Member News

Norfolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Stephen Bett, will soon have to decide whether to increase or freeze the policing element of Council Tax – and he wants to know what you think.

The Commissioner is launching a public consultation throughout January on whether the police precept should rise by 2pc (an average of £4 per year) or be frozen.

Stephen said: “The announcement from the Government around police funding was welcome but that does not mean Norfolk Constabulary is out of the woods; far from it.

“The Government has said that police funding will be protected – but that’s on the assumption that PCC’s increase the policing element of the Council Tax by 2% each year.

“There are, of course, still major financial pressures on the force as they carry the burden of past funding cuts, and the demands on our police continue to increase and crucially, to change.

“There is an unprecedented surge in demand in areas such as rape, serious sexual offences and child sexual exploitation as people feel more confident to come forward. Cybercrime is another area of serious growth for the constabulary – and an expensive one.

“Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) says Norfolk Constabulary is doing an outstanding job in managing its efficiencies, but there is much more to do.

“Before I make any decisions on whether to raise the precept I want to hear people’s views. I will be consulting throughout January and would urge people to have their say.”

Each year, the PCC is responsible for setting the policing element of the Council Tax and is responsible for consulting with the public for their views.

Take the survey now. The consultation begins on 4 January and runs until 29 January.

You will be able to have your say via theonline survey on the Norfolk PCC website, by requesting a hard copy of the survey (telephone 01953 424455 or email opccn@norfolk.pnn.police.uk) or by taking part in one of a number ofopportunities to have your say in person, including:

Wednesday 13 January – Public Budget Consultation Meeting: 6.30pm,The Council Chamber,Norfolk County Council,County Hall,Martineau Lane,Norwich,NR1 2SF

Monday 18 January – Public Budget Consultation Meeting: 12 noon,The Assembly Room,Town Hall,Saturday Market Place,Kings Lynn,PE30 5DQ

Workplaces across Norfolk are getting on their starting blocks ready to compete in the 2016 New Year Workplace Challenge which starts today – Monday 4 January 2016.

Last year over 1000 people from 70 businesses were signed up to take part in the New Year challenge logging 25,000 hours of physical activity. This year Active Norfolk wants even more people to get involved, and as an easy way of introducing more physical activity into your life are suggesting workers ‘revolutionise their lunch break’.

Across England workers take on average 5.31 sick days per year. NHS research has shown that those who are physically active are 20% less likely to take a sick day and are 27% more likely to return to work quicker if they do.

Time is often cited as a barrier to participation in sport with many workers spending 8 – 9 hours at work in sedentary positions. With this in mind businesses are being asked to encourage their employees to get active on their lunch break and save one sick day per employee per year. Just adding a brisk 30 minute walk to the middle of each working day would get most people up to the recommended level of 150 minutes of physical activity a week.

The annual eight week Workplace Challenge is a great way for people to motivate themselves and their colleagues in the New Year, enjoy some office banter and improve energy and stress levels.

Joanne Doleman from the Institute of Food Research who had 20 people taking part in the Workplace Challenge in 2015 said: “I got involved as I had had a period of six months off work due to illness and had done no sport or physical activity during that time. The Workplace Challenge was a great way to get me back into it. Getting my work colleagues involved really motivated me to keep going and even now our team is always supporting and encouraging each other to get active. Plus getting people from across the organisation involved brought teams together with some friendly competition between departments.”

Katie Tierney, Fit4Work Project Officer for Active Norfolk said “By signing up to the Workplace Challenge website for free, people can log their levels of sport, physical activity and active travel online over the eight weeks. Every activity allocates points to the person and their workplace. This is a really great way for anyone wanting to get more active to enjoy participating and be rewarded for their efforts by being entered into a weekly prize draw.”

Throughout the eight weeks there are some amazing prizes up for grabs thanks to our sponsors. These include a free years Gym Membership at Nuffield Health, Sportspark and North Norfolk leisure centres, a commuter bike from Pedal Revolution plus spa days, restaurant and shopping vouchers, and much more.

