Member News

Norse Commercial Services is once again sponsoring Danny Nobbs in his bid to be part of the British Paralympic team going to Rio in September 2016.

Danny, who changed discipline two years ago when his Shot Put category was dropped from the Paralympic programme, is now working his way up the Javelin event ratings.

“Looking back at the 2014 season, it was a steep learning curve,” Danny said. “It was my first full season since switching disciplines to the javelin and I had achieved both personal goals I had set for myself; to claim the British Record, and to be selected for Team GB at the Europeans. A good start, but as with every athlete, you always want more!”

“In April I joined a squad of athletes and coaches at a training camp in Monte Gordo, Portugal, thanks to funding from Norse. They’ve also helped me buy a new Nordic Indra javelin which has been a tremendous help. Until this point, I had always thrown with javelins which I had been given or those provided in the competition, but this new one rivals the best out there.”

Danny says that he has plenty still to work on, and six more IPC-sanctioned events to go before the team is selected for the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, but he’s hoping for a great summer.

He is now 5th place in the world rankings; “Four places lower than I aim to be,” he comments.

Norse Sales Director Geoff Tucker said, “Danny has always been a great ambassador for sport in general, and a real role model for budding Paralympians in particular. We are delighted to be able to support him in his new chosen discipline; everyone at Norse wishes him well and we will keenly be following his progress.”

Did you knowthat under current legislation,employers are legally responsible for employees safety whilst driving for work – even if they are using their own car? You could face prosecution and huge fines if an employee is involved in a crash – whether they caused it or not.

Norfolk County Council can help you meet your legal responsibilities. We offer cost effective seminars and workshops for small to medium sized companies in a relaxed, friendly environment. Sessions can betailored to your business needs and we also offer a consultancy service to help youwrite your driving for work policy.

To find out more visitwww.norfolk.gov.uk/drivingforwork,email roadsafety@norfolk.gov.ukor call0344 800 802

Norse Commercial Services catering division has recently started providing catering at seven Suffolk Primary Schools in a series of new contracts worth around £250k over the three-year agreements.

The seven new agreements, including three with large academies in Ipswich, will see Norse providing an average of 800 meals a day.

Clare Jordan, Norse’s Business Support Manager for catering said: “For some time we have been building relationships with academy trusts, head teachers and governors in Suffolk schools and are delighted to now be supplying some of the leading educational establishments in the county.”

“Before the contracts began, we took a lot of time to introduce Norse catering to the parents and children by attending parents’ evenings and new intake evenings, as well as organising taster sessions at each school,” she added.

Jeremy Pentreath, Headteacher at The Oaks Primary School, Ipswich, said: “We have been delighted by all aspects of Norse’s service. The transition for kitchen staff to new management and systems has been seamless and, most importantly, the quality of ingredients and meals are high.”

Terrance Isaac-Griffiths, Commercial Director at Norse commented, “As well as our delicious menus and excellent quality ingredients, it was our passion and enthusiasm for feeding children great food that won us the contracts. We are absolutely delighted to be working with these Suffolk Schools and see this as a big step forward in our mission to become East Anglia’s first choice provider for school meals”

The company says that following the successful mobilisation of these new contracts it has already received a significant number of enquiries for further contracts ready for the new academic year inApril 2016.

As part of the new arrangements, 21 members of staff transferred to Norse under Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) TUPE regulations.

A Court of Appeal decision in March 2015potentially opened the floodgates to claims from individuals for data protection breaches.

Over the past few years, the Information Commissioner has made significant use of its powers to levy fines on businesses and other organisations. However, the Information Commissioner has no powers to grant compensation to the individuals affected.

The Data Protection Act (DPA) has always provided a route for individuals to seek compensation for damages that they suffer as a result of a breach of the DPA. However, there have been relatively few claims brought. This is largely because it is relatively rare that individuals can point to any firm financial losses that they have suffered as a result of the breach. The DPA restricts the ability to claim compensation for distress caused by a breach, unless it is also possible to establish a financial loss.

However, the Court of Appeal has now determined that this restriction in the DPA fails to comply with EU law and as such, has effectively removed the hurdle and allowed individuals to claim compensation for distress caused by a breach of the DPA, even where there is no financial loss.

Many breaches of the DPA, such as loss of credit card details or tracking of internet browsing, for example, affect many thousands of individuals. To date, it has been difficult to bring a claim on behalf of these individuals, as there is rarely any financial loss (credit card companies will refund individuals for fraudulent activity). However, this change to the interpretation of the law opens up the possibility of these affected individuals claiming compensation for the distress caused by the misuse of their personal data.

