Our Founder, Simon Wingfield, has volunteered to be a
Trained Mentor on the Digital Boost Scheme. He has already started mentoring (pro
bono) via this scheme.
Digital Boost is a movement that is on a mission to
‘…democratise business support and ensure that no small business or charity
fails because they couldn’t get expert support’. Access to support is one of
the biggest barriers facing businesses when they are looking to start or grow
their businesses. Volunteer mentors provide a free lifeline to small
businesses; it is both free and easily accessible.
Simon commented: ‘Having obtained my ILM Level 5 Effective
Coaching and Mentoring accreditation last year and my ILM Level 7 accreditation
this year, I am motivated to support UK SMEs via Digital Boost. This follows my
continuing support for businesses and individuals with the Enterprise Nation
and Institute of Directors mentoring schemes that I participate in’.
We were thrilled to be an exhibitor at this year’s Talking Technology, an annual event hosted by Norfolk Chamber focusing on ‘Unlocking Digital Growth’. Each year the event aims to develop the use of digital skills and innovative technologies in business to boost productivity and profitability. This year’s speakers were both national and local specialists on the subjects of Big Data, Cyber Security and Business Growth.
On the subject of Big Data we heard from John Fagan from Axon Vibe and Simon Thompson from BT. John covered the evolving mobile era and the way we socialise and maintain relationships. He also touched on The Internet of Things and Wearable Tech era advancing. Simon spoke about his expertise in leading a team of research scientists developing next generation approaches to Big Data infrastructures, Data Analytics for Big Data sets, Novel Test and Diagnosis and Social Physics.
Next up was the importance of Cyber security. Joe Cooksey worked alongside Barclay’s fraud team and utilised their findings to help customers understand the importance of Cyber Security and to identify the changes they needed to make to improve it. Joe challenged how many of us were actually secure and it was really surprising to see just how many of the audience use one of the top ten passwords and would click on an unknown link!
Paul Maskall was the cybercrime Security Advisor and Coordinator for both Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies. He was in charge of the Prevent, Protect and Prepare agenda of the UK Serious and Organised Crime Strategy. He articulated that his primary objective was to engage with businesses and deliver cyber security advice to both them, the safeguarding community and the public.
The final subject was Business growth. We heard from Venetia Scott-Dalgleish telling the Airbnb story, how it started and how it had grown. Venitia was working particularly to grow and develop the host community outside urban areas in the UK.
Lastly was Tom Haczewski of The User Story. Tom gave a short exploration of UX principles and how they might help businesses see the light, using research and heuristics to develop an unbiased view of their services. Remember, Tom said, “Check yo self (and yo users) before you wreck yo self.”
As if we hadn’t learnt enough, there were further workshops. ‘Getting Seen Online’ by Jonathan White from Traded Network was the first of the day. Jonathon offered his expertise in helping businesses to gain a better online presence.
The second was ‘E-Commerce’ by Alex Tosh from Creative Sponge. Alex identified 10 practical ways to maximise sales online – all the way from engagement and the customer journey through to product promotion.
The third was ‘Website Analytics’ by Darren Lawes from Conversion House. Darren guided listeners through how to find problems on their website that may be slowing down the sales process. He also explained the biggest opportunities for improvement.
Lastly was ‘Building Mobile Apps and the Benefits an App Can Bring to your Business’ by Neil Garner from Thyngs. Neil and his team created the talking tech app that allowed attendees to scan the QR codes at each exhibitor’s stand and reveal a giveaway/prize with a scratchy reveal box. Doesn’t everyone love a scratchy reveal box?
Overall a fabulous day for seeing some old faces, making some new connections and learning more about a number of techy topics. I would also like to say congratulations to Charlotte Hubbard from Norwich Print Solutions for winning our luxury Norfolk hamper! Also well done to Aaron Fickling Director of Laszlo Creative, Neil Garner Director of Thyngs and Barnaby Greenfield, son of Sarah and Chris from Bright Yellow Marking in winning one of our signed Software Development Books. Thank you everybody for taking part.
