This year’s Thetford Business Awards were launched on October 19, with representatives from Norfolk County Council and Norfolk Chamber of Commerce as well as the town’s mayor and its sponsors attending.
The awards are run by owner of The Thomas Paine Hotel, Gez Chetal, chairman of Thetford Town Football Club Nigel Armes, and his mother and a former mayor and councillor of the town, Sylvia.
Gez said: “The awards mean the world to me, my family and our founders and we now have more than 100 local businesses involved – it makes me emotional to see what we have achieved with these awards.”
Game for good this Spring and make your positive impact on local children, young people and families!
With our estimates suggesting that 3-4,000 young people are at risk of homelessness across Norfolk and Suffolk, you can get involved and make a real impact on young people in your community!
Taking place between 22nd April and 5th May, we are looking for local businesses to get collaborate with us through Gaming for Good! Whether you join The Benjamin Foundation for a gaming tournament, organise a monopoly marathon, take part in a 5-a-side football tournament, you can choose how you want to play!
By getting involved in Gaming for Good you can collaborate with The Benjamin Foundation and make a difference in your local community. A charity for children, young people and families, we supported over 3,000 individuals last year, and with your support, we can continue our vital work!
Nick Steven-Jones (left) and Tom Burdett of Jarrolds (Image: Jarrolds)
Jarrolds has launched the Jarrolds Growth Fund in an effort to support local firms, with a pot of £100,000 released every year to Norfolk businesses looking to propel their growth.
Businesses will be able to apply for a share of the funding, with successful applicants also benefitting from specialist expertise from the Jarrolds team.
Nick Steven-Jones, chief executive, said: “We recognise the symbiotic relationship we have with Norfolk businesses.
“Our training business wouldn’t be what it is without the thriving community of organisations looking to develop their staff, our food hall wouldn’t be the same without the array of Norfolk produce from our talented suppliers and our new logistics arm wouldn’t have the growth we envisage without the continued wave of high quality goods leaving the county to other parts of the UK.
“The Growth Fund is a tangible commitment to invest in and help nurture growing businesses in Norfolk, through funding, access to a community of expertise and the window that Jarrolds can offer.”
Each year, our Boom! Young Carers take a residential trip, helping them escape their day-to-day pressures in a fun and friendly environment! With plenty of activities planned, such as high ropes, canoeing and a trip to the theatre they will have the opportunity to forge new friendships and create amazing memories.
By donating or raising money through this campaign, you can make a direct impact and help us fund a residential trip for Boom! Hear from Alice, our Development Manager, on the importance of this annual trip:
“I love being able to take young people away on residentials as it’s through shared experiences such as these that we see them forge lasting friendships. By having this opportunity to go away for a couple of nights the Young Carers step outside of their comfort zone and build resilience and confidence to be themselves.”
For young people across Norfolk, Boom! Young Carers provides positive activities through specialist groups running throughout the year along with trips, visits and activities in school holidays. These groups develop confidence, independence and give the opportunity to try new experiences.
Want to make your impact and support our Boom! Young Carers? Get in touch with us at [email protected] to learn more about how your business can get involved.
Lucas & Wyllys Solicitors is proud to announce its sponsorship of Acle Indoor Bowls Club, a prominent fixture in the local community.
Acle Indoor Bowls facility was built in 1993 as part of the Acle Recreation Centre complex. The club offers its members a large array of internal leagues plus the opportunity to enter club, County or National competitions. The club was the first in the country to live stream its games.
The sponsorship agreement reflects Lucas & Wyllys’ dedication to fostering strong community bonds. As a firm deeply rooted in the local area for over 190 years, Lucas & Wyllys recognises the importance of initiatives like Acle Indoor Bowls Club bringing people together and promoting social interaction.
“We are thrilled to partner with Acle Indoor Bowls Club and contribute to its ongoing success,” said Amy Church, Lucas & Wyllys’ Managing Partner. “Supporting organisations like Acle Indoor Bowls Club aligns with our values of community engagement and wellbeing. We look forward to a fruitful partnership that benefits both the club and the wider community.”
