Member News

In December 2022, the Charity Commission published details of the new charity Annual Return that will apply for financial years commencing on or after 1 January 2023. For most charities, that means it will apply for the first time to December 2023 year end onwards. Most of the information collected in the Annual Return is not made public, but is used by the Charity Commission to fulfil its oversight responsibilities, and to support charities. The content is therefore interesting, as it provides insight into the areas that the Commission considers current issues, and higher risk. Highlights of the new return Donations – charities with income over £100,000 will need to disclose the value of the highest value donation received from a corporate donor, and an individual, and to confirm whether this was from a related party. Grants making – the value of grants made will need to be split between individuals, other charities and other. There’s also a requirement to confirm whether any charity grants were made to related parties. Trustee payments – there’s a new question asking what, if any, payments to trustees were made for, and whether any trustees resigned to take up employment with the charity in the year. Overseas activities – income from overseas must be split per country and source, to the nearest £100. How this income was received must also be confirmed, although the requirement is only to tick from a selection of options. There’s a similar approach for overseas expenditure, with the need to split the expenditure between countries, and to confirm how the funds were remitted. There’s also a need to identify the countries where the charity delivers activities. Governance – there’s a new question that asks a charity to identify which, from a list of 14 policies and procedures, it has in place. Area of interest to the Commission, and therefore perceived higher risk

• Interactions with related parties, including trustees
• Overseas activities and influence
• Governance

Details of the new Annual Return can be found here. Need help? If you have any concerns regarding the information discussed in this article, or have any other questions, please get in touch with your usual Larking Gowen contact or look for contact details in the Our People section of the our website. Alternatively, call 0330 024 0888 or email enquiry@larking-gowen.co.uk. Chris Yeates © Larking Gowen LLP

A steely fundraiser is pulling on his walking boots for a mammoth 135-mile trek along the Norfolk and Suffolk coastline. Ricky Clarke, from Ipswich, is starting his energy-sapping challenge on 29^th April, in support of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH). The 46-year-old will be setting off from Hunstanton and plans to walk the coastlines of both counties before finishing in Felixstowe. He will be wild camping along the way and expects his trek to take around a week, with his daily target between 25 and 30 miles. “I’m buzzing for it and can’t wait to get started,” said Ricky, a machine operator for Ipswich printing business Fuller Davies. “I walk and hike a lot of miles throughout the year, but have never attempted anything so strenuous and continuous. “I’ve wild camped a few times in random places and hiked many miles, so now it’s a case of putting both together. “It’s going to be an adventure and I love being at one with nature. I find it so uplifting and that’s one of the reasons I love hiking. Those highs will hopefully spur me on and see me over the finish line. “One of my heroes is Ed Stafford, who’s the only man to walk the length of the Amazon. “It took 860 days to complete but if he can do that, I’d love to think I can do the Norfolk and Suffolk coastline!” Ricky, who has two daughters, Poppy, 14, and Luna, 11, first approached EACH about taking on the challenge in October. “I wanted to give myself something to look forward to and now it’s full steam ahead,” he said. “It’s great to give your mind a focus and your soul a boost. Speaking to the team there amplified those feelings. “I’m taking this very seriously and it’s ingrained in my mind. “After a final blow-out at Christmas, I’m now watching what I eat, have cut out alcohol completely and am training hard to build up more upper-body strength, in readiness for carrying my backpack. “Between now and then I also plan to get many more miles of training under my belt.” To sponsor Ricky, head here. He can also be followed on Instagram via footslog_farmer Ali Butler, EACH Community Fundraiser for Suffolk and East Essex, said: “This is an amazing, exciting challenge and we really appreciate Ricky’s support. “He’s clearly very focused and determined and I’m sure that resilience will keep him going during the tough miles. “We wish him well and can’t wait to hear about his walking adventure.” Image credits EACH

Norwich Science Festival is back 11–18 February 2023! Expect intriguing discoveries, inspiring talks, engaging exhibitions, deep dives and debates, cutting-edge research, and lots of hands-on family fun! Visit The Explorium at The Forum – a free drop-in family friendly, hands-on science zone with activities for all, with themed days from bugs, birds and beasts through to health and wellbeing, and much more. Learn more about the science that shapes our world with our talks, debates and workshops from inspiring speakers, on a range of topics from artificial intelligence to ageing, and climate change to cancer research. Presented by The Forum, Norwich, in partnership with many organisations across the region, including University of East Anglia and Norwich Research Park, there’s something for everyone – all ages can explore the wonders of the universe, meet the scientists whose research has changed the world and discover how science influences everything around us. Find out more at https://www.norwichsciencefestival.co.uk When – 11th – 18th February Where – The Forum, Norwich We can’t wait for @NorwichSciFest! The 8-day festival returns 11-18 February with intriguing discoveries, inspiring talks, engaging exhibitions, deep dives and debates, cutting-edge research, and lots of hands-on family fun! Take a look at norwichsciencefestival.co.uk

