Leathes Prior will be supporting Harfest by sponsoring the Farmers’ Market at the event this year, which is hosted by the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA). The fantastic event, which celebrates Norfolk’s harvest, will take place on Saturday 7th October on the picturesque grounds of Norwich Cathedral. The autumn fayre is free to attend and is therefore an excellent option for all of the family.
Leathes Prior is delighted to be sponsoring the Harfest Farmers’ Market as the RNAA bring the farm to the city, right to the firm’s doorstep in the Cathedral Close. Leathes Prior regularly supports the Royal Norfolk Show and with an increasingly strong presence in agriculture and equine across Norfolk and Suffolk, the teams are delighted to be supporting such an excellent family event.
The Cathedral Cloisters will be transformed into a Farmer’s Market where you can sample from a variety of the very best food and drink Norfolk has to offer. There will also be plenty of fun for the family and activities to take part in, with live entertainment all day including local bands and performing arts groups.
You can also take part in the Great Norfolk Scarecrow Competition and take a tour of Mr Mawkin’s Farm to visit Jelly the Jersey and her calf, miniature donkeys, Norfolk Horn sheep and much more.
Harfest will be kicking off at 10.00am on Saturday 7th October, with things drawing to a close around 4.00pm, and there is a Harvest Thanksgiving Service at Norwich Cathedral on Sunday the 8th at 3.30pm.
Tudor Lodge Consultant’s design and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) are proud to announce that we are working closely with Peltours on their brand-new website. Peltours is a small but hugely experienced company working under the well-established Travelink UK umbrella and who provide tours for families, schools, educational groups and others to all nature of European destinations for historical and cultural tours.
Peltours have a large existing client base and many existing and potential clients who know them well enough to seek them out by name. However, over the last few years they had found themselves slipping down the rankings to the point that their site was no longer visible online to any one at all. We brought in the talented development team from Vaccoda Design to overhaul the website and provide a modern-day approach to their services.
We have been involved in the work of the website from its very inception and this has involved extensive planning to make sure that absolutely every factor of the website is up to date, responsive, mobile friendly and optimised to the fullest for SEO. Peltours remain keen for their brand to show up on Google results pages and this is what we are continuing to work towards.
We started the project by having in-depth meetings with the client themselves and undertook a rigorous planning phase whereby we mapped out all of the pages required for the website at its most basic and grew things from there. Pages from the outset included:
· Homepage
· Contact page
· About Peltours page
· Terms and conditions
· Financial protection page
Being regulated and a member of various trade bodies and accreditors, Peltours has had to undergo a fair degree of compliance testing to ensure that everything is within the confines of what the necessary bodies will approve and accept on a member site.
Compliance was most evident throughout the phase of designing and implementing both the financial protection page and also how the content on the site is actually written. Once planned, we undertook extensive keyword research to identify the areas in which Peltours can try and make their mark on the online world in addition to reflecting and offering the top-notch levels of service they have provided for over 50 years.
Working with the client and Vaccoda we designed site page templates based on the theme of choice for the client and then went about populating the templates and landing pages with the relevant content and information. We have also undertaken a wide range of meta data cleaning up as well as other factors to ensure that Google and other search engines are able to crawl, rank and read the website.
Peltours now enjoys fully optimised meta data throughout the site and also enjoys the benefits of alt-texts for the images on site to allow Google Image Search to pick these up.
We are now in the process of undertaking a clean link building approach to the site and making sure that only genuine and the cleanest links are used for the Peltours website. Utilising our network of providers and PR experts we have already sourced a great deal of strong and influential links for Peltours.
In the space of just a few weeks, Peltours have seen themselves rise through Google for numerous brand terms (their primary target) such as ‘Peltours groups’ which has risen from page 5 to page 2 and ‘Peltours’ which has risen through from page 3 to page to and continuing to rise. We look forward to enjoying many more successes with Peltours, building on their already impressive successes.
Steeles Law Head of Real Estate Michael Fahy and Trainee Solicitor Laura Tanguay consider the Court of Appeal decision of Helena Partnerships Ltd v HMRC [2012] EWCA Civ 569 regarding the charitable status of housing associations.
Last month, the Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed an appeal by housing association, Helena Partnerships Ltd (“HPL”), against a decision that it was not established for charitable purposes only; the upshot of which being that it did not qualify for a £6 million refund of corporation tax paid on rents received pursuant to the charitable exemption.
In 2001, HPL changed its memorandum and articles so that its objects included activity carried out by a social landlord “for the benefit of the community”. Later, in 2004, HPL became a registered charity. The issue on the appeal was whether HPL had been established for charitable purposes only in the period of 2001 to 2004; if held to be a charity, it could claim back a substantial amount of corporation tax paid during this time.
