We had our second Christmas Dinner Dance Event of the year on Saturday here at the BEST WESTERN Brook Hotel, Norwich and yet again, some really lovely feedback.
We are so proud!
Make sure you celebrate in style this year at a Brook Christmas Diner Dance – Tickets still available for 13th and 14th December andd we also have a couple of tables left for the Soul & Motown Event this Friday 6th December.
As the 2007-2013 Rural Development Programme comes to a close, we are looking forward to readying ourselves for the 2014-2020 programme. A series of workshops are planned so local people can get involved with the planning of funding strategies.
Delivery of programme funding is through the LEADER approach, which is a bottom-up programme, designed to be developed at a grass roots level, to deliver funding for the most appropriate localities, business sectors and communities, to develop and sustain the rural economy.
It is important for good attendance at these workshops to ensure we gather as much input as possible to build a strong strategy for the proposed action group area and give it the best chance of obtaining funding in the next round. If you know of anyone who should attend, please pass on this invitation.
To book a place, contact [email protected] or call 01603 222302. Please let us have: Your name; the organisation you represent; contact details; and the workshop you would like to attend.
A Norfolk IT Company is warning of cases of one of the deadliest threats to date for PCs and the data stored there in.
React Computer Partnership with a branch in Beccles are seeing an increasing number of virus attacks called Cryptolocker. Director Richard Pledger explains “It’s probably the worst we have seen for a good while.” “Cryptolocker basically encrypts your data and gives you a message saying you have something like 70 or 100 hours after which we will destroy the key and your data will be useless. And it’s serious. Once your PC is infected you have two options; remove the virus and go back to a good backup, or pay the money.”
Top security experts warn, if you don’t have a good backup and don’t pay the money there is no way of unencrypting the data. F-Secure – one of the world’s top Virus Protection companies so far has tried and failed to get around Cryptolocker the hackers have done such a good job. You may well wonder why has this latest deadly virus been created? Well earlier this year, researchers from Symantec who infiltrated the servers of one ransomware syndicate conservatively estimated that its operators were easily able to clear $5 million per year.
React have been monitoring reports which say if you pay up the hackers behind Cryptolocker will send the key, to unlock your data. However as Richard explains there’s no guarantee “We have seen some companies successfully receiving the key to unlock their data after of course paying a substantial ransom but the worry is that once they’ve infiltrated your networks with this virus there is no way of knowing what may happen in the future.”
So how does it infect files? Cryptolocker is often spread by the DHL type email which has been common recently arriving in your inbox with a zip file attachment, although React have seen some as a harmless-looking word document attachments.
How can I protect my PCs? Firstly you must make sure your antivirus software is up to date, and don’t open any attachments you are unsure of. Make a current back up and keep it up to date without a backup your only choice is to pay up or lose your data.
Richard concludes “Please do take notice, protect your PCs and spread the word amongst your own email contacts too – it’s the only sure way hackers can be defeated effectively, in the meantime please take this warning seriously and do stay safe.” For Cryptolocker updates go to www.reactcp.co.uk
Staff at Norwich based Waveney Insurance Brokers wore onesies and pyjamas to work on Friday to raise money for Children in Need. Others baked Pudsey themed cakes and other assorted goodies which were sold with proceeds contributing to the £234 total raised.
Colleagues at Waveney’s Lowestoft branch joined in with a dress down day and Managers making tea and coffee throughout the day in return for donations.
Schemes Managing Director David Malone said ‘It was all a bit of light hearted fun in the name of a good cause. We’re aware of several local community based projects that have benefitted from the support they’ve received from Children in Need and are always happy to do our bit’.
Bigfork have designed a new website for the A47 Alliance, a body made up of representatives from the business community and local authorities, which makes the case for improvements across the A47 from the A1 at Peterborough to Great Yarmouth.
The Agricultural Division of TekPro, which is possibly best known for its’ development and manufacture of the Samplex range of bulk samplers, is currently flying the flag for British manufacturing in Australia. Although TekPro has been receiving orders from around the globe for several years now, the recent introduction of the CS6000 has opened new doors to many larger storage facilities ‘Down Under’. Larger articulated vehicles required a new method for taking samples in a more cost effective and efficient manner.
The CS6000 rail systems, which have a sampling area of 14m -28m, allow a variety of vehicle sizes to be sampled with ease and confidence by the operative. The representative samples use air to blow them back to a control area, which allow operators to be in a clean and safe environment throughout the process.
