Member News

Leathes Prior is proud to announce that Ben Wild, trainee solicitor in their Insolvency Team, has been selected by The Law Society of England & Wales to undertake secondment to their Brussels office in September.

The Law Society established its Brussels Office in November 1991 which is situated in the heart of the EU district. Traditionally, Ben would have been due to begin his third seat, moving to a new department at Leathes Prior in September. However, with Leathes Prior’s backing, Ben will be joining the Brussels Law Society Team for six months instead.

The tasks Ben will embark on cover a broad range of subjects, from international criminal law to international tax law, and will involve daily monitoring of EU policy and legal developments. He will also be tasked to undertake in-depth research, carry out trend predictions and provide bespoke advice to law firms and solicitors on EU law issues.

Ben was named as one of just two trainees to be selected for the secondment, following a rigorous selection process. Dan Chapman, Partner and Training Principal at Leathes Prior said: “The Brussels Office offers a unique opportunity for Ben to gain a working knowledge of EU law, which has a part to play in any practice. Keeping an open mind and investing in opportunities such as this one, inevitably ensures that the firm provides the best possible service to our clients whilst also being able to enrich the experiences of our trainees.”

You can keep up with developments by following Ben’s blog, ‘The Brussels Spout’ which will be accessible on the Leathes Prior website from September 2015.

Ben said: “This for me typifies everything that Leathes Prior is about: enabling commercially sound creativity and initiative whilst demonstrating a keen desire to invest in their staff. I doubt any other law firm in the county would have supported me the way Leathes Prior has done.”

Charity fundraising challenges are not only an important part of a company’s corporate social responsibility. They can also have a far wider impact on reinforcing a culture of teamwork and camaraderie, making the organisation one which a potential new recruit will aspire to join.

This is something our director, Lynn Walters, experienced first-hand when she was talked into taking on the gruelling 24-hour, National Three Peaks challenge, alongside five other members of the Pure team.

Lynn said: “Although I was aware that taking part in a charity challenge would be a great thing to do, I was still overwhelmed by just how positive the experience was.

“As a socially responsible business we’ve always actively supported local charities. Our companywide events have already raised almost £98k since we started in 2002. We also support our employees in any charity challenges they wish to undertake themselves, giving them additional time off to enable them to complete their chosen goal and kick-starting their fundraising with a £250 donation.

“But it’s been several years since I was directly involved in a challenge like this, and it reminded me just how this investment of time and money can bring many other returns. While it was only six of us who actually climbed the Three Peaks, it felt like we had the whole company with us, every step of the way.

“Our training stories were shared via our intranet, making everyone feel engaged in our mission. Even those who hadn’t signed up to do the actual climb were inspired to create their own fundraising attempt. A spin-off pedometer challenge was organised, with a team walking in their lunch breaks until they clocked up 500 miles between them. So we went from having six team members involved, to more than 70, and across all four of our offices.

“On the day before the challenge, we were given an amazing send off by all our colleagues. Throughout the weekend we were constantly receiving messages of support via text and social media. Overall it took us 26 hours to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowden. For me the best part was sharing it with an amazing group of people who all supported each other, laughed, cried and celebrated in equal measure. And that included all our colleagues supporting us back at home as well.

“A supportive and team-focussed culture is one which many businesses strive to achieve. It took me climbing 10,300 feet to remember that one amazing way to help maintain a culture like this is to bring everyone together through the common ‘feel-good’ factor of charity activity. It’s also a fantastic way for senior managers and directors to connect and share experiences with their team.

“Thank you also to everyone who has sponsored us. So far we have raised around £6,500 for two important charities, Arthur Rank and Thrombosis UK, which is more than what we had ever hoped for.”

Easton and Otley College scooped several awards at this year’s Royal Norfolk Show.

In livestock competitions, students showed Marlingford Holsteins (cows) picking up a third place, two fourths, a fifth and a first place and King George V trophy for the ‘cow producing 50 tonnes of milk’ category on the first day. On the second day they collected two first places in the young handler’s classes. Norfolk Horns (sheep) were also shown but just missed out on major prizes this year.

