Winter – the time for drawing the curtains and snuggling up by the fire – or is it?
For some young people there will be no curtains, and certainly no heating. We can’t begin to imagine what it must be like to sleep rough in the Winter, especially if you are a vulnerable young person.
What we can do, though, is to help raise money for a deserving local charity and have a taste of what it feels like to sleep outside on a Winter’s night. This is why Fiona and Lesley from Norwich Sunblinds signed up for the charity event Sleep Out Norwich.
Although they won’t even have a small taste of what it feels like to be scared and alone on the streets, the thought of sleeping out in the cold, on the concrete, was enough to make us think twice before signing up. If it helpsraise awareness – even if it encourages people to stop and talk to a homeless person, it will be worth it.
The charity in question is The Benjamin Foundation – a Norfolk charity supporting children, young people and families with a wide range of issues including homelessness. They celebrated their 21st birthday in October – we were there to help them celebrate.
Part of their work involves providing accommodation centres for young adults provide support and a safe place to live while they help them get their lives back on track.
At Norwich Sunblinds, we can help people sleep well with our blinds and curtains, and now we want to help those who are homeless sleep safely at night.
Norwich International Airport has formally unveiled brand new Flybe routes to Alicante and Malaga, with tickets for the region’s first sunshine flights in almost a decade now on sale at www.flybe.com .
The new routes are made possible following a deal between Norwich Airport owners Rigby Group and Flybe last month. The Alicante and Malaga services will both operate twice a week and the return of Saturday flights to Jersey for peak summer, combined with the other holiday flights available at the airport, brings the total number of holiday flights out of Norwich up to 20 per week.
Andrew Bell, who heads up RCA (Regional and City Airports), the airport management division of Rigby Group PLC and owners of Norwich, said: “We are delighted to be able to announce that the 2016 summer sunshine routes to Alicante and Malaga are on sale. A lot of hard work has gone into securing these routes for the region, and we’re confident that the ability to fly direct from the East – avoiding the stress and travel involved in the major London airports – will once again prove to be a big hit with our customers.
“Combining these scheduled sunshine routes with our existing business routes and growing number of holiday flights means Norwich is getting ready for a very busy 2016.”
Tickets to Alicante and Malaga are available for booking at www.flybe.com and are currently available for travel from 27th March through to 30th September 2016.
FLYBE’S 2016 SUMMER SCHEDULE FROM NORWICH (NWI)
ALICANTE (ALC)- two flights a week (Tue/Fri)
Dep NWI 1440 Arr ALC 1815 Dep ALC 1205 Arr NWI 1350
MALAGA (AGP) – two flights a week (Mon/Thurs)
Dep NWI 1445 Arr AGP 1845 Dep AGP 1215 Arr NWI 1405
JERSEY (JER) – Saturdays 7th May – 17th Sep
Dep JER 0905 Arr NWI 1020 Dep NWI 1105 Arr JER 1225
Low oil price & implications for people management?
Recently the Norfolk Chamber organised a breakfast seminar “Trends in the Energy Industry” in Great Yarmouth.
If you attended this event you might also be interested to know that Peter Lawrence from Human Capital Department will be speaking at the World Oil and Gas Week on 17th Nov 15 in London (Lancaster Hotel, W1) on a related topic: Implications of low oil price trend for people management strategies.
Peter, who is currently transitioning from a Senior HR role with leading LNG Op. Co. in Qatar, to HR consultancy human capital department, based in Kings Lynn, will be part of a panel discussion on “Talent Management Strategies in the light of the low oil price”.
For those unable to attend Peter has produced a free executive presentation – please email peter.lawrence@humancapitaldept.com or tel. 01553 609968 for a copy.
The David Lawrence Construction Skills Centre, a £3.75m construction training centre designed by LSI Architects, at Easton and Otley College’s Easton campus has been officially opened. The New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership has invested £2.5m in the new construction training centre whichwill enable the college to treble its number of construction students.The Construction Skills Centre project is the first of the LEP’s Regional Growth Fund supported projects to be completed, with the dealfor the region’s £221M signed by Lord Hesseltine at the turf cutting ceremony for the centre in March of this year.
This will help overcome a growing shortage of skilled workers which threatens the industry’s ability to meet demand, including key targets for house building.
Mark Pendlington, chairman of New Anglia LEP said: “This new construction training centre means the next generation of bricklayers, carpenters and electricians will be learning their skills in state of the art facilities.
