MOA are proud to have been involved with Break charity andthe GoGoDragons! project for the last 18 months. Working with this small charity with a big heart has been an emotional journey. We have touched many lives and given young people a better start in life as a result. We produced this short video as one of our dragons headed towards the auction from it’s home. The Artist John Stokes, a Shakespearean Actor who has performed at the Maddermarket theatre many times, an accomplished graphic artist and all round gentleman says farewell to GoGoMadder in his own style.
Avendra Narayan CPA has become the first Australian TaxAssist Accountants franchisee. Avendra, who has over 45 years’ experience in accounting, business and finance has opened a shop in the Liverpool district of Sydney, New South Wales.
Joining Australia’s newest network of accountants, and becoming its first franchisee held no fear for Avendra, who was attracted to the shop concept and business development initiatives offered by TaxAssist. “Many people will ask what makes TaxAssist so different?” said Avendra. “Really, it boils down to offering a more comprehensive, all round service, specifically for small businesses – if you like – a ‘one-stop-shop’.”
All TaxAssist shops are based in accessible, convenient locations. Avendra continues “The look and feel of the shops are completely different from traditional accounting practices. We know clients will appreciate our open, welcoming look and we want clients to enjoy coming through the door. Gone are the days of feeling inhibited by a trip to your accountant. The shop certainly seems to be working too, in the first two weeks of opening, I signed 14 clients, the majority of which were walk-in clients!”
The Liverpool shop joins the Forster, Woolgoolga and Taree branches, which opened in January and are operated by Master Franchisees Terry Murphy and Celeste Godwin.
TaxAssist is looking to grow its network by joining forces with other accountants. If you are interested in finding out more, please visit the Australian franchisee recruitment website www.taxassistfranchise.com.au.
TaxAssist has over 280 practices in the UK and over 20 in the Republic of Ireland.
David Paulson, Senior Manager for UK and International Recruitment, and James Mattam, Senior Business Development Manager at TaxAssist Accountants, are back from a successful trip to Australia, where they delivered training, looked for future shop sites and attended the Sydney Franchising and Business Opportunities Expo with TaxAssist Master franchisees Terry Murphy and Celeste Godwin.
Terry and Celeste are business partners who have been running their own practices across New South Wales and Queensland for over 10 years and are TaxAssist’s first Australian Master Franchisees. They have so far rebranded three of their existing premises in Forster, Woolgoolga and Taree into TaxAssist offices, and have taken on their first franchisee, Avendra Narayan, who has opened a shop in the Liverpool district of Sydney, New South Wales.
David comments, “Terry and Celeste have done a fantastic job so far in promoting the TaxAssist brand in Australia. Myself and James have enjoyed seeing how far things have come already, and offering advice and guidance on further development. The potential for both master franchisees and franchisees is huge in Australia, which has a buoyant small business market which is largely untapped. The franchise exhibition, at which we had a stand, was very well attended and we were inundated with enquiries, so we are hopeful that we should see more franchisees joining us soon.”
Campaign is aleading magazine in the advertising industry that often features work from the biggest London brands and agencies. Every year,they publish a ‘School Report’ that ranks agencies according to billings,based on datafrom Nielson.
2016 is the first time that JMS has been featuredin the published list and is the only company based inEast Anglia, with the exception of creative production houseFall Off The Wallin Hertfordshire. It can often be challenging for a rural media company to compete with others from large media hubs, such as London, Manchester and Birmingham, but 2015 was a busy year for JMS that involvedworking with big names in cruising, toysand services.
The company is thrilled to berecognised amongst the top players in the industry and looks forward to helping more brands grow this year through TV advertising, which continues to be the most effective advertising medium and is constantly evolving to become more targeted and more accessible for smaller brands.
If you would like to know more about TV or radio advertising, visit the JMS Group website or call 01603 811855.
Banham Zoo is delighted to share some heart-warming festive news with the announcement of two newly hatched African black-footed penguin chicks, a joyful milestone for this endangered species.
Earlier this summer, in June, Banham Zoo proudly welcomed a group of African black-footed penguins from Hertfordshire Zoo, adding to our already established colony of African black-footed penguins as part of the international breeding programme dedicated to safeguarding the future of the species. We are thrilled to report that the penguins have settled in exceptionally well and are already playing a valuable role in conservation efforts.
Maneno and Jozini have successfully hatched chicks: Pumpkin, born on 31st October, and Spice, who followed shortly after on 3rd November. Keepers report that both chicks, along with their attentive parents, are doing extremely well.
