We think switching to fabric could really boost businesses’ exhibiting power.”

Norwich small business specialist, TaxAssist Accountants on Aylsham Road, is celebrating a double appointment to its five strong team. The practice, part of the Norwich-based franchise of independently owned businesses providing tax and accountancy advice to small businesses across the UK, has made the appointments follow a period of significant growth.

Robin Johnson took over TaxAssist Accountants in Norwich in 2012 and, in the face of challenging economic conditions, has seen a ten per cent rise in business year-on-year and client numbers top 400. In response, he has appointed Jennie Douse and Liz Andrews, who each have a wealth of knowledge in the industry, to join the team as accountant and bookkeeper respectively.

“At a time when demand for our services continues to grow, I am delighted to welcome Jennie and Liz to our team – they are already proving to be real assets and we’ve had great feedback from our clients,” said Robin.

“Alongside the new staff members, we’ve also introduced a cloud-based solution for clients which allows us to do things quicker and provide real time information, as well as quarterly and annual reports. It’s proved really popular with many of our existing clients and I’m confident more and more clients will come to us with the new technology in place.”

With the new staff appointments and technology, Robin is looking to recruit further in the new year and is also planning to open a second shop in the city.

TaxAssist Accountants Norwich is a local business itself, operating across Norwich providing tax and accountancy advice and services to over 400 small businesses.

November 2016

Aston Shaw is proud to be this year’s corporate sponsors of renowned local artist David Dane’s latest exhibition “Visions”. It has been two years since David Dane last presented an exhibition of his distinctive paintings. A long-term client of Aston Shaw and much loved Norfolk resident, David’s depictions of the Norfolk Broads and surrounding rural landscape have been displayed worldwide.

In 2015, David suffered the worst possible tragedy, the loss of his beloved son. This has forever changed the artist’s life and has had a major influence on David’s craft; his most recent works invoke an undeniable sense of spirituality. David’s latest exhibition “Visions” is very much in homage to his late son, William.

Over the past forty years or so that David has been interpreting the Broadland scenery in his own mystical style, many people have commented on David’s extraordinary ability to capture the essence of the Broads. This remarkable talent has propelled him to become one of the best-selling artists of fine art prints in the UK. His most famous piece is the Romantic Mill which has sold hundreds of thousands of copies.

Having long been regarded as a firm that is ingrained within the local community, Aston Shaw are proud to have supported David as his accountant throughout his career and hope his latest exhibition proves to be another massive success. Dominic Shaw, Director, comments “We are really proud to be associated with David and to have the opportunity to support him and his extraordinary talent. We will be attending his latest exhibition in our numbers and hope to see the place packed out!”

David Dane’s new exhibition “Visions” presents a brand new collection of original paintings and high-quality Giclée prints. The exhibition is being held at one of the most beautiful venues on the Norfolk Broads, “The Boathouse”. Formerly “The Eel’s Foot” public house, the venue is situated right on the edge of Ormesby Broad. The exhibition opens Saturday 19th November and continues until Sunday 27th November, open daily between 11am-4pm.

TaxAssist has been named as one of three finalists in the Best Franchise £25k – £99k Investment category at the 2016 Best Franchise Awards to be held on 30th November

The accountancy franchise was selected for the Royal Bank of Scotland-sponsored awards as a result of feedback from its franchisees, which was gathered by research specialists Smith & Henderson.

To be shortlisted, a company must have previously taken part in the Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark survey. Franchisees are asked to anonymously provide scores for categories including initial training, ongoing support and whether they would recommend their franchise to a prospective franchisee.

TaxAssist Accountants hopes to continue its string of successes, having received awards at the Best Franchise Ceremony every year for the last five years.

Sarah Robertson, Group Operations Director at TaxAssist Accountants, said: “Being nominated yet again for a Best Franchise Award is fantastic news, and follows hot on the heels of being awarded Five-Star Franchisee Satisfaction by Smith & Henderson.

