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Toby Williams, a beneficiary of Walking With The Wounded , has recently been recognised for his outstanding volunteering efforts at the inaugural Veterans Recognition Awards.

When Toby was first introduced to the WWTW team, he was suffering with his mental health and feelings of social isolation and was seeking guidance in navigating the issues he faced. Toby has connected with the support services offered by WWTW to make positive changes in his life and was recognised at the awards for his dedication to volunteering at his local food bank.

Alongside volunteering, Toby is honing in on his artistic and musical skills by holding community crafting sessions, as well as creating dog leads and collars which he then sells, donating the proceeds to the food bank. His artistic flair doesn’t stop there either; Toby also currently has three pieces of his artwork on display at a veteran exhibition in St. Pancras Hospital and has pledged to donate the money from the sale of the artwork to three military charities that have supported him, including Walking With The Wounded.

Commenting on Toby’s success, Alex Todino, Southern Operations Team Manager at WWTW, said: “Seeing our beneficiaries achieve success like this is fantastic, and Toby is so deserving of this award. He’s made a huge effort to better himself and is now helping the wider community and making such a positive difference to other people’s lives. We are so proud of him.

Big Fish Little Fish award winning family rave!

Legends of Moving Shadow JMJ, Richie + Trax will be playing (grown up) old school classics for the family ravers! Live Percussionist Paul Fistfunk Crowley will also be taking to the stage. Join us on Sunday 17 November, 2019 from 14:00 at Epic Studio, Norwich.

The event will feature themed crafts, rave dancing stilt walker (from Twisted Bliss), giant balloons, glitter cannons, bubble machine, snow machine, amazing lighting (no strobes), vegan cake stall. face painting stall and the BFLF famous parachute dance.

Theme `Space Is The Place` (Fancy dress optional but encouraged) 2014 – 2019 Best Family Event – National Family Arts Festival Awards’ Family fun for the post-rave generation of parents. Helping parents be responsibly irresponsible since 2013. ‘Best day of my life’ – 6-year-old BFLF attendee ‘Makes me glad I had children’ – BFLF regular

For families with younger children (8s and under) though older siblings are welcome. Adults are not admitted unless accompanied by a child. Each event is stewarded and risk assessed in advance. Music is monitored an played at a safe level for younger ears.

DANCE, LAUGH, CRAFT AND GET DAFT – see you on the dance floor Norwich!

IMPORTANT T&Cs: Parents must remain responsible for their children at all times. A max of 3 children per adult. A max of 4 adults per child (and such groups must be pre-approved by emailing

[email protected] before buying tickets).

Tickets are non-refundable but if anybody with tickets finds they cannot attend a sold-out event please email [email protected] and BFLF will attempt to put you in touch with people seeking to buy tickets.

Each member of your group must have a ticket, adults £9.00, child £7.00 and pre-walking infants free (but still a require ticket.)

This is a standing/dancing event with limited seating. Please contact us if you have mobility issues.

Please be prepared for the event to be busy – it is a rave!

The event is conducted indoors with limited club lighting(no strobes) as the venue will be quite light , when entering please allow a few minutes for your eyes to adjust. Please no running!

BFLF sets the volume lower than at normal nightclubs. While it is still loud, it is within safe limits for young ears as set out by the World Health Organisation – and it is monitored throughout the event. It’s up to you if you want to bring ear defenders, although most parents don’t. However, if your child is particularly sensitive to noise or if you want them to nap during the event you might want to consider it. –

2-4 Hour Party People

www.bigfishlittlefishevents.co.uk

Bring your friends and family for our highly requested Open Day at Little Massingham Manor! A perfect opportunity for you to take a look around the beautiful meadows, woodland and manicured gardens of the Manor, as well as taking a peek at our enchanting Woodland Spa and brand new studio where we host our exciting events and workshops! Meet some friendly local businesses who we work closely with to curate the most memorable Norfolk experience when you stay with us.

-Please arrive between 9am and 5pm.
-Free entry and parking.
-No dogs.

As the sun rose over the tranquil setting of Barnham Broom, guests started to arrive at the Hotel & Spa eagerly looking to get their day started right with a morning of breakfast and networking.

Upon entering the building, you sensed that Christmas was around the corner and this was possibly due to the fact the hotel had a recent delivery of 30 Christmas Trees. All beautifully arranged along the entrance, past the welcome desk leading up to the hall – a festive treat!

The mellow festive ambiance continued throughout the first part of the morning, where our guests had the opportunity to meet old acquaintances and new businesses.

Representing our featured charity was Zoe from Creative Arts East. She was raising awareness of the wonderful things they do, improving skills, health and wellbeing, decreasing isolation, making a real difference to those rural communities – all through the power of the arts.

