Do you know your business’ fire safety requirements?
If not, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) is holding an upcoming free webinar on basic fire safety in the next few weeks (date to be confirmed), available for all small business owners in Norfolk.
The webinar will be no more than a couple of hours and will give you the opportunity to get expert advice on how to protect your business safe from fire, and to ask questions. To register your interest in attending, please fill in their web form: click here to complete form
Delivering positive outcomes to over 3,500 to children, young people and families, money
raised from this event will be supporting the charity as it continues making significant impacts
in the local community. Guests will spend an exciting night listening and speaking to “prime
suspects”, working together to solve a 1920s murder mystery!
A two-course meal is included in the price of a ticket, with attendees able to donate in return
for “funny” money to spend at the play casino. For a suspenseful and successful evening, The
Benjamin Foundation is also collaborating with Dreamstone Productions and Kings & Queens
Casino.
The Benjamin Foundation has been helping young people for over 30 years. Through a range of
services focusing on tackling homelessness, supporting emotional wellbeing and access to
move-on support, the charity provides hope, opportunity, and stability for at risk young people
on their journey to independence.
In anticipation of the event, CEO of The Benjamin Foundation, Kirsty Pitcher, says “this event
hopes to bring together familiar supporters and new faces alike for an exciting and engaging
evening, whilst raising funds for the charity.”
With problem-solving skills of their own, Osiris IT have lent their hand to support The Benjamin
Foundation, sponsoring the Murder Mystery Night. “It’s an opportunity to celebrate our working
partnership with their amazing team.” says Phillip Roffe (CEO, Osiris IT). “Being part of The
Benjamin foundations journey and playing a part in the work they do makes the work we do that
much more satisfying and worthwhile. They are a vital part of our community and a lifeline for
young people in our region. We wish everyone a great night and thank them for everything they
do.”
The event will take place on Friday 17th April at Mercure Norwich Hotel. Open to the public, a
two-course meal is included in the ticket price, with money raised to support The Benjamin
Foundation: https://benjaminfoundation.co.uk/support-us/murder-mystery-night/
As Norwich welcomes back Norwich Science Festival, the city is buzzingwith curiosity, creativity and discovery.
The University of East Anglia(UEA) and Norwich Research Parkareinspiring that sense of exploration.
Throughout the Festival, researchers, staffand students will be hosting a series of interactive activitieson their brand-newexhibition stand, bringingcutting-edge research out of the lab and engaging young minds.
The hands-on workshops, activities and demonstrations will cover a huge range of subjects from medicine and physics, to psychology and conservation.
Supporting UEA with bringing this experience to life is Norwich-based experiential marketing agency Image Experiential. Specialists in creating immersive brand spaces, Image Experiential has worked closely with the university to design and build a space where imagination thrives and science is accessible to all.
The Festival is celebrating its 10th birthday this year, and continues to be invaluable for education. Hands-on learning outside the classroom instills curiosity and confidence in children, and sparks interests in science from an early age.
It’s an effort UEA strongly believes in, as Vice-Chancellor Professor David Maguire explains.
“The Norwich Science Festival provides a fantastic opportunity for UEA to showcase a wide range of scientific research to local communities. It brings new ideas and discoveries to the heart of the city, showcasing real impact, answering challenging questions and inspiring the scientists of the future. We’re delighted to continue to support this important celebration of science.”
The Norwich Science Festival is running from the 14th to 21st February 2026, at The Forum. You’ll find the UEA stand inside the Explorium – you won’t be able to miss it!
The full line-up of events, shows, talks and workshops is availablehere.
‘Your hard work and dedication have
clearly stood out, and we’re delighted to recognise your achievement alongside
some of the most exciting SMEs in the UK.’
Our Founder, Simon Wingfield, commented:
‘It is a real privilege to be ranked among the
top SMEs in the UK. This is a testament to the quality of work we provide to
both our clients and local communities.’
Wingfield Consultants have (again) this year
received Select Accredit accreditation.
Select Accredit:
‘We are delighted to inform you that your
Select Accredit application has been successful. By achieving this
accreditation, your organisation will now enjoy the following benefits:
Recognition as an
accredited supplier to the public and private sector buyers using the
Delta portal
Competitive advantage over
other suppliers registered on the Delta portal
Competitive advantage by
being business-ready
A cost-effective method of
marketing your business’
Home Grown supports people to learn to grow and enjoy fresh food themselves.
Corrinne Askaroff, Strategic Operations Officer at Housing 21 said ‘Home Grown brought residents together, reducing isolation, increasing social activities, and generally resulting in residents using our gardens more and increasing social interaction.’
Grow packs cost just £150 and provide enough tools, gloves, seeds, pots, trays, plant labels and compost for 10 residents. We provide regular emails giving guidance with short videos to follow throughout the growing season. Participants can join a private Facebook group to share successes and challenges. We promote sustainable gardening techniques including organic growing, natural pest control, seed saving, upcycled craft items.
