Are you making a positive impact on the environment? The Clean & Green Awards is your opportunity to showcase your sustainability efforts and be recognized for driving change in East Anglia.
We’re looking for individuals, businesses, and organizations who are leading the way in sustainability, whether through energy innovation, circular economy practices, biodiversity protection, or reducing carbon emissions.
Categories include: 🌱 Energy Innovation Award 🌍 Circular & Recycling Award 🏢 Sustainable Workplace of the Year 💚 Net Zero Award 🌿 Biodiversity Protection Award 💡 Educational Trailblazer Award 🔥 Game Changer Award 🙌 Community Champion of the Year
+ many more….
This is your chance to celebrate your achievements and inspire others to take action for a greener, more sustainable future.
👉 Submit your entry today at and join the movement for positive change.
When the deadline for registering to vote in the UK EU referendum approached there were issues with the online registration system. It stopped working due to the high numbers of people trying to register all at once. The system failed to scale and fell over. By scale, I mean that the hardware was no longer powerful enough to service all of the requests made of the software it was running and it was unable to become more powerful.
There are two main ways to scale computer hardware, vertically and horizontally. Most software can scale vertically, regardless of how it’s designed. To scale horizontally special design considerations must be taken into account.
Vertical Scaling Imagine you’ve got 1000 people to move from point A to point B 10 miles away and a car which can hold 5 people and travels at an average speed of 60 miles an hour. That means it takes 10 minutes to get the car once from point A to point B. Ignoring the return journey and including the driver in the number of people moved, it would take 200 trips, at 10 minutes each, which is 33 hours. That’s pretty slow.
If we use the same car, but with a more powerful engine which can travel at an average speed of 120 miles an hour, it now takes 5 minutes to get the car once from point A to point B and a total time of 16.5 hours. That’s already a good improvement.
If you use 4 minibuses the time comes down to 1 hour. If we continue to increase the number of minibuses we can bring the time down significantly.
This is an example of vertical scaling. By increasing the processing power (engine) and the memory (number of people the vehicle can hold) in a computer we can increase how quickly it responds to users. However, you can only increase processing power and memory to a point. There is a threshold where it becomes impractical to scale further and another where it is no longer cost effective.
Horizontal Scaling Imagine you’ve got the same 1000 people to move from point A to point B and two minibuses which hold 20 people each and travel at an average speed of 120 miles an hour. Both minibuses take 5 minutes to get one from point A to point B. Ignoring the return journey and including the driver in the number of people moved, it would take 25 trips, at 5 minutes each, which is 2 hours.
If you use 4 minibuses the time comes down to 1 hour. If we continue to increase the number of minibuses we can bring the time down significantly.
This is an example of horizontal scaling. By increasing the number of computers which are working together in parallel we can increase how quickly the overall system responds to users.
To welcome in the Spring Equinox, an occasion that symbolises balance, growth and fresh beginnings – I felt it was the perfect day to announce the launch of Equinoxed Accounting Ltd!
For us both, this new venture is not only a huge milestone of our own – but it’s a reflection of our passion for supporting businesses and individuals as they navigate their own financial and growth milestones.
Combining both our experience and values, our approach is to provide each client with modern, transparent and supportive tailored accountancy and business services that align with their evolving needs.
If you’d like to learn more about the services we offer, feel free to get in touch!
East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) is challenging local businesses and organisations to make as much money as they can from an initial stake of just £50.
The challenge is sponsored by local company ML Financial Associates, who have offices in both Wymondham and Northampton, and who took part in the scheme in 2014 winning the challenge by raising the most amount of money.
Businesses and community groups across Norfolk are being encouraged to sign up to the £50 Challenge which will see them handed a £50 note by the charity. Participants will then be given a 12 week period to invest the money in fundraising initiatives to generate the highest possible amount for EACH.
ML Financial Associates, the proud winners of the 2014/15 Challenge raised an impressive £2362.29 for the charity, decided to back this years’ event by sponsoring the challenge and encouraging other businesses, organisations and community groups across the county to take part and try to break their record.
Simon Lister, Director, ML Financial Associates, said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring the EACH £50 Challenge in Norfolk. We took part previously and thoroughly enjoyed it! This challenge really resonates with us and our business is very much aligned to this scheme as we look to operate on similar principles ie we look to make our clients’ money grow and this is what the £50 Challenge is all about – making a modest amount of money grow into something much more considerable!
