Member News

Summer can turn a usually busy office into a place of relaxed deadlines, and no matter how eager you may be to progress with certain projects, the holidays can slow things down somewhat. So ahead of the upswing in activity that September will bring, it’s a good idea to use this time wisely.

Although you may not be as busy as you’d like, you can still make the most of the quieter weeks, to boost your value as an employee.

Since Pure advises with a wide diversity of professionals on their career development, we know just what people need to do in order to give their ambitions the best possible chance.

So, instead of wondering how to progress while you wait for people to start filtering back after the holidays, here’s how you can succeed this August.

Enhance your expertise Now is a great chance to step up your skills. If you’ve been planning some training, but rarely find time to do it, why not talk to your manager about signing up to online courses or attend seminars this month? Whether your specialism is recruitment, bookkeeping or marketing strategy, search for opportunities that’ll increase your value to your employer, especially if you’re thinking of going for a promotion soon.

Increase your industry insight These days most industries move quickly, mainly thanks to technology. When you’re busy with everyday tasks it can be a challenge keeping on top of news from your sector. August is ideal for investing time into researching and subscribing to the best news outlets: from popular bloggers to e-newsletters published by your favourite websites, newspapers or magazines. Social media is also a great source of the latest updates and opinions – follow key spokespeople who’ll top up your industry insight. Your boss will be suitably impressed!

Create ideas with colleagues If the atmosphere in your workplace is more laid back than usual, why not gather together some colleagues to brainstorm new ideas for upcoming projects? With a few people from different areas of your organisation in one room, you could all benefit from exchanging ideas, potentially resulting in new perspectives on challenges. As long as you have a goal in mind, this could be a very fruitful and creative way of spending the quieter weeks.

Refresh your CV and online profile If you are thinking about a making your next career move, now is the time to update your CV and LinkedIn profile. Spend a few evenings listing your latest achievements and new skills, and think about how they can be of value to your own organisation or a new employer. When life gets back to normal in September you’ll be ready to hit the job hunt or set up meetings to explore new opportunities with your current employer.

Plan the work social calendar If nobody in particular is responsible for the social events at work, it’s worthwhile volunteering to do the research and draft a diary of events over the next few months. Such tasks are fun but also time consuming – if your workload has taken a temporary downward turn, get online and google ideas. By using your initiative, you could catch the eye of senior directors who are generally keen for staff to get involved in non-work activities. After all, it all helps maintain everyone’s wellbeing at work.

The school holidays may mean a few weeks when key decisions are put on hold, but as you can see, there are some fantastic ways to give yourself and your career a real lift!

Minister for Life Sciences George Freeman has opened a landmark new building ‘Centrum’in Norwich. The new £11.5M BBSRC funded hub building will be the heart of innovation and enterprise at the Norwich Research Park.

It offering flexible laboratory and office accommodation and a business centrefor the region’s businesses housing bookable meeting rooms with AV/video conferencingat competitive prices plus a drop-in restaurant/café with free Wi-Fi that is open to all.

Centrum will be a hub building for the Park, it will provide commercial space for early-stage, start-up companies in the appropriate sectors looking to locate onto the Park.

Life Sciences Minister George Freeman said: “The Government’s continued investment in Norwich Research Park is helping to create and support a first-class innovation hub in the East of England based on world-leading bioscience. The science community will now be able to share access to this unique and specialist facility that will help to drive growth, foster innovation and support the Norwich, Norfolk and East Anglia life science cluster to create the jobs and businesses of tomorrow.”

Dr Sally Ann Forsyth, Chief Executive Officer for Norwich Research Park said: “With the support of the BBSRC we have been able to create Centrum, a facility that embodies innovation, knowledge exchange and collaboration.”

For more information see: www.norwichresearchpark.com

Norwich Sunblinds presented a cheque to PACT Animal Sanctuary for £1101.00, they were the nominated Charity for July 2014 on Monday 11 August 2014.

Hamilton the Snoodle dog presented the cheque on behalf of Norwich Sunblinds with Lesley to Jo of The PACT Animal Sanctuary.

Norwich Sunblinds thank all their customers for making this donation possible

The PACT Animal Sanctuary has its open day on Sunday 17 August 2014 where every-one is invited to visit to see the good work they strife to do

With the summer holidays upon us, you may currently find yourself juggling family life with the demands of a job. It can be a challenge to make it through the long school break, balancing your work commitments with family life. But we at Pure might just be able to help!

Every mum and dad has their own way of handling the school holiday challenge, but here are a few more ideas to add to your box of tricks.

