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The celebration of all things science returns this February half term, and events are now on sale. With more than 180 events taking place over eight days, there’s plenty for everybody to enjoy. Norwich Science Festival is back 11–18 February 2023 around the city and beyond – expect intriguing discoveries, inspiring talks, engaging exhibitions, deep dives and debates, cutting-edge research, and lots of hands-on family fun! You can now pick up a brochure from The Forum, Norwich or download a virtual brochure on norwichsciencefestival.co.uk, where you can also book talks, shows and workshops. Every day there’s free hands-on fun and activities for all in ‘The Explorium’ at The Forum, with themed days from bugs, birds and beasts through to health and wellbeing. The Explorium takes over The Forum’s Atrium, as well as outside the building including a heated marquee, kindly sponsored by Vattenfall. The Explorium is open between 10.30am-4pm, with a pre-book Quiet Hour open between 9.30am-10.30am. Plus this year, there’s two mini pop-up festivals, taking the science fun further afield, to Holt and Gorleston-on-Sea. These Science Satellite events are perfect for families, with bookable talks and workshops at East Norfolk Sixth Form College in Gorleston on Monday 13 February and Gresham’s in Holt on Wednesday 15 February. Highlights include Teddy Bear Clinic with Dr Jess French at Gresham’s; Extinct, about dinosaur super-predators, with Prof Ben Garrod, plus lots of fun workshops including stomp rockets, coding and robotics, kitchen science, chemical reactions and more! The brochure was launched at East Norfolk Sixth Form College, with the help of principal Dr Catherine Richards, college staff and students, the Norwich Science Festival team, and sponsor Howes Percival. Claire Mutimer, Norwich Science Festival producer, said: “We are so excited to have our brochures packed with inspiring events and really hope you enjoy planning your trip to the festival, with so many talks, shows and workshops on offer for adults and children. We have really focused on ensuring Norwich Science Festival is affordable – so lots of the events are free or subsidised – just make sure you book them on our website. You can be sure of a very warm welcome at the festival and don’t forget The Explorium is open every day of half term in The Forum and is totally free.” Highlights of the festival for families include the return of BBC Gastronaut Stefan Gates, with a brand-new show Rude Science (18 Feb); and Big and Small (16 Feb) – an interactive game show where you help astronomer Affelia and biochemist Alex settle a very important scientific argument: which is superior – big things like planets, or small things like proteins! Or why not try The biggest science quiz show EVER (12 Feb) with Prof Ben Garrod and Mark Thompson? Grab your friends and family and head along to this fun-packed show packed to the brim with explosive chemical reactions, answers to some of life’s biggest questions, live experiments, audience participation and tonnes of fun science! For adults, there are panels and talks on the science of heartbreak; the menopause; Long Covid; and a masterclass with a Wim Hof Method instructor. Boogie on the Brain (14 Feb) is a quirky evening of psychology, science and dancing where you’ll need your dancing shoes! The Cosmic Shambles Network bring their Nine Lessons (17 Feb) to Norwich Science Festival – a special science cabaret show, hosted by Dr Helen Czerski with special guests including Dr Adam Rutherford, comedian Bec Hill, geoscientist Chris Jackson and music from Soft Lad (from Self Esteem). Expect weird science, quirky facts, lots of laughter and a great night out! Plus, there’s a special headline event with Bonnie Garmus (17 Feb) – her bestselling novel Lessons in Chemistry tells the story of genius chemist Elizabeth Zott and her struggle against sexism in the science world of the 1960s. Norwich Science Festival is presented by The Forum, Norwich, in partnership with many organisations across the region, including University of East Anglia and Norwich Research Park. Sponsors include Vattenfall, Gresham’s, Norwich School, Chantry Place, Pensthorpe, Breakwater IT, Briar Chemicals, Veolia, Chapelfield Veterinary Practice and Howes Percival. To see all Norwich Science Festival events and book tickets, visit www.norwichsciencefestival.co.uk.