With African Black-footed penguin populations continuing to decline and fewer than 10,000 breeding pairs remaining worldwide, every successful hatching represents a vital step forward. Alongside its breeding efforts, Banham Zoo is proud to support the vital conservation work of SANCCOB (the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds), whose teams work tirelessly in South Africa to rescue, rehabilitate and release African penguins affected by oil spills, climate change and food shortages.
Sophie Imhof, Team Leader of the Bird team at Banham Zoo said,
‘We couldn’t be happier to welcome Pumpkin and Spice, especially at such a magical time of year. Seeing Maneno and Jozini settle in so quickly and successfully raise two healthy chicks has been wonderful for the whole team. With African black-footed penguins under so much pressure in the wild, every new chick really does matter and these two are a lovely reminder of why conservation work like this is so important.’
To celebrate the arrival of Pumpkin and Spice, Banham Zoo has launched new penguin adoption packs, offering supporters a meaningful way to help protect this endangered species. Adopters will be able to follow the penguins’ story as they grow, while directly supporting conservation efforts both at the zoo and in the wild, making it a truly special gift this Christmas.
Just to note – As a precautionary measure due to current bird flu restrictions, visitors are not able to enter the penguin habitat at this time. However, there are several designated viewing areas around the habitat, offering guests the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the penguins and observe the family from a safe distance.
James Reed, Chairman of the Reed Global group of companies, will officially open a REED Megasite in Norwich on Tuesday 19th April. The aim of the office will be to continue to serve the business community across a number of fast growth sectors in the East of England.
Employing more than 30 people, the site will deliver specialist recruitment services to businesses across a number of disciplines. These include Accountancy, HR, Finance, Marketing and Creative, Business Support, Hospitality and Leisure for both temporary and permanent workers.
Melanie Marjoram, business director at REED Norwich, says: “Opening an office of this size is a real measure of the growth the city has experienced in recent years. Norwich has an exciting and varied jobs market which is why it needs a recruitment centre that can offer a variety of bespoke options for all recruitment needs.”
In addition to catering for jobs in a number of sectors, the REED Megasite in Norwich will offer enhanced facilities for both candidates and clients. These will include a number of workshops, including skill set and role play workshops, testing suites and interview rooms. There are a growing number of REED Megasites in the UK and across the globe in specially selected areas where jobs and industries require a wide range of specialist skills to suitably provide for the market.
Melanie Marjoram continued: “The facilities for both individuals and businesses at the site are high quality. With a range of training options to improve and expand skills, the opportunities to develop with REED are vast. The skills gained will help candidates and REED work together to set a successful career path, and businesses to flourish. With the new Megasite bringing so much to the local community, it will be great to have our chairman James Reed to open it on April 19th, and launch all the good work we want to do.”
The new REED Megasite is located at Seebohm House, 2-4 Queen Street, Norwich, NR2 4SQ. The Launch will commence from 15:00 to 18:00. Please join us in our celebrations with refreshments and Canapes on offer.
To attend, or for more information, please call Michelle Topley, Office Manager at REED Norwich, on 01603 616190 or email [email protected]
Jen Little, Practice Recruitment Specialist at the Cambridge office of Pure Resourcing Solutions (Pure), has completed a 75km trek across the Sahara desert to raise money for the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity (ARHC) and has described it as ‘the most amazing and phenomenal experience’.
Having spent six months undergoing some intensive preparation training, Jen was one of eight members of Team ARHC who took on the epic walk through temperature conditions ranging from a scorching 40 degrees in the day to just 0 degrees when camping at night. The other team members included the charity’s CEO Lynn Morgan, staff at the hospice and other local business people including Steve Mitcham, CEO of Cambridge Business Society.
The group hiked across the desert for several days from 17th March with just their guide, and the camels who were carrying the minimal luggage they were allowed, for company. Having made it safely back in one piece, aching legs and the odd blister aside, Jen has already said she would return to the Sahara in a heartbeat.
“However much I thought I knew what it would be like, it was even more beautiful than I could have imagined”, said Jen. “It was an amazing and phenomenal experience as well as being hard work and scary all at the same time. Essentially we just walked, ate and slept but we really bonded as a team throughout and got to see some spectacular sights. We were up before 6am each morning and watched the most beautiful sunrises and the sunsets were equally as stunning. We were in bed by about 8.30pm most nights but we did also have time to marvel at the stars. Because there is no light pollution in the desert you really can see every star in the night sky.”
The team had to battle through a sand storm towards the end of the trip which meant they actually completed the journey slightly quicker than they had anticipated.