More information is available online Home Grown – Groundwork Our charity is celebrating 40 years of supporting and working with East Anglian families and communities to enjoy better health and wellbeing through a wide range of projects and services.
Our latest Impact Report. Our latest charity accounts If you wish to sign up please email us, and if you wish to pay now, using the reference ‘HOME GROWN’, our bank details are Groundwork East Nat West sort code 60-10-39 Account no. 28655907 Please advise our finance team when you make payment via [email protected] with HOME GROWN in the subject.
Our charity, Groundwork East developed ‘Home Grown’ during the pandemic and last year we sent out 127 grow packs to Care Home settings.
Households across Norfolk can benefit from free one-to-one energy efficiency and money saving advice & practical support from community charity, Groundwork East.
Groundwork Green Doctors are energy efficiency experts who provide free support to individuals and households struggling to heat their homes. They can provide advice over the phone or arrange a home visit to offer practical guidance on energy saving, draught proofing, help to understand bills and they can make referrals to other local support services, including debt advice and food banks.
Lots of people are eligible, including people over 65, households with children under 5, those in receipt of benefits and people with physical or mental health conditions.
Figures show that 12.4% of households in South West Norfolk are living in fuel poverty [1] and with previous cuts to winter fuel support, more people are struggling to heat their homes. The service helps residents to keep warmer and reduce their heating costs. Alongside self-referrals, local agencies such as Councils, housing associations, charities and foodbanks can signpost residents to the Green Doctor service referral form.
Support from Groundwork’s Green Doctors is completely free and available to those who are:
Over 65
Households with children (any age)
In receipt of benefits
Struggling to pay energy bills
Finding it hard to manage fuel debt
Getting confused by energy bills
Owing money to energy suppliers
Using alternative methods to stay warm – such as staying in bed or wearing lots of clothes indoors
Worrying about keeping warm or choosing between eating and heating
Feeling that the home is cold, damp, mouldy or draughty
Suffering with respiratory problems e.g. asthma or a persistent cough
Living with physical or mental health conditions.
Eve Lucas, Green Doctor for Groundwork East said:“People in Thetford and surrounding areas are impacted by the rising energy prices, which has a knock-on effect on their wellbeing, including physical and mental health.
“Our Green Doctors provide FREE independent and impartial support to help people stay warm in their homes and help to reduce their utility bills as well as assist with other issues such as mould and condensation, installing energy efficiency measures, and accessing financial support. Anyone struggling with their gas, electricity and water bills or struggling to keep their home warm can receive a pre-booked consultation, either a telephone consultation or an in-home consultation.”
Thetford residents can complete a quick enquiry form online or agencies can refer residents by contacting Eve Lucas, email: [email protected] or call 07736132497 for the next steps. There is more information on the Green Doctor website too.
One of my clients went through a redundancy process a while back and understandably she postponed her lessons. I was delighted to catch-up with her again and learn that she has become inspired to do a qualification which gives her a goal to work towards. A adviser her to look into DELF (Diplome d’Etudes en Langue Francaise) as it gives her a profession qualification & certificate. This qualification also entitles the holder to use it towards citizenship if that becomes something she is interested in considering at some point. We used her lesson this week to go over a test paper so that I could re-assess her current level and develop a personalised curriculum. As her homework I have given her a couple of past papers to work through.
On the exam front one of my other students is working towards his IAL (International Advanced Level) and wants a grade B to enable them to go to their preferred university. He has decided to go through the exams this year rather than as he’d previously decided, to postpone it until next year. We will be ramping up our work with each other to help him best prepare & achieve his objective.
Observing Ramadan means that for some of my clients I’ve had to do quite a bit of rescheduling this week but, as a sole trader, being dynamic and being flexible is a real advantage that I have over large organisations.
This week is my last week on ‘Business Administration & Leadership’ bootcamp course. We’ve finished our course diving into data protection, Power BI, AI assisted data literacy, establishing good relationships and influencing skills. I’ve really enjoyed the course and how it took me out of my comfort zones. In many cases I surprised myself with how the content complimented my existing knowledge, skills & experiences. In other cases, I was introduced to frameworks, methodologies, tools and concepts that were new to me. I’m confident that the bootcamp will help me with my business in terms of better understanding my clients and providing them with better solutions. I will continue to work with ‘Breakthrough’ and join more webinars in the future to keep increasing my skills.
Looking forward, with the bootcamp course completing I will be looking to organise some French language events at beginner, intermediate & advanced levels with the Chamber of Commerce. More on than to come so watch this space or contact me directly if you’d like to know more.
