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Norwich Sunblinds have launched their new corporoate uniform. Our St Benedict Street Showroom staff can be seen modelling the new look.

They’re normally used to charging fares for moving people around our great county of Norfolk but for staff at Courtesy Taxis in Norwich, they’re also fundraising as the latest local company to sign up to the nook business network.

This new corporate scheme, supporting East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) nook appeal to deliver a new purpose-built children’s hospice in the heart of Norfolk, encourages companies small, medium and large to commit to raising either £10,000, £15,000 or £25,000 over the duration of the appeal in return for a number of benefits and support the charity will provide.

The long established taxi firm based in Prince of Wales Road in Norwich, which rose to fame following the Channel 4 documentary ‘The Minicab Office – Up All Night’ has more than 70 cars, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, has committed to raising £15,000 over the term of the appeal. The company has really hit the ground running and been extremely pro-active promoting the appeal to their customers and corporate clients.

Their 4 large TV screens in their 50-seater waiting room now proudly promotes the appeal and encourages others to join with their support. There is also a coin collector on site where customers can donate their loose change.

All vehicles will adorn the nook logo promoting not only the partnership with Courtesy Taxis but also encouraging others to support the appeal too.

On the fundraising side, staff are already planning a sponsored event in which all the drivers can participate in and plansare well underway for a Family Fun Day to be held at Sprowston Social Club on Sunday 21st June.

Mark Streeter, Owner and Managing Director of Courtesy Taxis, said: “Myself and all the staff are delighted to be supporting the nook appeal. It is a local charity and we recognise what a fantastic job they do. We are keen to help reach the goal of opening the nook as we realise that new facilities and space are desperately required. We have some great plans to help reach our target and we look forward to working with the team at EACH.”

Gary Cook, the nook appeal corporate fundraiser, said: “I’m delighted that Mark, Lisa, Rosie and all at Courtesy Taxis have decided to support our appeal. For a taxi company that covers the whole of the Norfolk community, the same community that will be served by the new hospice, this really represents a good fit and partnership.

“Having already had a couple of meetings with the team at Courtesy it’s apparent they are an extremely creative group with a real desire to not only achieve their fundraising target but also to promote our appeal to others which is fantastic. I’m really looking forward to working with them throughout the appeal and hopefully beyond.”

Anyone who is interested in finding out more about the appeal or the nook business network, should contact the Norfolk Fundraising Team on 01603 666767 or [email protected] and for more information about Courtesy Taxis visit: www.courtesytaxis.com

Alan Boswell Group, a Top 20 UK independent insurance broker and financial planner has quietly gone about becoming one of the country’s top brokers for Landlords Insurance.

With over 17,000 landlord clients, the business, formed in 1982 by Chairman, Alan Boswell, has built its customer base through a focus on both product and service.

This attention to detail has now been recognised by the industry with defaqto, the leading provider of independent research into financial products, awarding the group the highest possible defaqto rating, 5 stars, for three of their Landlord Insurance policies. No other company has more.

Heath Alexander-Bew, Director of Alan Boswell Insurance Brokers, said “Our defaqto ratings reflect the effort we have put in to our policies. We have listened to our customers to deliver a product that, we feel, is outstanding in terms of quality of cover.”

The group have also been the recipient of Service Supplier of the Year from the Landlords & Lettings Awards for the past two years. An accolade unmatched by any other landlord Insurance provider. The awards recognise excellence in the private rented sector and the group is hopeful they can hold on to the title they first won in 2013.

But industry awards don’t tell the full story and the group has committed to finding out how their customers feel about their service levels and the quality of their products. Using third party review company, Feefo, to obtain real customer reviews they have been thrilled with the response from their clients. “It is early days but we currently have a service level score of 99%” said Heath.

“We make every effort to make sure our customers feel valued at all times. Whether it is the first time that they call us up for a quote to when they need to make a claim. We will always be there to help.” Heath is referring to the dedicated claims team that the company maintain. Sixteen experienced staff members whose sole focus is helping clients resolve claims. Large or small.