The main stand gave visitors the chance to experience interactive happenings, ranging from a table tennis playing robot to snake handlingreceived a runners up award for having the best trade stand.

The horticulture and floristry stand received a gold medal for their creative table garden and peacock design. Individually in terms of floristry, Easton and Otley students picked up a first, second and third place in the floristry ‘class competition’ showcasing positive female role models with the winner, Grace Lester from Framlingham Earl in Norfolk, receiving a total of 99 out of 100 for her design based on Charlotte Bronte.

Elsewhere, current horticultural apprentice Harry Dreadhelped his employer,’Andrew Thacker Landscape Services’ receive a silver gilt award for their garden design.

Assistant Principal, Christina Sadler and Director of Enterprise and Marketing, Clare Dyble, judged a young farmers competition where members (of the young farmers) designed games to promote careers in food and farming to visiting schools. (The winner was Wymondham young farmers who invented a game called Guess Moo – loosely based on the old school eighties game called Guess Who).

New College Principal, David Henley enjoyed his first Royal Norfolk Show, meeting up with this year’s show president, Robert Carter.

In the main ring, the Household Cavalry wowed audiences with their displays. One of the troop included former Easton and Otley student, Tom Alden who was able to briefly catch up with former teacher, Hilary Francois, back at the college.

College spokesperson, John Nice, said, “The Royal Norfolk Show is a fantastic event and we are always delighted to play our part. We were thrilled to pick up so many awards this year. Well done to students and staff for all their hard work.”

Click on the link below to view photos taken on the days:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.961508650567283.1073741853.104…

We thought you’d like to know that over the last few weeks we have picked up a few awards for arranging, negotiating and managing energy contracts for our clients.

Late last month we went to the National 2015 Energy Live Consultancy Awards (or TELCAs) in London. They are like the Oscars for energy consultants. The awards are judged anonymously by two independent panels, made up of energy professionals from the likes of Starbucks, Sainsbury’s & Tesco’s.

We are over the moon to have won…

– Most Trusted Consultancy – 2015 – Small Consultancy of the Year – 2015

Pictured above are the wonderful Sophie, James and Tina collecting an award from Andy Taylor, Npower (left) and the Editor of Energy Live News Sumit Bose (right). Just to put that in perspective there are about 500 energy consultants in the UK, 41 of them were in the final, 12 awards up for grabs and we picked up two, lovely stuff.

Also, Emily Groves (our founder & MD) entered the Institute of Directors Awards and won Young Director of the Year for the East of England. We hope that winning these awards go some way to demonstrate how good we are at what we do and if you are thinking about ways to cut costs or which consultant to use we hope you will consider us.

Local independent finance firm, Nurture Financial Planning based at Yare House in Norwich, are the latest company to sign up to the nook business network supporting East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) vision for a new purpose-built children’s hospice in the heart of Norfolk.

This new corporate scheme devised by the charity encourages 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 numberof benefits and support the charity will provide.

The company, who place great emphasis on their social responsibility, have supported a number of different local and national charities over the years raising thousands of pounds, were quick to offer their support for the nook, not only looking to raise £15,000 over the appeal term but also to work at promoting the appeal to customers and clients alike.

Simon Linstead, Managing Director of Nurture Finanacial Planning, said: “As a company we take our corporate responsibility very seriously and after seeing press coverage of the proposed new hospice and finding out more about the nook appeal we were delighted to support by signing up to the business network. EACH is a local charity helping local families at a time when they need it most and as a local company we feel both proud and fortunate that we can play our part.”

Gary Cook, the nook appeal corporate fundraiser, said: “We have had a really positive start to 2015 in terms of local company support via the nook business network scheme and it is fantastic that Simon and his team at Nurture have agreed to support us also.

“With a £10 million appeal target, the financial element of the fundraising is hugely important but it is also imperative that as many people as possible know of our vision of a new children’s hospice in Norfolk giving them the opportunity to join us and help us achieve our goal. Therefore the awareness that Nurture will provide along with their financial contribution is absolutely fantastic and I am really looking forward to working with them throughout the appeal and beyond.”

