Member News

We all have a personal brand, whether we know it or not. Born in Romania, under a Communist regime, personal brand expert, Mihaela Berciu, faced more than the usual teenage worries. Simply saying the wrong thing would have landed her in a lot of trouble, but, little did she know that this lived experience, of having heightened anxiety over her own behaviour, would lead her into a post-revolutionary world. Mihaela headed to the UK, Cambridge University no less, then hosted her own tv show, and has forged her path to become a pioneer in the introduction of personal brand. When you hear the word ‘brand’ you possibly think of a logo, posters, or adverts. In reality, a brand evolves and incorporates every aspect of your business. The traditional ‘corporate brand’ mindset has been a powerful force and often a huge burden for those working under it. Mihaela chats to Mark and Becky about how empowering your teams to embrace and grow their own personal brand is good for the bigger picture as well as the company brand. Promoting the personalities of your people builds trust with your customers—and authenticity is key. In the current working world, businesses must consider personal brand, particularly if they are reliant on referrals. The team also discuss how to handle Gen-Z politics entering the workforce, and potential problems with social media; how we can cleanse our past habits and ways of thinking; and why it’s not always good to be a people pleaser. GET IN TOUCH! We would love to hear your thoughts on today’s episode, email us at podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk. We would also love it if you could rate us 5 STARS on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, this really helps people find us! You can also now watch us on YouTube! Click here Show notes Mihaela’s website Connect with Mihaela on LinkedIn The Five People You Meet In Heaven: Mitch Albom The Surrender Experiment, Michael Singer Leadership & Life Chat – What does dress for success even mean?  Listen here! Thank you to our sponsors Larking Gowen, Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors – check out their website to see how they could help your business www.larking-gowen.co.uk © Larking Gowen LLP