As previous winners we’d like to challenge businesses across Norfolk to beat our amount raised, have fun in doing so like we did at ML and help a fantastic charity raise lots of money at the same time.”
ML Financial Associates already supports EACH, having joined the nook business network in August 2015 and pledging to raise £10,000 across the length of the appeal. The nook appeal aims to raise £10 million to transform children’s palliative care across Norfolk including building a new hospice called the nook.
EACH cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across East Anglia and supports their families. For both families accessing care, and those who have been bereaved, EACH is a lifeline at an unimaginably difficult time.
Carol Plunkett, EACH Norfolk fundraising Manager, said: “We’re really excited about the launch of our £50 Challenge and would like to say a big thank you to ML Financial Associates for supporting the event. It’s great to have them on board and we are so grateful for their continued support. Not only will the challenge raise much-needed funds to support the work of EACH, but it’ll also be great fun for all those taking part.
“We’re looking forward to hearing about the many weird and wonderful ways participants will use their £50 and hope it inspires healthy competition between local businesses and colleagues to raise as much money as possible.”
All the funds raised through the £50 Challenge will go towards the vital care and support EACH provides to families when they need it most – the more money raised, the bigger the difference it will make.
The £50 can be invested in any legal and safe fundraising initiatives and is a great way to have fun, challenge yourself, inspire creativity and a great opportunity to build up team spirit. As part of the initiative, a minimum of £50 has to be raised within the agreed time or the initial £50 returned to the charity.
For more information on the EACH and to sign up for the £50 challenge please contact the Norfolk Fundraising Team on 01953 666767 or email [email protected].
Congratulations to our Ecology Team Leader, Dr Charlotte Sanderson, for qualifying as a Registered Consultant for the Great Crested Newt Low Impact Class Licence. The GCN Low Impact Class Licence follows on from the Bat Low Impact Class Licence which Charlotte also qualified for (read article); this means that Charlotte was recognised by Natural England as being technically capable to take on licensing work with less rigorous regulation.
Natural England have reduced the paperwork for the licence application process considerably for Sites where this licence would be appropriate, limiting the licencing burden on themselves, and subsequent delays to developments, such that Sites can be registered under the licence in 15 days or less. The GCN Low Impact Class Licence will cover temporary and low impact works affecting terrestrial habitats and small sections of wet ditches on linear schemes, and will facilitate the removal of areas of permanent terrestrial habitat, the extent of which will be dictated by the proximity to GCN breeding ponds.
Natural England invited applicants to become GCN Registered Consultants earlier this year, allowing a select number of consultant ecologists take steps towards taking on work with less regulation. The rigorous criteria for potential Registered Consultants set by Natural England involved demonstrating experience of working on a range of great crested newt mitigation licence projects, as well as demonstrating a thorough understanding of the licensing process.
James Cross, Natural England’s Chief Executive said, “This landmark saving for our customers is a key milestone on our journey to reduce regulatory burdens and improve real-world impact. We are saving customers time and money, providing a slicker, more efficient process, observing environmental law and achieving great things for nature.
“Our organisational licences are a win-win for large organisations and for the environment, supporting economic progress, whilst ensuring that there is no impact on species conservation.
“The changes to our system have the added bonus of reducing time spent by Natural England staff on advising and processing individual licences, meaning that we can usefully divert those resources elsewhere.”1
Starting salary of £42,500 pro rata with opportunities to earn up to £50,000 (pro rata)
Permanent
18.5hoursweekly
Ipswich
An exciting opportunity to work alongside a dynamic board and management team, for a Community Interest Company who provide diverse services and products, creating opportunities for people to progress in work, learning and life.
The post holder will be the strategic lead for estates, finance and IT, particularly all aspects of financial management and accounting within Realise Futures.
The post requires a commercially astute, articulate, technically strong, dynamic, insightful and influential leader with the ability to operate at both strategic and operational levels. As an executive director, the post holder will provide expert financial and commercial advice to fellow directors as well as the wider management team.
“Realise Futures is committed to safeguarding and promotion the welfare of vulnerable adults, young people and children, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.”