Held
The Court held that HPL’s objects were not exclusively charitable. Providing social housing was not, in itself, enough to establish HPL as a ‘charity’. Although it’s activities were said to be carried out ‘for the benefit of the community’, they were not limited to this as some of the housing stock was rented to private individuals who were not considered to be ‘in need’.
Lloyd LJ went on to say that the provision of housing accommodation, “otherwise than for those in some relevant charitable need”, was not a purpose “within the spirit and intendment” of the preamble to the Statute of Charitable Uses 1601. In order for a housing association to come within the scope of the preamble it was considered that the provision of housing would need to be restricted to the relief of need.
Comment
It is not sufficient for an organisation to assert, or for its governing document to state, that its activities or operations are to be undertaken for the benefit of the community. More is required and its purposes must fall within the scope of the preamble to the Statute of Charitable Uses.
If you require advice on any issues raised in this article please contact Michael Fahy on 020 7421 1720 or [email protected]
The Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) has awarded Blue Sky Professional Development approval to deliver the Foundation Level 3 Certificate in Learning and Development (L&D). This qualification is ideal for trainers and line managers who are responsible for stages of the training cycle. The course covers identifying learning needs, designing and delivering training and evaluating the success of learning interventions. Also included are two further units that help students with their own personal development, as well as the business context. Alternatively, if individuals just want to study one or two topics they can undertake an Award.
‘This new qualification fits in with our current portfolio of CIPD and ILM courses’ according to Kate Woods, Director of Blue Sky, ‘We offer all levels of CIPD Human Resource qualifications and Learning and Development often goes hand in hand with this as it all forms part of an organisations people management strategy.’
Blue Sky’s first L&D students begin in September studying via blended learning. This combines monthly group workshops with an experienced tutor and distance learning materials. One of the benefits of this course is that it is modular which means that you can start at the beginning of any unit so there are start dates throughout the year.
The CIPD Certificate in Learning and Development can also be used by organisations to deliver in-house training programmes. Blue Sky have worked with local companies to tailor programmes in Leadership and Management and HR, and will be offering the same service with L&D.
KLM UK Engineering was delighted to host the Graduation Ceremony for 10 x Year 4 apprentices Tuesday 29th August at their Technical Training College, located within the newly opened International Avaition Academy Norwich. The now ex-apprentices completed a four year study programme which consisted of City & Guilds and EASA CAT A aircraft engineering qualifications as well as on-the-job training, both at the companies hangars in Norwich & at one of its line stations in Edinburgh. The apprentices have also spent time in all the support departments of the company so they have a full understanding of how everything works & is interlinked.
We wish our new recruits a great career & future with us and in the industry. Congratulations!
The firm’s Franchising Team is boosting its international profile by sponsoring a team of three students who are undertaking the 9,500 mile journey from Goodwood to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The Rally’s rules state that maximum engine capacity is 1,200 cc and that the car must be less than 10 years’ old. In other words a “banger”. So the team of Teddy Chadd, Poppy Rainer and Pete Henriques, known as the “Three Mongateers”, is driving a turquiose 1.2 litre Vauxhall Aguilawith LP’s banner.
The route takes the team through Europe and on to Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhastan and Russia before arriving in Mongolia around 6 weeks later. The Vauxhall Aguila is making good progress and has just crossed the border into the Czech Republic. The money raised by Teddy and his team will be split 50:50 between Help For Heroes and Lotus Children’s Centre Charitable Trust.
Whilst Western Europe has a developed franchising sector many of the other countries which the Vauxhall Aguila will encounter are somewhat behind the curve. Jonathan Chadd, head of Leathes Prior’s Franchising Team explains:
“Much of the impetus in franchising over the last 25 or so years has come from the US and Western Europe. We have seen an accelerated impact of franchising in countries like Australia and Brazil. However, whilst India and China are fast becoming franchising heavyweights much of the rest of Asia is still deemed to be a relatively untapped market. The principal benefit of franchising is it allows developed businesses with globally recognised brands to be adopted and replicated by entrepreneurs in developing countries with relative ease. We are delighted to have been able to support the rally and the initiative of the Three Mongateers in participating and raising funds for such good causes. We have asked them to report back on their experiences and in particular to identify the opportunities that exist for franchising and licensing into the diverse Asian countries through which they will pass.”
Norwich’s vibrant 20s and 30s networking community had the opportunity to hear from our director Shane about the risks and opportunities of investment and the world of pensions at a special evening at the Louis Marchesi.
The event drew a packed room of young professionals eager to gain insight into investing, pensions, and financial planning for life’s big milestones.