Thank you to Jill at the Space and all staff at the Norfolk Chamber.
Three recruitment consultants from Ipswich completed a seven-mile, mud-filled race, complete with 30 different gruelling obstacles, yesterday (Sunday 16 October) in aid of St Elizabeth Hospice.
Paul Sheldrake, Kelly Earl and Gabrielle Wright, who all work at the Pure Ipswich office, took part in the tenth annual Suffolk Whole Hog race as part of the professional recruitment agency’s own 10thanniversary campaign,#Ipswichbig10.
#Ipswichbig10 has been set up to mark a decade since the Ipswich office first opened and the team has pledged to take part in, or organise, a series of different events to raise money for 10 different local charities throughout 2016. The intrepid trio were the latest Pure team to brave a challenge in aid of the anniversary campaign, and they really did go the whole hog. They chose to take on the toughest of the two races, held at Wantisden Valley in Woodbridge, and signed up for the Boss Hog race: two miles longer and with ten more obstacles than the standard Whole Hog route. All three ended up crawling under cargo nets, sliding through muddy bogs, climbing up steep banks and walls, and wading through rivers to complete the course.
Paul Sheldrake, manager at Pure Ipswich office, said: “We all took part last year, so we thought we’d know what to expect. But it was far colder and a whole lot muddier than before. There was a really strong wind and about half way around the course it absolutely pelted it down. Luckily we were at least in the first wave of runners. I can’t imagine what it would have been like once we’d all run through and churned up the ground even more. However, the sense of achievement felt at the end of events like this always makes up for any discomfort along the way!”
Five pounds from every runner’s entry fee is donated to the St Elizabeth Hospice. The Pure team also looked to raise further sponsorship money and have so far collected an extra £200. St Elizabeth Hospice improves life for people in Suffolk with a progressive illness. It provides specialist support wherever it is required, whether at home, in the community or at the Hospice.
Other local charities which have already benefited from Pure’s 10-year-anniversary campaign include: The Papworth Trust, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, East Anglian Air Ambulance, St Helena’s Hospice, Brightstars and Ormiston Families. Further charity events already confirmed as part of the #IpswichBig10 anniversary campaign include Paul Sheldrake and Gabrielle Wright putting on their running shoes once again to take part in the Adnams Southwold 10k Charity Run in November.
TEKPRO Australian Distributor McCabe Engineering Secures large contract for Samplex CS90 Bulk Samplers from SunRice.
Melbourne, Australia:
McCabe Engineering, the official Australian distributor for UK-based TEKPRO Ltd., is proud to announce a major order for a large number of Samplex CS90 bulk samplers from leading Australian food company, SunRice.
This significant contract marks the beginning of a long-term arrangement between McCabe Engineering and SunRice, reinforcing the commitment of both companies to quality, efficiency, and innovation in agricultural and food processing operations.
The Samplex CS90, manufactured entirely in the UK by TEKPRO, is renowned for its precision, reliability, and robust design, making it the preferred choice for bulk sampling in grain, food and feed production. This order represents a strategic investment by SunRice, to enhance their quality assurance processes across their Australian operations.
“We are delighted to support SunRice, with this long-term supply of Samplex CS90 units,” said Andrew McCabe, Managing Director for McCabe Engineering. “As the official distributor for TEKPRO in Australia, we are committed to supplying and delivering world-class sampling solutions that meet the evolving needs of the agricultural and food sectors.”
TEKPRO’s Samplex range continues to raise the benchmark for sampling technology worldwide, and this partnership underscores the growing demand for high-performance equipment in the Australian market.
Imagine this: your competitors are pushing Christmas promotions, their social media is buzzing with festive cheer, their Google Ads are converting like mince pies on Christmas Eve – while you’re scrambling to throw together last-minute marketing. Ouch. 😅
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Get in touch with Smash Marketing today or click below to find out about their affordable marketing packages
By choosing Brave
Futures as your Charity of the Year, you will play a vital role in providing
specialist support services for children and young people who have suffered
sexual abuse.