“And with three times as many apprentices and students coming into the construction sector over the coming years, the college can make a very real change to the housing picture in Norfolk and Suffolk and nationally too.”
The new training centre will offer training in skills including bricklaying, joinery, site carpentry and electrical. The college’s Suffolk campus has been offering construction training for more than 10 years, with the Norfolk site having launched its first courses for the sector in 2012.
David Henley, principal of Easton and Otley College, said: “I joined the college in April 2015 and the creation of such a fantastic resource – that will bring masses of opportunities to apprentices, students and industry – is one of the many reasons why I chose to work for this great college.
“In terms of construction, since 2012 in Norfolk, we have trebled the amount of construction students we teach in three years and we are aiming to do the same again in the next three to four years thanks to this new investment. We are confident that our new building will be a flag-ship centre for construction skills in the East.”
David Lawrence, the college’s former principal, who will name and open the building, said: “The college has played such a huge positive part in my life I’m so very honoured that the college has decided to name this superb facility after me. It is very humbling and the official opening will be a very proud day for my family and I.”
Rupert Kitchen, partner at LSI architects, said: “The Construction Skills Centre will play an important role in addressing the employment shortfall that currently frustrates the growth ambitions of many regional construction sector businesses.
“The large scale, simple form, new building is the college’s most recent addition to the campus, following the pattern of development set out by the wider campus master plan drawn up by LSI Architects.”
HRH The Prince of Wales’ charity Business in the Community (BITC) is calling on Norfolk based businesses to showcase how they are taking practical action to address pressing issues as the 2016 Responsible Business Awards open for entries.
The most prestigious and respected awards championing responsible business in the UK and abroad will identify and celebrate inspiring examples of businesses making a difference by creating stronger communities, building more inclusive workplaces and tackling societal and environmental challenges.
Now in its 19th year, the awards are open to companies of all sizes – from SMEs to multi-national companies – and across all sectors. It represents the breadth of the growing responsible business movement with categories appealing to a wide range of positive business activities, from helping young people develop skills for the future to investing in the wellbeing of employees.
Stephen Howard, Chief Executive, Business in the Community said “The Responsible Business Awards are so powerful because they provide tangible, practical examples of how businesses are making a difference every day to the pressing local and global challenges affecting us all. The awards reward those actions which both drive change in our communities, and deliver real benefit to business in the process. By lifting up those that genuinely inspire, we show that businesses are very much part of the solution to building a fairer and more sustainable future. We encourage Norfolk firms to get involved.”
The closing date for entries is 12 February 2016. For further information about the 2016 Responsible Business Awards, including the full list of categories, the assessment criteria and application forms visit www.bitc.org.uk/awards
For a while it was an advertising sector in need of a name as it’s been developing rapidly and in so many ingenious ways. But what to call it? The consensus is ‘Digital Out Of Home’ (DOOH) – and the amount of productions we’re involved in has grown exponentially of late.
Evidence of our involvement can be found on vertical plasma screens in shopping malls, student unions, bus-shelters and in-stores. If you travel on the Stansted Express into London, you’ll even find our work on the ticket terminals! And also the animated messages coursing around the edges of football grounds or high above Piccadilly Circus. Plus videos projected across the tracks of the London Underground or sequentially screened up the escalators.
In fact DOOH is such a radical addition to the communications toolbox that it takes skilled and visionary agencies to fully embrace the exciting possibilities for their clients. We’re fortunate to work with three of them – Accord, bigdog and BBA Digital – and we’re proud to display just a fraction of their output within our latest DOOH showreel.
So if you’re thinking of adding DOOH to your campaign, we’ll be happy to help you get on screen whatever theshape, size or location!
Leading independent electrical retailer, Gerald Giles is celebrating after winning two prestigious national industry awards. At an event in London in late October, the business, based on Ber Street, Norwich, won Consumer Electronics Retailer of the Year and Independent Marketing Campaign of the Year at the ERT Awards. The store was also a finalist in the Consumer Electronics Showroom category.
Now in their eighth year, the ERT Awards are aimed at recognising excellence and outstanding achievements in the electrical retailing sector. This year’s event was also a celebration of 125 years of ERT magazine, which first published in 1890.
Commenting on the Marketing award, Paul Giles, MD of Gerald Giles said, “Much hard work goes into creating the graphics for promotions, planning media and organising the customer events we run. None of this would be possible without the creativity and hard work of my marketing team and our agency, Communicate Marketing.”