Anyone who is interested in finding out more about the appeal or the nook business network, please contact the Norfolk Fundraising Team on 01953 666767 or funding@each.org.uk or for more information on Nurture Financial Planning please visit www.nurturefp.co.uk

Local solicitors are all in a spin for cancer charity Big C

Norwich solicitors Cozens-Hardy LLP are delighted to confirm that the Cozens-Hardy Cycle Ride, in aid of Big C, will take place next Sunday 19th July at Blickling Estate.

Having raised over £1,000 for Big C with the inaugural event last year, the firm is hoping it can build in the success of 2014 and generate even more funds for Norfolk and Waveney’s local cancer charity.

The event offers three scenic 25-mile routes, each starting and ending at the stunning venue of Blickling Estate. Riders can choose which – and how many – loops they wish to ride on the day, a format that offers great flexibility to individuals and those riding as a team. The event will be run under British Cycling rules, but there is no restriction on the type of bicycle you can ride – last year witnessed shoppers alongside mountain bikes and road bikes!

Anna Farquharson, Marketing Partner, commented:

“Cycling is a hugely popular sport and we wanted to structure an event which was accessible to everyone, whether they are a regular cyclist or a novice. By bringing all the loops back to our event village, no one is ever far away from a drink refill, cake or pizza, or their supporters and teammates. We’ve also negotiated preferential rates for Blickling Hall, gardens and grounds for participants and their families, so hopefully there is something for everyone.”

Amy Sale, Big C Community Fundraiser enthused:

“We are delighted that the Cozens-Hardy Cycle Ride is running for a second year. The event format is brilliant and I know that Cozens-Hardy had really positive feedback about the routes last year. We would particularly like to encourage local businesses to enter a team – it’s a really well organised, fun day out in the Norfolk countryside and for every person entered, you are effectively donating £3 straight to Big C.”

Entry to the event can be made on the day or in advance via the event website ww.thecozens-hardycycleride.co.uk. The cost is £20 per head, of which £3 goes directly to Big C. Children under 16 years ride for free when accompanied by an adult. If riders want to raise more funds for Big C, sponsorship forms can be found on the website.

– Ends –

For further information please contact:

Clare Haylett ph: 07764 270570 and clare@clarehaylett.net

We are offering free coworking spaces to 8 individuals on Thursday 16th July at No8 Thorpe Road, Norwich!

We are releasing 8 of our coworking spaces free of charge to the first 8 individuals who contact us. The spaces will be available on Thursday 16th July at No8 Thorpe Road.

We are releasing these desks for international collaboration day 2015.

For more information on these free coworking spaces click here

The local branch of national builders merchants – MKM Building Supplies are the latest company to pledge its support to the nook, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) fundraising appeal for a new purpose-built children’s hospice in the heart of Norfolk.

MKM Building Supplies, based at Vulcan Road, Norwich, have a proud history in supporting a number of charities including EACH with Paul Attoe, Branch Director, along with three friends taking part in a 24-hour golf marathon last year raising in excess of £4,500 for the charity.

Paul and his team at Norwich have signed up to the nook business network scheme, pledging to raise at least £10,000 over the term of the appeal. The nook business network asks for companies small, medium and large throughout Norfolk 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.

As well as committing to raising funds, MKM are allowing EACH to promote the nook appeal on the back of six company trucks that deliver daily throughout Norfolk, in the hope that the promotion will encourage others to support the appeal.

Paul Attoe, Branch Director of MKM Building Supplies Norwich said: “EACH are a brilliant local charity and the work they do for children and families is vital, so we at MKM want to support them as much as we can. We hope that by encouraging our staff, customers and clients to join us in our support of EACH, their plans to build a new children’s hospice will become a reality as soon as possible.”

Gary Cook, the nook appeal corporate fundraiser, said: “We’re delighted Paul and his team at MKM have once again decided to support EACH and have signed up to our corporate scheme for the duration of the appeal.

“To make our vision of a new hospice for local life-threatened children and their families a reality we need the support of all sectors of the Norfolk community – individuals, schools, community groups as well as the business sector, so MKM’s support is fantastic and we very much look forward to working with them.”