Rethinking sepsis training, a new approach designed with care and support staff in mind. The impact of sepsis Sepsis is a serious health concern, and it impacts millions worldwide. In the UK 5 people die from sepsis every hour! This critical illness is an outcome of an infection that triggers an intense immune reaction in the body. If not rapidly managed, sepsis can result in organ failure and ultimately death. The often subtle and insidious nature of sepsis highlights the necessity of prompt detection and immediate medical intervention. Timely and decisive response is crucial to ensure people receive appropriate care without delay. Why did we start this in the first place? Both of us have spent many years working in healthcare. I am a paramedic and Neil Fossett is an experienced emergency medical technician (EMT). We have seen the devastating effects of sepsis first hand. We noticed a gap in training that was provided to front line ambulance and hospital staff and that which is provided to care and support staff. We are all taught about sepsis, the use of tools to enable us to quantify illness and how to escalate care appropriately. Care staff build fantastic relationships with their service users and thus know them incredibly well. Their instincts are often finely tuned and they’re able to spot when an individual may be unwell or need medical attention. However, we found upon speaking to them that it was difficult to quantify and communicate this to GP’s, Nurses and Paramedics. In short, the anecdotes suggested that they felt that they were not taken seriously enough. The NEWS2 scoring system was implemented in 2012 and has since been in use nationally. All ambulance trusts, and hospital trusts use it as it has been found to significantly increase the likelihood of spotting clinical deterioration early. Early enough to be able to implement treatment with a higher likelihood of survival. We wondered why this additional information and toolkit was never expanded out into the health and social care sector. In these settings, where vulnerable individuals are cared for and supported by staff, who really know them well, and are in a great position to be able to spot the subtle signs of illness and sepsis very early. This sepsis training aims to change this disparity and provide these additional tools to the health and social care sector. It aims to empower care staff by enabling them to quantify and communicate illness severity and give them confidence and help to protect our society’s most vulnerable individuals. The development of the course We spent a lot of time researching the most up to date information on sepsis to see if there was any other training like this currently available. We couldn’t find any training that included the use of the NEWS2 scoring system as well as the teaching of taking vital signs that was aimed at care and support staff. Most sepsis training was found to be in the form of e learning packages and barely skimmed the edges of sepsis and deterioration. We wanted to go deeper than this and provide face to face training for staff that included the use of taking vital signs and using the NEWS2 scoring system. Whilst e learning certainly has its place in the learning and development arena, there are some things that just can’t be portrayed well enough via screen time. And we felt that this was one of those subjects. Throughout our research we also found that there are approximately 1.5 million paid carers in the UK. This is a huge number! Imagine the good this course could do if we could reach every one of them with this course?! We spent a lot of time constructing the course and wanted to have an emphasis on storytelling and providing a safe space for others to be able to share their stories if they felt able to. Sepsis is so prevalent that we have yet not come into contact with anyone who has not had some experience with it, be that personally or via a friend or family member. We don’t do death by PowerPoint at NR Medical Training and instead focus on making our courses relaxed and conversational. We don’t see it as a time for us to preach to others, things we know, and they may not. It’s more about sharing knowledge and giving others the space to be able to do the same. We take our roles as trainers very seriously and want others to be able to feel confident and comfortable to ask questions to clarify things, or to share their own experiences. Once we felt confident that we had solid course content, we decided to start to get the word out about the new course. We decided initially to run the course free of charge to all care and support organisations. This would enable us to have proof of concept and get some feedback. It was slow to get going at first – I think a lot of people felt there was a catch as it was free! Once the word began to get out via our social media channels, website and tireless calling round and email sending, we began to gain some traction. We had overwhelmingly positive feedback and homes were implementing the new tools and skills they had learnt from the course. We keep in contact with these homes and ask for case studies as to how they have found using them. We have now had the absolute pleasure of working in collaboration with The UK Sepsis Trust. Following meetings and discussions, they have now co-authored and fully endorsed this course. This means that we can expand our reach even further and get this course out to as many care and support staff as is possible. We would like in particular to thank Dr Ron Daniels BEM, the CEO of The UK Sepsis Trust, Melissa Mead MBE, the partnerships co-ordinator, and Beth Kirkbride the marketing and communications lead. These guys have been so supportive, and it’s a pleasure working with them to get this off the ground. Now due to the demand, and soon to be nationwide coverage we are unable to continue offering this for free. Instead, to aim to keep this as accessible as possible we are running it on a not-for-profit basis. Why is this course so important? We feel, like many others, that care and support staff can often be taken for granted. They often seem to fall under the radar and become hidden from view. The work and dedication of this group of people is absolutely amazing and should be viewed as such by everyone. It’s not a job just anyone can do. I started my career in health and social care and speak from experience when I say it’s not an easy task. It can be difficult, frustrating, and upsetting at times. However, the rewards are second to none. Supporting a dementia patient to carry out a task and seeing them smile, supporting a young person with learning disabilities to bake cakes and you can see the proud smile on their face afterward, or supporting a person with difficult and enduring mental health problems to be able to accomplish something the never thought they were able to. These are the reasons any of us go into caring and supporting roles. To help and support others. Why these positions are not celebrated more I will never know. However, these individuals are amazing people and should have all the tools available to them to make sure they can do their job as effectively as possible, whilst keeping the individual being cared for at the centre of it all. I’ve lost count the number of times I have heard this phrase – “I’m just a carer”. This upsets me deeply. There is no “just” about it. Why is this so prevalent? Perhaps a topic for its whole own blog! I have many thoughts on this and will go into this at another time. However, what we want to do, is to be able to delete this phrase from everyone altogether! We want to empower care and support staff. Be able to give them the confidence and tools they need to succeed in spotting illness early, and ultimately being able to do the best for the people they care for. We hope this course will achieve this and more. We hope it will drive down complications and deaths as a result of sepsis. We want to make it as accessible as possible to everyone who can benefit from it. Who will benefit from this? Ultimately, the people being cared for who are often the most vulnerable groups in our society will benefit from this the most and that is our first aim. Secondly, those caring for these groups will also benefit. They will be empowered, have more confidence and be able to do their job to the absolute best of their abilities. In addition to this, those receiving the training will also know what to look out for in their own friends and families. Finally, as we are running this course not for profit, a percentage of every course booked will go directly to The UK Sepsis Trust charity. This will enable them to continue the amazing work they do. Where is it now? We first went live with the backing of The UK Sepsis Trust on Wednesday 14^th June 2023. We’ve already had more enquiries and would love to see even more. We aim to initially roll this out regionally, and then nationally. We have a bank of trainers, all of whom are healthcare professionals. We are essentially an army of paramedics, EMTs, emergency department nurses, and military medics. In time this group will expand to enable us to cover as far and wide as is possible. With support from The UK Sepsis Trust, we aim to get more coverage and make as many care and support organisations aware of this training as is possible. Where would we like it to be and why?        We would like to see this course implemented nationwide. 1.5 million care staff in the UK is a huge number. It will take time, determination, and a lot of hard work for us to reach everyone, but we are determined to do so! Looking forward to the future, we feel this course would make an excellent addition to mandatory training packages for care and support staff, just as BLS and manual handling is. If we could get this into colleges and schools that would also be fantastic. Particularly for those young people who are considering a career in healthcare. Ultimately, we feel this course stands to benefit others, particularly those most vulnerable groups. And that is why we started this in the very beginning. Here’s to grit, determination and the courage to think outside the box and do something different!