Denis Goodley, manager of Acle Indoor Bowls Club, expressed gratitude for the partnership, stating, “We are delighted to have Lucas & Wyllys on board as a sponsor. We are excited about the opportunities this collaboration will bring and the positive impact it will have on our club members and the wider community.”
The sponsorship agreement between Lucas & Wyllys and the Acle Indoor Bowls Club is a testament to the firm’s ongoing commitment to supporting local initiatives.
Lucas & Wyllys, with offices in Great Yarmouth, Gorleston and Blofield, provide a wide range of legal services including wills & probate, lasting powers of attorney, residential and commercial property, divorce & finances, and child care law.
Local IQ are hosting their inaugural EDP Norfolk Business Festival 2024, a series of events dedicated to fostering collaboration and growth across the Norfolk business community.
From 15 – 26 April 2024, they will be celebrating Norfolk’s vibrant business scene with a series of free to attend events, designed to bring sectors together, elevate local brands, and disseminate knowledge to fuel our region’s economic vitality.
They are inviting Norfolk businesses to seize the opportunity to get involved and host events during the festival. Whether you’re a start-up or an established corporation, Local IQ are offering tailored packages to ensure your business can participate. These events, ranging from intimate seminars and networking sessions to expansive webinars and workshops, will cover diverse topics such as finance, leadership, and health sciences.
Norfolk Chambers of Commerce and Norwich BID will be supporting the EDP Norfolk Business Festival by each delivering free to attend event. Norfolk Chambers will hold an event in King’s Lynn during the first week of the festival and will use the Chambers media channels to showcase the festival opportunities to all Norfolk businesses and will also promote its members’ events that are part of the EDP Norfolk Business Festival on our website. Norwich BID’s event will be held in Norwich during the second week of the festival.
The Chambers’ event (Levelling Up for Business – Challenges & Opportunities) at the College of West Anglia in King’s Lynn will be held on Wednesday 17 April. It will help local businesses to discover how to enhance their business with partially-funded training, including a West Norfolk Training Grant covering up to 75% of costs, and learn about the Boost Project supporting skills development for 16 – 30-year-olds. This session is not just informative, but also a perfect venue for networking, complete with coffee and bacon rolls. Don’t miss the chance to be part of this dynamic festival click here to book onto the Chambers King’s Lynn event.
For more details and how to get involved in the wider EDP Norfolk Business Festival, reach out to Ben Hope at [email protected] or view the available packages here.
Chloe Chambers at Orchard Toys and Paul McCarthy, general manager at Chantry Place (Credit: Chantry Place)
Orchard Toys partners with Chantry Place Norwich to bring families a brand new trail inspired by THE WORLD OF PETER RABBIT™ this spring. The Peter Rabbit World Trail event is free for families, and will run at Chantry Place from Saturday 23rd March to Sunday 14th April 2024*.
This fun trail is part of the launch celebrations for Orchard Toys’ new THE WORLD OF PETER RABBIT collection – six stunning games and jigsaws developed under licence from Penguin Ventures on behalf of Frederick Warne & Co. (Beatrix Potter’s publisher and owner of The WORLD OF PETER RABBIT). The games are a creative hybrid of Peter Rabbit and Orchard Toys – blending the fun, educational and engaging gameplay of Orchard Toys with Beatrix Potter’s iconic characters to bring Peter Rabbit to life. The Tale of Peter Rabbit has sold over 46 million copies around the world since it was first published in 1902 and THE WORLD OF PETER RABBIT remains one of the most beloved children’s brands in the World.
The free Peter RabbitWord Trail will be great fun for entertaining the children around the Easter holidays. To get involved, pick up a the Trail booklet from Langleys or The Works at Chantry Place, before hopping off to collect letters and posting an entry in the postbox at Langleys Toy Store.
All correct entries are in with the chance to win an Orchard Toys bundle of games and a £50 H&M voucher courtesy of Chantry Place. Plus, the first 3,000 children to do the trail will receive a free Peter Rabbit Word Trail badge.
