Member News

Fit4Work ladies netball competition is coming to South Norfolk. Get your colleagues together for an evening of Netball.

Date:Tue 6th October 2015, 18:30 – 21:00Venue:Easton CollegeWhen:Tuesday 6th October 2015, 6.30-9pmWhere:Easton College (outdoor courts)Teams:7-10 players per side – ladies only (maximum of 2 league players per side). One team per workplaceCost:FREE

Book your place here

YOUR ORGANISATION MUST BE BASED IN SOUTH NORFOLK

Fit4Work is a project that aims to promote the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle to employees. It is a ‘hands on’ project – it will provide your organisation with activities for your employees to be involved in, rather than just guidance and advice.

What are the benefits of being involved in Fit4Work?

Get active, relieve stress and build team spirit Physically active people take fewer days off sick. Signing up to the Fit4Work programme can impact on:

• Sickness and absence
• Staff turnover
• Employee satisfaction
• Company profile
• Workplace motivation, morale and much more
• Ultimately it can maximise benefits to an employer by increasing productivity

Who can get involved in Fit4Work?

Any organisation of any size can be involved with the project, from the public, private or voluntary sector. From manufacturers to call centres, retail to schools; we can offer something for everyone.

How much does Fit4Work cost?

Fit4Work is supported by Norfolk County Council’s Public Health and South Norfolk District Council which allows us to offer this service without any cost to your organisation. Infrequently, small fees may be charged for competitions with exceptionally high running costs. This will be communicated in advance.

For more information on how to get involved visitwww.activenorfolk.org/fit4work

(East Anglia: August 2015) Aston Shaw, the fastest growing chartered certified accountancy firm in the region, has been busy fundraising and raising awareness for the local children’s charity EACH (East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices) since early this year. The main event – a group tandem skydive with 25 staff members – is just around the corner and Aston Shaw is appealing for last minute donations to this wonderful cause.

At the time of writing, Aston Shaw has raised over £6000 for EACH. Dominic Shaw, Director at Aston Shaw commented: “The response has been fantastic and we can’t thank our clients, colleagues and professional contacts who have supported us enough for their generosity, but we would like to raise even more and still have a way to go to reach our target of £10,000 – so additional donations would be really appreciated”.

The skydive will take place on August 22nd at Beccles airfield and will involve jumping from a dizzying height of 10,000 feet. Staff members across all 5 Aston Shaw offices are taking part and progress can be followed via Aston Shaw’s social media pages using #OneJumpEACH. Donations can be made via our Just Giving page at: www.justgiving.com/OneJumpEACH

EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk and relies heavily on donations from fundraising activities. The money raised will largely go towards the nook appeal; EACH is raising money for a new, bespoke hospice to be built in the heart of Norfolk. The new hospice will be much better equipped to provide the services that the children need, and will bring new facilities for the children to enjoy.

Naked Element are delighted to announce they will be sponsoring this year’s DevelopHER Awards. Committed to raising the profile of women in tech in East Anglia, the DevelopHER Awards will take place on the 25th November at The King’s Centre in the heart of Norwich.

One of Naked Element’s Directors, Paul Grenyer, reveals “We want to support the DevelopHER Awards because we’re passionate about supporting and promoting women in technology. We’ve been big supporters of award hosts SyncDevelopHER since before the group began and we want to continue to show our support in any way we can.” Paul adds that the awards’ organiser Vickie Allen “is doing great things for women in tech in Norwich and we acknowledge the issue of a gender imbalance in the industry and that women aren’t as encouraged to go into the tech industry as they should be” He adds “Whilst more women certainly do need to be encouraged to enter the industry, more people in general do, as it’s an industry that isn’t going away and is only going to get bigger.”

Matthew Wells, also Director at Naked Element adds “The DevelopHER Awards present a great opportunity for us to add our voice to the local tech community and other decision makers in local businesses and show our support of an important issue – the lack of women in tech.”

As one of the premier software development providers in Norwich, Naked Element are sponsoring the Innovation Award. Matthew explains “We provide tech solutions for innovative businesses and are passionate about innovation so it was an obvious choice for us. We’re excited to see what the nominees have to offer and be a part of rewarding innovation.”

