Member News

Seeing the iconic Jacobean mansion of Blickling Hall bathed in light while you enjoy a slice of Blickling wood-fired pizza on the main drive is a treat which for many has become a family tradition. This year, that quintessential Norfolk estate – the first complete estate ever to be cared for by the National Trust – will once again be celebrating the festive season with two very special and unique experiences, each aimed at creating lasting memories. During the day, the beautifully decorated hall will open its doors to reveal rooms packed full of decorations, lovingly created by staff and volunteers. Nutcrackers, an estate children’s party, cocktails in the South Drawing Room and an Ice Ball all help to create a fantastical experience for visitors. Property Curator, Megan Dennis and her team are excited to share it with visitors. “Christmas in the hall at Blickling is so special. This year we are celebrating the magic moments of Christmas – all the special family traditions and games. We welcome visitors to explore the house, decorate a tree, help the cooks prepare for Christmas Day and take a whirl on the dancefloor. The beautiful decorations created by our talented volunteers really make the hall a unique place to visit at this time of year. Their passion and enthusiasm for Blickling shines through in every room.” An army of florists, gardeners, crafters and artists have all contributed, under the guidance and direction of Jo Pipe, Blickling’s House and Collections Officer. “We have created a 1930s fantastical adventure for our visitors to explore. Meet people from the past and create your own special memories in this beautiful place.” In the evening, the house doors close and it is the turn of Blickling’s gardens to take centre stage. Transformed into a riot of colour and illuminations, with little ‘wow’ moments tucked around every corner; an accessible, level route will help all visitors enjoy an after-dark festive adventure in one of Norfolk’s most special places. For Experience and Visitor programme Manager, Sebastian Billing, it’s his favourite time of year. “I’ve known Blickling all my life and for my family, it’s always been a playground for the senses. Our Garden of Lights event transforms the outside spaces – once the sun goes down, it feels like every inch is painted with imagination. Seeing visitors of all ages laughing and making memories in a place that means so much to the local community, shows us that the essential fundraising we do as a charity can look and feel pretty magical.” Blickling’s festive celebrations kick off on Monday 28 November and run through to Sunday 18 December 2022.

• The House is open daily from 11-2pm, tickets are free for National Trust members, no booking necessary.
• The Garden of Lights event takes place daily between 4-8pm, all tickets must be pre-booked. Weekend tickets have almost sold out, but there are still tickets available to visit Monday – Friday. Bring the kids for a memorable after-school adventure, or visit after work for a fun evening out with colleagues or friends.
• Children under five go free.
• Free carer tickets available on request.

Christmas lights and events at Blickling | National Trust

Image: Make-A-Wish UK Chief Executive Jason Suckley & Richie Finney, owner of Captain Fawcett King’s Lynn’s Captain Fawcett Ltd (Manufacturer and Purveyor of simply ‘First Class Gentleman’s Grooming Requisites’) has been flying the flag for West Norfolk on an epic 800 mile motorbike ride across the South of England to raise funds for national children’s charity Make-A-Wish UK. BarbersRide is now in its sixth consecutive year with total funds reaching over £110K for The Lion’s Barber Collective, London’s Great Ormond Street and Liverpool’s Alder Hey children’s hospitals and Make-A-Wish. This year alone BarbersRide have raised £27K* for Make-A-Wish UK. Huzzah! www.justgiving.com/team/barbersride2022 On the 7th August a fine fellowship of mad-cap adventurers, united by their passion for bikes and barbering, set off from Weston-Super-Mare on a 5 day mission to support ‘Make-A-Wish’, a charity which turns the dreams of seriously ill children into real life magic. Richie Finney, West Norfolk Champion and owner of Captain Fawcett Ltd is one of the founding members and key sponsor of BarbersRide, an annual road trip adventure bringing barbers and bikers together on a journey of camaraderie and mayhem. 2022 saw this band of brothers take to the highways in the thick of a record-breaking, tarmac-melting heatwave. Each evening featured the chance to cool down at BarbersRide’s legendary after parties with live music, food and drinks to revive wilting riders after fantastically formidable trails through England’s rolling West Country and on to Margate, this year’s sparkling seaside destination. BarbersRide have supported Make-A-Wish UK since 2019, saying:“Make-A-Wish grants special wishes for sick children when they are most in need and bring positivity and happiness in times of distress. We decided to work with a national children’s charity so that children from each region could benefit and Make-A-Wish were the perfect organisation to partner with. We even managed to ride in 2020, observing social distancing, with incredible support from our sponsors, our riders, the barbers and barbershops. More than ever, the global pandemic made all of us appreciate how important it is to find ways to keep going and stay resilient when there are obstacles in our way.” Make-A-Wish UK Chief Executive Jason Suckley said: “We are hugely grateful to BarbersRide and all those who have supported their brilliantly unique way of fundraising for Make-A-Wish over the years. Any money they raise will help us with our ambitious mission to light up the lives of every child in the UK who has a critical condition, by granting their wish. From the moment they are diagnosed, the joy of childhood is often brought to an abrupt end while treatment, medical appointments and worry take over. It can    ’t be underestimated how powerful a wish can be in bringing light and joy to those children, as well as their loved ones, creating positive moments and cherished memories that have a lasting impact on all their lives.” Rumour has it, BarbersRide may be heading across the sea to Ireland in 2023. Watch this space… barbersride.com * 2022 total is calculated via a number of JustGiving pages as well as offline donations direct to Make-A-Wish.