Above: A water refill point. Credit: Greater Anglia Over 500,000 water bottles have now been refilled for free on the Greater Anglia network, helping save plastic waste from polluting landfill and oceans. Greater Anglia has invested £65,000 in installing water refill points at 22 of its stations to give Greater Anglia passengers access to free water, helping to keep them hydrated while travelling, and reducing the amount of single use plastic that ends up in landfill or in the ocean. Water dispensers are installed at Billericay, Bishops Stortford, Broxbourne, Cambridge, Cambridge North, Chelmsford, Cheshunt, Colchester, Ely, Great Yarmouth, Harlow Town, Hertford East, Ipswich, Lowestoft, Marks Tey, Norwich, Wickford, Witham, Rochford, Shenfield, Tottenham Hale and Waltham Cross stations And to celebrate National Refill Day, which takes place on June 16, the train operator is reminding passengers to carry a re-usable water bottle while travelling. Simone Bailey, Greater Anglia’s Asset Management Director, said: “We’re very pleased to support National Refill Day, which encourages people to save the planet by refilling a reusable water bottle rather than buying single-use plastic. “We hope that by providing free water, it will help makes passengers’ journeys a little easier and help reduce the number of plastic bottles that are thrown away. “We care about the environment, so we are delivering a number of projects to improve our energy-efficiency and operate in a more sustainable manner – from installing LED lighting, to recycling food, to providing free electric car charging points.” In 2019, Greater Anglia became one of the first train operators in England to offer free water to passengers as part of a drive to reduce the number of single-use plastic bottles.