Adina Strajeru, a Greater Anglia conductor who has completed an apprenticeship Greater Anglia is celebrating National Apprenticeship Week, with more than 100 staff currently undertaking qualifications. The train company offers fully funded apprenticeships to all its staff, regardless of their age or the stage of their career, giving them the chance to develop and improve their skills to reach their full potential. The train operator offers the apprenticeships for free in levels two to five, from an intermediate level up to a higher apprenticeship level, the equivalent of a foundation degree. The scheme is open to drivers, conductors, customer service staff, train presentation teams and those who work in offices across the network. It allows for tutor-led training but also gives crucial on-the-job training, allowing the apprentice to improve and gain skills – from communication and teamwork to problem-solving or learning about other areas of the business and the wider rail industry too. Support and mentorship are provided on an ongoing basis by the learners’ managers, training provider-allocated coaches and skills tutors. It means that anyone who completes it will gain a nationally recognised qualification, along with useful transferable skills. Viktorija Novikova, Greater Anglia’s Early Careers and Apprenticeship Manager, said: “Our apprentices are a vital part of the Greater Anglia workforce, coming from a range of operations, customer service and office-based roles. “Apprenticeships allow everyone to develop skills that all ultimately improve the experience provided to our customers day-in, day-out. “Our apprenticeship scheme has been open since 2017 and we’ve trained hundreds of our colleagues in that time, from all areas of the business. “There’s a perception that apprenticeships are just for those fresh out of school, but that’s really not the case. They can be started at any age and can provide a wealth of skills that you didn’t have before, all the while being given support and guidance – meaning our staff can really hit their full potential, no matter what their role.” Adina Strajeru, who currently works as a conductor at Greater Anglia, has undertaken an apprenticeship as part of her role. She said: “The apprenticeship gave me a lot of confidence doing my role and it gave me the ability to understand people better. It has also helped me to deliver a better standard of customer experience.” Throughout National Apprenticeship Week, Greater Anglia will be sharing stories from its current and former apprentices across its social media channels.

Click on the pdf below to read Walking With the Wounded’s Impact Report 2022

Chantry Place Norwich is one of the sponsors of the Norwich Science Festival 2023 and its free family-friendly Extraordinary Extinct™ Dinosaur Trail, created by Dodo and Dinosaur, has now arrived at Chantry Place. From now until Saturday 18^th February, families can hunt dinosaurs at Chantry Place and celebrate the Earth’s Extraordinary Extinct™ creatures. The self-led dinosaur-themed poster trail around the Centre will enable families to go on a dinosaur hunt to discover some fascinating facts and be in with a chance of winning a £100 H&M voucher and goodies from Dodo and Dinosaur. Free trail maps can be picked up at Langleys in Chantry Place and at The Forum, Norwich. Plus, there will also be some fun dinosaur characters for families to meet on Chantry Square at Chantry Place on Saturday 11^th February. Paul McCarthy, general manager at Chantry Place, said: “Norwich Science Festival is always a fun-filled and educational event for families in Norwich and this dinosaur trail, created by Norfolk-based business Dodo and Dinosaur, looks fantastic and we know families will love spotting all the creatures in some of our retailers windows, before collecting a sticker at Langleys for all their hard work. Plus, there will also be some fun dinosaur characters for families to meet on Chantry Square on Saturday 11^th February and, from 11th to 18^th February, we have arcade style games at the Museum of Plastic, highlighting the importance of recycling and the impact that plastic has on our planet.” Rowan Whiteside, Marketing & Communications Manager at The Forum says: “We’re delighted to be bringing a piece of Norwich Science Festival to the Chantry Place with the Extraordinary Extinct™ Dinosaur Trail. We can’t wait for families to enjoy this free family activity, where little ones can learn more about dinosaurs and explore Chantry Place too! This trail is just one of the brilliant events taking place as part of the festival, and we hope to see the successful dino hunters take part in lots more science activities around the city and county across this February half term.” Jennifer Watson, lead designer and co-owner of Dodo and Dinosaur, said: “We were delighted to have been asked by Norwich Science Festival and Chantry Place to design an exciting new family trail. Not only were we keen to include some more unusual creatures, which even the most avid dinosaur fan might not have heard of, but the trail also features a surprising local fossil species found in the heart of Norwich! Families can then enjoy taking the dinosaurs home with our book ‘An A-Z of Extraordinary Extinct Creatures’ and trumps-style card game, available from Langleys. As a popular topic for both Key Stage 1 and 2, we hope that this fun and free activity will encourage more families to venture from city to coast and explore some of our wonderful local fossil beaches too.” – All events at Chantry Place are free and do not need to be booked. For more science activities, events, and inspiration, Norwich Science Festival will be taking place from Saturday 11- Saturday 18 February, with a range of events taking place across the city, including The Forum. For more information on Chantry Place, visit www.ChantryPlace.co.uk or follow chantryplacenorwich on social media.