Conversations were in high gear, trickles of laughter were in the air accompanied by the aroma of freshly pressed coffee, after which we were gently called to our seats for breakfast.

Once breakfast was finished, our guests welcomed speaker John Dolan to the stage. John works as a Counter Terrorist Security Advisor. He explained that he was part of the team ERSOU (Eastern Region Special Operations Unit).

We received an informative overview of how they can help businesses if ever found in a terrorist situation. Whilst this is a subject most would choose not to think about, it was quite reassuring to learn that there is a specialist team in place that could help in many ways and most importantly; at no cost.

Our event then drew to a close and all guests were ready to start their day.

To find out more about Creative Arts East, visit their website: https://www.creativeartseast.co.uk/

To find out more about ERSOU, visit their website: https://ersourocu.org.uk/

Aston Shaw are finalists at the British Accountancy Awards 2019. The firm has been shortlisted alongside six other accountancy firms from around the country for the Mid-Tier Firm of the Year Award; the ceremony on 25th September 2019 in London.

In order to make the shortlist for the British Accountancy Awards 2019, Aston Shaw had to demonstrate to the judges that as a firm they add significant value to clients across all service areas. They were required to provide evidence to a panel of industry experts that shows how the services provided have been fundamental in enabling clients to achieve their specific business goals, increase revenues and satisfy and delight their customers.

The awards are recognised as the industry’s most highly regarded accolade. They pinpoint professional development and highlight those that have demonstrated excellence in their profession and so we are very proud to have been shortlisted for such a sought-after award.

Being a finalist in this category is recognition of our focus not just on business growth and profit but on becoming a well-respected firm that makes a positive impact.

Dominic Shaw, Director, said: “I was very happy to learn that our firm has been shortlisted. The entire team has worked hard to make the firm what it is today. It’s fantastic that our hard work has been recognised”.

This prestigious award will be presented to one of six exceptional finalists at an awards and dinner ceremony in London on 25th September.

To find out more about the awards, and to view the full shortlist, please visit: https://www.britishaccountancyawards.co.uk/shortlist-2/

www.astonshaw.co.uk

Professional recruitment specialists Pure, in collaboration with Barclays Eagle Labs, Tech East, and the Institute of Directors, hosted an inaugural Tech Leaders event in Norwich.

Held at Open, the event attracted a mix of current and aspiring leaders from businesses across the Cambridge Norwich Tech Corridor. The aim was to provide additional leadership development support for the people behind the fast-growing, innovative tech businesses which are significantly fuelling the Eastern region’s economy.

Ruben Davis, Senior Technology Recruitment Consultant at Pure, explained: “Independent research suggests the Tech Corridor could bring an additional £2.75bn to our regional economy by 2031 and create 26,000 more new jobs. To ensure this happens, one of the core aims of the Tech Corridor team is to ‘show the world that we have the people, companies and culture to match any of the leading tech clusters’. Leadership development, people strategy and company culture are all things we are extremely passionate about here at Pure and this is where we felt we could add real value and support.”

“We know that anything culture and people related needs to be driven from the top and by company leaders. We want to help those who have progressed into leadership roles, and the people who become Executives through founding their own companies, to understand the part they can play and the difference it can make. Even the most established and experienced leaders are facing a fast-moving industry, an even faster changing world of work and extreme competition for top tech talent. We know from our own work in supporting with technology recruitment that access to the right skills is the number one challenge facing tech businesses today. Organisations in our region need to be in the best possible position to be able to compete for and retain top talent, which again comes down to leadership, culture and employer brand. While there are already lots of excellent tech industry networking events in our region, we felt there was a need for a forum specially focused on leadership development and support.”

Pure worked in strategic partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs, Tech East, and the Institute of Directors to organise and host the inaugural Tech Leaders event on 26 September. Guest speakers included leadership expert Mark Williams who delivered an engaging presentation on ‘Leadership that gets results’ and James Duez, Co-founder and CEO of Rainbird Technologies who shared his journey and experience of being a technology leader.

Ruben added: “Our aim was to create a forum where current and aspiring tech industry leaders could take time out to concentrate on their own professional development, to network with each other, and to explore the softer skills of leadership and its impact on culture and employee engagement. I hope everyone took a lot away from the event and we have already been in touch to ask for feedback and ideas for future sessions. For us, this marks the start of an exciting journey to build the best Technology Leadership network in the Eastern region.”

The first Tech Leaders event was jointly hosted by Pure, Barclays Eagle Labs, Tech East and the Institute of Directors. For more information and to be kept informed of future events sign up here.

CGRC Snetterton 17th-18th August 2024

Ed’s journey from a Caterham road car enthusiast to a competitive racer took a thrilling turn during his first official race weekend. With a novice cross sticker proudly displayed on his car, signalling his entry into the world of motorsport, Ed embraced the challenge with enthusiasm and determination.