Members of the Greater Anglia and Campaign for Better Transport teams showed support at Southend Victoria. Credit: Greater Anglia Greater Anglia is proud to partner with the charity Campaign for Better Transport as part of Better Transport Week and support the brilliant ‘Love Your Station’ initiative devised by the charity. The week is a national celebration of sustainable transport and aims to promote the wide range of benefits of public transport, shared mobility, walking and cycling to the public and encourage more people to travel sustainably. Rail is already recognised as being the most environmentally friendly form of transport apart from walking or cycling, and Greater Anglia is leading the way in creating an attractive, clean and green network. All Greater Anglia services are now operated by new, high quality, higher capacity, more comfortable, more reliable, more accessible and more energy-efficient trains, including bi-mode trains for regional routes where services need to switch between diesel and electric power en-route. These new trains have already helped the company deliver record-breaking performance and secure extensive positive feedback from customers and stakeholders. The train operator has also been working to minimise its carbon emissions and become an even more sustainable organisation. As well as introducing more energy-efficient trains, since 2019, Greater Anglia has cut waste, increased recycling and worked with partners and communities on projects to improve sustainability, such as the Station Adoption scheme. The train company, which serves six counties, has more than 300 volunteer station adopters on its network to help keep stations looking their best, tending to flowerbeds, station gardens and keeping things vibrant and welcoming for passengers and local wildlife alike. The scheme recently celebrated its twentieth anniversary since its inception. Silviya Barrett, Director of Policy and Research at Campaign for Better Transport, and Southend resident, said: “As we mark the charity’s 50^th anniversary, we are launching the first-ever Better Transport Week to shine a light on all the wonderful local transport options we have. I am delighted to celebrate this important week with Greater Anglia and their teams, including the brilliant Southend Victoria station staff. “As one of the greenest ways to travel, rail plays a vital role in reducing carbon emissions and traffic on our roads, contributing to our economy and connecting communities. Let’s all show our local stations some love!” Greater Anglia is one of more than 80 organisations supporting Better Transport Week, including the Department for Transport, local authorities, the transport industry, NGOs, businesses, and passenger groups. Jonathan Denby, Greater Anglia’s Head of Corporate Affairs, said: “At Greater Anglia, we are pleased to be supporting Better Transport Week because rail travel is a great way to get around. “With brand new trains on all our services right across our network, we are playing our part in making sustainable transport more attractive. “By promoting train travel and supporting further investment in wider improvements to the rail network, we can ensure rail contributes fully to greener transport choices, in support of our national climate change goals.” Greater Anglia is also delighted to support the fantastic ‘Love Your Station’ initiative, a programme that encourages customers to share the love of their local stations as part of Better Transport Week – with the chance of winning a £100 voucher. The train operator has also recently launched its latest Hare Fares promotional fares offer, providing great value travel options across its network for tickets bought before 27 June, for travel before 7 August. Details on what to do and how to enter can be found on the Campaign for Better Transport charity website.

Captain Fawcett Ltd, based in King’s Lynn, puts West Norfolk in the spotlight again with a recent win for the ‘Men’s Grooming Products of the Year’ at the Central England Prestige Awards. The Awards celebrate small and medium-sized enterprises who have proven their success by thriving in their own highly competitive community. Winners were chosen on their marketing and branding, business growth strategy, customer experience and approach to new ideas. Over the past year the Prestige Awards team received 3,712 nominations from industry experts, readers and satisfied customers. Awards Judge, Andrew White, commented: ‘All winners in the Central England Prestige awards guide have shown an exemplary commitment towards their business, overcoming local and global challenges to succeed in our awards.’ Founder of the multi award-winning Gentleman’s Grooming company, Richie Finney, says: ‘It is a huge honour to be recognised amongst fellow local businesses and sole traders. There’s no room to hide in a smaller business. To punch above your weight, as all of us strive to do, we rely on the sustained efforts of every single team member. Suffice to say, the Captain & Crew may be found at HQ, celebrating with a slice, or perchance two, of Victoria Sponge. Here’s wishing a hearty congratulations to all other winners & nominees alike. Huzzah!’

One Man. Two Wheels. Over 10,000 miles across 24 countries… 

PART TWO OF CAPTAIN FAWCETT’S GREAT EXPEDITION 2023 IS UNDERWAY.

 19th June – 13^th July – Northern Europe

Richie Finney (aka Captain Fawcett’s Right Hand Man), Founder of the Norfolk-based Gentleman’s Grooming Company Captain Fawcett Ltd, is on the road again. PART TWO of the GREAT EXPEDITION 2023 sees the intrepid explorer and his motorcycle take to the majestic highways of northern Europe.

Covering 16,000km across 24 countries, the idea is to enjoy reunions with old friends, connect with new people and showcase the brand’s multi-award winning Gentleman’s Grooming products. But above all, to connect with the European barbershop community and share great moments on their home territory.

Richie Finney says: ‘I’m calling in at barbershops across Europe to deepen friendships and make new acquaintances – barbers, customers and distributors alike. Why Europe? Of course after Brexit we are no longer dealing with a single state (the EU) but 27 individual countries, each with their own nuances and customs requirements. Some 78% of our orders go overseas and, furthermore, Captain Fawcett is hugely proud to be named a Department for Business and Trade Export Champion for 4 years running. 

In my experience it’s vital to cement relationships in real life and make the effort to meet people on their own patch. I always prefer a handshake over a Zoom call! Just as the traditional barbershop experience is hands-on by nature, tangible moments of connection are the heart and soul of good, honest trade.’  

