Free business skills workshops will take place in Gt Yarmouth in July to help people who are thinking of setting up their own business or have taken the plunge during the last 12 months.
MENTA’s mission is to help people achieve their dreams of becoming self-employed or running their own successful company.
The series of three, four-hour workshops cover business planning, marketing and bookkeeping and will be held at the Imperial Hotel, Great Yarmouth.
MENTA trainer, John Clarke said, “I meet people from all age groups and backgrounds who come along to gain expert support and business skills training.
The sessions are informal and the feedback we receive is fantastic, people get a lot of practical advice which they appreciate.” Leanne Castle, MENTA’s marketing manager commented, “The 12 hours of free start-up Start Right training has been completed by more than 500 Norfolk and Suffolk based people. In the last three years at least 270 of them have made their dream a reality and started their enterprise.”
The start-up training is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and isn’t affected by Brexit. MENTA’s long-term aim is to produce more employment opportunities and prosperity in Gt Yarmouth and the surrounding area.
For more details visit the MENTA website www.menta.org.uk and go to the ‘start up’ page or call 01284 760206 for details. Booking is essential.
KLM UK Engineering & WestJet Sign New Contract for Line Maintenance Support
Just a few weeks after signing LOI (Letter Of Intent) with AFI KLM E&M for GEnx engine support, the Canadian airline extends its partnership with the global MRO network in the field of 737 line maintenance.
Paris, Amstelveen, Norwich, 3rd June 2019 – A European leader in the regional jets & narrow body aircraft market and having an internationally acknowledged expertise on the Boeing 737, Embraer 170/190, BAe146/Avro RJ, Fokker 70/100 & Airbus A320 Family, KLM UK Engineering is delighted to confirm this new contract with WestJet.
KLM UK Engineering commenced line maintenance support with WestJet at Glasgow on their Boeing 737 fleet from April 2019.
Alan Lawson, Line Maintenance Manager at KLM UK Engineering commented: “We are delighted that WestJet has chosen KLM UK Engineering to fulfil this contract at Glasgow and we are looking forward to developing this working partnership further during the coming years.“
Jason Munroe, Senior Category Manager in Strategic Procurement at WestJet said: “This is an exciting time for WestJet’s network expansion and we are eager to enter into this new contract for line maintenance support from KLM UK Engineering to cover our Glasgow operations.”
The Captain is hugely honoured to be hosting one of America’s finest award-winning singer songwriters right here at his Kings Lynn HQ on Sunday 7th July. My dear chum, the simply superb Rachel Harrington is back here in Blighty. Much loved by audiences across the British Isles, Rachel is touring the UK before heading into the heart of the American West in late summer and onwards into Europe as the days grow short. A haunting storyteller with a compelling whisky and honey voice, she sings of broken souls, lost dreams, hard living and unexpectedly joyous dying, weaving a melancholy tapestry from the words of her grandfathers, years on the road, nights under restless skies and the mistakes and misfortunes of everyday hearts. Her yearning tales cut to the bone, straight from her rural roots, raw and absolutely true to her own experience, peppered with the humour that wards off despair when life’s ordinary hopes come tumbling down. Born to hard working stock, Danish dairymen and Irish lumberjacks, Rachel Harrington’s family has been in Oregon for six generations and a sense of place runs through her work, no doubt informing the songs for her new album Hush the Wild Horses which she’s almost finished. Huzzah! Growing up in a Pentecostal family, Rachel was raised on Gospel until an old cowboy called Dutch introduced her to the sound of Loretta Lynn, inspiring her own style of American gothic country stirred by careworn fireside soul. BBC’s legendary DJ Whispering Bob Harris proclaimed her first album The Bootlegger’s Daughter one of the best albums of 2007 and I must say I have a copy of everything she’s recorded. But to hear her live in an intimate setting really is quite something. Truly this wandering star of dark Americana is not to be missed. I do hope you can join us; all money raised on the evening will be donated to Make-A-Wish Foundation. Tickets are a veritable bargain at only £12 in advance, £15 on the door. Book here
We were delighted to hear that we’ve been recognised as a standard bearer for animation at the 40th Annual Telly Awards 2019, picking up gold and bronze in the General, Branded, Not-for-profit category.
This is the first time we’ve entered The Telly Awards, an international event honouring excellence in video and television across all screens so we feel humbled to have done so well the first time round.
Last year, the awards attracted more than 12,000 entries, and previous winners include The Guardian, The History Channel, Bloomberg, CBS Interactive, Conde Nast, HBO, HuffPost, Microsoft, NBC, Ogilvy and Mather, Time Warner and The Wall Street Journal.
Strategic Director, Daniel Spencer says: “The team are stunned. This is a really tough award to win, because the standard of entries is incredibly high. And since we were competing against long-established global players and thousands of entries, we were secretly hopeful but not expecting to win, let alone win twice!”