“Our team has worked on over 2,500 Landlord Insurance claims in the last twelve months alone. With an average claim value of over £3,500 it means they have dealt with losses worth over £9.5m.”

Going forward the company are now investing in updating their online quote system and hiring a new team member dedicated to working with letting agents to improve service levels in this area of the industry.

“We’re constantly developing our offer. It was feedback from our letting agent partners that has led to the redevelopment of our online quote engine. This is not an industry that you can afford to sit still in.”

You can find out more about Alan Boswell Group Landlord Insurance here

Defaqto details can be obtained here

Landlord & lettings award details can be found here

Feefo ratings can be reviewed here

• £30 PER YEAR FOR EVERYONE THATLIVES IN YOUR HOUSE
• 4 FLOODLIT TENNIS COURTS
• ONLINE COURT BOOKINGS
• PLAY 24/7 365 DAYS A YEAR
• SECURE GATE ENTRY SYSTEM
• ALL WEATHER COURTS
• WIMBLEDON TICKETS
• 2 WEEKS FREE COACHING

It really is that simple,playtennis in the beautifulsurroundings of Eaton Parkall year round for as little as£30 a year.

The courts are located near the central band stand and are a few minutes walk fromthe car park. There are four new floodlit courts which are playable in all weathers andare some of the best courts to play on in the county.

Visit our website www.norwichparkstennis.co.uk

We’ve talked about the virtues of Sky AdSmart for a little while now, and our latest production in collaboration with media agency Media Managers was for local client Norwich Sunblinds. We’ve produced radio commercials for Norwich Sunblinds in the past, so it is great to work with the team again, this time for TV.

The commercial is set in a customer’s home and we capture the staff discussing options and installing the products which in turn ‘transform’ the rooms throughout the house as the commercial progresses. Livening up the dining room, living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom with everything from bright, bold images through to softer pastels/florals and colourful stripes.

The commercial plays out on Sky from April 2015.

Andy Mackay, Operations Director at KLM UK Engineering attendedthe Norwich Venta Probus Club as a speaker during April. The club is formed from retired professional business people and meets monthly at Park Farm Hotel, each meeting a different speaker presents.Andy gave a presentation about KLM UK Engineering and its products which range from aircraft maintenance to technical training, with disassembly of aircraft taking place too.

We would like to thank Peter Townroe, Club President & his colleagues for the £25 donation to a charity of our choice, which is East Anglian Air Ambulance.

KLM UK Engineering has been supporting the Air Ambulance for a number of years and makes regular donations from charity events.

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Allman Woodcock Ltd has successfully helped deliver the completion of two new industrial premises in Gorleston. The units consist of high specification office and commercial accommodation, with car parking and yard spaces. They have been speculatively developed by Great Yarmouth Borough Council, with Allman Woodcock providing an Employer’s Agent and Quantity Surveying services.

Our services included assembling a design team, selecting a contractor and administering the construction contract to deliver the project. Construction of a further two units has recently commenced and these are anticipated to be completed later in 2015.

For further details of Beacon Park and the completed buildings please visit www.beaconpark.co.uk

Swarm is really pleased to welcome Megan Kennedy who has become the newest member of the Operations team at Swarm HQ in Wymondham.

Megan’s main duty is to work closely with businesses who wish to employ a Swarm apprentice and identify the right individual that has the potential to deliver impact and also matches the needs of the role/organisation.

Jessica Juby, Operations Manager at Swarm, comments on the position and how important it is in starting the process of driving enterprise within organisations, “Megan has only been here a short while so far and I can really see the positive impact she’s having on the team and the business. Having worked in similar roles before, Megan already knows what going the extra mile is to get the perfect match between employer and apprentice. Everyone, Megan included, is delighted to have the freedom to put forward fresh new ideas.”

