Norfolk Community Foundation, together with the Eastern Daily Press, is excited to be bringing together local Thetford leaders to launch a new community funding initiative, Thetford shines brighter. The breakfast launch will take place on Thursday 17th October from 8.00-9.30am at Thetford Garden Centre, Kilverstone. There, Norfolk Community Foundation will be sharing their research into the key issues facing Thetford communities and discussing where there are gaps in local support. Those consulted include representatives from local charities and community groups, local councils, housing associations, police, health services, and local residents via a street questionnaire. Bringing together a wide range of voices ensures a strong community response so that support will be targeted where the need is greatest in Thetford. Significant funds have been secured from local people and the Foundation is inviting local leaders to prioritise issues and raise further funding at the launch. Initiatives to improve local lives can then be planned and initiated, with their impact closely monitored to ensure they are making a real difference. Claire Cullens, CEO of Norfolk Community Foundation, said: “We’re excited to be working with the Eastern Daily Press and the Thetford community to identify and tackle the key issues facing the local area, helping to transform local lives. Working together, we can make a real difference and help Thetford shine brighter.” The launch is a key opportunity for businesses and leaders to demonstrate that they care and want to take action in Thetford. Those who would like to attend are invited to contact Tessa Clarke at Norfolk Community Foundation via [email protected] or telephone 01603 623958.
This November, Design and Marketing Executive Charlotte Baxter, celebrates a year working for successful Norwich-based marketing agency Full Mix Marketing.
We sat down with the digital and graphic design specialist to hear about her experiences working in a growing agency.
Congratulations Charlotte on your anniversary! Tell us about yourself and how you began with Full Mix Marketing?
As a child, I was always the creative type, drawing and designing things whenever I could. Originally from the Wirral, I studied design at the University of Derby before moving to Norfolk with my partner. I’ve worked exclusively as a graphic and digital designer, first in a busy digital creative agency, then a national photography brand, before joining Full Mix Marketing.
Despite being a young company, Full Mix already had an impressive client list and a growing reputation. Our Managing Director Sarah West is really passionate about marketing, delivering results and doing things right. I saw an opportunity to work for varied clients, use all my skills and develop new ones. It’s been great to be an important part of something going places!
What does your role entail?
We have a number of clients for which we provide ongoing marketing and others for whom we deliver individual elements or projects. Naturally, my role is creative, I build websites, design print materials, create ad campaigns and provide artwork for social media etc. As so much modern marketing is digital, I’m also an experienced coder, constructing websites so they not only look great but function well too. However, everything we do is a team effort, playing to the strengths amongst my colleagues.
What’s been your most enjoyable project this year?
We recently rebranded a luxury travel group, which I thoroughly enjoyed. We really got to know them and their customers so we could create a strong design brief from which I worked. I got to be very creative with my concepts and the feedback from the client was excellent.
As a Graphic Designer, branding is one of my passions. Whatever the business, it can be incredibly powerful. It was my main focus at University and my first job in Norwich was working on small branding projects.
What has been the biggest challenge this year?
Probably the most challenging and rewarding aspect has been developing new digital skills. It’s such a vital part of marketing and design now to understand how things work online. For example, search engine optimisation has to be considered right from the start with website design.
Fortunately, Sarah is very big on learning, keeping up to date and developing new skills, so we always find time to do so. As our own marketing says, we really want our client’s businesses to shine online!
What are you most looking forward to in the year ahead?
Full Mix and the team are growing. I’ve some really talented colleagues. We’ve exciting new clients and many more we’ve delivered great results for. It’s nice to be part of something which is not only developing but I feel we can all influence where it’s heading.
Personally, I just want to continue honing my skills and learning new ones. Over this past year I’ve really grown as a designer. At the centre of everything we do is effectiveness and I’ve learned how to think like a marketer whilst creating like a designer. Other than that, I’m looking forward to planning my wedding and finally finishing our garden landscaping!