TekPro are specialists in electro-mechanical engineering and are based in North Walsham, Norfolk. The Samplex range of samplers has been manufactured for 25 years in 2014 and the company prides itself on retaining customers from 1989 to today. TekPro enjoys a reputation for product quality, on-time delivery and competitive pricing. Substantial overseas orders have recently been placed which have enabled an increase in staff.
Visit our website at www.tekpro.com for more information.
EXTRA DATES ADDED FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER DANCES THIS YEAR… Due to the popularity of our dinner dances this year and we are now fully booked for next weekend’s events we have added to more options for you! Join us on Monday 23rd December or Tuesday 24th December for a Classic Christmas Dinner Dance Event here at the Best Western Brook Hotel Norwich – Delicious 3 Course Evening Meal will be served on arrival followed by an evening of entertainment with our resident DJ playing all your favourite songs to take you through to midnight – Just £19.50 per person!
We are winding down for Christmas this week as the corporate activity slows down, the staff have all worked extra hard since the middle of November with the rush of coach groups staying to come and see the Thursford Christmas Show and for a City Shopping Break, our Dinner Dances and Staff Parties started on 22nd November and have been going on most evenings since and our Christmas menu for lunch and dinner in the Restaurant has been proving very popular too!
This has all cooled down for a few days so the stff are having a wll earned rest today and tomorrow ready for the weekend’s events and then we have the big Christmas Break – lots of guests all staying for 4 nights to share their Christmas with us here at the Brook along with many local residents fro around the Norwich area joining us for our fabulous four course Christmas Day lunch – this is also now fully booked which is fantastic news!!
With it being slower on the corporate front though we have bedrooms available which means we can share our last minute availability with you at some fantastic rates…
If you are out celebrating this week why not make the most of it and stay overnight here at the Best Western Brook Hotel? We can offer you a room Wed, Thurs, Fri or Sun for just £50 for 2 people sharing and if you want, we will also throw in a free breakfast the next day for you! (Saturday night will be £65)
We also have spaces available on our last 2 Christmas Dinner Dance Events and can offer these places for just £10 instead of £19.50! If you are interested in booking a room or a table for one of the Dinner Dance eventssimply call us on 01603 741161
Global-leading energy technology services company Proserv is looking to increase its workforce and presence in East Anglia as the manufacturing side of the business continues to expand.
Involvement in new projects means Proserv plans to recruit more than 90 people in the region over the course of the coming year. During 2013, the firm added 60 additional personnel in East Anglia.
Customer demand for the company’s industry leading subsea control and communications equipment has also led to Proserv submitting a planning application to extend one of the workshops in Great Yarmouth.
Proserv’s chief executive officer, David Lamont, said: “This growth signifies another major milestone in the successful evolution of our company and one that further reinforces our rapidly-evolving status as a leading energy services company in the marketplace.
“With a very healthy order book for the forthcoming year and as we look to launch a number of exciting new tools and technologies to market for the first time, 2014 looks set to be another significant year for the company.”
Exceptional international growth has seen the firm treble the size of its Europe West Africa (EWA) region headquarters in Aberdeen and announce it will be taking on new staff throughout its business sites.
Within the past two years alone, Proserv has experienced a phenomenal 75% rise in turnover from £112million ($181million) in 2011 to around £196million ($316million) in 2012 with expected turnover for the year ending 2013 anticipated to further increase by up to 40% to circa £269million ($434million).
In addition to this, the company has grown its talent pool between 2012 and 2013 by around 25% from 1,600 to over 2,000. Proserv is also actively looking to recruit a further 150 personnel over the next six months with around half of this job creation expected to be in Aberdeen City and Shire.
Earlier this year, the company’s outstanding growth was industry recognised when Mr Lamont won Private Equity Backed Business in the EY UK Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 awards.
Mr Lamont, who was also named EY Scottish Entrepreneur of the Year, was praised for the company’s impressive acquisition strategy, its geographical reach and the opportunities for further expansion while he was also recognised for moulding “a phenomenal business of a truly global nature” at the Scottish awards.
Through establishing a significant 40-year track record for delivering high-value bespoke technologies and services, which are underpinned by its dedicated engineering expertise, Proserv has fast emerged as a leading energy industry specialist particularly in the drilling, production, subsea and marine market sectors.
The company operates worldwide across several regions and currently employs more than 2,000 people globally.
Adapt Commercial is looking for an experienced and successful sales professional to assist the group on a consultancy basis to further develop its portfolio of work. Click here for more information.
Interested individuals should return their CV and covering letter to Angela Larke, Senior Administrator and Head of Commercial Administration via [email protected] by 12 noon Monday 13th January 2014.