Pic credit: Greater Anglia Greater Anglia is reminding people to avoid travelling on its trains on Saturday 26 November, when services will be disrupted by a train drivers’ strike. Services on main routes to London will be severely reduced and there will be no trains at all on many Greater Anglia lines due to a strike by train drivers’ union ASLEF. There will be one train per hour on routes between London Liverpool Street and Colchester, Norwich and Southend Victoria and on the Stansted Express service. But there will no trains at all on any other routes including the Cambridge to London Liverpool Street mainline. First trains will start later than usual and last trains will finish earlier than usual. First and last train times to London Liverpool Street from Colchester will be 08.13 and 20.13; from Norwich 08.00 and 19.00; and from Southend Victoria 08.13 and 22.00. In the other direction, first and last trains from Liverpool Street to Colchester will be 10.00 and 22.00; to Norwich 10.30 and 21.30; and to Southend Victoria 09.47 and 23.45. Stansted Express service first and last train times will be: from Stansted Airport to Liverpool Street 05.15 and 00.30 and from Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport 04.10 and 23.25. Anyone who has booked a ticket to travel on Saturday 26 November will be able to travel either the day before or up to and including Tuesday 29 November instead, or they can contact their retailer for a refund or to change the date. Trains not running due to the strike will not be replaced by buses. First services on Sunday 27 November, will start later than usual as a knock-on effect of the 24-hour strike. Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director said: “We’re very sorry that once again we must advise people to avoid travelling on our trains, but with our drivers on strike we have no other option. “We know people will have been planning to go Christmas shopping, visit the Christmas lights in London, go to shows and events or to watch FA Cup matches on Saturday 26 November and that now they will be disappointed. “We will continue as an industry to carry on talking to ASLEF and other rail unions to try to resolve these disputes, to bring an end to these very disruptive strikes.” Full details of timetables, refunds and other information will be available from www.greateranglia.co.uk/strikes. Other train companies affected by the ASLEF action are Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, London North Eastern Railway, Northern Trains, Southeastern, Transpennine Express, and West Midlands Trains.

Pictured: Martin Dronfield, Executive Chair of the East of England Energy Group Photo credit: East of England Energy Group / CHPV The East of England Energy Group’s (EEEGR) response to the UK Government Autumn Statement Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered his Autumn statement to MPs in Parliament yesterday, confirming that Government will proceed with Sizewell C and laying out plans to extend the oil & gas windfall tax to all power generating companies. Responding to the statement, EEEGR’s Executive Chair, Martin Dronfield, stated: “We were thrilled to hear the chancellor commit to the build of Sizewell C which will bring massive economic growth to our region. Alongside this, the project will provide 3.2GW of clean energy to the system, becoming a vital part of the energy mix. It was also good to hear the announcement of fresh funding to improve the UK’s energy efficiency to help homes and businesses reduce energy consumption, something particularly welcome in the current energy crisis climate. Reacting to the announcement of new 45% windfall tax measures for electricity generators, Dronfield said: “EEEGR along with its members are concerned about the potential impact of any windfall tax on revenues and profits along with the consequential effects this may have on future investment programmes and the overall attractiveness of the UK energy market. We’re glad to hear that the measures will be temporary, however would not want any new taxation arrangements to negatively impact renewable energy generators and potential investment in clean energy projects for the eastern region. We urge government to work with industry to ensure any tax is set at the right level so that the measures implemented do not adversely impact the companies that will play a huge role in the UK’s race to net zero.”