The three part journey began in May, visiting barbershops in Spain. Ably supported by in-country Spanish distributor El Mirall Distribuciones, the trip proved hugely successful, making new business contacts, reinforcing existing relationships and raising public awareness of the brand through barbershop events and enthusiastic coverage in the Spanish media.  

Tian of Tian Stil Home in Vinaròs says ‘Our barbershop is a meeting place for talk, beers, live music. It’s never just about the haircut. It’s a vibe. It’s about people and friendship. Captain Fawcett really gets that so it was fantastic to host the Great Expedition here in Spain. Captain Fawcett rocks.’

In Part Two Captain Fawcett and his barber chums will be hosting magnificent evenings across Scandinavia, the Baltics and many of the world’s great northerly cities.

Use the Live Tracker to follow the Right Hand Man as he rides through Europe in real time!  

Tune into Fawcett’s Diary for regular updates from the road… photos, stories and up to the minute mayhem guaranteed! 

PART TWO

Hull, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Svendborg, Naestved, Copenhagen, Landskrona, Boras, Gothenburg, Fredrikstard, Oslo, Spanga, Bromma, Helsinki, Tallin, Tartu, Riga, Vilnius, Poznan, Berlin, Luxembourg, Antwerp, Zaltbommel, Hook of Holland to Harwich.

Stops are marked on a specially designed map highlighting the route. Hover over the map to reveal Barbershop events. 

PART THREE

SEP/OCT 2023

South Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland & Paris.

Following on from our Wave 3 achievement, where New Anglia LEP supported over 300 learners gain new skills, we have been successful in securing a further 1.4M DfE funding to support the development of individuals within our region. The aim of Skills Bootcamps is to:

• Provide businesses with targeted and flexible training to upskill their employees so they can gain progression within the business.
• Aid businesses to hire people with the skills required and help fill their vacancies.
• Support individuals to develop skills and fulfil their potential and assist people currently un-employed or returning to work to find skilled local employment.

Skills Bootcamps are open to anyone 19+ who has the right to live and work in the UK.  For individuals and self-employed the training is fully funded.  For businesses, there is a small employer contribution:

• For small to medium employers (SME) 10%
• For businesses with more than 250 employees 30%