Today, September 9 2019, almost 100 key supporters gathered to raise a glass and celebrate the launch of a major 3-year project at Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve. Earlier this summer the Hawk and Owl Trust who manage the reserve near Fakenham in Norfolk purchased the two parcels of land adjoining the existing nature reserve, extending it from 45 acres to over 200 acres.
David Lindo – The Urban Birder – well-known broadcaster, writer, naturalist, photographer, public speaker and tour leader, ceremonially launched the project by digging the first couple of digger buckets-full of soil from an area that will become a new open water scrape, designed to encourage wildlife, including scarce migratory birds, on part of the new land.
The land on either side of Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve was purchased using funds raised through the amazing generosity of the public and major donors such as Heritage Fund (previously Heritage Lottery Fund), Viking Optical, Garfield Weston Trust and the Norfolk LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership) as part of a £1.7million pound project.
The launch of this 3-year project marks the beginning the on-going development and maintenance of the area as a nature reserve and community project. The Trust’s vision for Sculthorpe Moor is one where a rich ecosystem co-exists with the local community. Access for all is, and always has been, an essential part of what makes the reserve special. This project contains a large element of allowing everyone, no matter what their mobility and abilities, to enjoy, connect with and learn from the wildlife and countryside around them.
The popular and highly-regarded existing reserve is recognised as being important for its wildlife, with breeding Marsh Harriers, Barn Owls and a range of other birds of prey and owls making their homes on this small area, which is also the national headquarters of the Hawk and Owl Trust. Over the next three years the project will ensure that the new parts of the reserve will become equally attractive and essential for a whole host of wildlife such as Marsh Tits, Brambling, Cetti’s Warblers, Bearded Reedlings, Bullfinches and Kingfishers. Wild flowers will be encouraged, meaning insects will be abundant and diverse and mammals including Otter and Water Vole will make the new reserve their home.
David Lindo, The Urban Birder’ said “There’s so much wildlife here it’s incredible and I’m so amazed by the amount of love that’s been shown to the Trust and reserve over the past two years of the appeal by the donors, supporters and volunteers.
Nigel Middleton, Sculthorpe Moor Reserve Manager, said “It was 18 years ago, cutting my way onto the overgrown land of Sculthorpe Moor, whilst monitoring Marsh Harriers nesting in the valley of the River Wensum that I first experienced what would become the reserve. From that point on I’ve dreamed and believed that we could expand the reserve and turn it into a significant place for wildlife and community. To reach this point is just amazing, and we couldn’t have done it without our fantastic volunteers.”
Adrian Blumfield, Chief Operations Director, H&OT said “Only with the generosity of over 1,300 individual donors has allowed us to start to realise Nigel’s vision for the reserve. Expanding the land is the first step. Now this drastic looking work will ensure a wonderful habitat for wildlife for the future. It will be astonishing how quickly this settles and starts attracting birds and other creatures.”
Norwich-based Full Mix Marketing have become official Google Partners, helping further demonstrate their expertise as effective digital marketing experts for their clients.
The Google Partners programme is for digital marketing agencies who manage Google Ads accounts on behalf of businesses or brands. Google Partners status is awarded to agencies who have demonstrated suitable experience delivering Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns and achieved a number of exams and certifications within their team.
“As part of our comprehensive digital marketing services, we’ve helped many businesses get the best from Google” says Laura Nunn, Full Mix Marketing’s Digital Marketing Executive. “This is great recognition of how committed we are to doing everything correctly to turn our client’s budget into meaningful results.”
The full-service marketing agency currently manages Google Ads and other paid search and display campaigns for business in sectors as diverse as TV advertising, IT services, logistics, manufacturing and even boat sales. As well as traditional paid search adverts within search results, they also deliver display ads, shopping ads, remarketing ads, mobile only ads and social media advertising campaigns. They differentiate themselves from others by taking a more proactive approach when managing campaigns.
“Instead of relying on automation or algorithms, we balance analytics with common-sense and experience” continues Laura. “We get to know our clients and their customers so we can actively target the search terms which turn into sales. Whatever their budget, we thoroughly manage every campaign to ensure the very best results.”