Ahead of councillors setting the Norwich City Council budget for 2023-2024 in February 2023, we are running a consultation to get the views of residents and businesses. With just over £100m to deliver a range of services (some which are statutory and some discretionary) and invest in the city, set against a context of inflation and dwindling money from government – it’s more important than ever, we hear from local people on what matters to them. Our survey sets out our plans for making savings and generating income, which you can find at GetTalking.norwich.gov.uk Please give your views by Friday 20 January 2023. Image credits – Chambers Canva Pro

Chantry Place Norwich is one of the sponsors of the Norwich Science Festival 2023, returning 11-18 February, and has lots of free family-friendly events planned during February to celebrate.

Dodo and Dinosaur, a Norfolk-based studio creating designs celebrating the Earth’s Extraordinary Extinct™creatures, is creating a special free Extraordinary Extinct™ Dinosaur Trail for Chantry Place. The self-led dinosaur-themed poster trail around the Centre will enable families to go on a dinosaur hunt around the Centre to discover some fascinating fossil facts to be in with a chance of winning a £100 H&M voucher and goodies from Dodo and Dinosaur. The free trail takes place from 4-18 February 2023 at Chantry Place Norwich and trail maps can be picked up at Langleys in Chantry Place and at The Forum Norwich.

A Museum of Plastic exhibition by Precious Plastic, who are on a mission to reduce plastic waste, will be located at Chantry Place from 11^th to 18^th February on the dining terrace. It will feature a Fantastic Plastic Litter Arcade for families to enjoy, including bottle tops in the style of a 2p machine game and much more. This exhibition explores the environmental and social harms caused by our current dependence on singleuse plastics, and presents possible steps we could take to eradicate them.

Plus, there will also be some fun characters for families to meet on Chantry Square on Saturday 11^th February.

Paul McCarthy, general manager at Chantry Place, is also teaming up with Molly Ajeto, visual merchandiser at H&M for a free talk at Sir Isaac Newton college on Friday 17^th February at midday on ‘Sustainability within modern retail’.

Paul McCarthy, general manager at Chantry Place, said: “Norwich Science Festival is always a fun-filled and educational event for families in Norwich and Norfolk and we worked with them in 2021 when we had a planetarium at the Centre. We are looking forward to being involved in February and helping showcase Norwich as a city of science, innovation and creativity, whilst having lots of fun. We are so excited to see the dinosaur trail which has been created especially for us for the festival and the arcade style games at the Museum of Plastic will be loved by all ages, while highlighting the importance of recycling and the impact that plastic has on our planet.”

All events at Chantry Place are free and do not need to be booked. The full progamme of Norwich Science Festival events goes on sale on 4^th January 2023.

“Norwich Science Festival is so delighted to be working with Chantry Place this February – with our free dinosaur trail and Museum of Plastic exhibition – plus on the first day of the festival, Sat 11th February, we will have some friendly dinosaurs outside the front of Chantry Place. It is going to be a fun-filled February half term with a huge Norwich Science Festival programme of free and good value events every day!”  – Claire Mutimer, Norwich Science Festival Producer.

For more information on Chantry Place, visit www.ChantryPlace.co.uk or follow chantryplacenorwich on social media.