So passionate about finding out what the rest of the tech community has to offer and how they’re contributing to putting Norwich on the tech map, Paul will sit on the panel of judges and help choose a winner for each of the 12 awards. When asked what he will be looking for from nominees and ultimately a winner Paul revealed “Someone who’s up-and-coming, someone who’s contributing to the tech community and has a can-do attitude. Ideally someone who’s going to help close the Norfolk skills gap and really be an ambassador for women in tech.”

On announcing Naked Element as a sponsor, awards organiser Vickie Allen comments “We’re really pleased to have Naked Element on board as they have such an established presence in the local tech community, a great reputation for getting involved with industry events and have a pretty impressive and far reaching list of contacts.” She adds “We asked Paul to join the judging panel as he runs the popular Nor(DEV):Con event so knows what goes into making an event successful, he’s got a really good understanding of what Norfolk needs and the awards fit really well with what Naked Element do – it was a no-brainer really.”

The DevelopHER Awards are a not-for-profit event funded entirely by sponsorship and are presented by SyncDevelopHER, a Norwich based community group, which runs regular meetups with the aim of promoting women in tech.

Applications for nominations are open and a full list of award categories can be found here. If you know an amazing woman in tech, nominate her for one of the awards and make sure that she receives the recognition she deserves.

For more information on the DevelopHER Awards visit www.developherawards.com. For sponsorship opportunities or to make a nomination contact Vickie at vickie@vickieallen.co.uk

Competition opens for best projects to get people back into work

Charities and social enterprises, whose mission is to help the most disadvantaged people into work, will be able to compete in further rounds of the Community Challenge Fund after the LEP committed £500,000 to the sector until 2017.

The new investment comes after the success of the first Community Challenge Fund which awarded £20,000 each to eight projects across Norfolk and Suffolk with the goal of helping 75 people into work and 250 more people work ready.

All the current projects offered exciting and innovative ways to help the hardest to reach people back to work or closer to the jobs market. From bicycle maintenance workshops in Norwich and theatre production in Harleston to sports camps in Lowestoft and gardening and agriculture skills in Ipswich and Stowmarket – job seekers have learnt a range of skills from how to prepare a CV and interview techniques to team working and advice on starting their own business.

First launched in December 2014, the Community Challenge projects are on course to beat the original targets, helping over 100 people into work and preparing over 300 for employment.

The £500,000 funding will be split equally over the next two years* and each year will offer up to nine charities and social enterprises £20,000 to those who can show fresh ideas and projects to assist the long-term unemployed and those that are often overlooked. Further funding will be available for projects with the best performance. The competition for 2015/16 opens today (13th August 2015). Charities and social enterprises can find out more by visiting:

Norfolk Community FoundationandSuffolk Community Foundation

Davina Tanner, board member of New Anglia LEP and founder of social enterprise, Britannia Enterprises in Norwich said: “Charities and volunteers are supporting thousands of people across Norfolk and Suffolk every year, they are a vital lifeline to those who need help with a whole range of issues from homelessness to mental health problems and disabilities. The Community Challenge Fund aims to support those enterprises and in turn the people who need it most, giving them a helping hand to get back into work and growing our economy.”

It comes as findings from a report commissioned by the LEP shows the voluntary and community sector in Norfolk and Suffolk is an important part of the region’s economy with 32,000 volunteers and 11,000 employees. Over 6,000 charities and nearly 3,000 social enterprises are making a big difference by improving peoples skills and education as well as the environment and conservation.

The Norfolk and Suffolk Community Foundations are the LEP’s partners in the Community Challenge Fund and will manage the application process.

Graham Tuttle, chief executive of Norfolk Community Foundation said: “The Community Challenge Fund has proved hugely successful – giving hundreds of people the skills and confidence they need to get back into work. This investment means we can help even more people who don’t often get these opportunities and we are very excited to see the next round of creative projects.”

Stephen Singleton, chief executive of Suffolk Community Foundation said: “We are absolutely delighted to be involved with this exciting project again. The success of last year’s campaign has clearly demonstrated that the voluntary and charitable sector is perfectly placed to help people who face difficult challenges back into the workplace, it is literally a life changer for those it has helped.”

