Member News

As a new school year begins, independent prep school Town Close is delighted to welcome Nick Tiley-Nunn as their new Headmaster.

Greeting families on the first day of term, Nick said:

‘‘It was a genuine thrill to arrive at Town Close this morning and welcome back all of the pupils. Town Close is a truly remarkable school and this has been a longstanding ‘dream role’ of mine. I cannot wait to work with the entire community in leading the school into its exciting next chapter, building on the school’s impressive local and national reputation.”

Nick joins the school with a wealth of educational and headship experience, most recently as Head of Ashford Prep School in Kent where he oversaw a period of significant success and development. Preceding this, Nick spent several happy years as Head of the Prep School and Nursery at Norwich High School for Girls, as well as other senior roles in the independent school sector including SENCo, Assistant Head and Deputy Head.

As a specialist in Primary Mathematics, Nick is a published author and educational consultant, previously serving as a Regional Lead for Primary Mathematics for a large academies group. He is also a Team Inspector for the ISI, bringing a wealth of experience and insight into the wider sector and exemplary industry standards.

Outside of work, Nick is at his happiest when outdoors; playing hockey and cricket, walking with his family (including Maisie their loveable Cocker Spaniel) or taking to the slopes on his skis.

A proud East Anglian himself, Nick is overjoyed to return to Norfolk with his wife, Rachel, and his two children who now attend Town Close as pupils:

‘Returning to Norfolk is the icing on the cake for us as a family. The county offers infinite opportunity to embrace our collective love of the outdoors and to reconnect with the thriving local community in and around Norwich. I look forward to forging even greater links between the School and our incredible local environment, maximising opportunities for all of our pupils to engage with and benefit from everything that Norfolk and the east of England has to offer.’

Town Close is an independent, co-educational preparatory school for children aged 3 – 13 situated in the heart of Norwich. To meet Nick in person and to tour the school, please book a place on their Open Morning on the 11th October by visiting Open Mornings & Private Tours – Town Close School or contact Amy Jones on [email protected] to arrange a private tour.

A new wave of talent is set to embark on their professional accountancy training at Larking Gowen, a leading firm in East Anglia. On Monday, 2 September, 29 ambitious students will join the firm. The new intake is testimony to the firm’s commitment to nurturing future talent.

This diverse group of students includes school leavers, university graduates and placement year undergraduates who will be bringing their skills to Larking Gowen’s offices in Norfolk, Suffolk and north Essex, working towards a variety of qualifications in accountancy and taxation, as well as other specialised qualifications.

Julie Grimmer, Managing Partner at Larking Gowen, commented, “The students join one day before my 40th anniversary with the firm. The whole profession has changed greatly since I started my training. We are proud to still be offering comprehensive training programmes for large numbers of new trainees. I warmly welcome this year’s cohort and look forward to seeing them realise their potential as individuals.”

Julie emphasised that Larking Gowen’s training programmes are about more than just passing exams. “Our commitment to our students goes beyond their initial training. We offer a career-long development path, providing a wide range of experiences within the business. Our experienced professionals will mentor and support them at every stage of their journey.”

Reflecting on her own career, Julie added, “I hope that, like me, our new trainees will build long-lasting careers at Larking Gowen and make the most of the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Wingfield Consultants have won another global awards this year with a ‘Stevies’ Silver at The International Business Awards. This time an Achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility award. The name ‘Stevie’ is taken from the name Stephen, which is derived from the Greek for ‘crowned’! Simon Wingfield, Founder of Wingfield Consultants, said: ‘This is our second global award recognition in 2024. We are so proud that the work we do for local communities, charities, and social enterprises in our home county of Norfolk has been rewarded with this silver award by the international judges.’ This is the ELEVENTH award win, finalist, shortlist or nominee recognition for Wingfield Consultants in 2024. It follows the CorporateLiveWire Global Awards 2023-24 win for Business Consultancy of the Year – UK win, The National Mentoring Awards – Excellence in Mentoring Award win (for Simon Wingfield), the SME News Business Elite Awards win for Best Business Growth Solutions Consultancy (East of England), the StartUp Awards finalist for Business Consulting & Management StartUp of the Year (East of England), the British Business Awards finalist for Small Business of the Year, the Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards finalist for Scale-Up Entrepreneur of the Year (East of England), a previous shortlist position for the Business Awards UK awards, the Business Awards UK Newcomer Business Consultancy of the Year win (Norfolk), the Business Awards UK CEO/Director of the Year win (Norfolk – Simon Wingfield), and a South Norfolk Community Awards nominee for Business in the Community. Useful Links: The International Business Awards® Recognize Achievements of Organizations Worldwide (stevieawards.com) Achievement Winners | Stevie Awards