For more information and to sign up go to www.activenorfolk.org/challenge

ENDS

For more information contact:

Katie Tierney – Fit4Work Project Officer – 01603 731569 or

Rachel Cubitt – Marketing Communications Officer – 01603 732332

Kickstart (Norfolk) is now the largest and only sustainable wheels to Work scheme in the country, having started back in 1996 with a couple of bikes we now have a fleet of over 300 Honda vision 50cc mopeds and 110cc scooters. Recognising transport as being a major contributor to employment issues in rural communities we can supply a fully insured and maintained moped from only £4.29 per day. All the individual needs is a provisional licence, a one day training course (CBT) and suitable motorcycle clothing, the cost of training can usually be covered by a third party funder if required.

As a registered charity & non-profit organisation we have assisted over 5000 individuals with transport to either start work, maintain current employment, attend education or improve their quality of life if in foster care. Having built strong relationships with local Job Centres and work programme providers Kickstart is often the difference between an individual starting work and remaining an unemployment statistic.

2015 has been our busiest year ever peaking at 285 bikes in use at any one time and still hovering around 274 bikes in use entering the winter months, although motorcycling tends to be seasonal because our clients need transport for work they use their bikes all tear round.

Our focus has been on the end user appealing directly to those that may need transport to start work or are in danger of losing a job due to transport issues. Being a member of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce it’s time to expand our marketing to potential employers, there must be a number of rural business within Norfolk that struggle with recruitment and staff retention due to their location and lack of public transport to the area.

Do you have issues with staff absenteeism because their lift has let them down, Struggle to fill shifts because there is no public transport coinciding with the shift times, do you hire candidates because of where they live rather than because they are the best person for the job? Perhaps Kickstart can assist you & your employees. If you are interested in finding out more or have any questions please visit our websitewww.kickstartmopeds.org.ukor ring/email 01362 699923,barry.lynes@kickstartmopeds.org.uk

In a bid to change a life this Christmas, Signs Express has donated enough money to fund a child’s whole support experience with Nelson’s Journey, including a two day therapeutic residential weekend and 1 to 1 support.

Nelson’s Journey, a charity dedicated to supporting bereaved children and young people throughout Norfolk, was founded in 1997 in the county. Since its establishment, the charity has helped thousands of children between the age of 0 and 17 who have experienced the death of a significant person in their life. This year alone, the team at Nelson’s Journey has helped over 600 children across Norfolk deal with their grief.

Signs Express, a franchised network of signs & graphics businesses situated across the UK and Ireland, is headquartered in Norwich and is a long-term supporter Nelson’s Journey. This year, the company’s HQ decided to donate its Christmas card money – topped up with a little extra – to a good cause. The £522 that the team donated is enough to fund a full assessment into a child’s bereavement needs, attendance on a therapeutic residential weekend and ongoing one-to-one follow up work.

Craig Brown, Managing Director of the Signs Express group, highlighted his pride in supporting such an important local charity, “Everyone has been affected at one point or another by bereavement, but it must be unimaginably difficult for children and teenagers. The work that Nelson’s Journey does, gives these young people a solid support structure and ensures that they never feel alone, which is crucial to their well-being. We are proud to support Nelson’s Journey and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.”

Signs Express HQ has been supporting Nelson’s Journey for four years and have so far raised just over £6,000 for the cause. With the ambition to continue supporting the organisation for years to come, Signs Express and Nelson’s Journey have formed a close relationship and a passion for supporting local children and teens to manage their grief effectively. Any money donated to the cause is gratefully received and goes a long way to helping those in need.

Gena Moore, Corporate Funding and Marketing Officer told us why the support was so important, “We were so surprised and thrilled to receive such an amazing contribution from Signs Express at such a difficult time of year. This year, 470 children and young people in Norfolk will be experiencing their first Christmas after the death of a parent. The support given to us by Signs Express really will help to change the life of one of these bereaved children, helping them move forward positively with their lives. It’s thanks to this amazing local business support that helps us keep up with the growing demands on our service.”