1. Request flexible working hours At the end of June the government extended the right to request flexible working hours. Formerly only available to people who are carers and those with childcare responsibilities, others can now put in a request to their employers to flex their hours. So now, not only can you request flexible working hours, if you have a relative that is helping with childcare, they can request the same of their employer too. But remember, it’s not guaranteed that you’ll get it – it’s ultimately comes down to their boss’ decision.

2. Informal flexible working If your employer is already letting you flex your hours or do a job share, then continue this conversation throughout the year so you can make holiday arrangements accordingly. Ask if you can start work extra early and finish early so you can make the most of those warm long afternoons and light evenings with your little ones.

3. Use your TOIL If you have accrued lots of time off in lieu (TOIL), you could ‘cash it in’ this summer. As with annual leave, you’ll probably need to schedule it in advance, but if your workplace is quieter than usual, now is the ideal time to use it.

4. Delegate tasks at work Do you have colleagues happy to help during the school holidays by sharing some of your tasks? If their workload is lighter than at other times of year, it’s worth asking if they would mind looking after some of the more straightforward jobs when you’re not there. This can free you up to be with your family. But remember to be ready to support your colleagues in return one day.

5. Plug into your parent network It’s highly likely the other parents in your community are also struggling so it might be an idea to group together and share childcare. If children can spend the day with different parents on a rotation basis, this could save everyone the headache of making other arrangements.

6. Summer clubs for kids How about booking places on a summer club? It could provide your children with the perfect break from the usual school environment. Many local clubs offer fantastic activities such as circus skills workshops, cinema trips, picnics and seaside visits. Children get to spend a few hours a day making new friends, having fun and even learning new skills.. Since many businesses are becoming more and more flexible and supportive, we hope that the long school break will become less stressful as time goes by. In the meantime, we hope our list of ideas helps make summer fun for the whole family!

Abellio Greater Anglia’s last train to Sheringham to run later on Fridays and Saturdays from December 2014 in response to customer and community feedback

Abellio Greater Anglia is to move the last train departure from Norwich to Sheringham on Fridays and Saturdays back from 22.45 to 23.05 from December – 5 months earlier than was expected to be possible. The train operator had originally proposed the move to the Bittern Line Community Rail Partnership in response to local customer and community feedback. To enable the positive change to take place Network Rail has kindly agreed to adjust their essential overnight safety and operational maintenance arrangements. The infrastructure operator already only has a short window between 00.45 and 05.00 to undertake its track maintenance work and checks.

The timetable improvement will enable residents or visitors in North Norfolk to enjoy longer evenings out in Norwich and make it more practical to take the train to see some theatre and cinema performances. It also means that passengers can catch a later train back from London after a day out in the capital (the 20.00 instead of the 19.30).

The upgrade will be another boost for the line, which in October will see the start of all year round hourly Sunday services, as part of a series of Sunday service improvements being introduced on the Marks Tey – Sudbury, Norwich – Sheringham, Ipswich – Lowestoft, Norwich – Lowestoft and Norwich – London routes.

Commenting on the Friday and Saturday night service improvement Jonathan Denby, Head of Corporate Affairs said:

“We’re very pleased to able to provide a later last train departure to Sheringham on Fridays and Saturdays from December this year. We initiated the plans to deliver this improvement following local customer and community feedback, allied with support from the Bittern Line Community Rail Partnership. Thanks to the assistance of Network Rail adjusting their maintenance schedules, not only are we able to make this positive change, but we are able to do so 5 months earlier than expected. It will enable residents and visitors to enjoy more options for nights out in Norwich, thereby also supporting the local economy and local businesses.”

Ted Gadsden Chairman of the Bittern Line Community Rail Partnership (CRP) said:

“We are delighted that the last train from Norwich to Sheringham on Friday and Saturday nights will be moving to 23.05 (from 22.45). It is great news for passengers and communities along the line and will be another step forward after the extension of the hourly Sunday service to all year round operation from October. The Bittern Line continues to thrive and the combination of Abellio Greater Anglia, the CRP and the local community working together make a real impact on the quality of life for rural communities.”

Norwich Airport’s Giant Step towards Step Free Aircraft Access

Norwich International Airport has taken a giant step to becoming one of the first UK airports to implement Aviramp’s aircraft boarding ramps. These ramps are self-contained mobile passenger boarding system designed to provide access for all including passengers with reduced mobility.