Panayoitis Dornan, Access Community Trust, Lowestoft Access Community Trust are one of the eight projects that received funding from the Community Challenge Fund in 2015. They are based at The Crossing LEAP Centre in Lowestoft and offer a mentoring service for people who have been out of work for a long time or suffering from drug and alcohol problems and homelessness. Personal mentoring sessions, practise interviews, as well as forest school lessons, have helped 65 people to get work ready and 18 people into employment so far. That includes Panayoitis Dornan, 53, from Lowestoft.

Panayoitis was out of work for three years after losing his job as a manager of a local pub. He signed up to the Access Community Trust project to learn new skills and qualifications including IT and First Aid courses as well as interview training. In June he applied for a job to become a security guard, after a successful interview he took part in a week-long training course in London and now works as a security guard at Tesco in Lowestoft.

Panayoitis said: “The team at Access were tremendously supportive, their guidance and advice when I was applying for my new job was really valuable and I now have a recognised qualification in security. The community spirit is great, we all help one another by pointing out new jobs and sharing tips on writing applications and interviews techniques and I still go back now to see the group to see if I can help them.”

Terry Davies, Museum of East Anglian Life, Stowmarket Museum of East Anglian Life are one of the eight projects that received funding from the Community Challenge Fund in 2015. Based on the grounds of the unique heritage site in Stowmarket, Work to Achieve sees disadvantaged job seekers learning new skills in Abbot’s Hall and its grounds, including conservation, estate management, gardening and horticulture, visitor services and marketing. So far they have helped nine people into employment with another eight volunteering as well as 12 more who are now work ready. That includes Terry Davies, 59, from Stowmarket who has just started full time work.

Terry was out of work for two years before joining the Work to Achieve project in May. He had a wide range of skills, but long term sickness meant he lacked the confidence to successfully apply for work.

During his three months at the museum, Terry had the chance to develop his horticultural skills by helping to prepare the historic walled garden for an open day as well as painting and decorating the museum’s training room. He learned hurdle making and traditional wattle and daub building skills by helping to make a traditional building to house the museum’s model dairy cow as well as volunteering for the launch of a temporary photographic exhibition at the museum.

He also gained a City and Guilds qualification, ‘Succeeding at Work’ and passed his Functional Skills exam during his three months at the Museum.

Terry said: “I’ve just started full time work at a local warehouse and I want to continue as a volunteer at the museum in my spare time. My experience at the museum has helped me return to a future and I enjoyed every day.”

*The LEP has committed £500,000 for the Community Challenge Fund over the next two years and the money will be split equally between 2015/16 and 2016/17 with up to nine charities or social enterprises receiving £20,000 each. The second year’s funding is dependent on the output targets being reached.

To find out more about the Community Challenge Fund clickhere.

A Norwich PR agency is celebrating six years’ in business, marking the milestone with the launch of a new division, thought to be the first of its kind in East Anglia.

Award-winning Reflection PR, founded in 2009, has unveiled a new award writing division, www.awardsagency.co.uk, capitalising on a gap in the market in the region. The new content writing shop is aimed at businesses looking to enter awards.

From researching and recommending the best awards to enter, copywriting a strong entry and offering design skills to help it stand out, an expert team takes care of the whole process.

Based in offices close to Norwich train station, Reflection PR works with local and national brands and continues to thrive in the food, drink, leisure and tourism sectors. Its services have also expanded to offer website design, video and social media management in-house.

May was the busiest month on record for the agency, following a string of client wins including Pensthorpe Natural Park, Holkham Country Fair and the relaunch of Goldsmiths jewellers’ Norwich showroom. While the company’s turnover is on track to increase by 35 per cent on last year.

The team has recently grown too. New recruits Daniella Carter and Sam Bird have joined as digital executives, boosting the agency’s online skills. And the business is also currently recruiting for an experienced account director.

Managing director, Suzy Pettican says; “Over the past six years we’ve seen a real appetite for our award writing services, as well as social media and online work so we’re excited to be expanding in these areas.

“Awardsraise a company’s profile and it’s also been proven that winning an award can boost profits, so it makes sense to make them part of any marketing strategy.

“Social media has to be part of that strategy too. Since I launched the company, social media has become an integral part of communication and brands now simply have to tell their story online to succeed. It’s our job to help clients keep apace and measure the results of their digital activity. From launching Twitter workshops to offering video production and web design in-house, I’m really proud of how we’ve adapted our services to offer clients the full digital PR package.”