Image credit: Dido and Dinosaur

Thursford Enterprises has won a test case in a dispute with HMRC over whether its Christmas Spectacular was entitled to Theatre Tax Relief (TTR). The Norfolk show is the largest of its kind in Europe and draws thousands of visitors to the region every year. Larking Gowen’s Corporate Tax Specialist Ben Greves was advising Thursford Enterprises and assisting with the dispute. “For a number of years Thursford has made a claim under the Theatre Tax Relief scheme for the costs of producing the Christmas Spectacular. “This is something we had advised them to do after informal discussions with HMRC. However, in 2019 HMRC told them it was launching an enquiry into the company’s TTR claim, which was the start of a long drawn-out and challenging process,” he explained. He said Thursford’s position has been greatly helped by Larking Gowen’s advice to establish robust documentation and a filing position that could be supported. Also, that Thursford had subscribed to the firm’s Tax Enquiry Protection Service (TEPS) which protected them from substantial professional costs in defending their position. When the two parties were unable to reach a negotiated position, HMRC issued a closure notice concluding that the Christmas Spectacular was not a qualifying production for TTR. Thursford appealed against the closure notice and took their case to the First Tier Tribunal, where the judge ruled that the show was in fact a qualifying production for TTR. HMRC decided not to appeal the decision. John Cushing OBE, Producer, Director and CEO of Thursford Enterprises, said TTR was essential to keep productions running. “Before we even open our doors for the first performance, our production costs are in the region of £2m. Without Theatre Tax Relief, we would not be able to sustain our production, which has a cast of over 130 singers, dancers and musicians, not taking into consideration the technical and production teams. “Everything in the show is performed live, and that is why over 100,000 audience members travel each season from every county in the country, as well as, increasingly, from further afield to see our Christmas Spectacular. TTR was passed as a Government Bill to protect and promote live theatre within the United Kingdom; to encourage and support us as a centre of excellence in the arts.” He said that having a TEPS subscription in place had made the decision to go ahead with the financial burden of the appeal more defensible to the organisation’s trustees. “Larking Gowen were with us at every stage of the journey. Following the acceptance of the appeal by HMRC they appointed a Chartered Tax Advisor, Andrew Gotch from The Tax Fellowship, who was absolutely superb and whose expertise and advice certainly helped us win the case.” John stated this year’s Christmas Spectacular was playing to full houses of 1,400 patrons twice a day, “with standing ovations from the very first show.” “With the continued support of TTR, long may our Christmas Spectacular survive and flourish,” he commented. Larking Gowen’s Ben Greves said: “Tax relief is a form of funding for the arts sector, and this was a test case which helped us, and HMRC, determine where the line is drawn.” Find out more about Larking Gowen’s Tax Enquiry Protection Service here. Photo © Thursford Enterprises

This week King Nigel of Norwich took a break from panto and made a Royal Visit to Captain Fawcett’s Marvellous Barbershop Museum in King’s Lynn. Actor Rufus Hound is currently starring as King Nigel in Jack and the Beanstalkat the Theatre Royal, Norwich, until 7th January. Before Tuesday’s matinée Rufus whizzed over to Fawcett HQ for tea with Fawcett founder Richie Finney. After a quick tour of the Museum he said “What a place! Everything is totally in character. Honestly, everyone should come and see what’s been created here. It’s just amazing! As well as being known for his acting talent and frequent appearances on comedy panel shows, Rufus is famed for his trademark whiskers, saying “I’ve chosen to wear facial hair since I was able!” He was sporting a particularly lush ‘English handlebar’ moustache when a chance meeting led to Captain Fawcett’s collaboration with the bewhiskered comedian. The result was ‘Triumphant’, a rather splendid Signature Series Gentleman’s Grooming range which made its debut in 2019 with a Moustache Wax. ‘Triumphant’ was such a success, six months later the range was expanded and now includes a Beard Balm, Beard Oil and magnificent Eau De Parfum with a heady fragrance reminiscent of the balmy days of Spring. The scent was inspired by Rufus riding his beloved motorcycle through England’s green & pleasant countryside. Rufus says: “Captain Fawcett’s melange of magical moustache managers and array of oils, waxes and parfums are never far from my washbag or my whiskers. When we met he asked what my favourite smell was. My answer was immediate. I ride a Triumph motorcycle in an open face helmet. On those glorious days of summer, to be on a British bike, riding through the twisty, turny B roads of the British countryside is an exceptional treat. Whizzing through little villages on a bike designed to do just that is heavenly. The combination of sunshine, flowers and williwaw arrives olfactorily but manifests spiritually. If there was one smell, I wish there more of in the world, that’s it. “Being asked to collaborate with Captain Fawcett is one of the most flattering things that’s ever happened. When ‘Triumphant’ was mentioned in Vogue it was just unreal. I mean, I’m not Beyoncé, I’m just a bloke from the theatre with his own fragrance. It’s brilliant and completely nuts!” Rufus first fell for Norfolk when he starred in the touring production of One Man, Two Guvnors, also at the Norwich Theatre Royal. He says “Norfolk audiences are an excellent bunch. I was immediately up for coming back here to do panto. I like Norfolk very much and I could happily live in Norwich Market! It’s incredible!” Talking of Jack and the Beanstalk he says “Joe Tracini (who plays Jack) was born to be in pantomime. The roots of panto are brilliantly disruptive, they’re shows where communities take stock of themselves. They’re about local in-jokes and references to things like street names get the biggest laughs. It’s exhausting doing two shows a day but when people are really joining in, screaming and shouting, that’s where the energy comes from. There’s no buzz like it.” Oh yes there is…and it smells ‘Triumphant’! Jack and the Beanstalk is playing at the Theatre Royal, Norwich until Saturday 7th January 2023. Tickets start at £10.