Anyone who is interested in finding out more about the appeal or the nook business network should contact the Norfolk Fundraising Team on 01953 666767 or funding@each.org.uk or for more information on MKM Building Supplies please visit www.mkmbs.co.uk

We did. In Thetford Forest. Honest. Whilst the sun beat down and our crew, in shorts, wolfed-down their picnic lunches, crystalline flakes were flurrying from a clear blue sky, the branches of the dense conifers began to turn white, and thick streamers of snow slid eerily into drifts. For this feat of alchemy we must thank our friends at Snowboy, whose white landscapes have adorned many a feature-film, and the Elveden Estate, whose trees grace hundreds of homes and town squares come Christmas. And the reason JMS turned the forest white? Sorry, it’s a secret for a month or two. But it’s sure to be magical. Just like snow in June.

TVC will be exhibiting this year at the foremost exhibition of its kind; theBINDT Materials Testing,recognised as one of the leading international exhibitions for the NDT, condition monitoring, diagnostic engineering and quality testing industries.

Being held at the International Centre in Telford between 08 – 10 September 2015, at Stands D19 and D27 we will be featuring our new >https://www.bindt.org/events/Materials-Testing-2015/

With expert knowledge andadvice, live demonstrations and, of course,freebies galore, we hope to see you there!

TVCWhen precision and accuracy matter

Future You

FREE Careers App available to download from 6th July

Future You is a brand new careers app designed to help young people identify different jobs and careers within the six growth sectors in Norfolk.

Norfolk’s six growth industries have been identified as follows:

Energy Engineering Life sciences Creative industries Financial Services Health and social care

The new careers app will help guide young people through their career choices in Norfolk. Young people will be able to match their skills and aptitudes to a wide range of careers within the growth sectors.

The campaign features six Norfolk people who have all carved out successful careers in the region. Read their stories below.

The new careers app is completely FREE and will be available to download from the AppStore and from GooglePlay from 6th July.

Sign up today at www.futureyounorfolk.com

Win work experience in your dream career

Also win the chance to get work experience in your dream job – tweet your dream job using #futureyounorfolk and you could win a day’s work experience in one of the six growth sectors in Norfolk. Terms and conditions apply.

Learn more about the stars of our Future You Norfolk campaign

We’ve worked closely with six Norfolk residents who have all carved out a great career for themselves in Norfolk – see their stories below.

Lauren Bailey, 25 is an Instrument Technician at Perenco.

Lauren was born in Holt and went to school in Sheringham. After school she knew that university wasn’t for her as he had always been a hands-on practical person, so instead she found out about apprenticeship opportunities.

Lauren worked as an apprentice with Aker Solutions and completed an NVQ, BTEC and HNCin Operations and Maintenance Engineering, specialising in Instrumentation. She now works for Perenco UKon platforms off the coast of Great Yarmouth. Her work involves shuttling between NUIs (normally unmanned installations) as part of a maintenance team, performing preventative and breakdown maintenance of process plant, instrumentation and control systems. Her work can also involve theplanning, installation and commissioning of various project work scopes. The maintenance teams work 12 hour shifts for two weeks and then have two weeks off.

Lauren says:

“I was 19 when I first went out on the platforms – there was only one other female, our platform medic. But my mentor was brilliant and it was like one big family. Doing the apprenticeship meant I could learn whilst earning money. Working off shore is full of excitement and I am pushed to the limit when I am out there. Being able to develop and craft a career within Norfolk has been the icing on the cake for me. Having these options close to home provides you with the springboard to kick-start life in a financially stable way. Many of my friends headed off to different parts of the UK to attend University, however, remaining in Norfolk and forging this path has enabled me the freedom a University student would have – every two weeks of my life.”

Andrew’s story

Andrew Chase, 34 is a Design Draughtsman at Dodmans

Andrew was born in Kings Lynn, when he left school he went straight to West Norfolk college to study a BTEC National Certificate in mechanical engineering. During his threeyears at college he also completed NVQ level 3 mechanical engineering and full welding qualifications, including a draughtsman qualification.