What is a
Charity of the Year?
Charity of the
Year is a partnership where your company selects a charity to support for 12
months, working together to raise funds and awareness.
It can be lots
of fun and will engage, and educate your employees
Why Partner
with Brave Futures?
Your employees and your business will become a vital part in supporting
vulnerable children and young people throughout Norfolk.
Your support can
raise much-needed awareness and resources, ensuring that
more children and young people receive the support they need to progress from
victim to survivor.
Supporting our
charity gives your team the chance to get involved in a meaningful cause that
makes a real difference, be that volunteering your time, partaking in a
sponsored event or organising a fundraising event within your workplace.
This year, by popular demand, Adnams have launched a new Corporate Christmas Gifts service.
Packed full of Adnams quality and loveliness, the gift boxes are a great way to thank business colleagues, suppliersor clients.
Adnams offer a totally hassle-free service. Simply choose the gift boxes you’d like and Adnams will deliver them to any mainland UK address. They can also add a little note to give your gifts that personal touch.
There are four gift boxes to choose from including Beer, Bubbly or Gin, and there’s even a gift box with no bottles of alcohol in at all.
For more information, please contact the Adnams gifts team on T: 01603 613243 or email [email protected]. Also please find pdf attached.
(To ensure your gifts arrive in time, you will need to place your order no later than 1st December 2016)
The beautiful Indian Summer only means one thing – more time outdoors!
We know that we at the BBA offices aren’t the only ones taking every opportunity to be outside in the last of the summer rays.
More time outdoors means even more views of out outdoor digital advertising screens!
Horning Ferry Marinareacted to the unseasonable weather took out an additional months advertising with us and want to offer you 10% off. Just another example of the endless possibilities and easily adaptable advertising opportunities opened up by DOOH.
If you still haven’t tried digital advertising for your business, give us a call or message and speak to one of the team about how we could benefit you.
Paul Robinson Partnership (uk) LLP are pleased to announce that Andrew Smith has become a Partner at the Practice, alongside Bruce Hart and Simon Nicholas. The Practice has been running for over 40 years and Andrew has built strong relationships with local businesses for the past 20 years. Having been an Associate for the last 8 years, it with great pleasure that he is now a Partner. Andrew says,
‘I’ve always valued the faith and support the partners have given staff allowing everyone to work to their strengths on all types of projects, whether it be a contemporary architectural brief, interior design or technical detailing. This has allowed me to enjoy running all types of projects, especially in recent years developing my conservation remit. Alongside Bruce and Simon I intend to encourage and drive this and help to build upon our architectural portfolio with our strong national workload in the holiday and leisure industry’ .
The Practice continues to look to the future, working with Clients nationally on projects ranging from holiday and leisure to commercial and retail.
Opening hours, pop-ups and new walkthrough photo opportunity on Chantry Square.
Chantry Place Norwich, home to brands including Flannels, Frasers, H&M, Mango, Urban Outfitters and Zara, has announced its opening hours and plans for the festive period.
Chantry Place is now decked out for Christmas with its spectacular Christmas lights, including Santa’s sleigh and an 8-meter Christmas tree inside – plus, a new walkthrough Christmas present photo opportunity on Chantry Square.
As well as welcoming new names including Ben and Jerry’s, Flannels, Mango and Rosa’s Thai to Chantry Place this year, the Centre is also hosting seasonal pop-ups.
Thistle Gem has returned until 31st January 2025 selling a variety of baseball caps, flat caps, pompom beanies, scarves and gloves. The Calendar Club is back selling a large range of calendars, diaries, planners and books until 5th January 2025. Lovey Dovey is at Chantry Place until 19th January 2025, selling its popular range of charms, bracelets, anklets and necklaces. Sense Aroma is on the lower ground floor until 12th January 2024 selling a luxury range of diffusers and fragrance oils. Visitors can also shop at Pollyfields on Chantry Square from 11th November to 24th December 2024, selling luxury, handcrafted garlands, wreaths and decorations.
