member

Employees at regional accountancy firm, Larking Gowen LLP have smashed through their own target, and raised £7,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA).

Experienced Accounts Administrator Required – Thunderbrook Equestrian Ltd

Term: Permanent

Hours: Full Time

£18,000 to 22,000 (salary dependant on experience)

We are a small but rapidly growing animal feed business looking to expand our team and recruit a full time Accounts Administrator. Your role will involve mainly working in Finance, using SAGE Line 50 software. You should be able to cover all aspects of day to day company book keeping. This position offers the potential of career progression with our company, as we expand, for the right individual.

Company in Griston (IP25 postcode), near Attleborough require an experienced Accounts Administrator in the following areas:

Sage Line 50. Bank reconciliations. Microsoft Excel. Sales, purchase ledgers and journals. Able to work independently. Credit control. Answering calls and placing calls when necessary Excellent communication skills both written and verbal

All interested applicants should email a CV and cover letter. No phone calls please

[email protected]

SaxonAir Charter Ltd, one of the leading UK based private air charter companies has invested in enhanced training for their crew on in-flight health and safety. The training ensures all staff on board are able to better deal with any illness or injuries that may arise mid-flight, in addition to their standard crew training.

The course was held by MedAire, a health and safety company for crew of airlines in business aviation and yachts, and the crew qualified after a period of intense training at Inflite Jet Centre, Stansted Airport. The course taught crew members the skills to successfully and confidently respond to medical events before, during and after a flight, integrating first responder training with the medical kits that are available on board an aircraft and is taught by instructors from medical, triage & aviation backgrounds.

Phil Stead, Head of SaxonAir Crew Training says ‘I believe it is accepted by the pilots and cabin staff that following attendance of the MedAire course, they are now better prepared to meet today’s increased demand for passenger safety and welfare in addition to SaxonAir’s ongoing commitment to enhancing training requirements to facilitate a safer and more acceptable environment for our clients.’

In addition to the course, SaxonAir made it their highest priority to purchase defibrillators for their longer range aircraft ensuring maximum safety to all passengers and crew. This is not a standard requirement in the industry so the company is proud to be one of few to have invested in this equipment. Pilots and flight attendants of SaxonAirs midsize & heavy jet fleet are now proficient in dealing with illness and injury in many areas including; CPR techniques and AED use, hypoxia signs and response, altitude physiology & trauma management.

It’s national Work Your Proper Hours Day today (Friday 26 February) and there’s lots of excellent reasons why the Trades Union Congress (TUC) felt the need to start this national awareness day 11 years ago, with the aim of supporting employers as well as employees.

The reason this awareness day takes place today is because, according to TUC research, if all the people in the UK who do unpaid overtime added it all up at the start of the year, today would be the first day they would start to get paid.

The TUC campaign for proper working hours aims to highlight the amount of unpaid work carried out by employees and the negative impact of a poorwork/life balance, as tired and burnt out staff are bad for business. From a recruitment point of view a culture of long hours makes it difficult to attract and retain top talent and to be seen as agood employer.

While it is occasionally necessary for employees to put in extra hours, this should be the exception rather than the norm. If it becomes a regular pattern it can lead to low morale, exhaustion and stress. These are all known to decrease productivity and are often the causes of long-term absence, both of which have a significant impact on the bottom line.

People work long hours for many reasons and employers need to try and uncover the mentality behind it. It could be because they are unable to cope with their workload, or because tasks are not being delegated efficiently enough for them to be able manage their time.

It may be that there is a historical culture of presenteeism, and bosses can help to address this by leading by example. So make a start today and take a proper lunchbreak and then leave work on time to enjoy your Friday evening.

If you’re tempted to stay longer, here’s three reminders of the serious impact of regularly working long hours.

1. Poor physical health

Working excessive hours leads to exhaustion and a lack of concentration. This impacts on yourwell-beingby increasing the risk of headaches, digestive problems and even heart disease. Overworking can also cause people to smoke and drink more. A recent study also showed that working long hours can significantly increase your risk of suffering a stroke. Those who worked 55 hours or more a week were 33% more likely to have an attack than those clocking up the standard 40 hours.

2. Mental health problems

A recent study found that workers clocking at least 11 hours a day have a higher risk of depression than people working a standard seven or eight hour day. Longer work hours can make you morestressedand means less time to invest in your own self-care. Everyone needs time to relax, remember, even Winston Churchill supposedly took a nap every afternoon.