Bigfork were appointed to design the new website for specialist outdoor clothing company, Dannah. The Dannah product range is designed to cope with the harshest mountain environments and the new website design needed to appeal to the adventurous audience. The resulting design is not only bold, with powerful images and strong messages, but also promotes the innovation and unique benefits of Dannah’s high quality clothing range. Finally an online shop has also been added to the website so you can now buy a Dannah jacket and climb a mountain! Take a look at the new Dannah website.
Following the success of last year’s event, Age UK Norwich is delighted to announce its third annual Charity Golf Day, taking place at the picturesque Wensum Valley Golf Club on Thursday 1st May 2025. This fundraising event is supported by Barclays Bank Norwich and Group 1 Norwich.
This event is a fantastic opportunity for businesses to come together for a day of golf, networking, and supporting a worthy cause. Participants will be greeted with a warm welcome and breakfast upon arrival, followed by an 18-hole shotgun start at 10:00am. After the round, players can enjoy a delicious two-course meal, prize presentations, and fundraising activities.
Wensum Valley Golf Club offers a beautiful and challenging golfing experience for players of all skill levels. The idyllic Norfolk landscape provides a stunning backdrop for the course, making it the perfect setting for a memorable day.
Every swing counts! All proceeds from the day will directly benefit Age UK Norwich, enabling us to continue providing vital support to older people in our community. There are several sponsorship opportunities available for businesses and individuals who would like to support the event. These include hole sponsorships, longest drive sponsorships, and nearest the pin sponsorships.
Whether you’re a seasoned golfer or a casual player, we welcome you to join us for this exciting event. We hope to see you there!
Have you seen the lovely old sewing machines we have on display in the window of our Norwich Sunblinds St Benedict shop at the moment? If not do drop by and take a look, they’re delightful old machines and have attracted lots of interest.
One is an old German Titan machine dating from the early 1900s, and the other is a Singer sewing machine that was purchased in 1933 (and still has its receipt). This date ties in perfectly with Singer’s introduction of the ‘featherweight sewing machine’ in 1933 that made it more practical for many more people to have sewing machines at home.
In 1939 however, Singer had to stop the production of sewing machines for a while to help with the war effort.
Singer’s name has been synonymous with domestic sewing for over 150 years, and it is incredible how the machines have changed in that time. The Singer was the first machine to sew a ‘continuous, reliable, straight or curved seam’. Now they operate almost like computers with a dazzling array of options for sewing and embroidery.
But, however good the sewing machines, the end product depends on the skill of the machinist. At Norwich Sunblinds we are very proud that we have some incredibly creative and talented staff who are not only skilled at the items they make for us which can include all styles of blinds and curtains together with tie-backs, pelmet valances and cushions, but who thoroughly enjoy sewing and creating for pleasure in their own time.
The sewing machines were brought in by Julie Budrey, our supervisor at the Norwich Sunblinds’ St Benedict’s Street shop. The singer sewing machine is owned by Julie’s sister; originally it belonged to their Great Aunty and has been passed down the family through the generations. The Titan machine belongs to Julie’s mother. Both machines have created many hundreds of miles of stitching over the generations and created hundred of garments from curtains and soft furnishings to dresses and school clothes for their family and friends.
Today Julie and her sister are still very passionate about making clothes, soft furnishings and undertaking alterations for themselves and others; this is also true of many of the staff who work for Norwich Sunblinds. The team at the factory in Attleborough make the blinds, and the curtains, and the soft furnishings are made by a dedicated and skilled local workforce, They are all very talented workers, and many of them carry their skills through to their leisure time and have a real passion for creativity.
Our Founder, Simon Wingfield (and by extension
Wingfield Consultants), has become a certified partner to Agile Group. Agile
Group are the UK’s largest ILM coaching and mentoring centre. Since 1999, Agile Group has been at the forefront of
transforming lives and careers through professional coaching, mentoring, leadership,
and management training. Recognised as a trusted partner in growth and success,
they offer programmes designed to meet the unique needs of both individuals and
organisations.
Simon
commented: My entire coaching and mentoring accreditation journeys were
with Agile Group. Having now obtained both ILM Level 5 and ILM Level 7
Effective Coaching and Mentoring qualifications (with two wonderful cohorts),
and pivoting Wingfield Consultants to
Consulting | Coaching | Mentoring, now was the time to
accelerate our value proposition to SME clients with a partnership with Agile
Group.
