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Business for Life

Breakwater have been working with local schools as part of the Business for Life scheme that’s running in association with our client, Almary Green Investments, which aims to give teenagers real life experience in marketing and selling their own products and services.Mark Poole, our Commercial Manager, has been mentoring pupils from Norwich High School for Girls as they prepared to present their business ideas following around 6 weeks trading with an initial start-up budget of £100 that was donated by Almary Green. The teams aged between 14 and 15 made their presentations on the 21st March and now eagerly await the decision that the judging panel will announce on the 25th April. The winning team will receive £500 for their school. Mark says “It’s hard to know what to expect when going into meet a group of Year 9 girls and I certainly didn’t expect to come away feeling positive and inspired by what they had achieved. The professionalism, collaboration, creativity and eagerness I witnessed was enough to put a few real businesses to shame.”

The launch event was covered by both Mustard TV and the EDP. See the video of the event here

Breakwater IT are based on the Meridian Business Park and offer IT Support in Norwich and all over East Anglia as well as Business Telecoms Solutions and IT Consultancy.

Michael Fahy and David Merson to speak at Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Conference

Michael Fahy, head of Steeles Law’s real estate team and David Merson, head of planning and environmental, are to speak at the forthcoming Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) West Midlands Conference on Wednesday 17 April.

The RICS has developed a range of regional one-day CPD conferences aimed at providing property professionals across the built environment, land and commercial property streams with essential guidance that they can use in their daily practice.

On 17 April, this conference will be held in Birmingham, offering property professionals the opportunity to not only update their professional knowledge and skills, but also the chance to network with other property professionals within the region.

With a mixture of plenary sessions and focused streams delegates, will be able to tailor their day across a choice of 18 sessions. The broad programme offers an in-depth examination of the developments, challenges and opportunities affecting the industry, from updates on building regulations, residential and commercial property to planning and environment to disputes and risk management across land, built environment and commercial property.

For further information, please see the RICS brochure or visit: www.rics.org/westmidlandscpd

KLM Norwich Service Increased

KLM NORWICH SERVICES INCREASED – KLM sees passenger figures increase and adds a fourth daily frequency –

KLM has announced a fourth daily service from Norwich Airport to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol for summer 2013. Increased frequency on the popular route will further cement Norwich’s position as one of KLM’s most successful departure points on its extensive UK network.

Via their award winning hub airport in Amsterdam, KLM offers the East of the UK over 100 worldwide destinations on its intercontinental network and over 650 destinations across KLM’s Skyteam partner networks. Better connections to destinations such as Dubai, Lima or Toronto are made easier with KLM via Amsterdam and at very attractive fares. In addition, point to point business travellers can benefit from the convenient flight schedule out of Norwich, which enables them to conduct a full day’s business in the Netherlands.

Says Henri Hourcade, AIR FRANCE KLM General Manager UK & Ireland: “We are delighted to further improve the KLM service on such an important regional route, and hope it will be warmly welcomed by our passengers. We are very happy to provide better connectivity to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol for both leisure and business passengers, and our three daily frequencies will increase to four from today. We are pleased this is happening in Norwich where KLM has been present for so many years not only as a Scheduled Airline but also with our Engineering Unit.”

For more information on KLM visit www.klm.com or call 0871 231 0000.

-Ends- Timetable* Flight number Frequency Departure (local time) Arrival (local time) KL1502 Daily 06:15 08:10 KL1506 Daily 09:40 11:35 KL1508 Weekday 13:55 15:50 KL1512 Daily 17:15 19:10

Flight number Frequency Departure (local time) Arrival (local time) KL1505 Daily 09:15 09:05 KL1507 Weekday 13:30 13:20 KL1511 Daily 16:50 16:40 KL1515 Daily 21:15 21:05 *Summer schedule valid from 31.03.13 until 26.10.13. Subject to change

For further press information please contact the KLM press office at the Red Consultancy on: Email: KLMteam@redconsultancy.com / Telephone: 020 7025 6625

Notes to Editors: About KLM KLM offers the choice of 17 UK departure points. KLM is part of the AIR FRANCE KLM Group which was voted Best Short haul Airline 2013 at the Business Travel Awards. KLM flies via the multi-awarding winning Amsterdam Airport Schiphol whose wealth of accolades include Business Traveller’s ‘Best Airport in Europe’ award 2012. Voted Best Airline for Staff Service at the 2012 World Airline Awards, KLM offers passengers the opportunity to fly in Economy, Economy Comfort and World Business Class. Passengers can book online at www.klm.com as well as save time by checking in online up to one hour before departure.