He added, “The CE Retailer of the Year award is a great recognition of the fantastic achievements for everyone at Gerald Giles in 2015. This year has seen many changes with a new shop front, roof and interior displays the resulting improved showroom has brought a big upturn in sales. To be honoured at a national level by receiving this prestigious ERT award makes it all worthwhile.”
We started off the week with a BIG welcome toGML Consulting Ltd, the latest Norwich based business to jump on board our digital signage networks across Norfolk!
The ad was designed by GML themselves, using both motion graphics and informative content, the advertisement slowly flicks through and displays each service the agency has to offer. The lavish use of the vibrant colours certainly increases impact, attraction and engagement from our captive audiences.
GML Consulting are an established, web development, creative design and digital marketing agency. Based in Norwich, GML supply, support and deliver to their ever increasing portfolio of national and international clients. GML have grown into a complete marketing and creative company that complements any business. Proud award winners for ‘Best use of electronic media’ GML continually work to deliver each project to this high standard.
So why use DOOH? It’s simple really; these days’ consumers go out of their way to avoid traditional advertising methods. TV adverts can be skipped, emails are often disregarded and attempts to bombard consumers with online adverts often causes irritation. DOOH is an innovative medium for marketing that allows companies to strengthen their marketing campaigns by creating content that is subject to a high level of proximity, impact and attraction.
We finished off lastweek by welcoming Regency Security Groupto our digital signage networks across Norfolk! The ad was created by Impact Media Group using a combination of static imagery, a clever use of personal messaging targeted to the audience and some basic motion graphics to draw the eye.
Established in 1993, with commitment to both customers and staff alongside a strong ethos of a standards driven approach, Regency Security has grown to become one of the premier security companies in the UK providing a complete range of security services to an ever changing marketplace. These services include; Door Supervision, Close Protection, Event Security & Stewarding, Guarding, Mobile Patrols, Key Holding , Alarm Response and tailor-led Training Courses from an award winning, fully accredited Training Company.
Digital-Out-Of-Home, synonymous with new creative options for your communication: Modern and innovative, DOOH is the new communication solution for advertisers looking for a means of communication with a high level of proximity, impact and attraction. Thanks to the great flexibility of its utilisation and content, digital advertising can be adapted in different environment. Well used, it becomes an inevitable venue that enhances the recognition, reputation and allocation of the brand.
Norwich solicitors Cozens-Hardy LLP are pleased to announce that Chartered Legal Executive Rebecca Edwards has accepted the firm’s offer to become a partner.
Ms Edwards, who specialises in residential conveyancing, is the first non-solicitor to be offered a partnership.
Said Jane Anderson, Senior Partner:
‘We are absolutely delighted that Rebecca has joined the partnership. She has made a massive contribution to the firm through her hard work over the past 18 years.”
Ms Edwards who started working at the firm back in 1997 as a conveyancing assistant, said:
“I am delighted to have accepted a partnership and I feel very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to progress my career with the firm. It’s a great place to work and I look forward to many more years advising clients on all aspects of house ownership.”
Here at Pure we’re looking ahead to Professions Week and highlighting a profession very close to our hearts: recruitment!
Professions Week takes place from 9thNovember, and is designed to increase awareness among young people about different professional careers and the routes into them. As a professional recruitment company we’re well placed to advise candidates about starting out within a profession and about developing a long term career path, particularly within our keyspecialismsof Accountancy, Financial Services, HR, IT and Marketing.
But we also want to promote the fantastic professional career opportunities available within the world of recruitment, too. It is a profession which has a far wider impact than just finding people jobs – although that element is always rewarding. Finding, supporting and encouraging future talent is essential for local organisations to grow and succeed, and this has a huge impact on the regional economy.
The role of a recruitment consultant involves developing and managing lasting relationships with clients, and supporting them with their recruitment needs by sourcing the most suitable candidates. It is a career which is ideal for people who are energetic, tenacious, naturally outgoing, empathetic and who enjoy working as a team.
Day-to-day life includes identifying and evaluating employer recruitment needs, screening and interviewing candidates, meeting prospective employers and candidates at networking events, and advertising job vacancies using a range of media. Other services a recruitment consultant might provide include personality profiling, psychometric testing, interview and induction support and industry workshops and seminars.