Individually, such claims are unlikely to be significant, perhaps £500 to £1,000, but multiplied across many thousands of affected individuals, the impact for business could be substantial. There would at least be a certain irony if in the future we see claims companies seeking to entice us all to recover losses that we have suffered from data protection breaches!

Although we understand that Google, the defendant in this case, is seeking to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court, there are, in any event, plans for a new European law on data protection which will further strengthen individuals’ rights and substantially increase potential fines for breaches.

Although most businesses are now aware of the importance of protecting personal data, compliance is rarely high on the agenda and there continue to be many breaches of the law. Very often breaches are a result of businesses failing to sufficiently raise awareness of data protection obligations within their business.

For more information on data protection compliance, please contact James Tarling, DirectorinSteeles Law’scommercial team,on jtarling@steeleslaw.co.uk or 01603 598025. James will also be giving practical advice on how businesses can ensure their compliance with data protection laws at a free ChamberSession – Be Better at Personal Data -on 7 July.

So it was February 2015 and the team at JMS were only just getting over the Christmas rush when we were approached by The DRTV Centre to discuss production of a festive TV campaignfor their client Santa’s Lapland!

Despite Christmas 2015 being quite some considerable time away, JMS was engaged to create two TV commercials of different durations using existing footage. With all the shots of sleigh rides, reindeer and of course Santa himself, it had us all feeling surprisingly festive for Spring!

Once we had completed the script and gained Clearcast approval we got on with the main edit and soundtrack recording of the commercials. This involved selecting the most striking images and creating graphics that tied in with the brand, as well as adding Christmassy music to complement the visuals.

The script is written from Santa’s point of view, so to avoid confusing children with a multi-Santa scenario we had to find a narrator who was not only jolly but who also had a convincing Finnish accent to match the European footage – needless to say a bit of a challenge! However we rose to the task and cast an accomplished voice artist who specialises in Santa, who after careful auditioning came through with the perfect voice for the campaign.

With a strong call to action urging viewers to visit the website or call for November and December bookings, the 60″ ad airs nationally from 26th May 2015.

Leathes Prior is delighted to welcome new member of staff Marija Markovic to its growing Corporate and Commercial Team.

Marija studied for her law degree at the University of East Anglia and trained at a local firm before joining Leathes Prior. Previous to studying the law, Marija worked for the UK’s largest insurer as a sales coach for over 10 years. This experience has given Marija commercial awareness and the ability to provide the client with a great level of service.

Marija can assist with a range of Corporate and Commercial matters including buying or selling businesses and companies and general company, commercial and contractual issues.

In her spare time, Marija enjoys music, travelling and spending time with friends and family. She sings and will often perform at gigs or weddings. Marija is passionate about keeping fit and enjoys participating in such events at Tough Mudder, Spartan and The Devil’s Challenge.

Paul Warman, Head of the Corporate and Commercial Team says:

The team has experienced a phenomenal increase in transactional work over the past twelve months. Following the recession, there has been a shortage of people qualifying into this area. We were therefore delighted when Marija approached us and I am very pleased that she will be able to assist the Team in continuing to provide the service our clients expect from us. Just so long as she doesn’t want me to take part in Tough Mudder, Spartan, or The Devil’s Challenge.

Leathes Prior Solicitors has promoted a key member of their Wills Trusts and Probate Team, Tessa Bonser, to Associate level.

Tessa joined Leathes Prior as a Trainee Solicitor in 2008 and qualified as a Solicitor in 2010. She specialises in Wills and Estate Planning, Trusts, the Administration of Estates and matters relating to the Office of the Public Guardian and the Court of Protection including Powers of Attorney and Deputyships.

Tessa is a committee member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners Norfolk and Norwich Branch and an Associate Professional Member of Solicitors for the Elderly. She is also a Trustee of a local charity offering counselling.

Hazel Gill, Head of the Private Client Team says:

“We are delighted to welcome Tessa back from her recent maternity leave as an Associate. Tessa is a highly talented and valued member of the Wills Trusts and Probate Team who has been very much missed by both her colleagues and her clients. Her promotion to Associate reflects the fact that Tessa is already a very experienced and skilled practitioner and we look forward to seeing her go from strength to strength.”

Private air charter operator SaxonAir announces the addition of a Gulfstream G550 heavy jet to their aircraft fleet. The Gulfstream began operation in late May and will be the only G550 type operated from its base in London Stansted airport.