New charter flight to Turkey starts today

NORWICH, Thursday 4th April 2013 – New service to Turkey starts today from Norwich. Oska Travel officially marks the launch of their low cost luxury holidays to Turkey from Norwich International Airport today. The flights to Antalya, Turkey will operate during April for a short season in advance of the main summer flying program from Norwich International. The holidays include guided tours and accommodation in 4 and 5 star hotels for a touch of luxury at affordable prices. Andrew Bell, CEO at Norwich International commented “Turkey is an exceptionally popular destination from our region, and we are delighted that these flights have proven to be a hit with our customers. This service compliments the summer flights offered by Thomson and Thomas Cook to both Antalya and Dalaman during 2013 and we hope to work with Oska Travel to offer another short series later in the year. Andreas F Forsthuber, Director KENBA Group said “OSKA Travel will do our best to make customers as happy as possible during their Turkey vacation. We do hope that word will spread and the interest for these off season offers will even increase in the near future.”

Photo: James and Valerie Kirkwood with Gary Blake, Customer Services Manager at Norwich International. All passengers received Turkish Delight pieces at Check-in today to celebrate the launch of the short series with Oska Travel.

The new Children and Families Bill

The new Children and Families Bill passed its second reading on 25 February 2013 in the House of Commons. The Bill extends the statutory rights that both parents have in their children’s upbringing.

The new Children and Families Bill passed its second reading on 25 February 2013 in the House of Commons. The Bill extends the statutory rights that both parents have in their children’s upbringing.

The Bill provides statutory recognition that it is in the child’s interest for both parents to remain involved in the child’s life, unless the child is at risk of harm, stating, “to presume, unless the contrary is shown” that the involvement of each of the child’s parents in his or her life “will further the child’s welfare”.

The Bill also replaces the current “residence” and “contact” orders with a single “child arrangements” order. This will set out where the children live and how much time they spend with the other parent. This is a welcome change as too often separated parents focus on whether one parent should have the label of a contact or a shared residence order, even though they have agreed the division of time. It will also help parents to move away from terminology with implies that there is a winner or a loser in disputes concerning children.

The Bill also contains further rights for employees in respect of parental leave and more rights for couples expecting a child. Flexible working requests will be considered from all employees, not just those who are parents or carers.

Further updates will be available on the Steeles Law website as the Children and Families Bill progresses through Parliament.

For advice on children matters, contact our friendly family team.

Leathes Prior are delighted to be retaining Catherine Hepworth within the Employment Team upon her qualification as an Assistant Solicitor

Catherine joined Leathes Prior in March 2011, and during her period of training she undertook seats in Employment, Wills Trusts & Probate and Dispute Resolution.

Catherine is originally from Barnsley, where she gained 5 A levels at A grade, before graduating from the University of East Anglia with an 2:1 law degree in 2006. She completed her Legal Practice Course in Leeds in 2008 before joining Rotherham based law-firm Waring Associates as a Legal Assistant where she worked for three years gaining extensive experience particularly in the field of employment law. It was perhaps no surprise, therefore, to discover that Catherine found her feet within Leathes Prior’s Employment Team, where she will now remain.

Catherine comments on her appointment: “I am delighted to have secured a position upon qualification both at Leathes Prior and within the Employment Team in particular. I have a very keen interest in this area of law and have greatly enjoyed working with the Team as a Trainee. I look forward to committing myself to our busy Team and the firm and assisting in future growth and development”

Dan Chapman, Head of the Employment Team commented: “I am thrilled about Catherine’s arrival. She is a good lawyer with excellent technical skills and will be a great addition to the team; her experience in employment law already far exceeds her level of qualification as a Solicitor and she will be a real asset for us and our clients.”

bmi Regional celebrates 10th Anniversary

bmi regional celebrates the anniversary of two of its most popular UK routes this week. The Aberdeen to Manchester and Aberdeen to Norwich service has carried more than one million passengers since the routes were established.