If you wish to donate to this fabulous cause, there are plenty of ways to do so, take a look here for inspiration: https://www.nelsonsjourney.org.uk/donate.aspx

Or if you need some new signage take a look here: www.signsexpress.co.uk

City College Norwich has celebrated the success of its first 8 trainees to complete the 8-week BBC Make It Digital traineeship. The young people were presented with certificates by BBC Look East presenter Susie Fowler-Watt at an event held at MINT in The Forum.

The new traineeship has been developed by the BBC, in conjunction with the Department for Work and Pensions, in recognition of the vital part that digital skills play in a huge range of job roles across all business sectors and organisations.

The trainees spent 4 weeks at college getting to grips with topics such as how to use social media platforms effectively, producing multimedia content for web sites, search engine optimisation, branding, budgeting, marketing and project management.

They then undertook a 3-week work placement with an employer which gave the trainees the opportunity to put their skills into practice and gain valuable experience.

The traineeship concluded with a final week in college, where the trainees completed a team challenge, involving a live digital broadcast, bringing together the skills they had developed during the preceding 7 weeks.

Each trainee is moving on with a digital portfolio of their work and – as guests heard at the celebration event – greater self-confidence and a clear focus on securing a job or an Apprenticeship place as their next step.

One of the Make It Digital trainees is 22 year old Sam Kerr from Norwich, who found out about the traineeship through the job centre. She completed the placement element of the traineeship with Apprenticeships Norfolk, based at Norfolk County Council.

Commenting on the Make It Digital traineeship, Sam said: “I have learned about my own skills, like finding out that I had more confidence than I ever realised, learning how to do presentations professionally, networking as well. Meeting new people and making new friends has been a massive part of it as well. It’s been really good.”

Sam, who has now secured an Apprenticeship with Norwich-based Wide Angles TV, starting in the New Year, added: “If you’re into media, if you want to get into the media sector, this traineeship helps you so much with everything. Videos, photography, all of the digital side of it, there is so much to learn. Everything that we’ve done you wouldn’t think it’s possible to do in 8 weeks, but it is, and it’s really fun as well.”

Reflecting on the achievements of all of the trainees, Alison Harvey, Deputy Head of Employer Responsive Delivery at City College Norwich, commented:

“Over the initial 4 weeks that the trainees were in college we saw them blossom with the employability skills, with the technical challenges that they were doing, and in their confidence. During their placements they have all completed a social media project and done something really valuable with it. We’ve given them the tools and they’ve gone away and done it and that I think is what has impressed us most.”

City College Norwich is keen to hear from 16 to 24 year olds who would be interested in similar traineeship opportunities. The college would also like to hear from new employers who could offer a trainee a work placement.

For more information please contact City College Norwich’s Employer Responsive Delivery Unit on 0800 328 3616 or email employerpartnerships@ccn.ac.uk.

The New Year is an excellent time for businesses to begin proactively planning their recruitment strategy for 2016, and beyond, and a good recruitment agency can add real value to this process.

In depth recruitment planning could become increasingly crucial in 2016, as employers potentially face an ‘applicant drought’. If the economy continues to grow, more businesses are likely to expand and start recruiting new people, leading to increased competition for the best talent.

Planning ahead will help businesses to prepare for this shift, increase the quality of the recruitment process and minimise the risk of any expensive hiring mistakes. Experienced recruitment consultants will work with employers to ensure their business is well equipped for future growth.

Here’s a few examples of how a good agency can help to ensure that 2016 is a successful year for recruitment.

1. Extra industry insight

Consultants have their finger on the pulse of the industry they specialise in, acting as an employer’s eyes and ears in the market place. Whether its jobs being advertised by competitors, or shifting trends in salaries, this insight will help ensure your organisation offers the right package to attract the best talent.

2. Enhancement of employer brand

Promoting a company as a great place to work really helps to attract high quality candidates. A good consultant will not only highlight the benefits of working for your organisation directly to candidates, they will also provide ideas on how to stand out as a good employer. This could include showcasing your organisation as a socially responsible place to work, or suggestions of any employee benefits which could help to make your organisation more competitive.