Curveball picked up Gold for their animated explainer for The Salvation Army called “Can you spot the signs of a modern slave”
And Bronze for the animation called “Whole Life Vision” for The London Institute for Contemporary Christianity.
Other winners in the same “General, Branded, Not-for-profit” category include the American Red Cross and CNBC Catalyst, the in-house advertising agency of CNBC International.
Creative Director, Oliver Lawer: “It’s incredible. Really. We couldn’t believe it when we found out. And to win it for our not-for-profit work too is something special because it just goes to show what we can achieve when clients put their trust in us.”
Sabrina Dridje, Managing Director of The Telly Awards adds: “Curveball Media is pushing the boundaries for video and television innovation and creativity at at time when the industry is rapidly changing,” said Sabrina Dridje, Managing Director of the Telly Awards. “This award is a tribute to the talent and vision of its creators and a celebration of the diversity of work being made today for all screens.”
This isn’t the first time Curveball has won awards.
Working with PR agency Third City, the animated explainer they created for The Wellcome Trust was awarded first place in the CIPR Excellence Awards 2017 for Best Use of Digital.
While another video, again working with Third City, was awarded a PRCA City and Financial Award for their #ITPsUnfair video made for the Association of British Insurers.
Chao Pang has opened a new walk-in tax and accountancy shop on 28 Stonecot Hill, Sutton.
Chao is a CIMA-qualified accountant with a very successful 15-year career in industry, latterly as a deputy Director of Finance.
She decided the time was right to open her own practice and is thrilled with the look and feel of the shop.
“The new shop looks great and provides the ideal environment to meet with the small business owners in the area to discuss their tax and accountancy requirements,” said Chao. “I would encourage anyone interested in finding out more to pop in for a free consultation.”
Chao explains what attracted her to become part of the TaxAssist Accountants network: “My career has progressed well, but as I started getting closer to directorship in my late 30s, I started to think about my goals for the next 20 years. I wanted something more exciting and inspiring where I could build on my knowledge, experience and hard work and that has the potential for growing – however far I want the business to grow. “I came to a discovery day in early 2018 and Karl Sandall [Chief Executive of the TaxAssist Group] and the management team were very open. After doing my own feasibility analysis and speaking to many franchisees, my husband and I were convinced by the business model and decided to go for it.
“The process of joining was very smooth and everything has gone very well so far. The Support Centre team in Norwich have been very helpful and knowledgeable and things have progressed well in terms of setting up the practice. I look forward to being a member of the TaxAssist family for many years to come!”
If you would like to find out more about joining the TaxAssist Accountants network, please give Nikki Haythorne a call on 0800 0188297.
The next step is to attend a discovery day at the Support Centre.
Lord Baker of Little Moulton, Norfolk, would like to invite you and your friends to The Grand Charity Auction in aid of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) at EPIC TV, Norwich, on 28th June 2014.
This fantastic event will be co-hosted by Nicholas Parsons, who launched his solo career at the same venue whilst presenting ITV’s Sale of the Century in the 1970s. All proceeds raised will be donated to EACH.
The evening comprises of a 5-course dinner provided by chef and proprietor of Florentina, Jake Weatherill, with entertainment from Nicholas Parsons and top comedian and impressionist, Aaron James. The auction lots include original international art pieces, holidays at home & abroad and exhilarating group days out to mention but a few. Added to that, the whole show is to be streamed on to the internet for others to enjoy.
Tickets for this superb event are priced at £75pp. If you, your friends or family would like to attend, please visit the online box office at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/98213 or telephone direct on 01603 727727.
• Flexible to your needs • Supporting the local community • Short Term commitment • Students aged 16+
Who are St Eds? We operate a diverse range of vocational training courses aimed at young people who have strong practical skills in Construction, Mechanics, Catering and Hair and Beauty.
Rigby Group Acquires Norwich International Airport
Rigby Group Plc has today announced the acquisition of Norwich International Airport from Omniport for an undisclosed sum.
Norwich International Airport is the principal aerial gateway to and from East Anglia, serving Norfolk, Suffolk, and East Cambridgeshire. It has a long history and sound levels of activity on scheduled and charter passenger activities, as an aircraft maintenance base and an operating hub for the southern North Sea oil and gas industry.
The facility will now be managed by Rigby Group’s airport division Regional & City Airports (RCA), which also already owns and operates Coventry and Exeter Airports – which it acquired in 2010 and 2013 respectively.
The company also holds management contracts for both Blackpool International Airport and City of Derry Airport and is actively building its portfolio of owned or managed airport assets across the next five years.
Chairman and Chief Executive Sir Peter Rigby said: “We have continually reiterated our belief in the importance of regional airports to local and regional communities and their economies. We are intent on developing our aviation business within the Rigby Group, and have made another significant acquisition here. I am delighted to welcome Norwich’s staff to a workforce that now safeguards approximately 650 aviation jobs, and look forward to working with them as we plot out a secure, sustainable and positive future for the facility.”