After the first year of his BTEC Andrew got a job at Dodmans in the drawing office and completed the rest of his qualifications on day release – this meant he could learn while also earning and getting on the job training.

My first jobs in the drawing office were the normal filing and admin, but also producing detailed drawings that the other draughtsman gave to me, this meant adding dimensions and producing layouts for the workshop so they could build the machinery. This gave me the basis of learning many drawing skills which later led me to being given whole projects. I spent a year and a half in the workshop to gain experience in welding/fabrication and fitting/turning, learning these skills gave me a better understanding of what they could and couldn’t do in the workshop and to build my designs around this.

Andrew says:

“In my job role now, day to day tasks can include site attendance to measuring up, speaking to the customer direct starting from plain paper stage, designing and creating detail drawings issued to the workshop for manufacture and assisting on site for installation and commissioning. Norfolk is a great place to work and there are loads of opportunities to work in manufacturing and engineering roles in and around King’s Lynn so I am very lucky to have been able to stay and have my career here.”

Joel’s story

Joel Golder, 30 is a Vice President at Marsh.

After leaving Earlham High School at 16 Joel decided not to follow the higher education path and went straight into full time work, although was unsure exactly what he wanted to do. After a brief stint at a local printing company he was then offered a role in Marsh as a Trainee Aviation Wordings Technician. After four years in this trainee role he then had the technical grounding in the industry to then move into a client facing role as an Assistant Client Executive in the General Aviation team. From there Joel progressed quickly to Client Executive, Assistant Vice President and recently promoted to Vice President, heading up a newly formed airline team in Norwich.

Joel says;

“I am now responsible for managing a team of Client Executives dealing with airlines from all over the world which places nearly 70 million US dollars into London and international insurance markets. Marsh is a global leader in insurance broking and risk management so having the opportunity to work for them and have my career based in Norfolk is fantastic. Starting at the company from a young age has given me the opportunity to grow and develop quickly within the industry, plus my role gives me the opportunity to travel around the UK for meetings.”

Jackie’s story

Jackie Thomas, 26 is a Deputy Manager at a NorseCare care scheme.

After leaving high school at the age of 18, not achieving the A level results she hoped for, Jackie decided education was no longer for her. She had always been keen to work in care and so started working as a Relief Care Assistant at a housing with care scheme in Norwich

Jackie stayed here to the next six years working up to a Senior Care Assistant and then a Care Coordinator. Last year following a review at the organisation Jackie was successful in securing a position of Deputy Manager at Weavers Court in Diss

Jackie’s role now means she deputises and supports the Manager in the day to day running of the establishment, including the management of staff and working as the lead member of the team to attend to the personal, social and emotional needs of tenants. She leads the care team to maintain good professional practice of care for people living at Weavers Court

Jackie says:

” I love working in care, originally I thought I might like to work with children but very soon after starting I realised how much I enjoyed working with older people and never wanted to change. There are lots of opportunities in health and social care with an aging population and it’s a fantastic industry to be. I have had the chance to use my skills and develop within the company I work for, and am so happy with where I have got to, and I realise now that education is not for everyone but you can still find a successful career when you work out what you enjoy and where your skills are.”

Jen’s Story

Jen Napolitano, 30 is a Senior Art Director at Osbornenash.

Jen went to Stalham High School, then to Paston College in North Walsham to do A level Maths, Physics and Art and AS French, she was intending to architecture before realising there was too much maths involved for er liking and not enough creative freedom so went to the Norwich School of Art and Design to do a foundation degree. The course taught a bit of everything from textiles to product design to give a taster into different design careers. Jen gravitated towards graphics design and after graduating, took her portfolio to try and get a place on the BA (Hons) Graphic Design course which at the time was one of the top three Graphic design courses in the country and right on Jen’s doorstep.

Graduating from the course in Norwich opened many doors for Jen and she had lots of interviews off the back of it. She then went to work for a design agency in London for a couple of years whilst commuting back home to Norfolk at the weekend. Jen began to outgrow her junior role, so left the rat race and took a job at an award-winning design agency in Norwich. She then went freelance for a couple of years, freelancing at osbornenash before accepting a job as senior art director. Jen loves the variety of clients osbornenash has and the fact that they are an multi-disciplinary agency means she gets to work on a variety of different projects from designing websites one day to creating marketing campaigns the next.