3. Wider field of candidates

Consultants will have access to people who may not consciously be looking for a job and wouldn’t necessarily have seen that you were advertising. They will also be aware of talented people who may currently be looking for a similar role, but in a different location. With the right relocation package, which a consultant will help to advise on, they could be tempted to take their next career step in a new area.

4. Great culture fit

A good fit for your organisation’s culture is just as important as the right skills, qualifications and experience. Recruitment agencies can provide additional, complementary services, such as psychometric testing, to help identify the candidates who share your company’s values. Plus consultants will already have interviewed candidates and have a clear understanding of who they are and what they are looking for, saving internal teams time by only providing a shortlist of the most appropriate candidates for the role, and for the company itself.

5. Ongoing support

Here at Pure, we don’t just place someone in a role and then walk away. We continue the relationship to ensure the candidate settles in to the new role as quickly and effectively as possible. This includes offering services such as induction support and transition coaching.

Norse Commercial Services is sponsoring the 2016 Young Enterprise Initiative in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Young Enterprise is the UK’s leading charity that empowers young people to harness their personal and business skills, making business relevant to their daily lives.

Norse Group HR Director Tricia Fuller said;” As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility strategy we are sponsors of the 2016 Young Enterprise Initiative in Norfolk and Suffolk. There are a number of schools in the Norfolk and Suffolk area taking part in this year’s programme, with young people running a business for an entire year.”

“This is a really exciting opportunity for the young adults who will be taking part and they will need lots of business advisors. Norse will be providing seven mentors, whose commercial expertise and skills covering a range of business disciplines that will help the students with the various challenges they will face. “

Norse will be providing mentoring for teams, which consist of 10 to 12 youngsters, from City of Norwich School, Norwich High School for Girls, Attleborough Academy and the University Technical College.

Daniel Vanstone, Head of FM Services at Norse has volunteered to assist in answering questions and giving business advice for a year 11 class at the University Technical College Norfolk (UTCN).

“These students are enterprising professionals, managers and business leaders in the making,” he commented. “This is a great way for students to realise that business is never straight forward and there will always be curveballs you must overcome to succeed. For me there isthe unique satisfaction of using my own experience to help develop the next generation of enterprising professionals.”

Linda Raphael, Key Account Director with Norse subsidiary n-able, will be working with City of Norwich School; “This initiative is giving young people an ideal opportunity to get involved in the commercial work world by taking their ideas forward to form a functioning company. It teaches them how to work and develop as a business, making decisions and working as a team. I volunteered to mentor in order to give something from my commercial experience back to the community, guiding and supporting the team through the various stages in the project.”

Glyn Manton, Subject leader for Economics and Business at City of Norwich School said; “Norse has been excellent support for our energetic team of year 10’s who meet after school. Advisers really helped the students during the ‘storming’ stage of group development. Now we are through that students now feel positive and, because of the support, are ready to take their companies’ products to market.”

East Anglian accountancy firm, Aston Shaw, have set their sights on further expansion after announcing plans to relocate their Norwich Head Office to a newly refurbished 7000 sq.ft bespoke designed office space, complete with state-of-the-art conference and meeting rooms and a capacity for 100+ members of staff, as of January 2016.

The new head office has been built to an extremely high spec with a modern, open plan layout that will pave the way for future growth and employment – allowing the firm to commit to recruiting a further 20 staff within the next two years. The space has been exclusively designed for Aston Shaw’s use and will transform the day-to-day working environment, levels of efficiency and overall client care.

Dominic Shaw, Director commented, “our growth in the last 5 years has been phenomenal and our new head office is something to show for all the hard work. The move will give us more visibility, make us more efficient as a business and enable us to provide an even better service to our clients. We will now look to build on our success in Norwich and translate that to our offices across the region”.

The decision to move from Aston Shaw’s former Head Office based on Thorpe Road (for over 40 years) to The Union Building on Rose Lane was taken with the interests of both clients and staff in mind. As well as being more accessible, clients will benefit from comfortable new meeting space that is both private and practical with digital screens to display real-time accounts statistics, as well as a much larger waiting area complete with coffee making facilities. Staff will have a much more spacious, bright and positive working environment, which will enable better collaboration as well as a quirky breakout area to relax and recharge in.