I’m delighted to become a Certified Partner (joining some
other great partners) with an organisation that shares our commitment to
transforming lives and careers. This reciprocal partnership will enhance our
collective models, methods, tools, techniques, and skills to deliver the best
experience and support to our clients’.
Our latest salary and recruitmentsurveyhas shown that the demand for newly qualified accountants, in both commercial and practice, is escalating across our region.Accountancy and finance recruitmentis one of our key specialisms and our associate directorDavid Culleyexplains the impact this has had on salaries in this sector.
“Our report shows that newly qualified ACCA/ACA accountants in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire are getting the highest wages in our region, with typical annual salaries amounting to £44,000 and £45,000 respectively. While these are higher than neighbouring Essex and Norfolk, we are starting to see salaries increase across all four counties.
“This is because the demand for newly qualified accountants, in both commercial and practice, is escalating. With a narrower talent pool to choose from, accountancy firms are becoming more concerned about missing out on talented professionals. This has shifted the power to candidates and they feel more able to negotiate better salary and benefit packages. Those with ACCA and ACA qualifications especially have been able to leverage higher starting salaries as they already have a greater understanding of the day-to-day duties and responsibilities within an accounts team.
“The candidate short market has also meant that part-qualified accountants are becoming more attractive to employers. Companies are warming to the idea of hiring candidates that are looking to complete their qualifications and advance within a company.
“While this is encouraging news for the economy as a whole, the demand for highly-skilled accountancy professionals is only going to become more challenging for firms. Accountants do tend to have a lower move rate than professionals in other sectors with study support available. But while many opt to stay within their organisation, the candidate-driven market means they are still well-placed to command better salaries over time.”
The salary report uses data sourced from ourCompareMySalarytool. This is a unique online tool for candidates and organisations to benchmark salaries and benefits against like-for-like job roles in the region.
Did you enjoy watching the Olympics? Now it’s your time to shine!
September sees the return of the Shake Up September Challenge and this year we’re encouraging you and your colleagues to get active and try out some Olympic and Paralympic sports in Norfolk. Even better, by getting involved and logging activity (through the website or mobile App) on Workplace Challenge during the month you could win some great PRIZES! Could your organisation top the leaderboard and claim the glory? For more information on the Challenge including how you can play Shake Up September bingo with your colleagues and to download the Shake Up September poster to display in your workplaceclick here.
No gold medals but we have some great prizes! Be in with a chance of winning some great local and national prizes by logging your activity on Workplace Challenge during September. For information on national prizes,click here. In Norfolk, we will be giving away prizes every Monday for 4 weeks starting on Monday 12 September. To be eligible to win a prize, just log any activity online during the previous 7 days (or from the 1st September for the first week) then keep an eye out on the news section of the website or Active Norfolk’s twitter page to find out if you are one of our lucky winners. Prizes will include cinema, shopping and restaurant vouchers. Plus – log any active travel during September and you could win a bike worth up to £400!
Travel actively during Shake Up September and you could win a bike! We all rely on cars and public transport, because they make our lives so easy. But making active travel choices can be an easy way to fit activity into your day. It can take a little longer and you may not be able to do it for all your journeys, but you may be surprised where you can swap the car or public transport for two legs or two wheels. If you can walk or cycle instead of driving or taking public transport, it can also be good for your pocket, as well as the environment. So there are even more reasons to give it a go! During Shake Up September, we are encouraging you to introduce some active travel into your regular journeys. Whether you are going to the shop, to visit friends, family or commuting to work why not try travelling actively by walking or cycling, plus any active travel you log on Workplace Challenge during Shake Up September will enter you into a prize draw to win up to £400 to spend on a commuter bike and accessories at Pedal Revolution.
Shake Up September Fit4Work Competitions As part of Shake Up September, Active Norfolk are running two Olympic inspired competitions as part of our Fit4Work Competition Calendar. • Shake Up September – This Girl Can Ladies Fun Gymnastics Challenge at UEA Sportspark on Tuesday 13 September – only 2 team places left! • Shake Up September – Fit4Work Volleyball at UEA Sportspark on Thursday 29 September For more information and to book your workplace a place,click here.