Skills Bootcamps are employer led programmes aimed to meet business needs.  The training is delivered by our approved training providers, offering flexible training solutions, with many being delivered remotely.   Sectors Skills Bootcamps Level  No: of weeks Course content and registration links HGV-Logistics ACE Logistics &Warehousing 2 16 Action Community Enterprises C I C | Norwich,Norfolk | SKILLS BOOTCAMP (ace-project.org.uk) ACE Logistics Aviation – Ground crew (working with Saxon Air) 2 16 Action Community Enterprises C I C | Norwich,Norfolk | SKILLS BOOTCAMP (ace-project.org.uk) ACE Logistics Aviation – Cabin crew (working with Saxon Air) 2 16 Action Community Enterprises C I C | Norwich,Norfolk | SKILLS BOOTCAMP (ace-project.org.uk) Digital The Lightbulb Digital Marketing 3 12 Digital Marketing Bootcamp – TheLightBulb Apprenticeships Netmatters Web Development 3 16 Skills Bootcamp | Netmatters Anicca Digital Marketing L5 (option to gain DMI) 5 12 Free & Grant-Funded 12-Day Digital Skills Bootcamps | Anicca Tech Educators Full Stack Coding Bootcamp L4 4 10 Fully Funded Coding Bootcamps Ipswich (techeducators.co.uk) Fully Funded Coding Bootcamps Norwich (techeducators.co.uk) Digital – Pathway to Accelerated Apprenticeships (PAA) The Lightbulb Digital Marketer and Content Producer standards (PAA) 3 12 Pathway to Apprenticeship – TheLightBulb Apprenticeships Cambridge Sparks Data Analyst (PAA) 4 8 https://info.cambridgespark.com/norfolk-suffolk-skills-bootcamp-data-analytics Construction The Construction Skills People Civil Engineering & Groundworks 2 16 https://www.constructionskillspeople.com/nalep/ East Coast College Civil & Plant 2 14 Skills Bootcamps – East Coast College The Construction Skills People Construction Supervision 3 16 Skills Bootcamps | Construction Skills People HBXL Estimating Skills for Construction 3 15 https://hbxl.co.uk/free-skills-bootcamps-estimating-skills-for-a-thriving-construction-firm/ HBXL CAD for Construction 3 15 https://hbxl.co.uk/free-skills-bootcamps-cad-for-construction/ HBXL Business management skills for a thriving construction firm 3 15 https://hbxl.co.uk/free-skills-bootcamps-business-skills-for-a-thriving-construction-firm/ Core Technical – Engineering East Coast College Technical Support Operative – Trades (working with East Coast Manufacturing Group) 3 14 Skills Bootcamps – East Coast College Green Skills East Coast College Offshore Wind – Emergency Response 2 4 Skills Bootcamps – East Coast College Suffolk New College Fast Track to Industry: Certificate in Arboriculture 2 12 Skills Bootcamp – Suffolk New College Suffolk New College Fast Track to Horticulture: Certificate in Horticulture 2 10 Skills Bootcamp – Suffolk New College Retrofit Academy AIM Level 3 Award in Domestic Retrofit Advice combined with AIM L2 Award in Understanding Domestic Retrofit 2 & 3 16 Fully-Funded Retrofit Training and Qualifications – Norfolk and Suffolk (retrofitacademy.org) Retrofit Academy AIM Level 4 Award in Domestic Retrofit Assessment 4 16 Funded Retrofit Training and Qualifications – Norfolk and Suffolk (retrofitacademy.org)   Retrofit Academy Level 5 Diploma in Risk Management and Risk Assessment. 5 16 Funded Retrofit Training and Qualifications – Norfolk and Suffolk (retrofitacademy.org)   Health & Social Care Suffolk New College Fast Track to a Career in Healthcare: Care Skills Bootcamp (working with ESNEFT) 3 10 Skills Bootcamp – Suffolk New College East Coast College Inspiring Mangers in Healthcare 4 8 Skills Bootcamps – East Coast College Leadership & Management Turning Factor Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) 3 12 FUNDING | Turning Factor Turning Factor Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) 5 12 FUNDING | Turning Factor   Check out some of our case studies:  Skills Bootcamps – New Anglia Find out about our Local Skills Improvement Plan here  

Members of the Greater Anglia and Campaign for Better Transport teams showed support at Southend Victoria. Credit: Greater Anglia Greater Anglia is proud to partner with the charity Campaign for Better Transport as part of Better Transport Week and support the brilliant ‘Love Your Station’ initiative devised by the charity. The week is a national celebration of sustainable transport and aims to promote the wide range of benefits of public transport, shared mobility, walking and cycling to the public and encourage more people to travel sustainably. Rail is already recognised as being the most environmentally friendly form of transport apart from walking or cycling, and Greater Anglia is leading the way in creating an attractive, clean and green network. All Greater Anglia services are now operated by new, high quality, higher capacity, more comfortable, more reliable, more accessible and more energy-efficient trains, including bi-mode trains for regional routes where services need to switch between diesel and electric power en-route. These new trains have already helped the company deliver record-breaking performance and secure extensive positive feedback from customers and stakeholders. The train operator has also been working to minimise its carbon emissions and become an even more sustainable organisation. As well as introducing more energy-efficient trains, since 2019, Greater Anglia has cut waste, increased recycling and worked with partners and communities on projects to improve sustainability, such as the Station Adoption scheme. The train company, which serves six counties, has more than 300 volunteer station adopters on its network to help keep stations looking their best, tending to flowerbeds, station gardens and keeping things vibrant and welcoming for passengers and local wildlife alike. The scheme recently celebrated its twentieth anniversary since its inception. Silviya Barrett, Director of Policy and Research at Campaign for Better Transport, and Southend resident, said: “As we mark the charity’s 50^th anniversary, we are launching the first-ever Better Transport Week to shine a light on all the wonderful local transport options we have. I am delighted to celebrate this important week with Greater Anglia and their teams, including the brilliant Southend Victoria station staff. “As one of the greenest ways to travel, rail plays a vital role in reducing carbon emissions and traffic on our roads, contributing to our economy and connecting communities. Let’s all show our local stations some love!” Greater Anglia is one of more than 80 organisations supporting Better Transport Week, including the Department for Transport, local authorities, the transport industry, NGOs, businesses, and passenger groups. Jonathan Denby, Greater Anglia’s Head of Corporate Affairs, said: “At Greater Anglia, we are pleased to be supporting Better Transport Week because rail travel is a great way to get around. “With brand new trains on all our services right across our network, we are playing our part in making sustainable transport more attractive. “By promoting train travel and supporting further investment in wider improvements to the rail network, we can ensure rail contributes fully to greener transport choices, in support of our national climate change goals.” Greater Anglia is also delighted to support the fantastic ‘Love Your Station’ initiative, a programme that encourages customers to share the love of their local stations as part of Better Transport Week – with the chance of winning a £100 voucher. The train operator has also recently launched its latest Hare Fares promotional fares offer, providing great value travel options across its network for tickets bought before 27 June, for travel before 7 August. Details on what to do and how to enter can be found on the Campaign for Better Transport charity website.