Chris Perry, Swarm’s Managing Director, said, “It’s really exciting that due to Swarm’s growth, we welcome another member of the team to really make sure our businesses are getting the best service as possible in the recruitment process.” He continues to say, “Megan has a passion for supporting young people into apprenticeships and as we are putting her through Swarm’s enterprise Level 3 training, we look forward to empowering her to make a real impact in the team.”

As a Swarm apprentice, Megan has already proven her ability to spot opportunities to refine and make systems more efficient and has been contributing to the development of the operations function.

On joining the company, Megan commented, “It’s great to be a part of this rapidly growing organisation and seeing how they’re innovating with apprenticeships. It’s a sector that I’ve always wanted to work in and I’m looking forward to growing my career with them.”

Swarm looks forward to growing the team even further as awareness of Swarm grows throughout the East of England and beyond.

Ends

• Fire damage continues to be most costly claim for landlords
• Escape of water will affect 1 in 20 landlords each year
• Wilful acts of vandalism and theft accountable for 11% of claims

Landlords are leaving themselves vulnerable to a multitude of risks, according to new research from Alan Boswell Group*, costing the industry millions. Nearly one in three (29%) of all claims made by landlords is for escape of water, while electrical fires do the most damage with an average claim for £53,000.

Fire incidents still account for largest insurance claims

Risk to life is the most important reason to ensure that fire precautions are taken seriously but the risk to financial health should also prompt landlords to improve prevention, detection and tackling fires.

Whilst electrical fire accounted for just 13 claims out of the 2697 claims made by landlords clients of the group in the past twelve months (less than 0.5%), the total cost claimed was a whopping £687,395 giving an average claim value of £52,876 – almost double that of any other claim type.

Along with accidental fire, unknown cause and arson, electrical fires made up the top four places in the list of highest value claims with over £3m worth of claims made last year – 32% of the total value of claims.

Water damage most common reason for insurance claim

With fire being the most costly element it was left to water to be the most prevalent. Flooding and escape of water accounted for over 845 claims. That figure represents over 30% of all claims and was almost 5% of all Alan Boswell Group landlord clients. Indicating that 1 out of every 20 landlords are likely to suffer water related damage in any given year!

Claims were of a lower value however. Flooding averaged over £13,000 per claim, but escape of water averaged £2,400. It is clear that keeping those pipes well lagged makes good commercial sense.

Mother Nature had a hand in a considerable number of other claims. Storm damage generated 470 claims costing nearly £1m, subsidence another £600,000 worth of damage.

But it is often human nature (or lack of) that leaves us feeling most affected. Theft, accidental damage, liability and malicious damage accounted for nearly another 1,000 claims worth nearly £2m.

Health & Safety for Landlords

With nearly £10m in claims made by landlord clients of the company in the past year, Alan Boswell Group are recommending that Landlords stay well ahead of legislation when it comes to health and safety.

“Landlords should not be reacting to changes in the rules. They should be making them.” Said Steve Cox, Account Executive at Alan Boswell Insurance Brokers. “With tougher regulations coming into force later this year making it a legal requirement for landlords to have smoke detectors in their properties we would hope that all landlords are already meeting this basic requirement. Proactively working towards providing the safest environment will make their properties appealing to prospective tenants whilst arguably reducing costs in the long term.

“Being reliant on your landlords’ insurance policy to cover any financial losses is not always guaranteed and, clearly, does not cover any losses to life.”

The company offer a range of Landlords’ Insurance products and have recently won general Supplier of the Year at the annual Landlords & Lettings Awards as well as having three of their Landlord Insurance products rated five-stars by Defaqto, more than any other company.

*Research was carried out by Alan Boswell Group among 21,821 Landlord Client

About Alan Boswell Group

Alan Boswell Group (ABG) is a Top 20 UK Independent Chartered Insurance Brokers* and regional Independent Financial Planners with over 220 staff based across five locations – Norwich, Attleborough, Bury St Edmunds, Peterborough and London. Established in 1982 the company offers a wide range of insurance broking and financial services from landlords’ insurance and self-drive hire to pensions, protection and investment advice. Alan Boswell Group are proud sponsors of NCFC and look after the insurance for the Championship Club.