Visitors will have even longer to shop as Chantry Place will stay open an extra hour every Thursday throughout December from Thursday 5th December until 7pm, as well as until 7pm on Monday 23rd December 2024. The Centre will be open from 9am to 5pm on Christmas Eve.
Plus, Chantry Place will be supporting Alive UK, a local charity which aims to provide emergency support for people in crisis in Norfolk, with a Christmas gifts and treats appeal for local children and their caregivers. Visitors can drop off gifts in the box opposite Boots in the Centre now.
Paul McCarthy, general manager at Chantry Place, said: “This year has been a fantastic year at Chantry Place, with new openings and our retail offering remaining really strong, with even more choice for visitors at Chantry Place for their Christmas shopping. Our Christmas lights provide the perfect backdrop to the festivities, with our sleigh and decorations providing some fantastic selfie opportunities. We have gifts suitable for everyone, from fashion to beauty, perfume, toys, chocolates, homeware, jewellery and more. Plus, visitors can enjoy our array of restaurants from Ask Italian to The Real Greek and Wagamama, or enjoy a festive coffee and treat while they shop from our many cafes and coffee shops. Plus, with convenient city centre car parking too, we have everything under one roof this Christmas.”
Chantry Place is home to stores including Apple, Flannels, Frasers, H&M and Zara, and restaurants including Ask Italian, Wagamamas, YO! and more.
Our latestsalary and recruitment surveyfor the Eastern region shows that benefits are playing an even greater role in competing for high calibre employees, especially within sectors facing candidate short markets.
Employees don’t choose to switch on salary alone and a recent national survey showed that benefits were still the third main attraction for job seekers, after salary and location. An organisation’s benefit package could be the deciding factor for an employee, especially if the salary offer is the same as a competitor organisation. But what employee perks are considered the most enticing to today’s job seekers?
Many of the benefits that were often seen as adding real value are becoming increasingly common place. Health care schemes and gym membership are becoming more prevalent and, within our own survey, we discovered that 85 per cent of companies in the East of England are now offering flexible working hours and 70 per cent are providing some form of study or educational support. For decades, pensions used to be a key differentiator, yet with the Workplace Pensions roll out almost complete, more employers are beginning to offer enhanced pensions to entice new employees.
People spend the majority of their waking hours at work, and low key benefits which make a big difference to day-to-day life can be just as appealing. Recent research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development included examples such as having free tea and coffee available, and being allowed to have online purchases delivered to the workplace, as some of the little perks really appreciated by workers.
We have seen an upward trend in organisations choosing to look for more innovative ways to update benefit schemes. Many employers are looking towards the modern day challenges faced by today’s workers for inspiration. A London organisation has reported that it is now offering staff help to get on the property ladder as part of its benefit scheme. Other firms have decided to provide low cost personal loans for employees, offering better rates than those offered by banks, and making monthly repayments simple by deducting direct from payroll.
Another option is for employers to enable benefits to be tailored to individual groups of employees. An Employee Benefits study showed that there was a marked difference between what different generations wanted from their benefits package. More than two-fifths of millennials said they would value financial advice, but only 17 per cent of those aged 30 or over would appreciate this perk. Other benefit options will be attractive to a broad section of employees, but for lots of different reasons. The opportunity to buy extra annual leave can appeal to parents as a cheaper option than paying for childcare during school holidays, and also prove attractive to employees wishing to travel more, or looking to pursue passions or hobbies outside of work
One way in which employers can monitor whether they have a competitive benefits package, which will help to attract and retain the best talent, is by asking employees for regular feedback within a staff survey. Another option is to seek advice from a recruitment consultant. A good consultant will have their finger on the pulse of the industry they specialise in, and the local market, and will be able to provide valuable insight into any shifting trends in salaries and benefit packages.