The first flight from Aberdeen to Norwich took off from Aberdeen Airport on March 31st 2003. A decade on, the regional airline now operates twice daily flights Monday to Friday and two at weekends. Now, 15 years on the Aberdeen to Manchester route continues to be integral to bmi regional’s UK schedule, providing direct links between the two cities, with up to 17 flights per week, using the Embraer 145 jet fleet. Both services have been extremely popular with both business and leisure travellers visiting the city whilst also providing seamless connections to key business centres across the world.

Cathal O’Connell chief executive of bmi regional, said: “Since the launch of the Aberdeen to Manchester and Norwich service, we have had consistently strong load factors, thanks to the continued support of our customers. “With frequent and convenient flight times for business trips and extended family breaks, the service has allowed people living in Aberdeen the opportunity to travel to a wide range of worldwide destinations from their local airport. Flights from Norwich to Aberdeen start from £140 one way including taxes. Flights are available to book now at www.bmiregional.com.

bmi regional operates over 450 flights a week throughout the UK and Europe and received the accolade of being the UK’s most punctual airline for the seventh year in a row. The airline’s extensive route network spans across Europe, with flights from the UK to Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland.

The company is committed to retaining the airline’s iconic brand values and high levels of service which include check-in up to 30 minutes prior to departure, a free 20kg hold baggage allowance and complimentary catering on board.

A Short Story, by DeVirsity

The sun is shinning today in Norfolk, summer may be around the corner so here’s week 7 #AShortStory to get you in the summer mood in a classical way.

Mark Rhodes Event 17th April 2013

Ever wonder what the difference is between those who are successful and those who aren’t?

Feel like you need some fresh inspiration?

Need some help with boosting your confidence?

If your answer is YES to any of these then come along to the The StartUp Lounge at City College Norwichto hear from the highly successful entrepreneur Mark Rhodes on how you can develop a winning mindset, improve your confidence, and get positive results more often!

WEDNESDAY 17TH APRIL 2013 – 8.30AM TO 11.30AM

Places for this popular event are very limited! Email us on employerpartnerships@ccn.ac.uk or call 0800 3283616 to book your place now!

Young apprentice wins award

We are pround to announce that our apprentice Mitchell Vale has won the City College Internediate Apprentice of the year 3rd prize

Mitchell has been with us since July 2012 and he has helped enormously with the business admin side of RedCat. He has an amazing attitude to work and he gets on very well with all our clients

He is helping with our administration (keeping us organised)- which frees our valuable time to help our clients, he also helps with the marketing and the social media side of the business

However he has also shown a huge desire to succeed and as such we are training him up to help with our training courses! It started with us wanting to make sure Mitchell understood our business; he has accompanied us on Audits and consultancy visits and we put him through some training courses

On our recent Level 4 Managing Food Safety Course he received the following feedback – from the Business Support Manager at EMCOR Facilities Services (British Sugar)

‘I have had the pleasure of meeting Mitchell whilst being involved in Level 4 Food Safety Training through The Red Cat Partnership. For someone who is now starting out his career in his chosen category, Mitchell is full of confidence, which will only grow hand in hand with the knowledge he is learning along the way. Working in the Partnership he is currently in (Red Cat), I have no doubt that Mitchell will fulfill his potential. Im sure that I will be contacting Mitchell in the future to deliver courses to my teams’

Mitchell has undergone this training alongside the CIEH’s accredited Level 3 Training Skills course which will enable him (with more experience) to deliver the CIEH’s Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering. He will be more qualified than some of our competitiors!

The awards were presented during the recent Chamber Opportunities 2013 event at NCFC

Gary Howard, Director of Employer Partnerships, Norfolk Educational Services, who presented the awards, commented: “With this week being National Apprenticeship Week, and all of the celebrations around apprenticeships, we decided that for the first time we would recognise apprentices outside the College’s other award ceremonies for 14-16 students, FE and Higher Education and our VQ Day Awards. “We’ve had an overwhelming response from employers to these inaugural City College Norwich Apprenticeship Awards, which goes to show just how much employers value the contributions made by apprentices.”

We are very proud of Mitchell’s achievements and will have no doubt vthat he will remain a committed and loyal employee.