Full Mix Marketing is a growing agency with clients throughout Norfolk, East Anglia and beyond. As well as individual digital, offline and creative marketing, they also help businesses identify the correct marketing strategy and can act as their outsourced marketing department. Within digital marketing they provide web design, paid search (PPC), search engine optimisation (SEO) and social media marketing.
“As this area of our business continues to grow, we aim to work towards other specialisations in the Google Partner programme” says Sarah West, Full Mix Marketing. “As a team full of marketing professionals, third-party recognition is great for showing businesses the results we can deliver.”
The famed ceramic artist will share her business story with the audience from across East AnglThe famed ceramic artist will share her business story with the audience from across East Anglia.
‘Business Insight with Emma Bridgewater’ is just one part of the MENTA Business Show taking place on Tuesday October 1st at The Apex in Bury St Edmunds.
The event has more than 70 exhibiting businesses, a selection of free seminars and expert guest speakers, sharing their insight.
The event has been sponsored by Atkins Thomson for the past 11 years and Rob Dellow of Atkins Thomson says “New business is the lifeblood of our economy and we understand all great businesses start from small beginnings. Our ever expanding corporate and business support team happily advise new and existing businesses both small and large on all legal aspects relating to business and property.”
Nick Pandolfi – marketing manager for MENTA says ” the MENTA team have grown this event over the past few years into something that truly represents the diversity of business in Suffolk and the East Anglian region – we want visitors to feel inspired by the event as well as joining us in celebrating what is great about business people in our part of the UK.
The event attracted a footfall of around 1000 people in 2018 and this year the first 400 visitors will receive a goody bag that contains iconic Suffolk goods from the likes of Stokes Sauces and Paddy & Scott’s coffee.
Residents voices are heard whilst enjoying a day of roaring family fun at Lenwade’s 85-acre Dinosaur Park
Some say that Dinosaurs developed the earth’s first strong social communities and for Housing Associations’ Flagship Homes and Victory Housing Trust it’s a crucial part of what they do.
On Saturday 7th September, for the first time, since a recent partnership which saw Flagship and Victory come together, over 1,000 residents who live in and around North Norfolk, joined 70 staff volunteers for a day of feedback and fun at Roarr Dinosaur Park.
The event offered residents and their families an opportunity to share their stories and views about the homes and communities in which they live, whilst experiencing all that the 85-acre Dinosaur Park had to offer.
Jo Wicker, Director of Engagement and Insight for Flagship Group said “Finding out what matters to our residents is vitally important and we are committed to doing just that. It was all about coming together, building strong relationships with the people that live in the communities we serve and understanding resident priorities”
In the housing providers’ aim to start breaking down some of the common misconceptions about social housing and in supporting the National Housing Federation campaign “Together with Tenants”, this was a great opportunity to consult residents on a range of topics including communication, accountability and giving residents a louder voice.
Jo continued “By giving our residents opportunities to be involved in matters that affect them and enabling them to have a voice and influence over how their homes and communities are managed, it means we can deliver an even better service in the future”.
During the fun, staff from both Victory and Flagship talked to residents and their families seeking their views on how their homes are managed and gathered feedback on what mattered to them.
In addition, NatWest, RSPCA and Green Energy Switch offered advice and information on scams and fraud prevention, pet advice and positive energy use.
Lisa Collen, Interim Managing Director for Victory Housing Trust said, “It’s so important to be able to have an honest, open and transparent relationship with residents. Bringing both Flagship and Victory together in our heartland has helped us hear, first-hand, how they feel. If we can make their priorities ours, we can deliver a service that helps people and communities to flourish”.
Residents attending explained that the event has provided them with a great opportunity to play a part in the management of their homes and communities whilst spending quality time with their family, friends and neighbours – fostering a greater sense of community pride.
Nishaa a resident of Victory Housing Trust attended the event with her family and said“the day was such a good idea, not only have we been able to have a lovely day out with our son but we have been able to spend time with people who live in our community and chat face to face with the staff who manage our homes. My son has loved it”
An event promoting work being carried out by East of England companies and their solutions to the challenges of exporting innovations to the global market within the energy industry is being held next week.
