Census day arrived at the weekend and we are working hard to make sure everyone is included. We have created a series of events for those with questions or those supporting others who have questions.
We know that some people may have questions and may not have completed their census yet so as a Norfolk and Suffolk initiative we have organised 4 x daily drop in support events – live!
Still have questions about Census?
Need some friendly face to face advice?
You can meet with a local census engagement manager who will be able to help you.
4 Times daily Monday to Friday – (Except Thursdays)
Ashtons Franchise Consulting (AFC) has expanded and strengthened its team with the appointment of consultant Phil Mowat.
Following a previous career in events, Phil jumped head first into the franchise industry in 2009, helping a family member expand her business in just five years from a team of 10 to 350, operated by a network of 40 franchisees. Phil remains a director of that company to this day.
Phil then headed up the UK operation of Australian brand Local Appliance Rentals seeing them through rapid network growth, from a starting position of five to 35 franchisees in just 18 months. Qualifying as a Business Coach, Phil was then appointed National Strategic Partnership Manager for ActionCOACH UK. This role saw him partnering with high street banks such as NatWest, HSBC, Santander and Barclays to run an educational seminar and events programme for business owners around the UK.
Prior to joining Ashtons Franchise Consulting, Phil was then the UK Country Director for Expense Reduction Analysts where he led and managed the 100+ network of franchisees through the challenging landscape, the COVID-19 pandemic.
Phil says: “I am a huge advocate for franchising. Simply put, I want to be see more businesses grow via the franchising model. I want to ensure that businesses looking into franchising are receiving the best advice and taking the right approach in order to make it happen for them.”
“Having known Nick and the team for many years – since I franchised my own family business and worked at some major global franchisors – we have kept in touch and I am over the moon to join the team and work with them.”
Ashtons Franchise Consulting’s managing consultant Nick Williams adds: “In the last five years AFC has seen significant growth, even through the pandemic, so we are delighted to strengthen our team with Phil Mowat. He is an ideal fit with the team and we extend to him the broadest of welcomes as we move into our next chapter of service to the franchise sector.”
TaxAssist Accountants’ continual growth has seen the network of small business specialists rise one place to 21st in the highly regarded industry league table with a 5% increase in fee income, up from £39.6m to £41.5m.
The latest survey reveals that growth across the sector has accelerated despite the economic uncertainty caused by Brexit and new regulations. The top UK accountancy firms recorded fee revenues totalling over £16bn in the last financial year, one year after breaking the £15bn barrier.
Karl Sandall, Group Chief Executive Director at the TaxAssist Group, said: “To have moved up one place to 21st in the league table is fantastic news. Our rise of 13 places, since we first entered the Accountancy Age survey in 2010, is testament to the dedication of our network and our sustained vision for continual growth.
“Although we are living through uncertain times, recruitment of new franchisees continues to be strong. The benefits to being part of the TaxAssist network are clear and our full service offering is increasingly in demand with small business clients, who need help and advice with software and regulation, attracted by our visible, welcoming shop based practices. I feel confident that our adoption of a best-in-class technology suite, investment in our brand, coupled with our plans to develop services to help attract and support clients, bodes well for future performance.”
Austin Clark, Editor at Accountancy Age, said: “The good news for the sector is that this year’s ranking showed widespread growth across the table – from the Big Four through to the smaller firms in the listing – despite the multitude of challenges faced and the uncertain climate.”
To see the list of the Top 50 firms and an analysis by Accountancy Age click here.
The 2020 Broadland & South Norfolk Business Awards, organised by South Norfolk Council and Broadland District Councils, celebrate the excellence, innovation and best practice shown by businesses across the combined area.
The awards are now open for nominations and all 12,500 businesses that have an operating base in Broadland and South Norfolk are now able to nominate themselves for an award online, in any of the ten categories.
Residents also have the chance to win £100 of shopping vouchers by nominating their favourite retailer on the South Norfolk Council website. The Retailer of the Year award recognises high street businesses that have gone the extra mile.
Sponsored by Fosters Solicitors with media partner Radio Norwich, the awards’ categories are:
Excellence in Digital Creative and ICT
Excellence in Life Sciences
Excellence in Advanced Manufacturing
Excellence in Financial Services and Insurance
Innovation in Agriculture, Food and Drink
Visitor Economy Experience
New Business
Business Growth
International Business Growth
Environmental Impact
Retailer of the Year
The awards will give businesses the chance to celebrate their outstanding hard work and success. They are free to enter and nominations close on 30 December 2019.
Shortlisted nominees for all the categories will be put to an independent judging panel, and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony held on 26 March, at the Open Norwich.
In the first episode of series four, Mark and James chat about the importance for business owners and their teams to take effective breaks to recharge their batteries. As usual, they come up with 3 top tips to help achieve this, and along the way they try out their Swedish pronunciation skills and draw inspiration from Gandhi, the benefits of meditation and the Black Eye Peas!