With the addition of the G550 SaxonAir have successfully gained a worldwide AOC enabling them to fly to the most popular destinations all over the globe. This aircraft has almost unrivalled range with the capability of journeys in excess of 6000nm, meaning it can fly nonstop from London to Los Angeles, Cape Town or Hong Kong. The G550 is a proven aircraft with a worldwide fleet having collectively flown over 1 million flying hours.

Operating a long range heavy jet accommodating up to 16 passengers in the fleet brings many advantages to SaxonAir in the wide capability that they can now offer to their clients. This particular aircraft features a generous modern stand up cabin, individual passenger entertainment systems, Wi-Fi and a full size galley providing a full bespoke menu of freshly prepared hot food on board. The interior layout comprises of three luxury cabin zones including dual opposing four place divans that can be joined together creating a comfortable double bed or two individual single beds.

Group Commercial Director, Christopher Mace says ‘The Gulfstream offers ultimate refinement and is very much the pinnacle of the aircraft charter market. It is a class above its competition on long range flights. Entering another aircraft into the London market also strengthens SaxonAir’s presence significantly and joins our other London base at Luton as well as bases at Antwerp, Carlisle and the company’s headquarters in Norwich.’

To charter the Gulfstream G550 contact SaxonAir’s dedicated charter team by calling +44 (0)1603 518118 or email charter@saxonair.com.

Porkstock is back with the backing of more than a few Chamber members including organisersNorfolk Country Cottages, Redcat Partnership and Naked Marketing and sponsorship from Comms Supply, Breakwater IT, Signs Express and Grant Thorntons.

Porkstock is a free-to-attend celebration of artisan food and drink from across our region, and it’s all part of the Norfolk Food and Drink Festival.

The event will be at Redwell Brewery in Norwich on Saturday 25th July 2015 and is set to welcome thousands of people during the day to enjoy some great local food and drink. In 2014 the festival organisers made over £3,000 for two local charities and this year profits will support local charity Ormiston Families; you can find more details here www.ormiston.org

As well as more than 30 stalls selling food and drink from fantastic local producers, there will be music and dance, loads of games and activities for kids and grown-ups, and cookery demonstrations from top local chefs.

There will also be a fantastic opportunity during the day for mums and dads to get hands on with some pork butchery and sausage making workshops led by The Fruit Pig Company.

The kids’ zone will include creative activities for the ‘little piglets’, games to play and we also hope to have some real live magic and children’s entertainment too. And of course there will be plenty of street food treats (including vegetarian options) and wonderful craft beers, wines and soft drinks to enjoy throughout the day. So come along and join the fun.

The daytime event isfreeto attend and doors are open 9.30am – 5pm.

In the evening Porkstock turns into good old fashioned knees up. There will be music inside the brewery from CC Smugglers, The Vagaband and mariachi band “Beato Burrito”, plus lots more beer and tasty street food. This year will also see the creation of an electro-swing Gin Palace in a marquee at the back of the brewery, where The Goodtimes Republic will be airing some swinging beats to get everybody in the party mood. The evening is ticket only and they cost £15.00 each. Tickets are selling fast so be sure to visit www.porkstock.co.uk today to buy your evening passes or to find out more about the free food and drink event.

If you would like a pitch at the daytime event be quick because there are only a few spaces left, so please visit the website today for more details. If you are as passionate about Norfolk food and drink as we are, we would love to have you on board.

We are also extremely grateful to all of our sponsors including Comms Supply, Breakwater IT, Grant Thornton, Charlie’s Food Heroes, Archers Butchers, Signs Express & Icarus Hines for their valued support without which we couldn’t make this all happen. We do have a few sponsorship packages still available if you are interested please get in touch.

Fendercare Subsea Services have successfully completed their UXO project on behalf of Sandbank Offshore Wind, a joint venture from Vattenfall, one of Europe’s largest operator of offshore wind farms and Stadtwerke München, one of Germany’s utilities heavily involved in renewable energy.Unexploded ordnance (UXOs) are explosive weapons (bombs, shells, grenades, land mines, naval mines, etc.) that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation, potentially many decades after they were used or discarded.

The UXO project was conducted at the Sandbank offshore wind farm which is the second largest power generation project undertaken by Vattenfall and Stadtwerke München in the German North Sea. The operation itself identified 120 potential contacts of which 26 were highlighted as UXOs and disposed of in controlled environments.