Conversions are the backbone to any business; without them, your business wouldn’t be on the path it is today. But we all know looking for ways to increase your conversions without making drastic changes to your website is hard.

In this instance, the first thing to consider is making sure your website is consistent regarding your calls to action (CTAs) and specifically their chosen colouring.

Why is this important, you ask? Well it’s proven that our eyes are drawn to eye-catching colours, something that stands out from the rest of the screen. The best place to implement these colours are at your conversion and clickable points. These colours need to be relevant – you can’t just throw in a luminous orange for the sake of drawing attention to your telephone number. Why? Let’s get into it.

You say tomato, I say tomato

Word association is something that is often linked to brands – for example “every little helps”, you think of Tesco. “I’m lovin’ it”, you think of McDonald’s. We could go on forever, but you get the point. The same applies to colour.

Colours are associated with brands, such as purple for Cadbury and red for Coca-Cola. If we take Cadbury’s as an example, we can see on their website that they feature predominantly their royal purple colouring as their background.

They are using their secondary brand colour, white, as the colour for their main clickable elements. This colour works really nicely for them as the white is a bright contrasting colour compared to the purple which really catches the eye. These colours feature across the site to draw your eye to the pages Cadbury want you to explore, it’s simple but so very clever.

But what colour should I use? 

Not every brand is as lucky as Cadbury when it comes to their brand colours working so clearly together. Take AFS Supplies, for example. AFS is a long standing business of 40+ years, they have quickly become a leading provider of health and hygiene products, as well as providing services to livestock farming and all allied industries. On their website, you can see that their logo features a range of colours, which can make it difficult to choose which one would work best for not only the website but to accompany the industry with which they fall in.

As they supply to an array of industries, it is imperative that they choose an appropriate colour for their calls to action. Now, you may not believe in such things, but colours come with certain connotations. As already mentioned, purple has a sense of royalty, blue has an aura of trust, and brown, steadfastness. When it comes to the colour green, this has a calm presence – it helps to ease any feelings of dread as well as being linked closely to nature.

As AFS Supplies works a lot with the agricultural industry, of all the colours green was the clear choice. It represents a calm process to ordering your supplies, as well as aligning with their industry connotations.  The ease of choosing your colour can differ depending on the existing brand.

We have implemented the same strategy for Dust Masks Direct, AFS Supplies’ sister company. With only one brand colour, this one was easier to implement. As specialists in PPE they have a clearer target demographic which made it simpler to implement their brand colour throughout the site in the same way. The trusting blue used in their branding is perfect for their business. PPE is something vital to a lot of industries, so trusting the company you buy from is a must.

Cadbury has nailed it with their royal purple, communicating the luxury of their chocolate as well as their royal standing in the chocolate industry. Choosing your colour needs to not only catch the eye but represent your brand identity. 

You’ve chosen your colour – now what?

So you have your colour, now use it in the most efficient way to maximise your conversions! But how? We are using a natural green to accentuate all the calls to action around AFS Supplies site, such as the buttons to the product pages so it is clearer where on the site users should navigate to.  Not only are these used on calls to action but also on all clickable elements of the site to help with guiding the user throughout and to avoid any rage clicks on something that can’t be clicked on! Any signs of frustration on the site can mean the difference between a customer converting… or not.

Whatever you do, don’t fluctuate between colours! There’s nothing more misleading than a range of clickable colours. You’ll find with one or even two main colours, you will help to increase your conversion rate. It’s a simple and easy way to do so without bringing too many eye-catching colours to the site. 