The move will see the management teams at Norwich, Coventry and Exeter work together for mutual benefit as well as attracting more corporate and general aviation.
Norwich International Airport CEO Andrew Bell added: “This is a significant and very positive day for the Airport. As a highly respected and stable organisation, Rigby Group’s involvement will enable us to build on the many achievements of recent years, safeguarding the future of the business and providing us with a platform from which to build an even more prosperous future for the Airport itself and the region.”
We are delighted to announce that One Broker Limited has purchased 100% of the share capital of N W Brown Insurance Brokers Limited, forthwith. One Broker already owns Knowlden Titlow Insurance Brokers (KTIB) in Norwich and the acquisition of N W Brown Insurance Brokers represents an exciting opportunity for the One Broker Group to grow its presence in the schemes arena and at the same time expand its geographical footprint. NW Brown Insurance Brokers will continue to operate from their premises in Regent Street under the same name.
Robin Plaster has become Managing Director of N W Brown Insurance Brokers Limited and Phil Thorpe is Broking Director, with responsibility for running the operation on a day to day basis, along with fellow Directors Sean Lenton and Richard Rampley. In addition to which Phil Thorpe will join the board of KTIB as Non-Executive Director and John Knowlden the board of N W Brown Insurance Brokers as Non-Executive Director.
Commenting on the agreement Alan Kefford , Chairman of NW Brown Group said ” This final step is the logical culmination of a long process of co-operation. Whilst our position in East Anglia as a top quality Financial Services operation is strong I am delighted to have access to better specialist services for our clients via KTIB. We are always seeking ways of improving service for existing clients and of introducing new clients for whom we can provide that high level of service and this closer partnership gives the prospect of doing both.”
Robin Plaster, Managing Director of KTIB said “We have both built our firms on high quality advice and efficient execution. I look forward to working with our new colleagues to grow our business in what is perhaps the most exciting area of the country intellectually, technologically and financially. Our insurance solutions have applications in all areas and I look forward to working with Phil and his team to develop our strong presence in East Anglia. We are confident that the combined skill set of the two firms will make us a recognised leader in our chosen field. ”
N W Brown Insurance Brokers will continue to develop the business in their specialist sectors such as Education, Technology, Financial Liabilities, Landlord and Tenants and Listed Buildings.
A new Edith Cavell interpretation board was unveiled in Tombland, Norwich next to the Edith Cavell monument on Saturday, October 13.
Explaining the significance of Edith Cavell and the sacrifice that she made, the new board marks the centenary of the unveiling of the monument, by Queen Alexandra, on October 12, 1918, the third anniversary of Edith Cavell’s execution in Brussels, by a German firing squad.
The monument was originally in front of the Maids Head Hotel, next to the Edith Cavell Rest Home for Nurses, which was also opened by Queen Alexandra in 1918. The Norwich rest home was the sixth in a series of Edith Cavell rest homes, funded by public subscription, and opened across the country. The homes cared for exhausted nurses, traumatised by the impact of the First World War. Their work continues today through the Cavell Nurses Trust.
The building that housed the Norwich Rest Home was acquired by the Maids Head Hotel in 1956 and includes a meeting room on the ground floor, named after Edith Cavell.
The new interpretation board project was coordinated by Nick Miller, Edith Cavell archivist for St Mary’s Church Swardeston (Edith Cavell’s home parish) and was unveiled by Dawn Collins, Director of Nursing for the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust.
Nick Miller explained: “We hope the new board will keep Edith Cavell’s challenging story alive. She died in front of a German firing squad for having assisted allied soldiers to escape. What was her view of her work? Her own word tell us, in conversation with Rev’d Stirling Gahan in her cell the night before she was executed: “Don’t think of me as a heroine and martyr, think of me simply as a nurse who tried to do her duty. Standing in the light of God and eternity I have realised that patriotism is not enough: I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone.”
“This statement draws deep on her roots and upbringing and the Christian faith which sustained her through 20 years as a nurse. When she saw her ‘brothers’, the British and French soldiers needing shelter and help to escape, she believed her duty was to help them, whatever the cost to herself. She risked all, housing them, feeding them, nursing them and walking with them to a rendezvous with Belgians who would take them onward to the Dutch frontier to freedom. She courageously persevered at this for nine long months, helping at least 200 men.”
Edith Cavell was born in 1865, the first of four children of the vicar of Swardeston. She worked as a governess in the east of England and Brussels. Aged 30 she returned to care for her sick father and then enrolled as a trainee nurse, wanting to do ‘something useful for people’. After nursing for ten years in the poorest parts of London and Manchester, she moved to Brussels in 1907 to create the first Belgian professional nurse training school.