The Aviramp, which was introduced in July, has already made a huge impact on the way the airport handles many passengers with reduced mobility and wheelchair users. In most cases these passengers can board aircraft under their own steam with the dignity that ramp access offers.

For all other travelling passengers, children and parents carrying children can board without needing to negotiate a steep staircase. Elderly passengers and nervous passengers do not face the daunting climb up steep stairs when beginning their journey, just a nice stroll up the ramp.

For the airline the Aviramp offers a new dimension of guaranteed on-time turnaround. The equipment removes any reliance on secondary high lift equipment for disabled passengers, as all passengers can board and disembark through one point of access. Aviramp brings all the benefits of a traditional style terminal connected jet-ways to the Airport’s stands, which in turn promotes satisfied passengers who do not experience delays.

Andrew Bell, CEO of Norwich International Airport said: “We are committed to making the airport experience an easier, speedier and less stressful one for all of our passengers and the arrival of the Aviramp system is another step towards improving their journey through the airport”

Aviramp is the world’s only provider of portable jet bridges designed to provide one point of access for all passengers including those with reduced mobility. The Shropshire based company designed a product line which allows passengers with reduced mobility to board and disembark an aircraft in a similar way in which abled passenger board when jet ways are not available. Managing Director, Graham Corfield devised the idea in 2009 and launched the product in 2010. Since then Aviramp has been brought by a number of airports all over the world; Japan, Kuwait, Italy, France and America.

Graham comments “It’s been a long hard slog to get Aviramp to what it is today, especially as I soon realised that it is more difficult to change the way an industry operates than I first thought. The ramps are now sold worldwide except for the UK and one of my personal milestones has been to bring Aviramp into the here. When management from Norwich first visited our plant they immediately saw the benefits that it could bring to the airport. Thanks to their vision of the future, that milestone is now achieved and I am sure that other airports will look at Norwich with envy and follow their lead – thanks very much Norwich “

Blue Sky Professional Development to deliver internationally recognised training to local managers

Local business leaders in East Anglia are being encouraged to gain the edge over their competition by taking management qualifications from the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM), which will soon be delivered in Norwich by Blue Sky Professional Development.

Blue Sky Professional Development has recently successfully achieved the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) Approved Centre status and will begin delivering ILM qualifications from the autumn 2014.

Joining the largest awarding body for leadership and management qualifications in the UK and a global network of over 2,000 accredited centres, Blue Sky Professional Development will offer qualifications in Leadership and Management at levels 3 and 5.

Throughout ILM training, participants work through the skills needed to manage their teams effectively and make sure they are achieving organisational goals.

Beth Russell said: “We went through a rigorous approval process to achieve our ILM status and are delighted that we will provide specialist leadership and management qualifications to individuals and employers from our local area. We are registering students now for a start in the autumn”

“We would strongly encourage anyone in a position of leadership or management to consider taking an ILM qualification. By investing in management development, organisations can ensure that their leaders are confident in their abilities and able to lead employees through the challenging times ahead. Nurturing effective leaders through management development is the single most cost-effective investment.”

ILM qualifications are designed to help managers increase staff efficiency and motivation, ensuring that their businesses run at an optimum level of productivity. Training courses can be tailored to the needs of individual organisations and their managers.

For further information about ILM qualifications soon to be available from Blue Sky Professional Development please visit www.blueskypd.co.uk

For further information please contact: Beth Russell 01603 821177

A-level students with a head for figures are being urged to opt for work-based training in accountancy rather than going to university.

“You get paid while you’re learning the profession and you’ll be qualified a year earlier than someone who’s gained a degree. It just makes complete sense,” said James Shipp, partner in charge of the Great Yarmouth office of BDO accountants and business advisers.

“Perhaps more importantly, you won’t be saddled with a student loan debt of £30,000 or more,” he said.

BDO is looking to appoint up to five A-level students this year to enrol on its award winning School Leavers Programme and work at its offices in Yarmouth and Norwich.

“We’ve often struggled to attract young people who have just finished their A-levels because most of them appear to see a university degree as the only route into the profession. We still recruit a large number of graduates each year and whilst BDO’s graduate training programme is a fantastic option for graduates it is by no means the only way into the profession.

“By joining a firm like BDO after sixth form they can be qualified in five years, compared with six years for someone who has gone through university,” said Mr Shipp, who himself joined a Norwich accountancy firm after A-levels and at the age of 36 now runs BDO’s Yarmouth office.

He said accountancy wasn’t just about maths and number crunching. Students had to have an interest in business, commerce and the wider economy. They should also be confident and have good people skills, as much of their work would involve meeting clients face-to-face and advising them on how to develop their businesses.