There are fantastic progression opportunities within the industry with consultants able to develop their career into senior management roles such as managing consultants and associate directors. Take a look at ourteampages to see the many different roles and read about people’s progression stories.
Many recruitment consultants are university graduates, and at the start of this year we launched our first ever graduate training programme. We currently have three graduate trainees working for us who are receiving comprehensive training and taking on a variety of challenging tasks. They will then progress to the position of Recruitment Consultant at the end of the 12 month initiative. They have all come from a variety of degree backgrounds, bringing a selection of transferable skills.Ellie Steinfeldthas a Psychology degree,Gemma Pritchard-Joneshas a degree in Criminology and Security Studies andJade O’Brienhas a degree in Business Management.
Not only is Pure a fantastic place to start a career in recruitment, but we are committed to supporting our trainees to achieve their goals and to building long term careers with us. We hope to repeat our graduate trainee programme again soon. Follow us onTwitterandFacebookfor updates on when applications are open again, and read our previousblog postto discover some of the many benefits of applying.
St Albans saw a 33ft (10m) deep sinkhole appear in Fontmell Close earlier this month; the council are now suggesting that surveys are showing a significant anomaly or possible void underneath the houses. So how do sinkholes happen?
In 2014, the UK press reported seeing an increase in sinkholes appearing across the country*. It has been suggested that the emergence of these sinkholes may be down to climate change and human activity, and with our unpredictable weather conditions will we be seeing more?
Why do they happen?
Sinkholes may have a natural or man-made origin, but typically they are caused by underground voids or loose zones triggered by stress changes as a result of saturation or vibration, either from construction or from existing development (like leaking drains).
Sinkhole is a common term for holes that appear without apparent reason to the layperson. According to the British Geological Survey (BGS) web site** there are various different types of sinkhole:
Surface dissolution or soluble rock: limestone or chalk that dissolves in rainfall or acidic groundwater (see map opposite).
Where a thin layer of loose, superficial material such as sand, clay or soil covers soluble rocks beneath; the soil can be washed into the widened crevices leading to the development of a cavity (suffusion sinkhole).
Where more cohesive material such as clay creates a large sinkhole before finally collapsing (drop out sinkhole).
Sinkholes caused through gradual cave collapse; this is where the collapse gradually spreads up through overlying strata causing subsidence at the surface. These can sometimes extend into rocks creating a caprock sinkhole.Mining can also be significant in causing sinkholes by water intercepting clay-filled voids which subsequently collapse, or by dewatering and lowering of the water table (dene hole).
Some sinkholes can occur as a result of weak unconsolidated material by flowing water, where loose material is removed by a process called ‘soil piping’, creating large voids within the sediment.
What are the impacts?
Sinkholes are not restricted to the UK, and reported international examples tend to add to public unease. One example of a sinkhole caused by mining was seen in Russia where an accidental release of brine in certain parts of the mine caused a sinkhole of up to 80 meters***. Generally in the UK sinkholes are smaller, but can still cause concern and extra costs in the built environment.
The sinkholes we see in the UK can be indirectly caused by human activity, occurring alongside constructions where rain water has been concentrated to a patch of ground such as roofs or tarmac, burst water mains or irrigation. As a result, residential areas are impacted the most affecting infrastructure. The British Geological Survey warn that sinkholes are going to be an ongoing feature of our landscape, particularly if ground remains saturated for long periods of time. Often it is difficult to identify an absolute cause, and subsequently apply a liability to affected parties where damage occurs that has to be paid for.
Many UK case reports are from the south east, because of dense property and infrastructure development where the geology may be thin unconsolidated sand and clay superficial deposits overlying weathered soluble chalk bedrock.
There is a clear planning and environmental conflict between sinkhole risk and the sustainable use of surface water drainage to land. Sinkholes may be used as evidence why sustainable drainage cannot be adopted.
Land stability is a material concern in the UK planning system with a responsibility not only to minimise the risk and effects of land stability, but to ensure development doesn’t occur in unstable locations as well as improve unstable land where possible.
Could more sinkholes be on the way?
Delta-Simons did record an increase in sinkhole activity in 2014, but so far in 2015 there have been fewer events. Possibly because the rainfall has been less extreme nationally, and maybe events on the verge of collapse were triggered last year.
What may have changed is our client’s awareness of the sinkholes and requests to perform specific desk studies and ground investigations to identify risks have certainly increased. See how we can deliver clear understanding of ground conditions, visit our geotechnical services.