A record 97% of taxpayers in the UK filed their 2021-22 self-assessment tax returns ahead of the 31st January deadline, but an estimated 600,000 still missed the deadline, earning instant £100 late filing penalties. Of the 12,060,872 self-assessment tax returns due for the 2021-22 financial year, 11,733,465 were filed on time. Of those, 3,275 were filed on Christmas Day, with the peak hour on 31st January being 4-5pm, when 68,462 returns were received by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The deadline for filing paper tax returns was 31st October, but 10,965,993 taxpayers chose to complete their forms electronically, representing 96.2% of all tax returns filed, by the January cut-off date. Andy Gibbs, Head of Group Technical at TaxAssist Accountants, said: “If you have missed the deadline to submit a 2021-22 self-assessment tax return, it’s vital that you contact your accountant or HMRC as soon as you can. “They will be able to work out if you have a legitimate reason for failing to meet your self-assessment obligations on time. “If you don’t have a reasonable excuse an accountant can work with you to prepare your tax return as soon as possible to avoid accumulating further late filing penalties. “It may be that you are not required to file a tax return, meaning your accountant can help you cancel any filing requirements.” Self-assessment tax returns in figures • 12,060,872 self-assessment tax returns due for 2021-22 • HMRC estimates 600,000 taxpayers missed the deadline • 11,733,465 (97.3%) returns received by 31st January, including expected returns, unsolicited returns and late registrations • 10,965,993 returns were filed online (96.2% of returns expected, following adjustments) • 385,296 paper tax returns were filed (3.4% of returns expected, following adjustments)

Come along to the GRIDSERVE Electric Forecourt in Norwich between 7th and 14th of February and experience some GRIDSERVE TLC. Test drive a range of the latest electric cars and if you place an order with us between 7th  February 2023 – 16th of March 2023,  you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win a spa break at Retreat east in Suffolk* Book an Electric Car Test Drive | GRIDSERVE | GRIDSERVE

About Help to Grow: Management Register your interest today here: https://t.co/fDkDO1kXcS to join the next cohort of this exciting programme, which begins on 6^th February. Help to Grow: Management is an applied course supporting managers and leaders of small and medium sized businesses (SMEs). Learn new skills, boost your profits and improve business performance, resilience, and long-term growth. The programme is accredited by the Small Business Charter, with funding support from HM Government. The curriculum will support you to build your capabilities in leadership, innovation, digital adoption, employee engagement, marketing, responsible business, and financial management. You will receive one-to-one support from a business mentor, and by the end of the course you will have developed a tailored growth action plan to help release the full potential of your organisation. The 12-week programme is 90% funded, meaning the fee payable by participants is £750.  Help to Grow: Management has been designed to fit alongside full-time work commitments. You can find our more via our web pages here: https://t.co/GmHlMIYq1D and register yourself for the course directly via this link: https://smallbusinesscharter.org/h2gmcourse/uea-ee-cohort-2/. Future-proof your business by signing up for Help to Grow today. A flyer and promotional graphic are also attached and there is a useful and insightful animation, which can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Osal_dcNyo.’ “The help to grow course has been a great opportunity to network with other businesses, whilst learning from enthusiastic leading academics. Throughout the course I have had the opportunity to hear how other businesses have overcome challenges faced when growing, and had feedback on our own growth plan from both other businesses, and the tutors. The course has also been a good insight to what studying at the UEA full time is like. This has been particularly useful for me as I am due start the executive MBA in September. I highly recommend anyone thinking about taking the course to go for it. It will be an investment well made.” Jordon King, Head of Business Development, Delta Fire Ltd.