Norfolk-based RQ Capital is celebrating its tenth year of lending – in the last ten years, the firm has completed over 200 loans with a total value of £151m. This has funded the development of 750 homes and assisted in planning permission for a further 1,000 homes. RQ Capital lends money to developers across England and Wales from its headquarters in East Anglia, helping smaller property developers to secure the funding they need to build and complete projects. Founded by Robert Gurney in 2012, the firm has created an excellent niche of providing bespoke property finance for smaller property developers. Robert commented: “RQ Capital is a property lending business that has the feel of the old traditional bank – in the sense that we aim to provide a personal and efficient service. “With the uncertain economic times we are all facing, our clients are grateful to have that personal touch and be able to discuss their options with a friendly, expert team they can trust.” George Craig, Director at RQ Capital, said: “As a small team we are immensely proud of the milestones we have achieved together over the past decade, and we are very positive about the future of the business. “We work incredibly hard to provide exceptional customer service and this has helped us to grow and keep growing. To achieve further success, we plan to raise awareness of our services by increasing our digital presence and marketing activity. “We are proud to be headquartered in Norfolk and to offer our services as a national provider. Locally we have access to a great network of property developers. We are also members of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, partners of the NFCI and Constructing Excellence in Norfolk.” To celebrate the company’s ten-year anniversary, the business has launched a new website. Find out more here: https://www.rqcapital.co.uk/ Image provided by RQ Capital – The RQ Capital team pictured (left to right) Stephen Kenworthy Head of Finance, Paula Milligan Office Manager, Robert Gurney Managing Director, and George Craig Director.

The Norfolk & Suffolk Skills and Careers Festival is an interactive event aimed at young people to help inspire them for their future career. The event takes place annually in March at Norfolk Showground, with both inside and outside stands available. The event will be open on: Wednesday 9 March 2023 between 9:30am and 3:30pm Thursday 10 March 2023 between 9:30am and 1:30pm Exhibitor Bookings for 2023 are now open. If you are interested in attending this event or want to find out more, please complete the form here. Exhibition Stands are based on a 3m (w) x 2m (d) booth, located inside the Norfolk Showground Arena. Double stands can be booked if you require a larger space and space only stands are also available both inside and outside the venue. Please discuss your requirements with our team if you need any further information. Prices for stands: 3m (w) x 2m (d) Booth Inside£350 +VAT 6m (w) x 2m (d) Booth Inside£625 +VAT Space Only Inside- £300 This is a wonderful opportunity for your organisation to connect with Norfolk and Suffolk’s young people, your future workforce. The festival is designed to meet the requirements of the statutory guidance from the Department for Education and also provides a platform to demonstrate your organisation’s support for the young people of Norfolk and Suffolk as they decide which career, study, training or employment option will be their next step.

Get Ready for Business Growth is an Arts Council England funded programme designed to help creative businesses that are looking to grow. It is bespoke to each business’s needs, entirely free and takes place online. There is more information about the programme and the first stage of the application process at https://www.bl.uk/business-and-ip-centre/get-ready-for-business-growth

Janet Mui is Head of Market Analysis at RBC Brewin Dolphin, and is top of her game in a male dominated industry. Janet handles over 60 million pounds in investments and is a regular face on news channels commentating on economic issues. Having grown up in China, Janet chats to Mark not just about why wealth management is important for entrepreneurs and business leaders, but also how she had to learn to adapt to British culture in order to ‘make it’. Janet speaks frankly about her experiences as ‘the only woman in the room’, battling prejudices around ‘diversity hires’ and feeling like she has to prove that she really is the best person for the job. She believes in the importance of diversity and financial education, discussing how we don’t talk enough about money, or educate young people in how to deal with it. Janet also chats to Mark about the realities of how you can sleep at night when handling big money, what people get wrong about personal finance, and how not to lose yourself on the way to the top. Show notes: You can find Janet on LinkedIn here Visit RBC Brewin Dolphin here LinkedIn Top voices in finance! Money Made Easy podcast Become an expert commentator BBC 50/50 The Equality project Jamie Dixon Leadership & Life Chat episode Books: Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works – Roger L. Martin Lean In A Woman Makes a Plan – Maye Musk The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness by Morgan Housel GET IN TOUCH! We would love to hear your thoughts on today’s episode, email us at podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk or leave us a voice note here. You can listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcast, or click here to listen now! You can also watch on YouTube! Click here We would also love it if you could rate us 5 STARS on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, this really helps people find us! 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 Listen here! © Larking Gowen LLP

Leading law firm Howes Percival has advised the shareholders of Touchdown PR Limited on the sale of the entire issued share capital of the company to US headquartered Ruder Finn, one of the world’s largest independent global communications and creative agencies. 

Howes Percival advised the sellers on all aspects of the transaction from heads of terms stage through to completion. Forward Corporate Finance also advised the sellers. Hogan Lovells International LLP acted for the Buyer. 