In my voluntary work as a local Town Councillor this week, I attended the Actions Committee where we reviewed all the actions listed from community engagement over a number of years. The new Long Stratton Community Partnership is designed to improve our offering through 3 key workstreams covering People, Businesses & Infrastructure. The outstanding actions on our council plan have been aligned with each of the workstreams so they get greater focus and deliver for our community.
Whatever your motivation, whether you are starting from new and always wanted to learn the language, whether you are more experienced and want to develop your conversation, you might be looking for guidance in-country with healthcare or house buying or perhaps you are looking for support for your business, give me a call with no obligation on 07930 444 078 or email me on [email protected] anytime.
MMC are a firm of lead auditors and ISO quality management consultants that have been providing ISO management services to businesses for over 20 years. We based in Wymondham, Norfolk and have associates across the country.
There are thousands of ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) standards that are available, but we specialise in just a few, Quality (ISO 9001), Environmental (ISO 14001), Health and Safety (ISO 45001), Information Security (ISO 27001) and Greenhouse Gas Verification (ISO 14064) amongst others.
Not just for big organisations, ISO offers several benefits to companies both large and small. Implementing an ISO standard will help a business to improve efficiency and effectiveness, whilst achieving ISO certification is a clear commitment to your customers and clients that you have robust management systems in place.
Our team of lead ISO auditors are backed by a broad experience working with the some of the world’s top industrial powerhouses, as well as SMEs working in niche and specialist sectors.
We provide cost effective ISO certification consultancy which is designed specifically for your company. Our flexible and up front approach works with your existing procedures and systems to improve and refine the way you want to work. We believe that by working alongside you and by immersing ourselves fully within your organisation we can learn your unique requirements and gain an understanding of your key aims and objectives, and structure a plan of assessment to ensure these goals are realistic and achievable.
To find out what MMC can do for your organisation contact us for a free no obligation chat. We aim to help people succeed.
Age UK Norwich has today published its Impact Report 2024–2025, showcasing a year of growth, resilience and significant community impact as the charity approached its 80th anniversary.
The report reveals that during 2024–25, Age UK Norwich supported nearly 8,000 older people across its services (a 38% increase on the previous year), delivered 10,486 advice sessions, and secured £1.5 million for residents facing financial hardship. The CEO and Chair of Trustees foreword underscores the proven value of the charity’s preventative services. Independent findings estimate that £19 million is returned to society through reduced loneliness, improved health, financial stability and decreased pressure on statutory services.
The publication highlights how the charity’s services are making a difference in the city and county. Their Health Coaching service reducing frailty and fear of falling; Complex Community Support and Befriending services tackling isolation in one of England’s loneliest cities; and its Accredited Advice team responding to rising pensioner poverty and fuel hardship.
The year also marked significant progress in making Norwich an Age Friendly City. In partnership with Norwich City Council, Age UK Norwich secured official Age Friendly status from the Centre for Ageing Better and launched the State of Ageing in Norwich report, setting out priorities for housing, transport and tackling inequalities.
The charity, founded in 1945, celebrated their 80th year in 2025, with a week-long exhibition in the forum in August, but are clear about the challenges facing the city and county.
Dan Skipper, Chief Executive Officer of Age UK Norwich, said:
“Norfolk has one of the oldest populations in the country – our response must match the scale of that challenge if we want to Norwich and Norfolk to be a place where our later life is filled with opportunity and independence. Unless we invest at scale in community and preventative services, we will continue to see the current trends of increasing frailty and disability, people leaving work due to their health and caring responsibilities, and shorter life expectancy.”
The Charity has set out clear recommendations to commissioners and policymakers:
Plan to Scale preventative services that are proven to work.
Invest in Prevention, shifting away from purely clinical responses.
Fund the Intervention, directing resources to frontline community support.
Empower Older Workers through Age Friendly employment practices.
Bridge the Gap between services so people do not fall through departmental silos.
Alastair Roy, Chair of Trustees, said:
“The evidence of our charity impact is clear – from how we improve the lives of our clients, getting people get back to work or enjoying their later life, to the social and economic value we generate. Investing in community-based preventative services improves lives and reduces pressure on NHS and care services. We’ve been recognised nationally for our services – we now need to see that locally.”
The charity is inviting residents, partners and businesses to read the report, get involved and help shape the next chapter of the charity’s future.
Read the full report
The full Our Impact 2024–2025 report is available to download
Valentine’s Day is blooming and just over 3 weeks away!
As the calender edges closer to the most romantic day of the year. Love is in the air and so is the excitement for fresh, romantic flowers. Whether it’s a grand gesture or a simple “I Adore You” nothing captures the moment quite like a beautiful bouquet.
We at Arcade Florist are preparing for all your floral gifts and romantic jesters to your loved ones.
Add something a little extra like Chocolates, Teddies, Balloons, Petals, Valentine decorations and much more!!
Call 01493 843958 to arrange delivery and collection.