Local Solutions: Global Reach is the second annual EEEGR (East of England Energy Group) Marine Science and Technology Special Interest Group (SIG) event.
Companies such as DNVGL, ROVCO, 4C Offshore, Gardline, Cefas and James Fisher Marine Services will share pioneering ideas around autonomy, cable risk, international applications and sustainable development and how they have been developed to offer services and solutions to organisations around the world.
Set to take place on the 18th September at Norwich City Football Club the event will showcase the highly technical work being carried out by local companies.
Phil Durrant, managing director of Marine Space and the EEEGR Marine Science and Technology SIG chair said: “In the East of England we have a centre of excellence for marine science and technology, often being delivered by SMEs, to clients across the globe. This event offers the opportunity for those companies to highlight the innovative technologies and techniques that are being developed in this region to solve developer and operator problems across a range or marine sectors both here in the UK and internationally.”
Simon Gray, chief executive officer at EEEGR said: “I look forward to seeing the great work local companies are doing not only in the UK but around the world. It’s a true testament to the great work that is being carried out in our region.”
Tickets for the event are available on the EEEGR website (www.eeegr.com).
There has been a rapid increase in the number of self-employed people over the last few years, the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics from 2018 show that it rose from 3.3 million in 2001 to 4.8 million in 2017. Couple this with the rise of the gig economy and it becomes a very complicated picture. We had Matthew Potter from Howes Percival with us for the afternoon taking us through the minefield of self-employment, IR35, and the gig economy.
Matthew started off by updating the group on a number of high-profile cases such as Uber and Deliveroo. These showed the importance of making sure you as a business have a clear understanding of the difference in treating those who are self-employed differently to workers. The Deliveroo example very clearly showed that riders had the ability to turn down work without being penalised and were able to substitute someone else for themselves. These gave the room good working examples of when the three contract of service conditions were fulfilled and what it does and doesn’t look like in practice.
After a short break of lots of tea, coffee, and cake the group came together for the second half of the afternoon, this time focusing on off payroll working and changes to IR35. Matthew started by highlighting that from April 2020 medium and large companies in the private sector which contract with personal service companies will have to account for tax and national insurance through PAYE. This means that end users will be responsible for determining the employment status of individuals working for them through their own limited company, but don’t worry, HMRC have provided a guidance document and online checking tool.
As the end user businesses should have a process in place to deal with disputes around the determination they make, Matthew recommended taking specialist advice regarding workers. He went through a number of factors to consider when making a decision about the tax status of a worker including: right of control, employee benefits, length of engagement, and whether they’re an integral part of the organisation amongst other things.
Finally he presented a number of case studies which clearly showed the importance of making a clear determination and the factors affecting the result of the determination. He also covered the impact IR35 changes have had to the public sector, which had these applied to it in April 2017. Initially a blanket statement was released stating all contractors operating Personal Service Companies were inside IR35 rules, this made life tricky as a number of workers chose to quit the NHS or work via umbrella companies which was not necessary. They later stated all assessments should be carried out on a case by case basis.
If you would like to see some of the areas covered by Matthew you can find all the slides here. The afternoon was kindly sponsored by Howes Percival and held at The Nest.
Nuneaton and Tamworth based Cheryl has recently celebrated a decade in business with a party for staff, clients, family and friends.
Cheryl’s shop based at 17-18 Abbey Green in Nuneaton was the venue for the special event which was attended by local Mayor June Tandy.
Cheryl said: “The last ten years have flown by, but I feel like a lot has been achieved in this time which I wanted to take the time to acknowledge. In particular I wanted to thank my fantastic team of five staff who have been invaluable in helping me to grow and support my practice.
“I’d also like to thank the TaxAssist Accountants Support Centre team in Norwich, as the guidance I have received from them has played a significant part in the growth of my business. Having this support means I have had more time to spend on servicing my clients and working on my business.”
For Cheryl Hopkins it was a desire to escape the corporate rat race after the birth of her first child that spurred her into action to start her own business and she hasn’t looked back since.