The link to the BBC article they discuss on ‘Little Saturday’ can be found here.
Jugdev Dhillon has opened a new shop at 57 Foregate Street, Stafford.
It’s been a busy few months for TaxAssist Accountant Jugdev Dhillon, who only joined the network in October 2020, but has already opened a shop and bought out a neighbouring practice.
“I’ve certainly hit the ground running, and experienced the busiest part of an accountant’s year, the tax return season, which has been a great introduction to running my own practice,” said Jugdev.
“I’ve really enjoyed meeting and getting to know clients, including many new business start-ups, to explain more about how we can assist them with a whole range of business services, and let them know we are here for a lot more than just tax returns. We also talk clients through a range of software solutions to help them to select the right package for their needs. I’d urge anyone interested in finding out more, to contact us for a free initial consultation.
“I’m so pleased with the new shop, which looks superb and will act as a showcase for the practice for which I have ambitious growth plans. To help facilitate this, I’m currently advertising for a bookkeeper as I’m keen to expand our friendly team of staff.”
If you share a passion to help your local small businesses, a TaxAssist franchise can provide the systems and support you need to be successful. Regular Virtual Discovery Days are being held, where you can find out more about the technical, marketing and business development support on offer. Call 0800 0188297 to register your interest.
Karthik Vasanthakumar has opened a shop at 58 Croydon Road in Caterham
Karthik Vasanthakumar joined the TaxAssist Accountants network in October 2020 and has now opened his first shop in Caterham.
Running his own practice has always been a goal for ACMA-qualified Karthik, who is now relishing meeting with clients and being his own boss.
“I had more than 13 years’ accountancy experience before I joined TaxAssist, in both industry and practice and worked with a range of clients from different sectors. I have a real understanding of the needs of small businesses and am looking forward to sharing my expertise and making a difference to the lives of individuals and businesses in my local community,” said Karthik.
“I enjoy networking and meeting with existing and new clients, explaining what services we offer and how I can help them. I’d encourage anyone interested in finding out more to contact us for a free initial consultation, either by telephone, zoom or face-to-face – whichever is preferred.”
Karthik recently had his car liveried in TaxAssist branding, further advertising his services within his local territory and has already been contacted by interested observers.
“The car is incredibly eye catching and I always get a lot of positive comments when I arrive anywhere, and it’s generated a number of enquiries,” added Karthik. “Do come over and have a chat to me if you see me out and about!”
If you share a passion to help your local small businesses, a TaxAssist franchise can provide the systems and support you need to be successful. Regular Virtual Discovery Days are being held, where you can find out more about the technical, marketing and business development support on offer. Call 0800 0188297 to register your interest.
Since October 2020, The Sounding Board have been helping Norfolk and Suffolk entrepreneurs navigate real-life business challenges through a six-session programme aimed at supporting business leaders with growth and strategic direction.
Their mission is to not only help others in crisis periods but to offer their time and energy to collectively give a little back to both business and good causes. They pledge to raise £50,000 to support the Norfolk Community Foundation in tackling food insecurity.
A chance to meet with this group of professional advisors and generally nice people will be at Hethel Engineering Centre on Tuesday 19th September, between 8 am and 10.30 am. They are hosting a Discovery breakfast: this face-to-face event will be a great opportunity to meet some of the mentors, who have exceptional knowledge, to share and hear experiences from alumni and to understand how it all works. Essentially, this session allows time for participants to come together to share what challenges they face right now and how best to put a plan into action.
John Nortcliffe, Architect & Director, Redhead Architects Ltd, who completed the programme in 2023, said, “My repeated thanks go to Kevan & Saul for all their support on my Sounding Board journey. They both engaged and took the time to understand some of the unique challenges we face as a growing business. As the name suggests, it was useful to sound out many of my thoughts on where to go next and build on what we have. I have already raved on about it to many of my industry peers”.
Founder and Mentor, Richard Ross defines the purpose of the programme; “The entrepreneurial journey is rarely a smooth one and, in good times and bad, there are always big decisions to be made. The Sounding Board is a group of experienced business leaders who you can talk over your dreams and challenges with and together come to better decisions to drive your business forward. It was important to all of us that we give our time free – any fees go directly to support vulnerable families”
Already, they have raised over £13,000, helping SME businesses across Norfolk and Suffolk. All funds raised go directly to, The Nourishing Norfolk Network, who so far, have opened 15 affordable food hubs to ensure communities have access to affordable, healthy food. Norfolk Community Foundation – JustGiving.