Shane is a qualified and seasoned independent financial advisor whose expertise spans investments, pensions, and wealth planning.
In his talk, Shane focused on providing practical, approachable advice for young professionals navigating an increasingly complex financial landscape. The discussion explored key areas such as the types of investments available, their associated risks, and the benefits of regulated financial products.
Understanding Investment Types and Risks
A significant portion of Shane’s talk centred on investment strategies suitable for young adults entering the workforce or building early wealth.
He highlighted the importance of understanding different types of investments – ranging from stocks and bonds to more niche regulated products.
Shane emphasised that while the potential returns on certain investments can be attractive, it’s crucial to understand the risks involved and ensure that any investment is appropriate for one’s individual circumstances.
“Investing isn’t just about chasing high returns,” Shane explained. “It’s about aligning your investment choices with your goals, risk tolerance, and the time horizon you have before you need to access your money.”
This resonated strongly with the audience, many of whom are at pivotal stages in their careers, starting businesses, or thinking about property purchases.
Shane also explored the importance of diversification, warning against the temptation to put all eggs in one basket. He highlighted how regulated investment options provide an extra layer of protection, ensuring investors have recourse in the event of mismanagement.
The interactive Q&A following this section reflected the audience’s interest, with several attendees asking about real-world examples and strategies for starting small but growing investments over time.
Pensions: Consolidation and Drawdown Options
Shane’s talk didn’t stop at investing. Recognising that many young professionals underestimate the importance of pensions, he provided a comprehensive overview of the key options available.
One hot topic was pension consolidation – combining multiple pension pots into a single plan. Shane outlined the potential benefits, such as simplified management, reduced fees, and clearer long-term planning.
He also touched on drawdown options, explaining how retirees can access their pension funds flexibly while keeping investments invested. Shane’s ability to break down complex financial concepts into accessible advice made this part of the talk particularly engaging, and the audience asked numerous questions about how to maximise their pensions while minimising risk.
Why Young People Should Consider Independent Financial Advice Early
Throughout the session, Shane emphasised the value of seeking independent financial advice early in life.
He explained that a qualified financial advisor can help young adults navigate critical decisions around mortgages, career choices, starting a company, and pensions. By establishing a strong financial foundation early, young professionals can make smarter decisions, avoid costly mistakes, and accelerate their progress toward long-term goals.
Shane highlighted real-life examples of clients who benefited from early advice, demonstrating how tailored financial planning can save years of unnecessary stress. He also underlined the importance of independent advice, which ensures recommendations are unbiased and suited to an individual’s unique circumstances rather than tied to a specific provider or product.
Engaging and Interactive Session
The event at the Louis Marchesi was particularly lively, with attendees actively participating in the discussion. Shane’s approachable style encouraged questions throughout, making it less of a lecture and more of an interactive learning experience.
Topics ranged from the practicalities of investing with modest funds to strategies for balancing career growth with financial planning. The high level of engagement was a testament to Shane’s ability to connect with his audience and convey complex financial information in a relatable way.
Practical Takeaways for Young Professionals
For those who attended, or anyone considering their financial future, Shane’s key takeaways were clear:
Start Early: The earlier you engage with financial planning, the more time your money has to grow and compound. However, it’s never too late to start!
Understand Risk: Every investment carries some risk, so choose options that match your personal circumstances.
Diversify: Avoid putting all your money in one place; spreading investments across different assets reduces exposure.
Consider Pensions Seriously: Explore consolidation and drawdown options to ensure long-term flexibility and security.
Seek Independent Advice: A trusted advisor can guide you through mortgages, pensions, and major life decisions, ensuring you make informed choices.
A Message for Young Professionals
Shane’s talk reinforced the importance of planning for life’s milestones with intention and confidence. For many in the 20s and 30s demographic, this means thinking beyond short-term spending and investing in a structured approach that prepares for property, family, and eventual retirement.
The session concluded with Shane encouraging attendees to explore working with an independent financial advisor early. His advice was simple yet powerful: establishing a solid financial strategy now can make life’s major decisions smoother and less stressful in the future.
For anyone in Norwich or beyond wondering why young adults should engage with a financial advisor, Shane’s talk offered a compelling answer: the earlier you seek guidance, the more control you have over your financial future.
From mortgages and career choices to starting a business and managing pensions, independent advice provides clarity, confidence, and a tailored roadmap to achieve life goals.
The evening at the Louis Marchesi left attendees inspired, informed, and empowered to take concrete steps toward financial security. With Shane Julian’s expertise and approachable guidance, young professionals in Norwich now have a blueprint for making informed investment and pension decisions that will benefit them for decades to come.