The race weekend at Snetterton was packed with new experiences for Ed, from the initial briefing with the Clerk of the Course to meeting the Caterham Graduates Racing Club’s Drivers Standards teams. The process of acclimating to competitive practice sessions, qualifying, and two races was a steep learning curve, but Ed handled it with impressive composure.

By his second race, Ed was fully in his element. His performance reached new heights as he clocked his fastest ever lap around Snetterton. The pinnacle of his debut weekend came when he won the ‘Millisecond Award’ for the closest finish, edging out Rob Appleton by just 0.054 seconds!

It’s remarkable to think that just six months ago, Ed had never been on track. Thanks to Alpha 7’s tailored driver development programme, he has rapidly advanced from a passionate enthusiast to a competitive driver. The focus now shifts to the next challenge: the Anglesey round in Wales. Ed is eager to tackle this new circuit and plans to maximise his simulator training to prepare.

Congratulations to Ed on a stellar start to his racing career! For anyone inspired by Ed’s success and looking to dive into motorsport, Alpha 7 offers personalised training programmes to help you achieve your driving and racing dreams. Get in touch to learn more about how we can support your journey.

In the absence of a full Norwich Beer Festival this autumn, BUILD Charity Volunteer, and local Beer Sommelier, Cheryl Cade, is organising the World Pop-up Beer Bar at the end of October in the Castle Social area of Castle Quarter shopping centre. The BUILD Charity and Headway Norfolk & Waveney are two Norfolk charities set to benefit from any profits made at the 4-day event, but ahead of its full launch volunteers are being recruited to serve behind bars, wash glasses, load fridges or assist with other aspects of the event. In return they will get to sample the alcoholic and alcohol-free goods and attend a staff party on the Saturday night. Full details of how to get involved at  Bar server volunteers | The BUILD Charity.

“Our award is for Best Residential & Commercial Window Film Company 2024 East Anglia.

Awarded by SME News

To celebrate our award we would like to offer all current members of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce a 10% discount.

SSAF Window Films Ltd., we offer an extensive selection of window films tailored to enhance the appearance and performance of glass surfaces. Our product range includes:

• Solar Control Films: Reduce heat and glare while maintaining natural light and clear views.

• Privacy Films: Provide privacy without sacrificing daylight or aesthetics, ideal for office partitions and bathroom windows.

• Energy Saving Films: Improve energy efficiency by reducing heating and cooling costs.

• Safety and Security Films: Strengthen glass to protect against breakage and deter potential intruders.

• Decorative Films: Enhance interior design with custom patterns, textures, and colours.

• Bespoke films: Speak to our inhouse design team about having your brand printed onto window film.”

The BUILD Wednesday Club is for adults with disabilities and meets on South Park Avenue in Norwich. Due to expansion of our programmes to meet demand we are looking to boost the team of volunteers who support art and craft activities. You’ll need to be available between 7pm and 9pm on a Wednesday evening (not all, but at least once a fortnight) and be prepared to go through some induction, safeguarding and disability awareness training to keep you safe, and our members safe, but also to help you share your skills and interests. If you are interested find out more through https://www.getinvolvednorfolk.org.uk/o/The-BUILD-Charity/opportunities/Art-programme-support-volunteer-Weds-evenings/63919.

It’s that time of year again to book your stand at the Chamber’s B2B at the Royal Norfolk Showground. An excellent opportunity to engage with other businesses and make new connections.

We all know what a great platform it is to showcase your business to others and potential customers but how do you stand out in a sea of exhibition stands?

What can you offer in addition to sweets and pens, but which does not cost the earth? Something that doesn’t involve lugging boxes of goodies or arranging delivery of items to your stand with all the associated costs.

Why not capture their attention by offering a complimentary massage?

People walk past so quickly. By offering something just a little different to everyone else in the room, the chance to take the weight of your feet for 5-10 minutes, relax, close your eyes and enjoy a back neck and shoulder massage just may make them slow down.

It always sparks curiosity and once one person is in the chair it’s not long before you have a queue of people waiting their turn. What better opportunity to talk to your captive audience about what you do, find out more about them and see if there is a way you can work together.

It’s so easy, we just turn up, place the massage chair in one corner of your stand and within 5 minutes we are ready to go!

We can even wear T-shirts with your company branding.

Have us there all day or just for a few hours in the busy part of the day.  Setting up and taking down the massage chair is easy and with little disruption – it’s done in minutes.

Contact Kathy Scott on 07989 367669 or at [email protected] for more information.

(Oh, by the way, we are not averse to stands offering sweets, cakes, pens etc – just saying!)