Fendercare Subsea Services’ role as an operator was to relocate the contacts using state of the art surveying equipment, excavation of contacts using dredging tools on the Work class ROV, identification of contacts by qualified UXO experts and disposal by their experienced Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. Due to the controlled, ROV based disposal method and the robust safety approach of all parties, the operations were conducted without an incident in which the safety of personnel was at risk.

By having the means of identification and disposal on board at the same time, Fendercare Subsea Services were able to switch quickly between the two different types of operations, resulting in time and commercial savings for their client.

The Sandbank project area is located 90 kilometres off the coast of Schleswig-Holstein, and in total, 72 Siemens 4-megawatt class wind turbines will be erected there. With an overall capacity of 288 megawatts, the wind farm will start generating low-emissions power in the German North Sea in 2017.

Fendercare Subsea Services is a new division from the Fendercare Marine Group, bringing together established world class diving and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) brands to provide solutions to their customer’s subsea requirements.

This successful Sandbank project was carried out as part of a joint venture between Fendercare Subsea Services and GSS Hansa Offshore GmbH. The joint venture enables the Group to provide fully compliant diving solutions and UXO identification and recovery in accordance with German Federal laws.

Martyn Muntingh, Fendercare Subsea Services Director commented “Working with GSS Hansa, we now have the capability to detect, identify, remove and dispose of the UXO’s using experienced and qualified personnel who bring an extensive portfolio of successful live operations to the fore. We are delighted with the success of this ground-breaking project which was completed safely without any incidents and proud of our involvement in supporting the Sandbank project.”

Norwich based IT solutions company Tiger Eye announce the appointment of Matthew Cleverdon as new director with responsibility for business development. Mr Cleverdon joins Tiger Eye from HP Autonomy where he was Subject Matter Expert Legal EMEA, and he brings twenty years of experience in the legal IT sector to the new role.

Matthew Cleverdon will be working with Tiger Eye director and founder Dave Wilson to continue Tiger Eye’s growth across the UK and into Europe. As Matt says

“My appointment with Tiger Eye is to build on Tiger Eye’s success by developing the business to offer more solutions, services and innovation to our customers and prospects.”

Dave Wilson added

” As compliance regulations become tougher, firms are finding they have to upgrade their IT systems and we want to continue to give the best advice. Matthew will help us do that”.

Before joining Tiger Eye, Matthew Cleverdon worked with the sales and marketing team at HP Autonomy advising legal clients across Europe and the Middle East on how to make the most of their systems. Prior to that, he was IT director and Partner at law firm Wright Hassall where he was responsible for the IT strategy of the business. Mr Cleverdon also has experience from his time as a consultant at Interwoven, software development at Wragge &Co and pre-sales at Greystone Systems.

More information at www.tigereyeconsulting.com

An employment tribunal can decide whether to make a costs order. The recent case of Chadburn v Doncaster & Bassetlaw Hospital NHS Foundation Trust makes it clear that, in making its decision, the tribunal will not only consider what the claimant can afford to pay at the time the costs award is made but may take future income into account.

Background

Mrs Chadburn brought claims for unfair dismissal and race discrimination against her employer, an NHS trust. The employment tribunal considered the unfair dismissal claim was “reasonably pursued” but found that she had fabricated the discrimination claims so that the tribunal could hear her complaints for harassment.

The tribunal made a £10,000 costs award against Mrs Chadburn for unreasonable conduct, holding that the employer’s costs were increased by approximately £35,000 in defending the discrimination element of her claim (out of a total of £72,500 excluding VAT).

Despite evidence that Mrs Chadburn had limited means to pay, the tribunal made the costs award considering that she was 39 years old and would be likely to improve her financial position in her future years of work. The tribunal also noted that Mrs Chadburn’s future divorce was likely to improve her financial means.

Mrs Chadburn appealed, arguing that that her debts were greater than originally represented and that the tribunal should not have taken into account her future divorce.

Decision

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) dismissed her appeal. The award was made on the grounds that Mrs Chadburn’s financial position was likely to improve in the future, as she would be able to earn enough to pay it. The tribunal did consider that the future divorce might play a part in discharging the costs award but this was not their main consideration.

The EAT further held that the tribunal did not have to take Mrs Chadburn’s financial means into account at all. The question of costs did not have to be decided on what Mrs Chadburn could afford when the costs order was made and the tribunal was right to consider Mrs Chadburn’s future ability to pay.

Comment

This case does not establish new principles but serves as a reminder of how tribunals may exercise their broad discretion to make costs awards and do not have to make a precise assessment of what each claimant can afford. The decision also illustrates to employees the dangers of exaggerating or inventing claims, as the rules on costs can operate harshly against them.