3. Strained relationships

Long hours make caring for children and dependents more difficult. They can also cause personal relationships to suffer as a result of not being able to spend time with loved ones. According to Axa, 27% of people have cancelled time with family and friends due to work constraints, while 18% of parents have missed a school play or parents’ evening.

Jim Crawford, currently Station Director for Sizewell B power station has been appointed as Project Development Director for EDF Energy’s Sizewell C project.

The new role takes effect from 1 March and will see Jim take responsibility for leading the Sizewell C project to a successful final investment decision and into construction.

EDF Energy’s Paul Morton takes over from Jim Crawford as Sizewell B station director. Paul has a long history with the energy sector and joins Sizewell B from EDF Energy’s Cottam power station in Nottinghamshire.

Speaking about the appointment Jim Crawford said: “I have been proud to be station director of Sizewell B. The station had a record year of power production in 2015 and has saved some 126 million tonnes of carbon dioxide since it started operating in 1995.

“Sizewell C provides a great opportunity to build on this, to provide more local jobs, more contracts for UK businesses and more opportunities for young people in education whilst delivering power generation for 5million homes for 60 years.”

Paul Morton said: “Sizewell B is a fantastic power station with a great track record. I am delighted to take on this new role and am looking forward to getting to know the team at the station and the local community.”

Jim Crawford was appointed Station Director of Sizewell B power station in March 2010 following two years as the stations Plant Manager. Jim graduated in 1979 from Strathclyde University with a degree in Chemistry and was awarded an MBA in 2001. He has been in the nuclear industry for 36 years with the last seven years based with his family in Suffolk.

Paul Morton brings 25 years’ experience in the power industry and has worked for CEGB, PowerGen, EON and EDF Energy at High Marnham, Ratcliffe, Connah’s Quay, Enfield, Grain (Oil & CCGT) and Cottam.

Sizewell B delivers safe, reliable power to over 2million homes and businesses every day and is on track to have a ‘breaker to breaker’ run of generation over the last 18months. Which means non-stop electricity was delivered to the grid between the maintenance outage in 2014 until the next outage in April 2016.

Sizewell B achieved a UK industry record in 2015 by delivering 10.45TWhrs of power generation. The station will operate until 2035 but this could be extended by 20 years.

The station is a key employer in the eastern region bringing some £40million pounds each year into the local economy. Over 550 people are directly employed at the site on the Suffolk coast with a further 200 carrying out contract roles.

Sizewell C is a proposed new nuclear power station that would be built to the north of Sizewell B on the Suffolk coast. It would have two reactors, known as UK EPRs, capable of generating enough electricity to supply around five million homes. The project would create 5,600 jobs during peak construction and 900 jobs during operation. EDF Energy has completed the first stage of consultation on the project.

Cottam and its sister station West Burton A are coal-fired power stations near Retford in Nottinghamshire, capable of generating enough electricity for approximately 7.5 million UK homes. Cottam is a 2000MW station which began generating power in 1969 and employs 220 people and around 175 contract partners

Age Co is the trading arm of Age UK and offers a range of products and services designed to help people make the most of later life. This collaboration aims to improve the lives of older adults in the Norwich community by offering a wide range of products and services designed to promote independence and well-being.

This summer, Break, the charity behind GoGoSafari – are calling on local businesses to become part of this exciting adventure by volunteering as Trail Rangers.

From June 23rd to August 30th Norwich and Norfolk will host a captivating art trail featuring 50 large animal sculptures, including gorillas, giraffes, and lions, designed by local artists and sponsored by businesses. But to make this incredible event possible, volunteers are urgently needed.

Supported by Stevensons, volunteer Trail Rangers will play a vital role in creating a memorable experience for trailgoers, and it’s a fantastic opportunity for any business to engage their team, support a local charity, and have fun while making a difference. Roles include keeping the sculptures looking their best whilst out on the trail, to getting behind the scenes and assisting  with the installation, or meeting trailgoers at the Safari Hub or pop-up fundraising events. There’s even the opportunity for a corporate take over day for any businesses interested.

“Volunteers are absolutely vital to bringing GoGoSafari to life,” says Tracey Warnes, Volunteer Lead at Break. “This is a wonderful opportunity for businesses who want something different to usual team building days and be involved something exciting, all while supporting a cause that makes a real difference to young people in care. Whether you can spare a few hours, a day or several days, every contribution counts and we’ve got roles that will suit everyone!”

To learn more about how you, or your team, could join the Trail Rangers, Break are holding two information events one on February 20th at Chantry Place (10am–2pm) and one on February 25th at The Forum (10am–3pm). Or you can visit break-charity.org/gogovolunteer to find out more and sign up.