The Princess of Wales has written of the “truly extraordinary teamwork” that underpins children’s hospices across the UK. Her Royal Highness is Royal Patron of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) and was speaking at the start of Children’s Hospice Week – a national awareness week that begins today (Monday, 19^th June) and runs until Sunday (25^th June). In a personal message of support, she spoke of the importance of letting “children be children” and the way hospices help families make that a reality. The Princess wrote: “With 99,000 seriously ill children across the country, children’s hospices work tirelessly to provide life-changing care to families with the aim of making unbelievably difficult situations that little bit easier. “As Patron of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, I have been privileged to see first-hand the incredible way hospices help families and allow children to be children. “During Children’s Hospice Week, all hospices will be doing what they do day in day out – delivering vital specialist care, and whether that is by helping to facilitate a day at the beach for children to feel the sand between their toes, engaging young people in therapeutic music activities, or having a fun painting session to create special moments and memories, the teams supporting these families regularly go above and beyond to make a difference to their lives, no longer how long or short they may be. “On behalf of parents and carers across the country, I would like to say a huge thank you to all those working in Children’s Hospices. You are a shining light to so many families in their darkest times and your efforts do not go unnoticed. “This Children’s Hospice Week, I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the truly extraordinary teamwork that goes into providing this incredible care.” Children’s Hospice Week is led nationally by Together for Short Lives, the UK wide charity for children’s palliative care. It is the only week of the year dedicated to raising awareness of children’s hospice services across the UK. The Princess has lent her support since becoming EACH Royal Patron in January 2012, including very personal written and filmed annual messages of support. Her maiden public speech came when officially opening The Treehouse, in Ipswich, in March 2012. Amidst many visits and engagements, she cut the ribbon at The Nook, EACH’s hospice in Norfolk, in November 2019. The Princess made a return visit in June 2020, joining families to plant a new patio garden and transform the terrace area, and she opened EACH’s shop in Holt, Norfolk, in March 2016. Her most recent EACH visit came during last year’s Children’s Hospice Week, when she was joined by HRH The Prince of Wales to meet families, staff and supporters at Milton. Chief Executive Phil Gormley said: “Children’s Hospice Week is a hugely significant opportunity to celebrate the work we do, supporting families and caring for children and young people with life-threatening conditions. “It is also a platform for raising awareness and reminding everyone of the need for public support, given that we rely on donations for the majority of our income. “With this in mind, we are so grateful for The Princess’ invaluable contribution as Royal Patron. “Her work, visits and profile have projected our charity – as well as the importance of children’s hospice services generally – onto the global stage and for that we are truly thankful.” To see and read The Princess’ signed letter, go to www.each.org.uk/chw Image provided by EACH