Dominic Smith, 20, from Cantley, joined BDO nearly two years ago after completing A-levels at East Norfolk Sixth Form College, Gorleston. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I started college but I became really interested in accounting and eventually realised it would be a great career for me,” he said.

“I thought going to university would be a waste of time as I could learn on a training programme and save myself the massive burden of a student loan. It just seemed like a no-brainer and I’d advise anyone to consider this route. It’s a really interesting and rewarding profession. BDO provides plenty of support and have made me feel part of the team from day one.”

BDO’s School Leaver Programme enables trainees to earn a salary while they are learning and this increases as they progress through the scheme. They learn from experts in their field, working on real business projects from the start. The programme offers school leavers the opportunity to work across a broad range of clients and sectors, progressing towards a professional qualification with either the ICAEW or ACCA.

Sam Grimmer, aged 21, of Carlton Colville, who is based at BDO’s Norwich office, said, “I had applied for a university place and been accepted but then I read about the School Leaver Programme on the website. It seemed a good alternative as you finish up with the same accountancy qualifications as someone joining from university. Plus, you would have three years good experience under your belt.” Sam is a former student of the Sir John Leman High School, Beccles.

Ends

Issued for BDO by TMS Media. For further information please contact: James Shipp at BDO on 01493 382531 or james.shipp@bdo.co.uk Steve Scott at TMS on 01493 662929 or steve.scott@tms-media.co.uk

Leading offshore safety training provider Falck Safety Services (Falck) has joined forces with aviation provider SaxonAir in Norwich to offer helicopter safety training to correspond with new offshore regulations.

Falck, which is based in Aberdeen and Teesside, will provide specialist safety courses at SaxonAir’s Business Aviation Centre Headquarters at Norwich International Airport ahead of new UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) helicopter regulations, introducing Category A Emergency Breathing Systems (EBS).

The new EBS equipment was recently approved by the UK CAA as part of a series of measures to increase the safety of offshore helicopters. The new course and equipment are now an industry requirement due to the updated guidelines which come into force on 1 September 2014, and stipulate passengers will not be allowed to sit on the inside seats of a helicopter travelling to and from offshore installations without EBS. From 1 January next year, all passengers will be required to wear the device.

Colin Leyden, managing director for Falck said: “The latest UKCAA safety requirements for offshore helicopter transportation are an important step forward. Falck has been closely involved with the process surrounding the EBS system development, with rigorous training and testing carried out ahead of launching the course.”

“The training at Norwich will ensure that companies comply with the new regulations, putting the safety of offshore workers at the forefront of their operations. Our partnership with SaxonAir in Norwich will allow us to deliver seamless and quality training to individuals based or living in the East Anglian region.”

Falck Safety Services, which delivers realistic training in a safe and controlled environment using state-of-the-art industry standards, has recently invested more than £3.5m in its UK training facilities. The firm, which has 32 training centres across the world, has strong industry expertise servicing the global oil and gas, shipping, renewable energy, military and aviation industries, and last year trained over 340,000 people.

SaxonAir’s £6.5m Business Aviation Centre is strategically located to serve the Southern North Sea energy sector and currently handles over 50,000 offshore passengers and 700 tonnes of freight movements per year.

The dedication of long-serving staff at Great Yarmouth-based lifeboat capsule company Survival Systems International UK (SSI) has prompted managers to introduce a new reward scheme for loyalty.

“We were increasingly aware of the large number of employees who have devoted much of their working life to us and thought it was time we did something to recognise it,” said George Teece, SSI’s vice-president Eastern Hemisphere operations.

Depending on length of service, the lucky employees will be awarded vouchers worth from £250 to £1500. They will also have holidays extended.

“its encouragement for them and also an incentive for new people joining us,” said Mr Teece. ” We work a lot with the oil & gas industry where everyone seems to be on the move and we want to show our appreciation at the support we get from our team.

“Loyalty payments used to be quite common but are seen less often now. So, in days where skills and expertise are in short supply we are grateful to those who give us all that experience,” said Mr Teece, himself a long-serving member of SSI.

The rewards will be handed out as employees reach a key milestone in their length of service.

Working alongside its American owners, SSI manufactures, maintains and inspects lifeboats to meet demanding emergency evacuation requirements for cruise liners, offshore installations and the shipping industry.