Founded by James and Emma Carter 16 years ago, Touchdown specialises in servicing clients in the enterprise technology innovation sector, ranging from cyber security, data protection/management and storage, big data, AI and cloud. 

Touchdown helps brands break into markets typically dominated by incumbent technology companies, by delivering earned, owned and paid media airtime.  Clients include Barracuda, Bitdefender, Exabeam, Cubic, Globalization Partners, Forter, and Progress Software. 

The agency operates in North America, across Central and Western Europe and in all major Asian markets and is headquartered in Basingstoke and Austin, Texas. 

The Howes Percival team was headed up by Oliver Pritchard with assistance from Lizzy Page and Tom Maksymiw (corporate), Jonathan Mumby (employment) and Jenna Bruce (intellectual property, IT and data protection). 

Howes Percival’s Oliver Pritchard commented, “We were really pleased to be able to advise Touchdown on this transaction. The deal represents a good outcome for all parties and lays the foundations for a positive future working relationship going forward. Despite the recent economic uncertainty, there is still an appetite to complete M&A transactions.  We continue to receive instructions from sellers who are looking to sell their businesses for a good price and there are certainly businesses looking at acquisitions to facilitate growth.” 

James Carter, CEO at Touchdown commented, “Despite the aggressive timeframe for the deal, the team at Howes Percival remained diligent, thorough and professional the entire way through the process.  We always felt our interests were kept front of mind during the negotiations and the team’s attention to detail and commitment to get the job done played a key part in keeping a fast-moving deal on track.” 

For more information on Howes Percival’s Corporate team or help with acquisitions or disposals, please visit our website here https://www.howespercival.com/services/corporate/ 

Image of Oliver Pritchard, Howes Percival provided by Howes Percival

Contract Personnel are one of East Anglia’s largest independent recruitment agencies – helping companies fill their vacancies for over 33 years. They specialise in Temporary and Permanent recruitment and operative in the Driving, Industrial, Commercial and Engineering sectors. With offices in Norwich and Thetford, new and exciting jobs are always being added to their website. The company have also launched their brand new Interview Job Bus, which is currently visiting Great Yarmouth Market each week to help people into work. People are able to arrange interviews and registrations in the bus, with the ability to meet in different towns and villages across Norfolk & Suffolk. The bus regularly visits locations across the area and also can be found at local events. Follow Contract Personnel on Facebook for the full lowdown. Contract Personnel are also available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! If you would like to have a chat about how Contract Personnel can help your company, get in touch with the team today. Their Norwich office can be reached on 01603 764044 and Thetford 01842 750222. Or you can register a vacancy here – https://contract-personnel.com/register-a-vacancy/

From Saturday 19th November, step inside our magical Christmas grotto, where you’ll have the chance to meet Father Christmas himself. Our elves will be on hand to help you to create your very own Christmas bird feeder wreath and children will also have the chance to offer a special wish to our conservation wishing tree! Help Father Christmas save our native birds at Banham Zoological Gardens this festive season. Our magical Christmas grotto returns for 2022, offering you a unique, fully immersive Santa experience. Step foot into our magical woodland-themed grotto as our Christmas elves guide you through two enchanting activity rooms, before getting the chance to meet Father Christmas himself. What’s included Our Christmas Grotto experience offers 3 Christmas-themed activities as well as all-day entry to the zoo! Once you have checked in to Santa’s workshop, children will meet our very own conservation Christmas elves, and will offer a Wish for the world on our awe-inspiring Christmas Wishing Tree! Up next, head inside our woodland workshop, where our elves will be on hand to explain the importance of protecting native species and will help you create your very own Christmas bird feeder wreath. Finish your magical Christmas experience with a trip inside Father Christmas’ front room. Meet Father Christmas in person where each child will receive a special present, helping them to protect native birds this winter. Each Christmas Grotto ticket includes entry to Banham Zoological Gardens, where you’ll have the whole day to play, learn, and discover more about our natural world. Ride the Winter express, warm up at our Nutcracker hot chocolate shacks, meet some of our smallest residents in the Discovery Centre for Conservation Education, and going to eye to eye with some of the world’s most amazing animals. This truly is a unique Christmas grotto experience, that’s not to be missed. Book online: www.zsea.org/banham/tickets/banham-zoo-christmas-grotto

Norfolk Blood Bikes were established in Oct 2011 and provide a voluntary service to the NHS and Mental Health Units in the County of Norfolk. The video below explains the tasks they carry out on a daily basis. https://norfolkbloodbikes.org.uk/