“These awards are based on how pleased our network is with the TaxAssist business model and the comprehensive support we provide, which makes them extra special.”

Steven Frost, Director of Smith & Henderson, said: “We would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to these franchisors who have already shown themselves to be among the very best in the country.

“All the finalists have received outstanding feedback from their franchisees who completed our independent and confidential Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark survey, which uniquely identifies the franchises that live up to their franchisee’s expectations.”

The winners of the 2016 Best Franchise Awards will be announced at the Best Franchise Conference in Milton Keynes on Thursday 30th November 2016.

More information is available from www.bestfranchiseawards.co.uk

November 2016

PRESS RELEASE

Tiger Eye announce most successful year to date

Tiger Eye have announced that 2016 has been their most successful year to date. Launched by Dave Wilson in 2005, over the last decade Dave has grown the business to currently 12 members of staff. Tiger Eye are a niche IT consultancy, specialising in document and email management for professional services firm. Tiger Eye are one of only a handful of official UK iManage Partners- iManage is the global market-leading software solution for document and email management. In 2016 Tiger Eye have taken on a growing number of customers, and a significant number of large support contracts.

To support this growing customer base, several new staff have joined the team this year in the support team and in project management, handling the day-to-day project co-ordination of new customer roll-outs. Among them, Cerys Burcher is managing Tiger Eye’s recently launched legal knowledge management software Blueprint, as well as looking at expanding both thelocal and European customer base. “It’s fantastic to be working with such a genuine and friendly team, in such an exciting and innovative sector,” she enthused.

Asked what has driven the growth, Managing Director Dave Wilson comments, “Our new customers talk about how they are drawn to our partnership approach. Matt Cleverdon (Strategy & Innovation Director) and I take the time to really get to grips with what people are looking to achieve in any new implementation, and what they expect from their support partner. People come to us for solid, professional advice, based on decades of experience in the industry.”

About Tiger Eye

Tiger Eye is a niche IT consultancy, specialising in Work Product Management, and a UK iManage Partner implementing iManage solutions across Europe. We focus on providing high calibre consultancy from an experienced, senior team, working in close partnership to plan bespoke solutions that meet all our customers’ business needs, and provide expert technical support and customised development solutions to our iManage customers.

For more information please contact:

Cerys Burcher

Strategic Programme Manager, Tiger Eye Consulting Ltd.

01603 293509

cerysb@tigereyeconsulting.com

www.tigereyeconsulting.com

Finn Geotherm – the leading heat pump installer in Norfolk, has won the Rural Enterprise Award in the prestigious Eastern Daily Press (EDP) Business Awards 2016.

The Rural Enterprise category, sponsored by West Raynham Business Park, celebrates rural businesses who are innovating and creating jobs and opportunities across the county. From artisans to start-ups, to companies who have found new opportunities through innovation and diversification, this award recognises the dynamic individuals and enterprises who are passionate and proud to be rural, but whose ambitions are not limited by their location. Winners of the EDP Business Awards were chosen from hundreds of entries received from companies across Norfolk, Waveney and Fenland.

Celebrating its 10th year in business, Attleborough-based Finn Geotherm has grown from three employees installing 6kW heat pumps to a 20-strong team designing, specifying and installing 350kW systems for pan-European companies.

Guy Ransom, commercial director of Finn Geotherm, said: “We are very proud to be located in rural Norfolk. This location is our heartland and one where renewable energy systems provide the best possible alternative to hard-to-access fossil fuels for both domestic and commercial customers in all types and sizes of homes and premises. We are absolutely over the moon to have been awarded the Rural Enterprise Award. The EDP Business Awards are one of the region’s most prestigious business award schemes and to win this award, especially in our 10th year of business, is testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire team here at Finn Geotherm.”

For more information on Finn Geotherm and ground and air source heat pumps, visit the website or call 01953 453240.