Of course, adding colour to your clickable elements and calls to action is just a start to increasing your conversions. Further steps you could take would be looking into SEO, social media marketing or PPC.

Your marketing strategy needs to be tailored bespoke to your business depending on your marketing goals, it’s not one size fits all. Interested? Give us a call on 01603 859007 or email hello@nuimage.co.uk and we can set up the next steps! 

Images provided by NU Image  

Merry Christmas At this festive time of year we want to take a moment to thank you for all your support to St Edmunds Society in 2022. On behalf of all the staff and students, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. CSJ Awards 2022 We are so delighted to announce that we won the CSJ Awards 2022! We had a wonderful evening celebrating the amazing work of grassroot charities across the country. We are very proud of the whole team. Thank you to the Centre for Social Justice for recognising our work in providing positive learning environments for young people who have struggled to achieve in mainstream education.

Happy New Year! If you’re like most people, chances are you have a list of resolutions for the start of 2023.  We have to admit that despite our best efforts, our resolutions sometimes don’t stick.  Our best intentions lasting a few weeks before we slip into our old ways.  Why is that so often the case? For that answer we can look to our habits and how they are formed.  Whether it’s to stay more organised or save more money, making good habits is key to achieving our goals. So, for this year, we want to be sure to focus on forming new healthy habits and making them stick!  With that in mind, let’s offer up some practical advice for creating lasting change throughout the New Year and beyond.

1. The Why

Be clear on why you want the change.  You might have a general view that you want to stay off social media because it feels like the right thing to do.  But what is truly driving you?  Successful habits are grounded in knowing truly why you want this change.  Spend some time writing down in as much detail as possible the reasons you have and the benefits you and possibly others could gain from this change.  Keep these reasons live and at hand.  Chances are that confirming your greater meaning will deliver greater sustainable success.

1. Be Specific

We might say to ourselves ‘I want to get healthier’, but without specificity, we can easily fail to reach our target as we lack a definable outcome that we can plan against (let alone knowing truly when we have got there).  Instead, write down as much detail about your goal to form a specific, measurable and timebound target.

1. Break Down That Goal

Your brain likes to feed on rewards with unconscious acknowledgement that what you are doing is reaping some form of benefit.  It’s a common trap for us to have this magnificent goal in our minds that can become overwhelming and difficult to achieve if you don’t start seeing immediate results.  Break that bigger goal up into a journey with more achievable steps.  That half marathon becomes a ten, twenty, then thirty-minute run.  At each milestone, celebrate your journey with something you enjoy and make it fun!

1. The Two Minute Rule

Research has stated that starting activity associated with a new habit is one of the hardest parts.  So, try breaking down the start of your activity to an action that takes just two minutes.  The idea here is that this initial action will slide you into the next step and then the next.  Change ‘going for a 15-minute run’ to ‘changing into my running clothes’.  Change ‘I’m going to learn one song on my guitar’ to ‘I’m going to pick up my guitar and tune it’.

1. Accountability Partner

It helps tremendously to share what your goals are with someone else.  It makes it feel more real when you talk about it and chances are that you will want to provide your accountability partner with good news.  In turn they can provide you with support and encouragement.  If possible, choose someone who can be non-judgemental and supportive.

1. Make Good Choices Easier and Bad Ones Harder

It’s difficult at the best of times to make new habits stick.  So, make the journey easier where you can.  Place your guitar where it’s visible, remove those beers from the fridge, put your mobile phone out of sight in another room, replace those snacks in the drawer with heathier ones.

1. Be Patient

It takes time to form new habits, remember this when you don’t see early results.  Repetition is the key to making habits stick rather than the length of time.  For example, five minutes of guitar practise each day forms more new neural pathways than thirty minutes of practise once a week.

1. Make It Tangible

Find the medium that works for you.  If you are a visual person, you can try creating a visual board of pictures and statements linked to your habit and place it somewhere prominent or you can use a calendar or a journal to record your progress.  If technology is your thing, there are a host of habit tracking apps you can utilise such as Streaks, Way of Life and Habitify.  Why not gamify your habits with Habitica.  The trick is to find a medium that works for you.