“Returning to work after maternity leave, I realised it was very difficult juggling home and work life with the pressures of working overtime and monthly deadlines, and I decided I needed to work for myself in order to have more flexibility and freedom.
“It’s been hard work but great fun to grow my practice from nothing to over 350 clients and I love the variety of clients that I get to meet and work with. I find that referrals happen more and more, as clients are recommending our services to business associates, friends and family. I’m looking to grow the practice further so I’d encourage anyone interested in finding out more about our services to get in contact for a free initial consultation.”
TaxAssist Accountants specialises in providing accountancy services, company tax returns, self-assessment returns, payroll, bookkeeping, tax savings and tax advice to small businesses. In addition, TaxAssist also offers QuickBooks Online and Receipt Bank which help business owners manage their finances, scan receipts and stay in control of their business.
Following a £46m investment from Aviva Investors, County Broadband is commencing the roll out of its Hyperfast full fibre broadband network across villages in the East of England, providing a major boost to under-served rural communities and businesses.
Many rural communities still suffer from so-called ‘broadband black spots’ due to old copper-wire infrastructures dating back to Victorian times. Research* also shows two thirds of customers who have existing so called ‘fibre services’ are not full fibre at all, but arrive to their home through standard copper telephone lines – significantly affecting speeds, reliability and the ability to upgrade to meet future requirements.
In contrast, County Broadband’s high-tech ‘Fibre-To-The-Premises’ (FTTP) network delivers Hyperfast internet speeds of up to 1,000 megabits per second (Mbps) directly into some of the most difficult-to-reach homes and businesses – at more than 20 times faster than the UK average.
The construction of this entirely new network is supported by a commitment from Aviva Investors which means the company’s expansion is not dependent upon public funds or from any financial contributions from home or business owners.
Lloyd Felton, CEO at County Broadband, said the investment will help support economic growth throughout East Anglia and improve residents’ quality of life.
“Since securing the investment, we have been identifying target areas,” he said. “Many premises might have access to broadband, but the Hyperfast speeds that we will all soon need are only available to around 6% of the UK. Household usage and data consumption is already predicted to increase 10-fold every six years and only Hyperfast solutions will match this requirement.”
Based in Aldham, Essex, County Broadband is an established internet service provider in East Anglia. The company is doubling its workforce over the next few months and is in the process of securing work for many local contractors. The company has already deployed a successful all-fibre Gigabit network in Broughton, Cambridgeshire, and already supports over 3,000 homes and businesses with its wireless-based broadband services in the region.
“Our goal is to provide a world-class, future proof infrastructure which will deliver Hyperfast broadband speeds of 1,000Mbps now and even faster speeds in future as well as providing additional services such as telephony, home security and access to the vital services that the local authorities and health services plan for online access in the coming years.” Mr Felton said. “Aviva Investors’ recognise the vital need for future proof fibre infrastructure and their funding supports our strategy to service more than 30,000 homes and businesses in the region.”
As part of the roll-out programme, County Broadband is hosting a series of villages meetings. These events provide an opportunity to meet the County Broadband team and find out more about the new network.
Amid growing numbers of services being delivered online, industry experts are highlighting the need for Hyperfast broadband speeds to allow for quicker downloads and uninterrupted streaming and eliminating problems when family members simultaneously use the internet.
Hyperfast broadband speeds are also necessary for seamless access to services such as online radio, video on-demand and catch-up TV at the same time, while fibre’s faster upload speeds are more convenient when sharing photos online or making video calls.
Many businesses will also need the Hyperfast broadband Fibre provides to benefit from evolving business applications.
County Broadband are offering residents and businesses a free connection** by pre-ordering their Hyperfast broadband.
With over 16 years’ experience, County Broadband was originally established as a Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP), specialising in the provision of wireless broadband networks and services to difficult-to-reach places, especially in rural areas.