Adding to the fun, every day of the trail, children (together with their families!) can play the giant Orchard Toys Peter Rabbitfloor garden maze.
Chloe Chambers, Senior Marketing Executive at Orchard Toys, says: “This is a fantastic free event for local and visiting families, and a really fun, interactive way to celebrate our brand-new Peter Rabbit collection with children and their parents. We’re excited to see the trail come to life at Chantry Place”.
Paul McCarthy, General Manager at Chantry Place, says: “We have been wanting to collaborate with local games and jigsaw brand Orchard Toys for some time and being able to partner with them on A Peter Rabbit Word Trail is a real privilege for us. We know our visitors will love this free event, finding the charming characters on the word poster trail that the incredible designers at Orchard Toys have put together for us.”
New for 2024, THE WORLD OF PETER RABBIT collection from Orchard Toys will also be available to purchase at Langleys at Chantry Place while stocks last.
*Excluding Easter Sunday due to the Centre being closed.
Nutrient neutrality is the requirement that in certain areas new housing builds should not contribute more nutrient pollution to the waters. Following reports that nutrient pollution needs to be monitored in Norfolk, planning permissions have been paused for new homes within the catchment area of the Norfolk Broads and the River Wensum.
This applies to any new and existing planning proposals in this area and has been issued by letter from Government Advisors, Natural England who have concerns about the protected habitat sites and species that live in the area.
The Broads Authority details how “the Broads is an internationally important wetland and home to more than a quarter of the UK’s rarest species.” Home to birds such as marsh harriers, teals and sedge warblers as well as fish such as perch and pike and animals such as shrews and otters. Nitrogens and phosphates, which are excess nutrients make it more difficult for aquatic species to survive due to how these reduce oxygen in the water.
How is this affecting the industry?
It is important to secure the welfare of environments such as the River Wensum and the Norfolk Broads, but this ban on housing production is having a knock-on effect on the construction industry. The stopping of planning permission has meant that smaller construction companies, including family-run businesses, are being hit hard. They are having to look at ways to muddle through this dry span. Some have no other choice but to let members of their team go and some are even having to close for business altogether.
A lot of these construction companies are not only producing new builds for families but also for the elderly who are looking to live independently. Yahoo News reported that “the building of thousands of new Norfolk homes for older people with social care needs has been held up by the limbo blocking new housing.” These houses were being built with the intention that the elderly could live independently and have access to social care needs simultaneously. To help overcrowding of retirement homes and to stop the reported build-up in hospital beds.
How can planning permission continue?
This ban only applies to protected sites that are already in disadvantageous conditions because of nutrient pollution, such as The Norfolk Broads and the River Wensum. So if your development site falls out of this catchment area planning permissions should be able to continue.
There are ways that developers can still get the planning permission needed. Finding a way to offset any extra nutrients such as washing machine water or sewage that may end up in the waterways would be the only way new housing could be permitted. Norfolk Environmental Credits is a not-for-profit company set up to help property developers reduce their nutrient load by building sustainably. They have said that “property developers in impacted areas must meet Nutrient Neutrality standards by law. Buying Norfolk Environmental Credits will address your nutrient requirements”.
Norfolk Environmental Credits has created a budget calculator so that developers can calculate the amount of nutrient loads their new development will create. This calculator will then determine how many credits the company will need to purchase to “ensure there is no detrimental impact on phosphorus and nitrogen levels in Norfolk rivers.” Businesses must register their interest in purchasing credits and they will be updated as and when credits become available. This scheme is intended to benefit small and medium developments that will struggle to provide their mitigation on-site.
At Rockthorn, we provide plant hire across Norfolk and are committed to supporting local projects. We hope that this article can help educate businesses on how to seek help during this time. For more information on this subject visit Norfolk Environmental Credits to see how they can help with any property planning you are currently undergoing.
The flooring industry as a whole produces huge amounts of waste each year, Dragonfly Flooring are constantly looking into ways to help reduce this waste and look to use new Flooring products that contain recycled materials and are produced in the UK to reduce the miles the product needs to travel.