The new head office is the latest in a series of significant strategic expansion moves for the firm – including the recent acquisitions of Norwich based sole trader Richard Harris Ltd, local rival accountancy firm Roger Hopkins and the 2014 merger with Morgan Woods. The firm has no plans to slow its growth, and is always seeking ways to improve the service provided to its clients.

A special delivery has brought Christmas joy to families receiving care and support from East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH). Every year EACH hosts a Christmas party for children, young people and their families and thanks to Loads4Less, the Norwich-based removals and storage firm, party equipment and presents were delivered from Quidenham hospice to the party venue at the Norfolk Showground ensuring everyone had a great time.

Staff from Loads4Less gave up their time voluntarily to deliver presents to the party free of charge as well as delivering and returning equipment; saving the charity valuable funds, resources and staff time.

Megan Seaman, EACH Facilities Coordinator at Quidenham hospice, said: “We’re absolutely delighted with the generous support from Loads4Less which saved us a great deal of time and money and ensured the party ran smoothly. All of the families had a great time and it was lovely to see so many smiles when Father Christmas came to visit to hand out the presents. Volunteers are vital to EACH as Loads4Less have proved.”

Loads4Less Director Adam Soall said: “As a business, we feel it’s important to support our local community, and we can’t think of a more worthy charity to support than EACH because of the amazing work they do.

“It was a delight to offer our services free of charge to ensure the party was a great success, and to ensure EACH staff didn’t have to spend their valuable time doing deliveries. We’re looking forward to continuing supporting EACH and all the future opportunities the relationship will bring. It’s rewarding to support a local charity and we’d encourage other businesses and individuals to get involved.”

To find out more about EACH visit www.each.org.uk and to find out more about volunteering at EACH please contact the charity’s Volunteer Services Administrator: volunteerservices@each.org.uk or call 01223 205183

Online job boards provide job seekers and interested parties with instant information about numerous different positions being advertised. They offer many benefits and are extremely useful for applicants seeking to make their next career move.

To be able to quickly and easily look at jobs being advertised is extremely convenient, whether you are actively looking for a new role, or just curious about current career opportunities in your industry. As well as promoting job vacancies many sites also offer the opportunity to upload your CV, allowing employers and recruiters to contact you direct if they think your skills and experience match what they are looking for. The aim is to save people time, increase their chances of finding jobs and to create more of a two way process.

However there are things to be aware of when posting your CV online, not least your privacy. Most sites have privacy controls which allow you to decide who will be able to access your personal details and career information. It’s important to look at these very carefully. Once your CV has been downloaded, you are likely to have less control over how and when it will be used.

In the vast majority of cases those who can access your CV will use it responsibly. However there have been come examples where this hasn’t been the case. It is important to realise that problems could arise when these CVs are accessed and are submitted for roles without the person knowing anything about it.

One example is a situation when a candidate has added a CV to a job board simply because they are interested in understanding what jobs are available that match their skillset. It is important to realise that their CV could be downloaded by a number of different agencies, without their knowledge, and sent to a range of accountancy firms in the area. This has the potential that the candidate receives a number of calls from agencies saying that they have arranged interviews, despite having no idea what type of role the candidate was looking for, or what sort of organisation they’d like to work for. This could also mean that the CV is received on numerous occasions by firms from a number of different agencies, each claiming the candidate was only working with them.

Although most employers will have realised that the candidate was likely to have been a victim of

this situation it is still potentially damaging for this to happen. It is important that candidates are aware of the potential pitfalls, as well as the benefits, so that they can make an informed decision.