For more information, please visit www.reflectionpr.co.uk or www.awardsagency.co.uk

Twitter @ReflectionPR

Follow @RprAwards for the latest awards updates.

East Anglian company ML Financial Associates has become the latest business to offer their support for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) nook appeal which aims to raise £10 million to build a new purpose-built children’s hospice in the heart of Norfolk.

ML Financial Associates, independent financial advisors with offices in both Wymondham and Northampton, who offer the full range of financial services to both individuals and companies across the East Anglian region have joined forces with EACH by signing up to their new corporate scheme, the nook business network.

The scheme asks for companies small, medium and large to commit to raising either £10,000, £15,000 or £25,000 over the duration of the appeal in return for a number of benefits and support that the charity will provide.

ML are concious of the role that local business plays within the community that they reside in, which in this case, is the same community that EACH supports local life-threatened children and their families and it is that reason that the Directors of ML have decided to support the appeal. Not only will ML look to raise significant funds to help make the new children’s hospice a reality they will also look to promote the appeal and create awareness amongst their client base to encourage further support.

Simon Lister, Director, ML Financial Associates, said: “We have offices in Wymondham and Northamptonand see the great work that EACH does and is a charity that is close to our hearts. We feel our business is a perfect fit with the charity which offers vital care and support to families across the region. We’re dedicated to helping EACH achieve their goal to build the nook and make a real difference to peoples lives.”

Gary Cook, the nook appeal corporate fundraiser, said: ” I’m delighted that the team from ML Financial have chosen to support the nook appeal for a new children’s hospice which will really benefit local families going through an unimaginably difficult time in their lives.

“We need the support of all sectors of the Norfolk community – individuals, schools, community groups and of course the business sector to achieve our fundraising target, so ML’s support is fantastic. We have worked with the team at ML previously and I am in no doubt that their enthusiasm, forward thinking, creative and can-do approach will see them not only achieve but better their target and we very much look forward to working with them throughout the term of the appeal.”

Anyone who is interested in finding out more about the appeal or the nook business network should contact the Norfolk Fundraising Team on 01953666767 or funding@each.org.uk and for more information on ML Financial Associates please visit www.mlfinancialassociates.co.uk

Business is growing at B2B Cashflow Solutions which specialises in finding cash for businesses, and restructuring existing funding for companies to reduce debt burden and improve cash flow.

Launched in 2006 by directors Ian Hart, Nick Flower and Simon Reynolds, who between them have nearly 90 years commercial finance and business banking experience, B2B Cashflow Solutions is an independent commercial finance brokerage and consultancy which has developed a range of products and services to accommodate the whole-life finance cycle needs for UK businesses.

The company aims to deliver these solutions, often where traditional mainstream funders have failed, through its network of hand-picked Agents, and works closely to support its banks relationships and other professional partners.

Recent successes range from delivering funding within a £2.6 million project to build an anaerobic digestion plant for Muntons Plc’s maltings facility, to sourcing the investment which facilitated the management buy-in of Quinto Crane and Plant Ltd, a leading crane hire company.

Products include asset finance, fundraising against existing working assets, invoice finance, unsecured business loans, commercial mortgages, grant funding, and research and development relief. The company has also developed its own financial health checks to help business owners reduce debt and improve cash flow.

In recognition of its development, B2B Cashflow Solutions has been a finalist in the Business Moneyfacts Awards for the past four years, and this year achieved a ‘Highly Commended’ Award for ‘Best Asset Based Finance Broker’ 2015.

Based at Framingham Pigot just outside Norwich, the firm is one of the first credit brokers in the UK to become authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

To the end of May this year business had already grown by 19 per cent compared with the whole of last year and has supported reinvestment in upgraded IT and telephone systems, appointing a new office manager, and ongoing recruitment of apprentices and experienced professionals to the team.

Simon Reynolds commented ‘Our current year performance is by far our strongest of our nine year history, representing lending and delivery of other financial projects with a value in excess of £30 million. We believe this is bridging a substantial ‘gap’ where our banks and other traditional lenders have been unable to support their local businesses customers.’