Does your company need help finding staff? Are you struggling to recruit Temporary/Permanent workers? Contract Personnel would love the opportunity to work with fellow Norfolk Chamber members – to offer expert recruitment solutions. Specialising in the Driving, Industrial, Commercial and Engineering sectors, Contract Personnel are one of the longest standing independent recruitment agencies in East Anglia. They have offices in both Norwich and Thetford and are working with a wide selection of companies across Norfolk and Suffolk. Established in 1989, Contract Personnel can help improve your company branding, provide guidance on in-demand skills, help tailor your job adverts, reach hard to find candidates and share in-depth knowledge. The teams are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Contract Personnel Job Bus can also be regularly seen across the area, with seating and interview facilities on board. The recruitment agency are also regional partners of Norwich City Football Club and are ready to help your company today. For recruitment that works for you -think Contract Personnel. Call 01603 764044 or email enquiries@cpl.uk.com to speak with a member of the team.

A Greater Anglia train. Credit: Greater Anglia Rail passengers in East Anglia are being reminded about industrial action which will affect Greater Anglia services on some days next week. Passengers are advised to avoid travelling with Greater Anglia, and to check before they do travel, if they do need to make a rail journey, on 1 and 3 February, when strike action will affect train services. Members of the train drivers’ union ASLEF and train drivers who are members of the RMT union, who work for Greater Anglia are striking on Wednesday 1 and Friday 3 February. Greater Anglia services will be severely disrupted, with the company only able to run a fraction of its services and no services at all running on regional or branch lines. The only services running will be a much-reduced service for limited hours between Norwich and London Liverpool Street, Colchester and London, Southend Victoria and London, Cambridge and London and Stansted Airport and London. The company is therefore advising people to avoid travelling on its trains on strike days, as services will be severely disrupted. Revised timetables are now available on Greater Anglia’s website, along with first and last train times, with the service planned to operate as follows on the strike days:

• Significantly reduced train service between Norwich and London Liverpool Street; Colchester and London Liverpool Street; Cambridge and London Liverpool Street; and between Southend Victoria and London Liverpool Street
• Limited Stansted Express services between Stansted Airport and London Liverpool Street
• Trains that do run are expected to start from 7.30am onwards, operating only to an hourly frequency, with all last trains then completing their journeys earlier than usual
• No services running on other lines, including on regional/branch lines

There will be no rail replacement buses to replace trains not running due to the strike. First services on Thursday 2 and Saturday 4 February will also start later than usual due to the strikes and Greater Anglia advises that its network won’t be back to normal full service on 2 and 4 February until the early afternoon. Other train operators are also affected by the strike action. Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director said: “We are very sorry that once again our customers will be disrupted by strikes. We’re only able to run a fraction of our usual services, so our advice again is to avoid using our trains on strike days. The rail industry is working hard to resolve these disputes and talks will continue with ASLEF and RMT to reach an agreement.” Anyone who has pre-booked tickets to travel on strike days can change them, use them to travel on either the day before or up to two days later, or apply for a refund by going back to their original retailer. Passenger assistance will be available as usual for all trains which are running. Anyone requiring assistance who cannot avoid travelling by train on strike days should plan their journey and book assistance in advance if possible. Further information is available from greateranglia.co.uk/strikes Other train companies affected by strikes on all days are Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, Cross Country Trains, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, GTR (including Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink), LNER, Northern Trains, Southeastern, South Western Railway, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Trains.

Don’t let the gloomy winter days get you down! Head out and about for £2 and save money when you travel there by Bus Whether you travel for your weekly shop, daily commute, time with friends or seeing new places Any single bus fare will cost a maximum of £2 until the end of March. With fuel prices still high, and cost of living ever increasing, many are still reconsidering their travel options, and we are urging you to try the bus. A simple switch to one or two journeys by bus is not only better for the environment but better for your pocket too. If you travel from Dereham, Watton, Hingham, Wymondham, Stalham, Wroxham into Norwich, you will pay just £2*. Simply pay the driver for your journey as you board the bus Travel more often, buy a bundle of 10 single tickets on our Konectbus app. If you’re not sure if this flat fare is right for your journey, compare some of our other ticketing options available to you here The £2 Bus Fare Cap Grant runs from Sunday 1st January until Friday 31st March and is supported by the HM Government’s Help for Households scheme. which is designed to support families and help spread the costs of living by offering affordable travel options. This offer is valid on the following bus routes across our network. Konectbus  1, 11, 11B, 11C, 12, 17, 21, 21A, 3, 3A, 4, 40A, 41A, 5B, 6, 8, 81, 84, X3, X41, X6. These routes are exempt and normal fares will apply Konectbus 4A, 6A, 11A, 14, 20, 20A, 31, 32, 53C, 111, 117, 121. Norwich Park and Ride 501 & 502