Bernard Matthews, Britain’s No.1 turkey producer, is set to generate further growth in the cooked meats, fresh and frozen breaded poultry categories with the launch of a new marketing campaign that targets busy mums.
The new million pound campaign, which includes women’s magazines, national newspapers, outdoor, in-store and digital activity, started on the 7th October 2013 and will run nationwide.
Bernard Matthews remains one of the nation’s favourite food brands* and this new high impact creative gives the brand a strong visual identity, and aims to remind mums of the quality and versatility of Bernard Matthews products at meal times. It also features the new-look consumer branding, which was launched in August.
The new campaign will feature a range of illustrations making mum the hero, with the first execution featuring Bernard Matthews Turkey Breast Slices.
“Mum’s are continually telling us that the most satisfying thing at meal times is putting food down on the dinner table that their children will enjoy. We’re therefore committed to offering mums great value meal time products, that are tasty, easy and quick to serve and keep the whole family happy.” said Charlie Douglas, Brand Marketing Controller. “Our new ‘Champion of Mums’ creative highlights this with the line ‘Greatness without effort’ and shows mum as the hero at meal time. We’d encourage retailers to make the most of our biggest marketing investment in years.”
Bigfork have designed a new website for the A47 Alliance, a body made up of representatives from the business community and local authorities, which makes the case for improvements across the A47 from the A1 at Peterborough to Great Yarmouth.
A Norfolk IT Company is warning of cases of one of the deadliest threats to date for PCs and the data stored there in.
React Computer Partnership with a branch in Beccles are seeing an increasing number of virus attacks called Cryptolocker. Director Richard Pledger explains “It’s probably the worst we have seen for a good while.” “Cryptolocker basically encrypts your data and gives you a message saying you have something like 70 or 100 hours after which we will destroy the key and your data will be useless. And it’s serious. Once your PC is infected you have two options; remove the virus and go back to a good backup, or pay the money.”
Top security experts warn, if you don’t have a good backup and don’t pay the money there is no way of unencrypting the data. F-Secure – one of the world’s top Virus Protection companies so far has tried and failed to get around Cryptolocker the hackers have done such a good job. You may well wonder why has this latest deadly virus been created? Well earlier this year, researchers from Symantec who infiltrated the servers of one ransomware syndicate conservatively estimated that its operators were easily able to clear $5 million per year.
React have been monitoring reports which say if you pay up the hackers behind Cryptolocker will send the key, to unlock your data. However as Richard explains there’s no guarantee “We have seen some companies successfully receiving the key to unlock their data after of course paying a substantial ransom but the worry is that once they’ve infiltrated your networks with this virus there is no way of knowing what may happen in the future.”
So how does it infect files? Cryptolocker is often spread by the DHL type email which has been common recently arriving in your inbox with a zip file attachment, although React have seen some as a harmless-looking word document attachments.
How can I protect my PCs? Firstly you must make sure your antivirus software is up to date, and don’t open any attachments you are unsure of. Make a current back up and keep it up to date without a backup your only choice is to pay up or lose your data.
Richard concludes “Please do take notice, protect your PCs and spread the word amongst your own email contacts too – it’s the only sure way hackers can be defeated effectively, in the meantime please take this warning seriously and do stay safe.” For Cryptolocker updates go to www.reactcp.co.uk
We had our second Christmas Dinner Dance Event of the year on Saturday here at the BEST WESTERN Brook Hotel, Norwich and yet again, some really lovely feedback.
We are so proud!
Make sure you celebrate in style this year at a Brook Christmas Diner Dance – Tickets still available for 13th and 14th December andd we also have a couple of tables left for the Soul & Motown Event this Friday 6th December.
As the 2007-2013 Rural Development Programme comes to a close, we are looking forward to readying ourselves for the 2014-2020 programme. A series of workshops are planned so local people can get involved with the planning of funding strategies.
Delivery of programme funding is through the LEADER approach, which is a bottom-up programme, designed to be developed at a grass roots level, to deliver funding for the most appropriate localities, business sectors and communities, to develop and sustain the rural economy.
It is important for good attendance at these workshops to ensure we gather as much input as possible to build a strong strategy for the proposed action group area and give it the best chance of obtaining funding in the next round. If you know of anyone who should attend, please pass on this invitation.
To book a place, contact [email protected] or call 01603 222302. Please let us have: Your name; the organisation you represent; contact details; and the workshop you would like to attend.
UEA is looking for local organisations to host summer interns in 2014. If you’ve got a project that could use an extra pair of hands, or you’re looking to inject fresh energy into your workplace, recruiting an ambitious and enthusiastic intern from UEA next summer is a great way to source that support and fresh thinking you need.