‘Our strategy is to increase our geographical network of Associates across the UK to realise our growth aspirations’

Pre-season Dinner and 80th Anniversary

29th July 2015

Over £2,900 was raised for Age UK Norwich thanks to the Club’s prestigious event

FANS, players and the management team remembered 80 years of Carrow Road last week at its Pre-Season Dinner which celebrated the anniversary.

BBC Radio Norfolk’s Chris Goreham hosted the evening, which looked back over 80 wonderful years. Supporters were also given the opportunity to meet the first team players and collect autographs as well as browse through memorabilia, setting the mood for a great evening of nostalgia.

First team manager Alex Neil added excitement with his positivity for the new Premier League season which gets underway against Crystal Palace on Saturday. Fans and players alike were honoured to hear from a variety of guests such as Bert Vincent – a fan who was at the first game played at Carrow Road 80 years ago – and the current club captain Russell Martin, who had very different but equally special memories of Carrow Road.

image: https://www.canaries.co.uk/cms_images/80years-inbody132-2597752.jpg

[Bert Vincent enjoyed sharing his memories of Carrow Road]

The evening closed with a charity auction and raffle, with Chris being helped out by Colin Tovell from the Ambassadors Club, who entertained the audience and helped raise an impressive £2,911.20 for Age UK Norwich’s ‘Still on the Ball’ campaign. Susan Ringwood – who is the Chief Executive of the Charity – explained the details of the campaign, which is designed to help people living with dementia by reviving memories of their football experiences and sharing these memories with others.

Also present were Canary Legend Duncan Forbes’ wife Janette and son Elliot, who have been involved with Age UK Norwich – a charity close to their hearts and one that seemed fitting for an event looking back at the past 80 years.

Helen Burgess, Fundraising and Community Relations Manager for Age UK Norwich, said: “We had a fabulous night; it was incredibly well-run, the food was delicious and the generosity was amazing. We will be sure to keep the club updated on the project and how the money is being used to help people living with dementia.”

Norwich City Chief Executive David McNally said: “I really enjoyed the pre-season dinner and 80th anniversary of Carrow Road celebration. Having attended many events at Carrow Road over the years, all are of a particularly high standard but this was certainly one of the best. As always, the food was top-class and the video to celebrate 80 years at our historic home, along with the interview with Bert Vincent, were both moving and inspirational.”

For events coming up at Carrow Road please go tohttps://www.deliascanarycatering.co.uk/events/.

A pioneering joined-up approach to improving people’s lives and public services is to be expanded in Great Yarmouth. Business in the Community (BITC) is one of a number of partners that will be working on the project over five years, which is supported by a £3m grant from the Big Lottery Fund.

The Neighbourhoods that Work project builds upon a successful integrated way of working with communities, developed over the last decade by Great Yarmouth Borough Council and partners, which has gained national recognition.

The £3m project is initially funded to run for five years: helping communities to develop their ideas for improving people’s quality of life, helping existing services to work better together to support vulnerable people, and helping people into training, volunteering and work.

Led by the borough council and delivered with the help of local partners, it is hoped that the model will provide a blueprint for similar initiatives in other parts of the UK and in other areas of work. One aim of the project is to increase capacity in communities, enabling them to become more resilient in the face of changing social, economic and environmental conditions.

Cllr Penny Carpenter, the borough council’s cabinet member for communities, said: “The Neighbourhoods that Work Project will help the borough council, partners and communities themselves to further improve even more people’s lives. Traditionally, various areas of work which are actually inter-related have been funded and delivered in relative isolation because they are wrongly seen as separate, whereas Great Yarmouth is pioneering a broader joined-up approach to improving life chances for residents.”

Business in the Community will play a critical role by engaging employers on the project. Employers will help people gain and sustain jobs; assist with capacity building of communities and play a stronger role in creating local solutions for those in most need.

Commenting on the launch Paul Winter, CEO Ipswich Building Society and Chair of the BITC Regional Advisory Board said: “We’re delighted to be building on Business in the Community’s work in Great Yarmouth to further support people into employment and training. Employers who support the programme will not only benefit the local community but also their own business by gaining an insight to the local market.”