1. Your Clan

Surround yourself with people who share the same outlook and belief to how you want to show up in life.  It’s harder to change a habit if everyone around you is doing the opposite.  You are what your environment makes you.

1. Don’t Give Up If You Slip Up

Many of us slip up at the first time we miss a habit.  Acknowledge the miss, but don’t take it as total failure.  Recover your positive thoughts and keep moving forward knowing that the road ahead is not always in a straight line. Do try these tips and see what ones work for you in combination.  I hope they go some way in helping you achieve your new year resolutions for this new year and beyond! Nick is a professional life and business coach based in Norfolk.  Helping professional working parents get the career they want and to achieve a healthier, happier, work/life balance.  Nick also partners with solopreneurs, small and medium-sized business owners, providing expert coaching services to support themselves and their employees thrive in the workplace – www.nickhowellcoaching.com Images provided by Nick Howell Coaching from unsplash: Engin Akyurt (2023 beach) and Tim Mossholder (Resolutions sign)

VAT Director Gilly McGill was a little disheartened after the Autumn Statement, as she initially thought the revisions on VAT were lacking. However, a post budget discussion with Tax Partner Dominic Carter brought the impact of fiscal drag to the table which, on closer inspection, will have implications across all taxes. In this episode they discuss inflationary impact, the increase in businesses brought into VAT registration, Capital Goods Scheme reporting, Making Tax Digital and, ultimately, what the impact of fiscal drag means for the level of tax paid by businesses and individuals. For further information on today’s topic, and how we can help support you and your business on all tax related matters, click here.  You can get in touch with our presenters directly through the Our People section of our website here. GET IN TOUCH! If you have any questions on today’s episode, and would like us to get in touch, 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 find more episodes from this series on our website here. Listen here!

Norfolk County Council has submitted a proposal to the department for Transport (DfT) which could see up to 70 zero-emission buses arriving in Norwich in 2024. In March this year the council secured £3.3m funding after a joint bid with First Bus was submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT) for funding from the ‘Zero Emission Bus Regional Access’ (ZEBRA) scheme. The bid was matched by £3.6m of local investment from First Bus and will deliver 15 battery electric buses which will be in operation by March 2024 along with supporting infrastructure and electrical grid upgrade works. Since then, the DfT has invited all cities that were successful in receiving ZEBRA funding to submit a change to the scope of their schemes, which could include additional buses and electrical charging infrastructure. Following discussions with First Bus, the Council has developed a proposal for an additional 55 zero emission double decker buses to also be operational by March 2024. If successful there will also be a need to install an additional 57 fast chargers at the Rowntree Way First Bus depot. Cabinet member for Highways, Infrastructure and Transport Martin Wilby said:  “We are excited that we already have the 15 buses confirmed to be in operation in 2024 but to have the opportunity to increase this to a potential 70 buses was one not to be missed. If successful, this will be an extraordinary boost to our ambitions to run a net-zero transport system in Norfolk. The support that First bus has shown for this demonstrates the excellent working relationship we have with our bus operators here in Norfolk and how working together can help to achieve the very best for our County.” Piers Marlow, Managing Director at First East of England said: “This proposal will enable our Roundtree Way bus depot in Norwich to operate an entire zero emission bus fleet.  This means we can remove all diesel infrastructure and engineering equipment and demonstrates our commitment to zero emission buses going forwards and our alignment to the Government’s ambitions for a net-zero carbon transport system. “We will continue to work closely with Norfolk County Council to deliver bus priority for customers in Norwich and progress the decarbonisation of our bus fleets across the region.” The bus routes that these additional zero emission buses would serve all operate in Greater Norwich and will run through the city centre, which is currently declared an Air Quality Management Area. The switch from conventional diesel engine buses to electric would reduce Co2 emissions by more than 80,000 tonnes – which is equivalent to taking around 4700 small petrol cars off the road. It will also save 32 tonnes of NOx and PM2.5 every year. These are the fine particles and other exhaust gasses known to reduce air quality and harm people’s health. We anticipate hearing back from the DfT with a decision on our proposal by the end of the year. 