Steeles Law Head of Planning & Environment David Merson previously reported on Coalition proposals to revise the planning system and in particular proposals to amend the Use Classes Order. He now looks at Communities Secretary Eric Pickles’ announcement today highlighting the proposals to remove restrictions on temporary use of empty high street shops.
Temporary or so called ‘pop-up’ shops often use empty high street shop premises until a permanent tenant can be found.
The time and cost associated with securing the necessary consent required to comply with any planning rules controlling what type of business a shop can be used for can often make the difference between the venture ever getting off the ground or not. In addition, empty high street shops give rise to many problems: lost revenues, blight, economic stagnation and anti-social behavior.
It is now proposed that Landlords would be free to temporarily change the use of an empty shop for two years where the use would be low impact which the Coalition believes can help reinvigorate the high street. Appropriate temporary uses changes are though likely to be within use classes A1 (e.g. retail shops, hairdressers, post offices), A2 (e.g. banks, betting shops, employment agencies), A3 (e.g. restaurants and cafes) and B1 (offices).
Details of the consultation exercise can be found here. The consultation period runs for ten weeks from the date of publication on 3 July 2012 and end on 11 September 2012.
If you require further information or advice on any issues raised in this article or any other planning & environmental matter please contact David Merson on 020 7421 1720 or [email protected]
Attleborough based renewable heating expert Finn Geotherm, has been shortlisted in a prestigious national awards scheme for its district heating installation for housing association Flagship Group.
The Heating & Ventilating Review (HVR) Awards 2017 celebrate innovation in the building services sector. The awards recognise and reward companies across the country that demonstrate excellence in their field, outstanding technology or exceptional customer service and true innovation in the way they operate or in what they produce.
Finn Geotherm’s installation for Flagship Group has been shortlisted for the HVR Sustainable Project of the Year Award. The ground source heat pump system is delivering domestic heating and hot water for 30 flats at Orchard Close in Watton, Norfolk. The first domestic heating scheme for communal use in the East of England, it will cut Flagship customers’ heating bills by two thirds, creating annual savings of hundreds of pounds. In addition, it enables Flagship to dramatically reduce its maintenance costs and CO2 emissions. The project is expected to be the first of many for the housing association, with Flagship hoping to roll out other ground source heat pump systems to other customers as part of its plan to create more affordable and environmentally friendly homes.
Guy Ransom, commercial director at Finn Geotherm, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been shortlisted for the HVR Awards which recognise the country’s most significant heating products and projects. Being placed as a finalist is both a testament to the forward-thinking strategic approach of Flagship and the hard work and skill of the team at Finn Geotherm in delivering the best possible solution for the organisation and its tenants. We thoroughly enjoyed working together on this project and hope we can soon be celebrating its success together too!”
Matt Smith, Compliance Manager at Flagship, said: “To be shortlisted for this award is fantastic news. We have worked hard to get the scheme up and running, so to be recognised in this way is a great achievement for everyone involved. We are continually trying to improve the service we offer our customers while at the same time reduce our carbon footprint, and the system in Watton has allowed us to do both.”
Winners of the HVR Awards will be announced on 26th October 2017 at a black tie event in London.
Freebridge Community Housing have donated £5000 to seven community groups across West Norfolk through the Freebridge Community Fund.
Each year Freebridge invite charities and community groups to apply for up to £1000 for projects that have will have a positive impact on health and wellbeing, the environment, support residents or bring communities together.
As always the fund received a high number of deserving applications, with the final selection being made by a judging panel comprised of Freebridge tenants and employees.
Groups who received funding spent an enjoyable lunch at Providence Street Placeshaping Community Centre on Wednesday 6 September with their fellow recipients, the judging panel, Freebridge Chairman of the Board, Ray Johnson, and Freebridge Director of Housing, Robert Clarke.
Robert Clarke, Director of Housing at Freebridge, said: “The Freebridge Community Fund is a fantastic opportunity for us to donate much needed funds directly to richly deserving charities and community groups in our region. The number of applications we received only serves to highlight the fantastic work that is done by so many those groups.
“The Freebridge vision of supporting a better West Norfolk is something that continues to be an important aspect of the organisation, the Freebridge Community Fund and our other work with community groups out of Providence Street Placeshaping Community Centre are integral to fulfilling that vision.”
This year the recipients of funding were:
• Solace End of Life Support – £500 – To support operational costs and to train more volunteers to help with an increasing number of clients.
• West Norfolk Mind – £450 – To purchase a Tier 2 Spice Time Credits Membership in order to apply the Time Credits Model to aid volunteer recruitment and retention.