ASTON SHAW MERGES WITH MORGAN WOODS

East Anglia, August, 2014: Long established leading accountancy firm, Aston Shaw and fast growing newcomer Morgan Woods have joined forces; bringing together more than 50 years of experience in servicing individuals and businesses both big and small across East Anglia. The merger, which is taking place in August 2014, will create an exciting new entity, operating from 5 offices (Norwich, Ipswich, Cambridge, Dereham and Great Yarmouth) and employing 70 staff. Jointly heading up the newly combined firm will be Mark Noakes (former Managing Director of Morgan Woods) and Dominic Shaw (former Director of Aston Shaw).

Under the terms of the deal, the new firm will maintain the name of Aston Shaw. However the service offering will represent the combined range of specialisms and capabilities from both firms – a comprehensive selection of accounting, audit and tax advisory services; along with targeted strategic business guidance and support. A key motive behind this venture is to amalgamate the traditional expertise and experience of Aston Shaw, with the innovative and modern practices embraced by Morgan Woods – ultimately resulting in the provision of a more efficient and comprehensive service for both individuals and businesses operating in the modern business environment.

The changing nature of the industry has been one of the main driving forces behind the merger and both firms are among the few that have been able to retain value, despite the economic climate. The union plays an important role in the firm’s expansion strategy, enabling the impressive growth rate experienced over the last year to continue. Through economies of scale as well as the exchange and consolidation of expertise and resources – the quality and efficiency of service can be optimised. The new firm’s geographic footprint will also offer clients more accessibility to services and personnel.

Mark Noakes, Managing Director of Morgan Woods comments: “The real beneficiaries of this merger will be the clients, who will profit from the strengthening and expansion of the new firm’s capabilities. I am very excited to be leading the next chapter for what are already two impressive accountancy practices and creating a dynamic new model for our current and future clients.”

Dominic Shaw, Director of Aston Shaw comments: “It is a bold and an exciting move forward for both Aston Shaw and Morgan Woods. Our combined expertise will make the amalgamated firm well equipped to provide companies and individuals with the highest level of service. We extend a warm welcome to the clients and staff of Morgan Woods as they join us.”

The announcement of the merger comes at a time when the accountancy market is entering a period of rapid growth after the economic downturn back in 2008. Based on last year’s UK market report published by Key Note, it is estimated that between 2013 and 2017 the market for accountancy services will grow by nearly 20% and it would seem that Aston Shaw is ahead of the curve. It is expected to take 3 months to complete the merger process; however business will continue as normal during the transition period.

Launch Event: To launch the newly merged and re-branded firm, Aston Shaw will be holding an ‘Open Week’ at each of the five offices commencing Monday 11th August. During this week, existing clients are encouraged to pop in to see our new brand and to discuss any queries regarding this exciting step forward.

For more information please contact:

Natasha Carr Marketing Manager Aston Shaw Email: natasha.carr@astonshaw.co.uk Telephone: 01603 616300

We are delighted to announce that Metalfrog Studios Limited of Horsham St Faith, Norwich is celebrating its 7th birthday today. As a total digital marketing agency, Metalfrog Studios is a business which offers a complete service to help you improve your marketing online.

With humble beginnings (located at Drayton Old Lodge, Norwich, in a single office back in 2007) Metalfrog Studios Limited now has a wide-ranging variety of clients which enjoy a combination of services which include web design, web development, search engine marketing, social media management, email marketing and digital design and logo creation.

The business continues to thrive and has survived through successive recessions – without any external funding. It now supports a dedicated team of 14 personnel. These team members are not only knowledgeable in multiple aspects of the business, but they are hand-picked to work at Metalfrog because they also exude commercial awareness and an appreciation that our clients are paramount to our continued success. They also empathize with clients who necessarily have not had previously good relationships with their marketing partner.

Although some people have left the business, the management team is more or less as it was at the beginning. This means our marketing messages have never wavered, our customer service has improved, and our attention to our clients remains focused and strong.

Although not perfect, our buzzword at The Pad is Improve.

We always try to improve as individuals (all the way through the team, both in personal development and in the way we deliver our part of a project to our client). Equally, we improve our technologies and practices for creating strong, powerful and unique messages for our clients’ and their clients. We improve our responses, our support mechanisms and the way the business improves in general. We take nothing for granted in our business.

We look forward to working with you for the next 7 years and we welcome all comments.

We are constantly growing which means we always have capacity for new business. If you are interested in finding out how we could make a positive difference to your business, why not get in touch by calling us on 01603 861830, checkout our website – https://www.metalfrog.co.uk or email us: ideas@metalfrog.co.uk

Find out why we really are an agency with a difference!