UK labour market activity slowed for its third consecutive month as employers cut back on hiring in order to weather recession, according to BDO’s Employment Index

• Price pressures remain high for firms as the Inflation Index registers another historically elevated reading, despite falling for the second consecutive month
• BDO’s Output Index fell to its weakest reading since the third national lockdown as the cost-of-living crisis continued to drive declines across the services sector
• Business confidence plunged to a two-year low as recessionary pressures and the expectation of further economic woes caused optimism to plummet

Weaker hiring intentions and recessionary pressures suggest a challenging winter ahead for UK businesses, according to the Business Trends report from accounting and business advisory firm BDO. November saw all four indices across employment, inflation, output and optimism fall for the second time in the last three months. The latest figures show BDO’s Employment Index contracted by 1.20 points in November, as it fell for the third month in a row to 111.85. While the Index remains above 95, considered the watershed between growth and contraction, it now sits at its lowest point since February 2022. This decline has been caused by weaker hiring intentions across the services sector. BDO’s Inflation Index declined for the second time in the past three months, falling to 118.43, although still remains historically elevated. This represents a sizeable contraction of 2.24 points – the largest fall the index has seen since May 2020. The lower reading was driven in part by a drop in the value of sterling improved following market volatility attributed to government measures announced in September’s mini-Budget. Indications of a recession have put downward pressure on productivity growth among businesses. BDO’s Output Index recorded a steep drop of 2.43 points to 90.56 in November, registering its weakest reading since the third national lockdown at the start of 2021. This suggests that overall economic output is contracting, with further sub-95 values expected until at least Q2 2023. BDO’s Optimism Index plunged to a record two-year low of 91.64 in November, as recessionary pressures and the expectation of further headwinds caused a drop in confidence. The services sector has seen the largest fall in optimism, having been particularly exposed to inflationary pressures and a decline in output, as supply chain disruption and soaring living costs impacted consumers and businesses alike. Entering the Christmas run-up, waning confidence among businesses reflects falls across the Employment and Output Indices, while there are still significant pressures on the Inflation Index. Peter Harrup, Partner and Head of East Anglia at BDO LLP, said: “This time last year, businesses faced an uphill battle after months of on-going COVID-19 restrictions and the pandemic still impacting economic activity. While the challenges may be different this year, the outlook remains concerning, as the latest figures suggest the economy is on the verge of contraction. “Rising costs, continued supply chain challenges and historically low spending power are just some of the challenges businesses and their customers face at a time of year when activity should be reaching its peak. “As another interest rate decision is due, and with a tough macroeconomic environment to battle, firms need the right support and reassurance from the Government to provide confidence ahead of an uncertain winter.” Image provided by BDO

After Christmas, your employees will be more likely to be prioritising their health. You can help them achieve their goals and improve wellbeing and productivity by booking Norfolk Health Checks to visit your workplace in January 2023! The NHS Health Check is a free check-up of overall health for people aged 40-74 and takes 20-30 minutes to complete. Specially trained Health Check Practitioners will do some basic tests and complete a questionnaire with participants, before giving tailored advice and signposting to help them reduce their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. The service is fully funded by Norfolk County Council, meaning that we can deliver health checks to your employees, at their place of work, free of charge. We will also provide any employees that are not eligible for a health check with access to a wide range of resources to help understand and improve their health. Interested in health checks at your workplace? Visit the new Employer Page on our website, give us a call on 0808 175 0413 to find out more “I work for DWP and as a decision maker I can say that the service that you delivered was exemplary. A comment has been made that it was lovely – that it didn’t feel like a tick box exercise but an empathetic and informative experience that they would recommend to others. The practitioners were both very knowledgeable and friendly, so they easily put you at ease.   As a site wishing to promote personal wellbeing, the sessions have been very helpful in helping others to think of their own help first.” – Heidi Mann, Department for Work and Pensions “Overall it was a hugely positive experience and I know that many (staff) have already started to make small changes to their lifestyles to improve their health.” – Simon Hobbs – Managing Director of Electrical Testing Ltd