On holiday in Norfolk in July 1914, with her widowed mother, she chose to return to Brussels to support her nurses as war was imminent. Under the German occupation she secretly hid British and French soldiers, often wounded and helped them to freedom in Holland. She and all involved knew they risked being shot for this. Eventually she and her network were betrayed. Thirty five were arrested, interrogated and tried by a German military court. She and a colleague were shot at dawn on October 12, 1915. After the First World War her body was brought back to the United Kingdom and she was buried at the east end of Norwich Cathedral on May 15, 1919.
NHS and Veterinary prescription drugs are increasingly ending up on the streets of the UK and being widely abused in combination with other drugs including class A and B street drugs. “Ask any teenager about Ketamine?” suggests Mike Garside, Director of UK DrugTesting. They’ll tell you exactly what it does as a party or festival drug. They won’t know its a veterinary anaesthetic used to tranquilise horses.
The NHS has adapted to trends in prescription drug abuse over the last 20 years. Many of the older prescription painkillers have been restricted or even removed from the national formulary.
Replacing these have been the modern substitute drugs, perceived as safer and less likely to be abused and with fewer side effects and overdose risks. In reality, this perception has led to a reduced surveillance of their use, particularly in the elderly and increasingly the often overlooked use in veterinary practice.
Chances are if your dog needs a painkiller it will be prescribed Tramadol. Often 10-14 days are supplied, most of which do not end up being required. The rise of Tramadol abuse on the streets of the UK has risen rapidly over the last 10 years. “Not many people realise they are being supplied a powerful opiate agonist painkiller,” said Kate Garside, Director of UK Drug Testing and an ex GP. These drugs are increasingly being scheduled, as the abuse becomes recognised and recorded.
These pills are being sold on and end up on the streets. Some are being obtained deceptively as a source of income, some are just being shared in family groups and leach out into general supply. And it’s not just Tramadol, Oxycodone, gabapentin pregabalin, fentanyl and ketamine. All drugs you may not have heard of, but chances are, may have been prescribed to a family member or pet for a range of chronic conditions, including pain relief.
Theft from pharmacies and vets is another source of supply. There is no reliable up to date data on just how common these drugs are. Most studies are already historic by the time of publishing, and in the world of drug abuse, supply is dynamic and immediate.
While nobody has been screening for these drugs, no reliable tests had been developed. Abuse grew, effectively under the radar of both healthcare and enforcement agencies.
In the last 12 months, driven principally by requests from the criminal justice agencies, the biotechnology has finally caught up, with screening tests for point of care or instant testing for both new psychoactive substances and modern painkillers.
Earlier this year UK Drug Testing introduced a new 16 panel drug testing cup which included tests for most of the new prescription painkillers in addition to the more traditional street drug groups. “we expected these to sell to the prisons and drugs teams” said Kathy Calvert, the UK trade and NHS manager for UKDrugTesting. “what we found is they are selling to individuals, wanting the most comprehensive test available”
With the rapid growth in the abuse of these groups of drugs, it makes sense to include them in any new testing program, especially for safety-critical employment roles such as construction and those requiring trackside certification. The UK Drug Testing Behemoth 16 drug test cup is available to buy online and makes an excellent broad-spectrum cup drug test kit choice for the workplace, as well as healthcare drug screening.
Our plans for The Sky House, a new home for the Faculty of Arts and Humanities that also unlocks the Grade II-listed Lasdun Wall for refurbishment over the next decade, have been unveiled following approval from the University of East Anglia (UEA). The Sky House is the most significant new build project the UEA have undertaken since the Lasdun buildings and will become home to Arts and Humanities and some Social Sciences schools from 2022. The new building will allow staff and students to move out of the Lasdun Wall and enable the start of the phased refurbishment of the Historic England-listed 1960s block. The Sky House will be located on a site at the end of the Lasdun Wall, across from the Registry, and will act as a new main reception point for the UEA campus. The c. £65 million The Sky House will include: •general purpose teaching and seminar spaces •flexible informal learning spaces •language learning lab •drama studios •rehearsal spaces •screening room •café facilities •faculty and school offices •provision for HUM’s postgrad community •PGCE teaching rooms •a new reception point for the University •learning and teaching hub The development of The Sky House is the key to unlocking the Lasdun Wall’s major refurbishment. The Lasdun Wall, completed in 1970, is listed by Historic England for its special architectural and historic interest but is at the end of its design life. Very significant investment in the Lasdun Wall is now needed to ensure it is safe, secure and fit for the future needs of UEA staff and students. UEA Vice-Chancellor Professor David Richardson said: “Investing in our UEA campus means investing in our people and the spaces they need to work, learn, study and teach both now and in the future. The Sky House will be the new gateway to UEA for visitors and provide collaborative and communal working spaces for our staff and students.”