GoGoSafari is delivered by local charity Break in partnership with Wild in Art, the Zoological Society of East Anglia, alongside Norwich BID and Chantry Place. This will be the fifth trail that Break has brought to Norwich and Norfolk, and it’s set to be the biggest and most exciting one yet!

A BIG welcome toWymondham College, the first school to jump on board our digital signage networks across Norfolk! A hugely popular boarding state school across the UK and beyond, Wymondham College are using our network of displays to promote their up and coming open days in March. The main school open morning will be held on 12th March and the boarder taster evening will be held on the 11th March.

A unique state day and boarding school Wymondham College offers an educationalexperience unlike any other. Their students come from a wide range of backgrounds in the UK and overseas and achieve outstanding academic success and renowned for their sporting accomplishments. There are six boarding houses within the college campus, these surround the school buildings and oversee the extensive 83 acre site. There are a range of facilities, including a sports hall and gym, sports pitches, a drama studio and indoor swimming pool. The college enjoys close links with local and international businesses and has a network of partner schools in countries as diverse as France, Germany, Czech Republic, China and Argentina. In 2012 the OfSTED Boarding Inspection confirmed Wymondham College as one of the country’s outstanding boarding schools.

The Wymondham College campaign can be seen on our ‘Domination Circuit’ consisting of three screens viewable by 350,000 people per week. You can register for the open days by emailing [email protected]

The fourth issue of the company magazine is featured around balancing work with play and contains regular features such as real Swarm experiences, a Business Spotlight article, and innovative approaches to work. In this edition you can read more about how Generation Y/Millennials are changing business culture,how mindfulness can add real value to your work, and how office perks could help you get more from your employees.

You can read the latest edition online here.

Attleborough based multi-service
contractor Anglian, has bolstered its Asbestos division with the return of
contracts manager Richard Lambert. New team members have also been recruited,
bringing Anglian’s Asbestos division to a total of 10 staff.

With a background in property
repair and firefighting. Richard first got into the asbestos industry looking
for a career change. Having found his niche, he began to thrive, achieving fast
career progression by achieving an ARCA Level 4 Management Diploma qualification.
Richard originally joined Anglian in 2013 where he worked until Spring 2024 before
going to assist one of Anglian’s sub-contractors, working on-site across a
range of Anglian projects. His 11-year career has seen him undertaking some of
the most challenging high profile projects including hospitals, education
facilities, airfields and military installations.

Richard’s return also coincides
with the recruitment of three new asbestos team members including experienced local
supervisor, Ashley Petley. Anglian’s Asbestos division now totals 10 staff,
including three surveyors.

Richard Lambert, asbestos
contracts manager at Anglian, said: “After six months away on-site, I am
delighted to be fully back at Anglian. We have built a great and highly
experienced team here within our Asbestos division and I am looking forward to
getting to work on a vast range of projects to ensure safe, compliant removal
for all manner of clients.

A member of the Asbestos
Removal Contractors Association (ARCA), Anglian recently received a gold site
award, recognising its high performance on site. To gain this award, asbestos
removal companies need to achieve Grades A to C, with an average of at least a
B Grade, on all unannounced site audits across two consecutive membership
years. In the past four years, Anglian has consistently achieved Grade A on all
audits.

I attended my first User Stories Workshop today. It wasn’t as intense or as complicated as I thought it might be, but the potential client was surprised at how much we got done in such a short space of time. Aspects of their business process came up that they hadn’t considered before too, which was reassuring – it felt like we were being thorough!

My job was to take note of the users we identified with the client, and then write each story on an index card. I’d only read about the process before but it struck me as so simple and yet effective a way to narrow down exactly what was required. I was complimented on my ability to listen and write at the same time – a skill I’ve honed over years of music journalism and interviews I guess. I also managed to eat chocolate chip cookies at the same time. Multi-tasking level: Expert.

Now all we have to do is assign each story a measure of complexity, work out what must be in the first phase and how much we can fit in around that, then divide that by time to get our velocity so we can determine how long the whole thing will take and come up with a final estimate.

Easy. Sort of.

Lauren

Wingfield
Consultants has signed up to the Breathe Culture Pledge. 

Breathe Team:

‘By joining the Breathe Culture Pledge, you’ve actively invested in
your company culture, chosen to put your people first and joined a growing
community of like-minded businesses. You’ve taken a great step, and we’re
excited to be helping you build and maintain a fantastic company culture for
your people.’