Metal from coffin nails and knee and hip joints has led to a £1,500 cheque being presented to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH). The money was raised thanks to a recycling scheme at the Westerleigh Group’s Cromer Crematorium. When cremations take place, families are asked if they are willing for certain metals to be recycled. The crematorium then receives a lump sum which is donated to a local charity or charities of its choice. Site Manager Rodney Clark-Ward said: “We’re so pleased to once again be able to show our support for EACH. “Very sadly, we hold cremations here for children and young people and that’s why we feel such a close connection with this particular charity. “EACH does a wonderful job and if this money helps make families’ lives just that little bit better and more comfortable then we couldn’t be happier. “We like to think of parents having some much-needed respite and as long as I’m here in this post, we’ll continue to show our support.” The Holt Road crematorium is one of 38 run by the Westerleigh Group, from Scotland to Cornwall. It has three in East Anglia, including West Suffolk Crematorium, in Bury St Edmunds, and Cam Valley Crematorium, near Saffron Walden. “The recyclable metals include things like coffin nails and knee and hip joints,” added Rodney. “It could even come from the pin or screw placed into the bone when someone has an operation on a broken femur. “When a family is completing the forms before a cremation, they’re asked if they’re willing for those metals to be sent for recycling. “Loved ones very rarely want those materials back. It saves the metal being sent to landfill and helps raise money for a worthy cause. “It’s also good to get the word out and people like the idea of ‘giving after death’, a bit like leaving money in a will.” Rodney handed his cheque to EACH Corporate Fundraiser Laura Southcott. “We’re very grateful to have been chosen as one of the beneficiaries of the metal recycling scheme and our thanks go to Rodney and the Westerleigh Group,” said Laura. “This money will help us continue our work supporting families and caring for children and young people with life-threatening conditions.” Images provided by EACH

Youngsters blazed a trail to their local fire station for an action-packed day of fun and learning. The event, at Carrow Fire Station, in Norwich, was organised for siblings who are either bereaved or have a brother or sister receiving care at The Nook – the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) base in Framingham Earl. They were treated to a memorable behind-the-scenes experience of what happens at a busy fire station. They had the chance to try on kit, explore an engine and use hoses to tackle a ‘fire’. They also saved a ‘dummy’ by throwing a line, as well as attaching equipment to a hydrant and filling a pool. Another highlight come when a 999 call came into the control room, asking for help to rescue one of the children’s pets – a bearded dragon who was stuck down a toilet! “What a fantastic welcome we received,” said EACH Play Specialist Clare Oakley. “Red Watch crew pulled out all the stops and we loved watching the siblings’ faces. It was such a brilliant trip.” The trip, which took place during half-term, was made possible thanks to the help and support of three volunteers. EACH runs sibling days during the school holidays, for children aged five upwards. They allow siblings to come together, have fun and make friends in a safe environment. EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Essex. Images provided by EACH

A leading children’s hospice has gone global by translating ten of its information leaflets into different languages. East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) embarked on the project following requests and thanks to funding from The Mercer’s Company. Ten of its leaflets – all jam-packed with vital information – are now available in Polish, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Urdu and Arabic. They can be downloaded and provide details on topics including short-break care, end-of-life care and support, physio tips and how to make referrals. Simon Hempsall, EACH’s Head of Marketing and Communications, said: “This is a very positive and exciting development. “We are aware of our multi-cultural and diverse community and recognise the need to cater for families whose first language may not be English. “A lot of time and effort has therefore gone into this very special and important project and it’s something we’re incredibly proud of. “Families using our services are often going through the most difficult, challenging time of their lives so it’s vital they have key information, in their chosen language, at close hand. “While we’ve always translated information on request, it’s important for families to have information as soon as possible. For five of the most common languages in our region, it means we can provide this straight off the shelf. “Following feedback, we’ve also improved site navigation for our leaflets, with a new sub-menu on our website.” Families and the public can find the translated leaflets here, with EACH’s full range of leaflets in English here. Emily Rose, EACH Trusts and Foundations Fundraiser, said: “We’re so grateful to The Mercer’s Company for their donation, which made this project possible. Their generous support means information about our services is more accessible and we can better help more families whose first language isn’t English.” EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across East Anglia. It has hospices in Cambridge, Norfolk and Suffolk. Image provided by EACH