Jen, who has been an ambassador for ARHC for the last eight years, added: “When the sand storm came in it really reduced our visibility and dropped the temperature. We were advised to either all bunker down in one tent until it passed or to keep on walking through it to escape the storm quicker. We choose to keep on walking which meant we reached our finish goal earlier than we expected. But it was like being completely sand blasted and the only bits of ourselves we really dared have exposed were our hands. When we reached the end we all felt an overwhelming sense of achievement. We’d taken on a challenge and really risen to it and conquered it as a team.”
The sponsorship money for Team ARHC is still coming in, but with all eight team members having already averaged around £2,000 each, the overall amount looks set to be a significant amount for the charity. ARHC is the only adult hospice in Cambridgeshire and provides specialist palliative care and support to adult patients and their family, friends and carers. The money raised will be used to support the creation of a new 24-bed facility at the hospice which is set to be an exemplar in hospice design and will offer patients a more spacious, attractive and therapeutic environment.
Age UK Norwich and the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) have released a powerful new video aimed at healthcare professionals to raise awareness about the growing issue of frailty and falls in Norfolk.
Paint Out is a juried “En Plein Air” competition based in Norwichand MOA Marketing help with the advertising and social media aspects of this yearly event. A new spin off event was hosted in Wells next the sea on the picturesc Norf Norfolk close this year. This included a public “Sunrise Event” where the artists were joined by members of the public and invited to paint the amazing colours of the early morning sun. The event culminates in an auction of one piece of the artists work from the event.
Level Two and Three Art and Design students at the College of West Anglia (CWA) were given a unique insight into the world of professional tattooing as respected tattoo artist, Alice Nicholls visited the college to speak about her career, industry trends and the creative opportunities within the field.
Alice, known for her distinctive style and growing presence within the tattoo community, delivered an engaging session that explored the realities of working as a tattoo artists. The session covered subjects from building a portfolio and developing a personal brand to navigating client relationships, industry regulations and the increasing influence of social media in shaping modern tattoo culture.
Students gained first hand understanding of the creative and technical skills required in tattooing as well as the dedication, professionalism and safe practice standards expected in the industry. The session also highlighted the importance of storytelling through body art and how media skills such as photography, videography, and content creation can support artists in promoting their work.
The workshop formed part of CWA’s continued commitment to giving students meaningful encounters with industry professionals, expanding their understanding of creative career paths and helping them explore areas they may not have previously considered.
Alice Nicholls said “Visiting colleges gives young artists a real glimpse into the world of tattooing, offering honest guidance, practical skills, and the confidence to turn their creativity into a career.”
Lydia Dennis, Work Placement Coordinator for Creative Arts, said “We have many aspiring tattoo artists on our art and design courses, and it’s not always easy to provide them with opportunities due to age and safety restrictions. Alice’s workshops are perfect for bridging this gap by providing an introduction into the industry, apprenticeship and portfolio tips, and allowing our students to experience designing and tattooing first-hand in a safe environment. Alice is an inspiration and we can’t wait to work with her again!”
Students responded enthusiastically to the visit, asking questions about apprenticeships, design processes and what it takes to establish yourself in a competitive creative field.
Be Wiser Business Insurance offers insurance policies for businesses and individuals of all industries and sizes. This means that a tradesman can purchase insurance to cover his tools, his handywork and protect himself from any potential damages caused to clients and their property.
For a large enterprise, cover is available to protect the public, the property andemployees. So in the event of an accident or damages, the insurance will pay for any compensation, personal injuries, medical bills and loss of income.
For a professional like a dentist, doctor or lawyer, they can purchase professional indemnity insurance so that any if advice or procedures have adverse effects and the customer takes legal action, they will be insured for any damages and compensation.
Be Wiser is an insurance broker working with over 30 leading providers so individuals or companies will be able to make an enquiry online or phone up and after providing details of their business, they will have access to a leadingbusiness insurance quotetailored to their business.
What work we have done
We started by making the website as user-friendly and conversion driven as possible. This includes making the site fully responsive so it is easy to view on desktop, mobile and tablet. Customers have access to information about each insurance product and are always one to three clicks away from making an enquiry.
To practice SEO effectively, we started with a list of thousands of relevant keywords which we sat down and discussed with the client. We then focused our content efforts to target these keywords and included them in the URLs, headings, titles and content body, working on an even distribution of content and not spamming Google with our favourite keywords. To create a natural user experience, we have included several images and videos explaining the product. To build the site’s link profile, we have looked to generate PR on business forums, magazines, news sites and other relevant publications.
We are thrilled about continuing to work on content, videos and acquiring links for the Be Wiser Business site.We are currently on page 1 for ‘property owners liability’ and various terms relating to ‘public liability insurance’ and look forward to gaining good search results in the future.