Proeon Systems Ltd. are pleased to be working with OceanTools Ltd, following the successful delivery of the first order worth £500,000, Proeon Systems Ltd. confirmed a second order for a further four pressure housing units to value of £250,000. Richard Miller, MD of Proeon Systems commented:
“We are very pleased to have worked with OceanTools on this project. They met the exacting standards required by both Proeon and our customer, and as they delivered a quality product on time and to budget, this has given us the confidence to place a second order with them.”
OceanTools, global leaders in subsea engineering, have secured their second major order with Proeon Systems Ltd, specialist systems integrator based in Norfolk, United Kingdom.
OceanTools have completed the initial contract approaching £500,000, with the manufacture and pressure testing of eight 3000m depth rated pressure housings for Proeon. Machined from super duplex stainless steel and Xylan coated, the deep-water subsea housings form part of a package Proeon is supplying to their client, an oil industry first tier contractor.
The two significant orders are the latest in a series of major pressure housing contract wins for the company. OceanTools recently supported a Tsunami Detection Project in Southeast Asia, delivering Detection Housings to be utilised for early detection of tsunami threat.
Kevin Parker, MD of OceanTools, added:
“We are delighted to work with Proeon to support them with this project. Supplying these units hot on the heels of multiple tsunami detection housings to Indonesia, is great testimony to the design and manufacturing expertise of our team of engineers and support staff. We hope to continue supporting Proeon in the future with their specialised subsea engineering requirements.”
Image: Stuart Low ,OceanTools Machine Shop Manager, with the prepared Pressure Housings ready for delivery.
Upper Sixth student at Langley School, Matt has signed a deal in principle with Ipswich Town Football Club, marking his first ever contract as a professional.
17-year-old Matt is an Academy player in the prestigious Langley Football Academy (LFA) run by former professional Grant Holt, alongside UEAFA A Licenced Coaches.
Langley Headmaster Jon Perriss comments, ‘We are so pleased about this superb milestone for Matt, who has been an integral part of our Langley Football Academy, where he currently receives professional coaching alongside his academic programme at A-Level. It is a pleasure to support Matt and we will all follow his career with huge interest.’
Ipswich Town took to Twitter to say, ‘The 17-year-old attacker has impressed since arriving at the Club in December.’
Follow the LFA on Instagram @langleyfootballacademy
Captions: How Lavender Chase will look. Credit Lovell.
Lovell is bringing a new collection of two-, three- and four-bedroom homes to Hunstanton when it opens Lavender ChaseLavender Chase Hunstanton this year. The new development is now selling from Sowerbys, with people able to reserve the first homes available from its office in Hunstanton. The Lovell show homes and marketing suite will open in November, when people will be able to visit the site.
The total number of new homes will be 108, consisting of 69 open market, 11 shared ownership and 28 affordable housing.
Jane Yolland, regional sales director at Lovell, said: “Lavender Chase is located off King’s Lynn Road and is just minutes from the sea, so it really is about the location here – with quality homes in a seaside location. Of course, Hunstanton is a charming seaside town, known for its unique striped cliffs and magnificent sunsets, as well as thriving community. We’re looking forward to opening the development later this autumn.”
The development is also located next to the new Lovell Later Living development, Driftwoods, with two- and three-bedroom bungalows for the over 55’s, which will also launch later this year. This will be the first Lovell Later Living site in the region.
Hunstanton amenities include independent shops, supermarkets, pubs and eateries, as well as a popular weekly market held on the seafront and traditional seaside attractions. The Victorian town with its Esplanade Gardens is breath-taking and the large sandy beach is renowned by locals and tourists alike. Hunstanton earned the nickname ‘Sunny Hunny’ as being the only west facing resort on the east coast of England and makes for some spectacular sunsets into the evening. The famous striped cliffs are a serene yet spectacular backdrop to this truly impressive seaside town.
Fibre broadband and underfloor heating to the ground floors are included as standard at Lavender Chase and air source heat pumps are used as a greener alternative to traditional gas boiler systems, with these homes designed with both energy efficiency and modern living in mind.
To be the first to find out more information on the new homes coming soon to Hunstanton, you can register your interest here Lavender Chase Hunstanton (lovell.co.uk)Lavender Chase Hunstanton
Sowerbys Hunstanton is located at 54 Westgate, Hunstanton, PE36 5EL.
Tim, Olly, Joanna and Dom from Westcotec will be fearlessly taking the plunge and jumping out of a plane on Saturday 16th September to raise funds for Nelson’s Journey.
Westcotec are one of Nelson’s Journey NJ25 business supporters who, with other NJ25 businesses this year are collectively raising £25,000 which will fund a professionally trained Child Bereavement Support Worker for a year which will help over 100 bereaved children and young people in Norfolk.
The Westcotec team aim to raise £1,920, if you’d like to know more or wish to sponsor us, visit: https://lnkd.in/eezCX-nG