We have recently completed the flooring in this office using Carpet tiles that contained 50% recycled materials in the pile of the tile, 75% recycled materials to make the backing of the tile; these were manufactured in the UK. These look stunning and can keep up with the heavy use expected from any office area, with the added benefit of helping reduce environmental impact.
Delta Fire Ltd sweep up at Broadland and South Norfolk Business Awards 2024!
We’re absolutely thrilled and immensely grateful for this incredible recognition. It’s a testament to the passion, dedication, and hard work of every single member of our fantastic team!
A heartfelt thank you from Delta Fire to everyone who’s been a part of their journey!
Business Innovation: Judges comments:
Steve Earl MBE & Carly Earl of Panel Graphic said “Delta Fire is a manufacturing business that Norfolk should be proud of, there was a clear desire to supply world leading solutions worldwide. They are clearly setting the standards for others to follow, not just with the items that they sell but also from the manufacturing base they have established in Norwich and the talented long-standing workforce they have. The new products they have developed in conjunction with The Navy has catapulted the business and its clear to see this is only just the beginning.”
Manufacturing Excellence: Judges comments:
Delta Fire wowed the judges with the quality of their manufacturing and engineering, with cutting-edge technology, components manufactured onsite, a predominantly UK-based supply chain and state-of-the-art quality control, making them stand out in the industry.
Environmental Impact: Judges comments:
Manufacturers and suppliers of firefighting equipment to over 60 countries, Delta Fire’s primary aim is to be one of the most environmentally responsible suppliers within the global fire sector from their purpose-built factory with over 600 solar panels. Leading the way in sustainable manufacturing, from harvesting rainwater to reducing materials in manufacture, they are prioritising the planet over profit.
The last few months have been something that none of us could have predicted.
It has affected us all in many different ways and we, like you, have had to adjust our operations accordingly. We have learnt a lot in doing this.
Whilst our office doors may have been closed, we have still been in full operation throughout, placing candidates into businesses everyday. We have also worked with clients and candidates to provide them with the advice and support specific to their personal circumstances. By processing hundreds of people through the Governments Job Retention Scheme and making furlough payments as required, our teams have done the right thing and protected businesses for the future.
A new normal is now upon us and we want to help more. How has your business been affected? What do you need assistance with?
We are therefore asking you to complete a short survey “What Next for 2020?”.
Business people in King’s Lynn with a passion for the town and its future prosperity are being sought to join the King’s Lynn Town Deal Board.
The King’s Lynn Town Deal Board was established to develop a Town Investment Plan in 2020. The board brings together a diverse range of individuals representing the community, businesses, and statutory agencies such as local authorities. Their collaborative approach and expertise provide stability to secure investment for the long-term vision for the town. A town in which people feel engaged in town developments and have both the skills and opportunities to flourish, enabling our businesses and communities to thrive.
The board is made up of representatives from all tiers of local authority, Members of Parliament, local businesses, the Local Enterprise Partnership, Business Improvement District, Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the College of West Anglia.
The Town Investment Plan has been published and the board has secured £25m through a ‘Town Deal’ with government, and supported other ‘Levelling Up’ funding and investment from partners.
The board is now looking for one or two additional members from the local business community to get involved with shaping the economic regeneration of the town.
Graham Purkins, Chief Technical Officer of Merxin and Chair of the King’s Lynn Town Deal Board, said:
“We are looking for one or two enthusiastic and motivated individuals who are really passionate about the town and want to get involved in securing its long-term, economic future. These are unremunerated positions that offer very real opportunities to make a significant difference in our town.”
“Qualities we’ll be looking for include being open-minded and collegiate with an entrepreneurial spirit. Ideally potential board members would be able to commit to 12 face-to-face meetings each year, plus meeting preparation and other work. They would bring their business acumen with them along with a range of other skills which might include, experience working in the private sector, strategic thinking, insight into tourism and/or creatives industries, marketing skills, or understanding ‘clean’ growth.”
More information about the King’s Lynn Town Deal Board, the Town Investment Plan and this opportunity is available on the visionkingslynn website, along with a recruitment pack setting out roles, responsibilities, and a person specification.