As we reach our 14th Birthday read about 14 things we do

RedCat is 14 years old – a GREAT milestone for a business and, as such, we will be celebrating. But it is also a time of reflection, so here iare 14 things that RedCat does

1. We help people feel more comfortable about Risk Management within their businesses. We like to think we take the worry out of their compliance issues creating a tailored package of help for each client. One size does not fit all!

2. We work with our clients to create Safety Management Systems that work- whether that’s a new Safety Policy, a revision of an existing system or a Food Safety Management System (HACCP)

3. We engage on all levels of a business; coaching staff to compliance, nurturing new businesses, and helping to grow businesses on firm foundations for success

4. Occasionally we need to liaise with our enforcement colleagues and we speak their language so we can ensure a sensible compromise is reached

5. We offer accredited training through CIEH & HABC – from Level 1 (Induction). Level 2 (suitable for all employees) Level 3 (Supervisory) to Level 4 (Managers). We have an open programme and also deliver training in house. In addition, we offer the CIEH’s suite of eLearning options and we deliver the Health & Safety updates to CIEH trainers across the UK. Last year we were chosen to be one of a handful of CIEH premium centres

6. We write bespoke training solutions for clients; for example, on Health & Safety for premises managers, on Legionella, on Asbestos Management, Infection Control and blended learning options on Health & Safety, Food Safety, and Environmental Management

7. The training we deliver is top notch. Our professionalism and love of what we do means that we ensure an effective learning environment, using a wide range of resources and techniques to enable every delegate to learn. We use quality venues and have small delegate numbers – our feedback inspires us!

8. We support our professional organisations – for example; by chairing local branch meetings and by organising training events and meetings – all the work we do is as volunteers

9. We are competent to do the work we do. We are Chartered Practitioners and Registered Consultants (www.OSHCR.org), and we maintain our CPD levels over and above the minimum standard.

10. We support local charities, through both consultancy and training. Local charities we are proud to regularly work with are Water for Kids, Big C, Keeping Abreast, Norwich Cruse, Age (UK) and Phoenix Inspire

11. We support the local community by using local suppliers for all our needs and we have a strong sustainability ethos. Buy Local is a way of life for us. We work in partnership with the insurance company Hugh J Boswell, as part of “Chamber Protect”, and are founding members of the Mill Breakfast Club (a Monthly Networking group for local businesses in Norfolk.) We have also joined forces with Sologic to bring the first Root Cause Analysis training to East Anglia

12. We share our knowledge through Social Media. We can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Linked In & Pinterest and we contribute to this website, as well as other organisations’ blogs and newsletters – Prowess, Birketts, Hansells, Norwich Business School , Lantra and the EDP (Focus on Health and Safety) We also regularly distribute update newsletters to our contacts

13. We champion sensible and pragmatic Risk Management whenever we get the chance! We have the courage of our convictions

14. And lastly – we are jolly good eggs; a common comment is, that we are friendly people to deal with; we treat people with the high standard we expect of ourselves

So we feel proud to celebrate 14 years in business- Here’s to the next 14 🙂

A taste for the stars

It was roughly 27 years ago when I watched my first Star Wars film, this day was to shape my life in becoming a fully fledged Star Wars fanatic.

Since that day I have watched these films hundreds of times – and as a child spent every spare penny of my pocket money on Star Wars merchandise. So imagine my overwhelming delight when the brief came that would entail getting to work with this iconic brand. It is not every day that you are approached to produce packaging design for Lightsabers.

After initial draft designs we were then supplied with just about every Star Wars image, still and graphic, supplied in a big box and the sender was Lucas Films. With all this imagery the designs came together with ease and then it was off to the London licensors for final approval. This was to be another surreal moment as I sat alongside a full scale model of Yoda whilst critiquing the final designs.

The pack we designed features both Yoda and Darth Vader on the outer and the sleeves for the Lightsabers themselves have been designed to mimic the style of Yoda and Darth Vader’s Lightsaber (I told you I was a fanatic). We have worked on some huge brands but for me personally this one has to be up there as I am a self proclaimed Star Wars geek!

These packs include both strawberry and lemon & lime ice lollies and can now be found in most supermarkets including Sainsburys. Naked Marketing would like to say a massive thank you to Icefresh Foods, not just for the amazing opportunity but for making a geeky Creative Director very, very happy. We have enjoyed working in partnership with Icefresh Foods on some amazing brands and were delighted to be runners up in the Hello Kitty design at awards in 2012.