• West Norfolk Riding for the Disabled Association – £550 – To help provide riding lessons for 13 weeks on Wednesdays for children, young people and adults with physical and learning disabilities.
• South West Norfolk Youth Opportunities Project (SWAN) – £1000 – To deliver employability and training courses for young people who are in danger of exclusion from formal education and older young people who are in danger of becoming finding themselves not in education, employment, or training.
• West Norfolk Befriending – £1000 – To contribute towards volunteer expenses and office costs.
• The Purfleet Trust – £1000 – To run a winter night shelter on Friday and Saturday nights between October and March 2017/18.
• 4transform – £500 – To help fund activities of a new group, who are planning to run and publicise craft, art and upcycling sessions, for women experiencing domestic abuse.
Jackie Westrop, trustee of the SWAN project, said: “We are able to provide more help and support to young people because of grants like the one we have had from Freebridge.
“We will use it to encourage and support young people to build positive relationships, skills and contacts as they get ready for the world of work, without such grants our work in the community would be a great deal harder.”
Norfolk Community Foundation manages the fund on Freebridge’s behalf. Any community or voluntary group wishing to find out more about the Freebridge Community Fund can visit https://www.norfolkfoundation.com/Freebridge-Community-Housing-Fund or telephone 01603 623958 or email [email protected]
Leading East Anglian insurance broker Alan Boswell Group is celebrating this week, having been shortlisted for two prestigious industry awards, thanks to its ongoing commitment to providing outstanding customer service.
The company has been named finalists in the Independent Broker of the Year and Commercial Broker of the Year categories at the Insurance Times Awards 2017.
This sits alongside the introduction of core brand values, which reflect the firm’s vision to be the natural choice for friendly, expert advice on insurance and financial services. These values have been disseminated throughout the business, and are reinforced by the business’ ongoing training and appraisal process.
In support of the applications, the company pointed to the positive impact these actions have already had, including increased client retention rates and consistently positive customer feedback on independent review site Feefo.
Says Marketing Manager Lee Boswell: “Having been named Independent Broker of the Year at the Insurance Age Awards 2015, it’s thrilling to be a finalist once again.
“Our clients are at the heart of everything we do and this is reflected in our mission statement. We’re proud to be nominated for these awards, because it truly reflects our teams’ commitment to achieving our vision.”
The winners of the Insurance Times Awards 2017 will be announced at a ceremony on 7th December at the InterContinental London at The O2.
BUSINESSES will have access to a wealth of advice and opportunities at a free business surgery at Beacon Park on Tuesday, September 19. The event is open to all businesses in the Great Yarmouth borough and those interested in moving to the area.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s Economic Development Unit has organised the drop-in event, at the successful Enterprise Zone, as part of its commitment to working closely with partners to support economic growth and job-creation.
Taking place between 11am and 2pm, at Unit 3, Malory Road, one of the highlights will be the opportunity to find out more about exporting from the Department of International Trade’s Export Hub, an impressive exhibition truck which is touring the region.
Alongside this, the advisors from New Anglia Growth Hub will be on hand to provide details of grants of up to £500,000. Groundwork will be on hand to offer guidance about BEE Anglia Business Energy Efficiency Grants of up to £20,000, in addition to providing free guidance on business resilience, with a particular focus on flooding.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council will be showcasing the brand new office and industrial units at Beacon Park, which offers business rates discount of up to £55,000 each year for five years for eligible businesses that can move in by March 31, 2018. Visitors will be able to view the available units.
Healthy workplace provider, Thriving Workplaces, will offer free support for employee health and wellbeing. Businesses can find out more from Norfolk County Council about Great Yarmouth’s proposed Third River Crossing and have their say in the public consultation.
In addition, the East of England Energy Group (EEEGR), Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses will be on hand to offer advice and promote local business networking events.
enterpriseGY, the borough council’s business support service, will be available to help businesses with their applications for the Spirit of Enterprise Awards, which are now in their 10th year and offer the opportunity for businesses to raise their profile in the borough.
Cllr Paul Hammond, vice chairman of the economic development committee, said: “There is a significant amount of support available in the borough for businesses, including grants and expert guidance, offered through various different organisations.
“This free drop-in surgery is really useful because it enables businesses to meet all these organisations under one roof, discuss the full range of advice and opportunities available, and really reap the benefits.
“This is all part of the borough council’s important work to support and encourage businesses to invest in, grow within and relocate to the borough. It is also fitting that we are staging the surgery at Beacon Park, an energy hub and top Enterprise Zone site.”
The surgery is a drop-in event, but businesses are encouraged to register in advance by emailing [email protected]