Employers who think that they, or their staff, could help enhance the local economy of Great Yarmouth through this project should contact Mike Brophy on 07739 092426.

For further information on the project and partners involved visit Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s website.

Nor-Folk is a graphic design led lifestyle brand, founded by husband and wife team Fiona and Bobby Burrage of The Click Design Consultants. Launched earlier this year, Nor-Folk has enjoyed rapid growth in sales and serves a global customer base.

Nor-Folk was merely a side project when it started -part of The Click’s ten year anniversary celebrations (as featured in Creative Review), although, six months on, it has made the rapid transition from being an extra-curricular self-initiated ‘project’ to fully-fledged ‘proper business’.

Headed up (on a day-to-day basis) by Fiona, Nor-Folk now sells to circa 50 stockists worldwide and has a growing social media presence, including 30k+ followers on Instagram.

Nor-Folk continues to add to the product range, which includes apparel for adults and children, as well as homewares.

In addition, they curate a Journal with content from the fellow Nor-Folk team, including posts on fashion, food, visual stories and more.

You can shop Nor-Folk here and follow on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

www.nor-folk.com

Within the list of leading names in the UK accounting industry, TaxAssist Accountants has moved up to number 24 in the 2015 Accountancy Age Top 50+50 survey, up one place from 2014 and up an impressive ten places since first entering the survey back in 2010. TaxAssist is the only accountancy franchise in the Top 50.

The report shows that most leading accountancy firms across the UK have continued to grow their fees, including TaxAssist who reported a 9% year-on-year revenue increase and a growing nationwide and international franchise network which saw the company recoup almost £30m in income – £2.49m more than in 2014.

The survey’s partner, Wolters Kluwer, believes an increasing use of technology has underpinned the growth of the UK’s leading accountancy firms, whilst reducing overheads and improving efficiency.

Karl Sandall CEO of The TaxAssist Group comments “Clearly we’re very pleased with this new position and shows we continue to move the business forward in the right direction for the mutual benefit of the TaxAssist network, the Directors and Shareholders, of which our franchisees themselves form a considerable percentage.

I would certainly echo the comments of Wolters Kluwer. At TaxAssist we have recognised that emerging technologies have revolutionised the way we work and will continue to do so. As a franchisor we research, evaluate, recommend and train the network on new technologies that we believe will be of benefit. We’ve used technology to take the guesswork out of managing financial business records. Our online accounts software organises all key aspects of financial reporting; from sales and purchases to customers and suppliers.”

A link to the article can be found here. A link to the Top 50 can be found here.

August 2015

Aston Shaw, the fastest growing accountancy firm in East Anglia, has appointed two new directors to the firm’s board, in order to create a long-term structure that addresses the company’s ongoing expansion. The current directors of the firm, Mark Noakes and Dominic Shaw, are keen to promote senior positions from within and long-serving Client Managers Lee Stratton, 28 and Adam Hook, 34 will take a Directorship role within the business as of August 2015. The ethos at Aston Shaw has always been to accelerate the growth and experience of younger employees, going against the accepted industry trend and this is now being reflected from the top down.

Lee Stratton and Adam Hook joined Aston Shaw in 2005 and 2006 respectively and both qualified as Chartered Certified accountants in 2011. They both manage their own varied portfolio of clients, with Lee specialising in the construction industry and Adam the agricultural sector. Both directors will retain their current portfolio and will continue to have day to day interaction with their clients, alongside their new responsibilities.

Lee Stratton, Director, commented: “I’m extremely proud to be a director of the company. After 10 years and knowing Aston Shaw inside out, I felt ready to take on the new role and help Mark Noakes and Dominic Shaw drive the business forward onto bigger and better things. Adam and I are looking forward to continuing our work with our current client portfolios, and we are both excited to be a part of the key decision making process in the company”.

Adam Hook, Director, added: “Lee and I have been part of Aston Shaw for a very long time and we both feel the time is right to make the step up. The company has grown significantly in the last few years and the structure being put in place will mean we can help grow it even further, which is something I can’t wait to drive forward”.

Aston Shaw has gone from strength to strength since their merger with Morgan Woods in 2014, and their recent takeover of Roger Hopkins in 2015. Since 2014 the company’s staff numbers have grown by 50% and the number of clients has also grown by upwards of 15%.