Photo 1: Lloyd Felton, Chief Executive Officer at specialist rural broadband provider, County Broadband. Credit: County Broadband
Photo 2: Lloyd Felton (left), CEO of specialist rural broadband provider County Broadband, at the operational control centre at the Essex headquarters. Credit: County Broadband
Three apprentices have been appointed to an innovative apprenticeship programme which offers a professional qualification and degree course combined with practical, on-the-job experience, allowing them to earn as they learn.
Jasmine King, Alice Ames, and Tia Putt are joining Flagship Group’s Bright Futures programme, studying for a level 4 Senior Housing Officer qualification followed by a chartered manager degree apprenticeship, whilst working across the company.
The Bright Futures programme has been so successful it has led to the Group being Highly Commended in the category of Large Employer at the Eastern Region Apprentice Awards 2019, following an application by two of the first Bright Futures apprentices.
Flagship has teamed up with training and management consultancy Dutton Fisher Associates to develop the four-year programme. At the end of the course the apprentices will have a Chartered Institute of Housing qualification at level 4, and they will be chartered managers.
The three apprentices will get to spend time in each department of Flagship, the biggest housing association in the East of England, whilst gaining key technical knowledge through the four year course.
The training will be delivered using a blended delivery model of online and face to face tutor led workshops. Each Bright Futures apprentice will also benefit from a dedicated Flagship mentor to provide guidance and support. And, each apprentice gets to dedicate one day a week towards study as they earn whilst they learn.
Crucially, at the end of the course, the apprentices will not only have valuable qualifications, they will also have a permanent job.
Lisa Collen, Managing Director of Victory Housing and Director of People and Workplaces explained: “We want to attract and retain the very best talent and to provide opportunities for people to learn and develop to fulfil their potential.
“We have worked with Dutton Fisher Associates to develop this programme which, when combined with our on-the-job experience, will give our apprentices invaluable knowledge and insight for building a career in our sector.
“At the same time as earning money, the apprentices will be able to gain qualifications funded by Flagship and learn about our business as well as the wider housing sector.
“We are delighted that Jasmine, Alice and Tia are joining us and look forward to working with them in the coming years.”
Jasmine, Alice and Tia will be joining four existing Bright Futures apprentices. This includes Morgan Lingley. Morgan didn’t have a clear idea of what job sector to pursue but after almost a year with Flagship, is now set on a career in Housing.
Morgan said: “I really enjoy working alongside such amazing staff members. They are always on hand to help especially with myself being an apprentice, I feel like I can approach anybody. I also enjoy the variety of work – such as anti-social behaviour, rent collection, and HR – I have participated in so far.
“I could not be prouder to work for a company so focused on developing staff and pushing them to their full potential. I feel as though I have landed on my feet when a year ago I had no idea what career I was going to end up in.”
Each year Flagship Group offers a number of apprenticeships across the group, starting in September.
We recently had an exciting opportunity, commissioned by Gecko Creative, to produce four promotional films for Abellio Group’s Stansted Express. Each video showed an entire customer journey, inbound and outbound in either first or second class.
The videos were to be aimed predominantly at international users of the train, so there was no speech or text involved in the main videos as it had to be understandable to everyone regardless of language. Everything needed to be shown clearly, and portray the high standard of the cabins and service that you would come to expect.
Filming in Stansted Airport and London Liverpool St presented a bit of a challenge, as they are both busy environments and on top of that we only had a very limited amount of time to film everything. (There’s always at least one helpful member of the public who decides it’s his duty to wave at the camera!) By using a tight-knit 4 person crew we were able to work at speed with minimal disruption, covering a lot of ground in a short amount of time.
Shooting everything from the point of view of a passenger was a bit of a tricky one to negotiate, and getting the correct angles involved some contortionism from both the cameraman and actor involved! A Red 4K camera was used to enable us to time-ramp certain elements during post-production, quickly conveying distances.
It was a long three days of filming but well worth it to see the end result, we’re proud to have made videos that clearly convey all the key points of the customer’s journey in beautiful HD.
And now as a follow up we’re currently producing a series of 6 x 30 seconds cut downs with on screen text in multiple languages for Facebook as drivers to the main Stansted Express website, and to play out on smaller monitors and ticket machines in the airport. Phew!