Jen says:

“I’ve found my dream job. An agency that do award-winning work, amazingly talented people to work with, and based in Norwich which has such a creative culture. All the elements I need for a great career on my doorstep.”

Adam’s story

Adam Elliston, 34, is an Industrial Biotechnologist at the Institute of Food Research.

Adam was born in Great Yarmouth and went to school at the Sir John Leman High School. After school, he studied Cybernetics and Control Engineering – University of Reading, and after graduating from there he worked for a Norfolk based company before studying for a PhD at the UEA. His PhD was focused on how municipal solid waste could be turned into bioethanol for motor fuels. Adam’s current work involves studying yeasts, which play a crucial role in biorefining, turning sugars into a range of different chemicals from which a number of useful items can be made, such as fuels, bioplastics, fibres, pharmaceuticals and food additives.

Adam says:

“I always knew I wanted a career in science, I have always been fascinated with how and why things work. Initially this was mainly physical things like electronics and computing but it soon developed into an interest in the natural world too. Studying for a PhD in biological sciences at the UEA gave me a wide range of knowledge, skills and experiences that I will never forget. I was excited to work at the Institute of Food Research with my research not only furthering knowledge in the area but also having real world industrial applications. With state of the art facilities the Norwich Research Park, and a network of over 3000 scientists, Norfolk really is the place to be for a career in science.”

Our thanks goes to our six partner companies who, with the help of their employees, helped bring the Future You campaign alive.

Marsh UK Institute of Food Research Norse Care Perenco Ltd Osbourne Nash Dodman Limited

If you would like any further information about the Future You app and the forthcoming campaign please email the communications team at marketing@norfolk.gov.uk

My name is Andy Fisher and I am the Business Development Manager for www.sgcorporateservices.co.uk an Independent Financial Advisor specialising in Auto Enrolment Staff Pensions for businesses based in Norwich and across Norfolk and Suffolk. We’ve just joined the Chamber and after sitting next to Caroline Williams (Chamber CEO) at my first Chamber networking event, I’ve agreed to write a regular blog about how to make the most of your Chamber membership.

So the first place I looked was the Chamber website. It’s a real window of opportunity and in this first blog I’m going to focus on the recent event at Norwich City Football Ground. Why do we go to networking events? They often involve getting up at the crack of dawn or extending busy days so it’s important to think carefully about your own objectives. For me I primarily wanted to meet new potential business introducers and business owners themselves who needed to sort out an Auto Enrolment scheme for their own staff.

So having booked the meeting on line, I received an email two days before the event with the delegate list. There were around 100 people going (wow!) so I quickly scanned the list and ticked off the five people I most wanted to meet. Rather than hoping to find them on the day, I called each one to introduce myself and within an hour I had five appointments in the diary. Like me, they all wanted to meet people and the Chamber meeting had already established a tenuous link between us, I don’t think 5 similar cold calls would have generated quite the same result! All these meetings have now taken place and we now have some great new relationships in place, one of which has already resulted in two further meetings and firm plans to work together.

The event itself was great and two superb speakers relevant to our business. I left the meeting feeling like I should be buying some lottery tickets as my luck was definitely in. Firstly I sat next to a partner at one of the largest Accountancy firms in the whole region (another meeting in the bag that has now also taken place with extremely positive results). We then did some safari networking and I ended up sat next to Caroline Williams and here I am writing this blog. The funniest thing of all was that on my way out I went over to the Swarm Apprenticeships stand and started speaking to the person who I thought was running the stand. It turned out that it was the Economic Development Officer for Norwich City Council who was just waiting for someone! I’d only been on their site the day before looking for a contact and we’ve now had a proper meeting with really positive outcomes. The best £18 I’ve spent for a very long time!

So the moral of this story is to really think about what you want to achieve from Chamber meetings. Potentially everyone there is in the same boat as you and you are already at first base in building a relationship with them by just being there. Happy networking!