Internships are a proven way of getting help with a project, launching a new initiative or even bridging the staffing gap over the summer holiday period. Typical activities for interns to undertake include marketing, research, social media, IT, project management, events, PR, carbon reduction projects or lab support.
Rebecca Lewis Smith, UEA alumnus and Director at Fountain Partnership, hosted a summer intern in 2013. She says of the experience: “I thought the whole process was great, and have been shouting from the rooftops about how well it went.”
You can secure a 2nd year UEA student to work with you full-time or part-time for between four and eight weeks during July and August – with UEA doing all advertising, payroll and paperwork for you.
To find out more, visit www.uea.ac.uk/business/working-with-students-graduates/internships, email [email protected], or call us on 01603 593917. Ideally, we would like you to submit an intern role specification by Friday 13 December 2013 – just ask the internships team for a template – but if you need more time, do get in touch and let us know.
Cozens-Hardy LLP is pleased to announce that solicitor Claire Louise Williamson has joined its Residential Property department.
Brought up and educated in Norfolk, Claire Louise obtained her law degree from Keele University and later studied for her LPC at the University of the West of England. Having qualified in 2012, Claire Louise started her professional career in criminal law, but decided to revive her passion for conveyancing by joining the Cozens-Hardy team last month.
Commented Philippa Rudd, Principal and Head of Residential Property:
“We are delighted to welcome Claire Louise to the firm and to my department. As the largest conveyancing team in Norfolk, we take great pride in meeting and exceeding our clients’ expectations and I am confident that in Claire Louise we have found a solicitor capable to meeting our very exacting in house demands.”
Added Claire Louise:
“It’s a real pleasure to have joined the team here at Cozens-Hardy; everyone has been very welcoming and the high standards of professionalism and client care are as I expected.”
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For further information please contact: Clare Haylett ph: 07764 270570 and [email protected]
Norfolk firm, B2B Cashflow Solutions has reached the Business Moneyfacts Awards finals for the 3rd consecutive year!
Having been shortlisted to the final six of the Business Moneyfacts Awards for 2012 and 2013 we are delighted to announce we have again been shortlisted to the final six in the category of ‘Best Asset Based Broker” throughout the UK for the 2014.
Nick, Ian, and I would like to thank all our customers, bank and accountant relationships, financial services organisations, and other professional partners for your support in helping us to achieve our ‘final 6’ status again.
We would also like to congratulate our team, the ‘B2B family’, for your immense contribution to our progress over the past 12 months. We add value together.
A very special thank you to all of you who voted for us during this process, and for the numerous testimonials we received to help take our nomination to the finals at The Lancaster London Hotel on 20th March 2014.
Naturally, as always, competition will be extremely high with most of the finalists being recognised ‘nationals’.
Win or lose, we will continue to build on this recognition to ensure our philosophy of ‘working with You, for You’ is delivered into our business community to help local businesses, our professional partners and their customers, grow with us.
Thanks and regards to all our friends throughout our local business community.
Business leaders from across the region attended the first ever Best Employer, Eastern Region (BEER) Festival at Ickworth Park near Bury St Edmunds last Friday (November 15th). The event was organised by Pure Resourcing Solutions (Pure) specialist recruitment agency and eras ltd providers of psychometric testing and people development solutions.
Chief executives and managing directors were among delegates from Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk attending the unique event, to find out more about how employee engagement can benefit their business and staff, and to share knowledge with their peers.
Fitting in nicely with the festival’s title was one of the keynote speakers, Dr Andy Wood, Chief Executive Officer of Adnams. He revealed some of the company’s secrets to keeping staff involved and motivated. With 91% of the organisation’s staff feeling proud to work for the company and 94% saying they are clear on what is expected of them, delegates were lucky to learn from one of the region’s masters of employee engagement.
From building pride and passion among workers, to promise-keeping, respect and rewarding leadership values such as trust and building self-esteem in others, the head of the 400-strong business gave the audience plenty of food for thought.
Other speakers included Cathy Brown, employee engagement consultant from the Government-funded ‘Engage for Success’ initiative, who talked about the national picture, and Dominic Lowe, Managing Director of Kettle Foods, who spoke about the importance of leadership in inspiring the workforce.
Lynn Walters, Director of Pure, says: “Senior professionals from a diverse range of industries invested their time and ideas in a day at the BEER Festival. It was very rewarding to see senior business leaders under one roof having discussions that could lead to positive changes in our region. We know that businesses with an engaged workforce have 40% less staff turnover than those with lower levels of engagement and produce significantly higher profits. And based on delegates’ feedback and Twitter updates, people found the event genuinely useful and stimulating.”