Registeringwith a reputable recruitment agency can provide the same benefits as uploading your CV to a job board and can also add value to your job search by ascertaining the type of firm, type of role you would like and much more. They can save you time and maximise your chances of finding your next role by matching your skills and experience to the employer’s requirements. Utilising a recruitment company that is knowledgeable about the Practice market and the differences in the range of firms from a cultural and expertise perspective can be invaluable. At Pure we also pride ourselves on working withcandidatesand supporting them through their career journey. We have specialist consultants who are experts in the Practice specialism and also the commercial environment. This means understanding not just your skills, specialism and career profile to date, but also your aspirations and key values. We want to ensure that the recruitment solution we offer you meets your life and work objectives. We will only ever suggest roles that we believe are right for both you and the client.

From pre-start to established businesses, New Anglia Growth Hub’s team of 10 business advisers have given 20,000 hours of their time to guide ambitious business owners to sources of funding, grants and services to enable expansion.

The Hub was set up in June 2014 by the LEP, as a one-stop-shop for business support. To date, it has engaged with nearly 5,000 businesses across Norfolk and Suffolk as well as individuals looking for help to start-up.

Suffolk Chamber of Commerce run the contract to deliver the Hub, on behalf of the LEP. John Dugmore, Chief Executive said: “The team has recorded an impressive number of hours between them and the service they offer is of the highest standard. To further ensure we are providing the most effective advice and support to local businesses, all advisers are working towards their Level 7 Diploma in Professional Business and Enterprise Support – nationally recognised by the Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

“With the excellent support of our colleagues at the New Anglia LEP, we look forward to continuing to provide the local business community with this successful and much needed service in 2016.”

Chris Starkie, managing director of New Anglia LEP said: “We set up the Growth Hub following significant demand for guidance from local businesses on how to navigate through the complex opportunities for funding and support. Our primary goal has always been to ensure business owners have access to a straightforward and professional service, regardless of size, industry or stage of development.”

Growth Hubs are a core part of Government’s plan to support businesses, with the closure of the national Business Growth Service (incorporating the Manufacturing Advisory Service and Growth Accelerator), New Anglia Growth Hub is now the primary gateway for business support across Suffolk and Norfolk.

Anna Soubry, Minister for Small Business, said: “Where taxpayers’ money is used to provide support, this is best done at the local level which is why we’re providing further funding to Growth Hubs and away from Whitehall.”

Easton and Otley College challenged youngsters in Norfolk to draw pictures of what they think a tractor will look like in 100 years.

Eleven schools decided to take up the challenge and over 600 entries were submitted.

Greg Smith from the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA), Ross Johnson from sponsors Ernest Doe and Sons Ltd and Dani Chatten from the college judged this competition.

They chose one winner from each individual school who entered.

An overall winner was then chosen out of all of the finalists and they received a 3D design of their tractor that was made by students from the University of East Anglia. All winners picked up a certificate, a goody bag and a trophy from the principal of Easton and Otley College, David Henley.

The overall county winner was ten year old Josh Kerrison from North Denes primary school in Great Yarmouth.

He said, “I wanted to make my design different from everyone else. So I added a static electricity source as part of the design. I had lots of ideas and I had an elevator for the stairs.” On winning he added, “This was the best I have felt since Christmas.”

Jenny Bellison is one of Josh’s teacher. She said, “It’s great that the school has been recognised – the competition was a great way to get young people inspired and I’m very proud of Josh.”

Organiser of the competition, Dani Chatten, said, “I’m incredibly passionate about farming and we thought this competition was a great way of engaging with youngsters in a fun way. We are very grateful to all the schools and students for supporting this and would also like to thank Ernest Doe and Sons Ltd for sponsoring and for judging. The RNAA for judging and the EDP for supporting us. We are delighted with the response and we very much hope to make this an annual competition.”

Lisa Blinkhorne from Ernest Doe and Sons Ltd, said, “We are very keen to work with educational establishments and share the love that we have for farming. As an industry and as a nation, we need to do more to encourage new generations into farming and this competition has been a great way of enabling us to get the message out that agriculture is incredibly exciting.”

RNAA Chief Executive, Greg Smith, said, “This is a terrific competition for Norfolk schools and it was a pleasure to be involved in the judging process. The RNAA support a number of projects that encourage a greater understanding of food, farming and the natural environment. This is a fun project that produced some very imaginative and exciting entries.”