Alan Boswell product news https://www.alanboswell.com/news/ For an introduction to what we do and how we do it, please click here https://www.alanboswellgroup.com/about-us/ Follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/abgroup

* Insurance Age Top 100 Independent Brokers 2015

If you read our blogs regularly, you’ll probably know that Pure is a real supporter of employee engagement. It works for everyone – it adds to the bottom line while giving people a great place to work.

Through our ownBest Employer awardswe’re seeing more and more fantastic engagement strategies being created by employers of all sizes around the East of England. Whether they’re charities, manufacturers, accountancy firms, media agencies or retailers, employers of all kinds are seeing the benefits from truly engaging with their people.

But we remain curious as to what other organisations are doing, since we want to learn from it ourselves, and we’re sure that you would like to keep up to date on what’s happening in the world of employee engagement too.

So we’ve been looking around for more inspiring examples of what employers are doing at the moment. Here are just a few that might just whet your appetite if you’re thinking of ramping up your own engagement activities.

1. State Street staff give TED talks

State Street, America’s second oldest financial institution is responsible for 12% of the world’s assets. Yet, this long-established organisation is moving with the times and embracing technology in its employee engagement activity – the firm has an exciting partnership withonline talk series, TED.

Employees submit presentation ideas for their own TED talks, and those shortlisted are coached by TED to refine their presentations. Employees present their work at the TED@State Street event held each year. Colleagues, friends and families are invited to attend, and presentations even go online onTED’s website.

2. Sainsbury’s very own heroes

Sainsbury’s employees’ receive recognition and rewards for outstanding contribution to charity and community support through the retailer’s Local Heroes scheme. Some staff have even been rewarded a trip to St Lucia to find out more about how Fairtrade supports banana farmers on the island, and their local communities.

And when not running one of the UK’s biggest supermarkets, CEO Justin King is listening to ideas from staff, and putting some of them into action. ‘Tell Justin’ is a scheme where people send their suggestions directly to him by text, email or postcard, and each message receives an individual response within six weeks.

3. Wellness scheme for international Mars staff

Multinational giant, Mars, runs a global wellness initiative for its employees, or associates, calledWinning with Wellness. The company offers discounted gym memberships, wellness weeks, health screenings, support for people who want to stop smoking, free activities such as yoga, football and badminton, on-site physiotherapy, on-site massage, theatre trips, among other activities, at sites around the world. Everyone is encouraged to get involved, and, importantly, activities are adapted according to the culture of each regional Mars site.

4. Engagement app at Heathrow

With most of Heathrow’s employees working across different areas of the huge airport, the staff engagement is a real challenge. So they developed an app for staff smartphones – it’s the ideal way to communicate with people on the move or working shifts. The content is regularly updated by employees themselves, sharing important information such as security notices and daily briefs.

5. Royal Mail staff website

With similar issues to Heathrow Airport, Royal Mail employees are located all over the UK, without desks or access to traditional employee communications, creating significant challenges for the company to keep people engaged. The company’s very own employee website,My Royal Mail, provides colleagues with relevant and topical content, input from the CEO, information about employee benefits, employee shares, charity news, competitions and opinion polls.

6. Pure’s wellbeing and fundraising combo

We couldn’t resist including our very ownPedometer Challenge, which combines our wellbeing strategy with our work for charities. Our staff in our offices in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich and Norwich take part in lunchtime walks, recording their mileage on pedometers as they go. Distances are logged and when we reach a combined target of 500 miles, Pure makes a corporate donation to our chosen charities.

If you want more information about employee engagement and its benefits to your organisation and its workforce, why not give us a call on 01223 299888.