Margaret Burnside, Director of People Development at eras ltd added “Many delegates felt very inspired and left the festival with plans to make big changes to improve the level of employee engagement. From small but significant changes, such as remembering to say thank you, to implementing employee forums and giving more responsibility to individuals to make changes, it is clear that there are going to be shifts in the way some businesses work as a result of the event.”
Also, a number of delegates took the opportunity to arrange visits to learn more about each other’s employee engagement activities.
In addition, all the proceeds from the event, which amounted to over £3,000, have been donated to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices and The Adnams Charity.
The festival will take place on alternate years and is part of the wider BEER initiative, which includes the survey, awards and year-round seminars. From March 2014 businesses in the region get the chance to take part in a free, confidential ‘Best Employer’ survey, which assesses employees’ views of their companies’ culture and values. The regional survey culminates in a series of seminars and awards in Sept 2014.
To find out more information about the festival and the BEER initiative, contact Anna Hill, Marketing Manager at Pure, on: 01223 209888 or [email protected].
Thomson and First Choice announce more flights and attractive flight timings from Norwich International Airport
Thomson and First Choice have today, 26th November announced that they will be offering more choice, attractive flight times and more weekly flights for Norfolk and Suffolk sun seekers flying from Norwich International Airport.
The leading holiday company is continuing its commitment to the airport offering flights to key destinations for Summer 2014 such as Corfu, Dalaman (Turkey), Ibiza, Tunisia, Palma (Majorca) and Tenerife (which operates year round).
The big news for the region though, is that flight times are changing – meaning that customers who want to jet away to sunnier climes can now enjoy even more time in their destination with earlier outbound departures and later inbound flights. For example flights to Corfu for Summer 2014 leave at 06:00 on a Friday morning and return the following Friday at 22:45.
Paul Cooper, Airport Negotiations Manager for Thomson and First Choice, said:
“Bringing these new flight times and additional flights to Norfolk and Suffolk demonstrates our commitment to Norwich International Airport and to Thomson and First Choice customers living in the region. We know that the demand is there and we are delighted to be able to deliver what our customers tell us they want.
“Modernising our operations across the UK is a key part of our overall strategy and this move helps us to create an enhanced holiday experience for our customers.”
Andrew Bell, CEO of Norwich International, said: “We are delighted that Thomson and First Choice will be increasing the number of flights and offering improved flight times for our customers. This decision demonstrates their commitment to the airport and reflects the high level of demand from customers wishing to fly from Norwich”
Thomson offers seven night holidays to Corfu staying at the 5T Atlantica Gran Mediterraneo Resort and Spa Thomson Platinum Resort, on a half board basis from £606 per adult. Price is based on two people sharing a double room and includes flights departing from Norwich International Airport on the 16th May 2014. To find out more about this holiday or to book visit your local Thomson travel shop, thomson.co.uk or call 0871 230 2555.
Specialised Management Services (SMS Ltd), a leading specialist in hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical control systems, is pleased to announce that they have been awarded Gold for “Delivering Quality Results” by the UK arm of Aker Solutions Subsea Business at their Supplier Performance Awards Dinner and Ceremony.
The event was held on 7th November 2013 at Pittodrie House Hotel in Aberdeenshire and the presentation was made by Aker Solutions Senior Manager for Procurement and Supply Chain in the UK, Robbie Hendry.
SMS was presented with the Gold award based on their continual high standard of customer service, project management, and consistent delivery of product excellence.
Dave Howlett, General Manager at SMS comments “This award is a tremendous recognition for the team at SMS and reinforces this client relationship we have developed over the past eight years.”
Dave continues by saying “This is only possible with the input of every department within the company and I would like to thank the hard working and dedicated employees at SMS. Their ethos extends not just to Aker Solutions but to all clients, thus ensuring we are consistently delivering the message that SMS is focused on safety, quality and customer satisfaction.”
Our first Christmas Party took place at the weekend and it was a great success! Lots of lovely people, delicious food, a tipple or two and dancing the night away.
We have had really great feedback coming in all weekend which is great!
The next big event with your last chance to get tickets this week is An Evening of Soul & Motown here at BEST WESTERN Brook Hotel, Norwich £25 per person includes 3 course evening meal and an evening of entertainment with live singing from Ady Diamond and DJ sets from Platinum Sounds Friday 6th December from 7pm to Midnight A great opportunity to get together with family, friends and work colleagues for a really great night!