Greater Anglia is showing its support for World Suicide Prevention Day, on September 10, by training more staff in suicide prevention to help keep people safe on the railway. Greater Anglia staff have already helped to save 20 lives so far this year, through interventions where they have helped vulnerable or distressed people at stations across the network. In the last three years, 141 staff have completed Samaritans’ managing suicidal contacts course, which is a one-day course tailored specifically to people working within the rail industry. The course focuses on the benefits of a short conversation with someone who may be experiencing suicidal feelings and the techniques required to sensitively support that person and help begin their recovery. These first aid skills are also beneficial when responding to family and friends who may visit the location following a loved one’s death and when supporting a colleague affected by trauma. In addition, they are valuable in our personal lives, listening to friends or family in need. The aim is to continue to increase the number of staff who have completed the course. The course is now delivered in-house by Greater Anglia’s learning and development facilitator, Dan Ribbits. A session will take place at Norwich railway station next Wednesday, which is planned to take place the day after World Suicide Prevention Day. Greater Anglia has recently introduced a Lifesaver award for colleagues who have completed a suicide intervention. As part of this, staff receive a certificate and a badge to thank them for their efforts. Georgia Payne, Greater Anglia’s Safeguarding and Community Safety Manager, said: “We work in partnership with the Samaritans, British Transport Police and Network Rail to prevent suicides on the railway. “We are doing everything we can to keep people safe while using our rail network. More staff than ever before have completed the Samaritans’ managing suicidal contacts course, which helps train rail staff to approach vulnerable or distressed people. “For every life lost, six are saved and we are very proud of our colleagues who have carried out interventions. The Lifesaver award is a nice scheme to show our appreciation for what may be the hardest part of the job, and it has been well received so far.” Anyone who needs to talk can call the Samaritans on 116 123. To hear more about how Greater Anglia is supporting World Suicide Prevention Day, listen to Georgia Payne’s interview on the Life On Rails podcast.

I am sure you are already aware that employee benefits is a varied and wide-reaching topic that boosts productivity, employee engagement and of course the business bottom line. With a good selection of employee perks and benefits, workers stay happy, and a happy team tends to be more productive and creative.

Additionally, employees who feel satisfied with their benefits package are less likely to move elsewhere. According to the LinkedIn Global Talent Trends Report, better benefits were one of the top 3 reasons why millennials changed jobs in 2020.

This is why we are reaching out to you as we would like to partner with you and offer your staff a unique opportunity to save a massive 25% discount by simply using their pre-approved company discount code!

The discount is not only applicable to mini-golf, but can also be used when purchasing food and drinks in our venue for a 10% discount*.  Your staff simply use the company code when booking golf online via our website or by simply quoting the code when purchasing drinks and food in-store.

There is no charge for partnering with Putt Putt Social – simply email [email protected] for more information and receive your unique company code.

*Discounts are NOT applicable for Party & Christmas Packages or Sunday bookings

NCSL is thrilled to announce the launch of our brand-new website, now live at Norwich City Services | LATCO | Norwich, UK. This significant milestone marks a transformative step in our digital presence, designed to better service our clients, attract top talent, and increase brand visibility.

The new website offers an intuitive and engaging user experience, showcasing our services, values, and company culture with enhanced imagery and streamlined navigation. Prospective employees will find a dedicated careers section, providing a deeper insight to the exciting opportunities and inclusive environment NCSL offers.

By enhancing our online presence, we are positioning NCSL for greater engagement, stronger recruitment efforts and increased brand identity. We invite everyone to explore our new site and discover what NCSL is all about.

WLP is pleased to introduce a new colleague David McLean to the team. David brings skills and experience that broaden and deepen our offer to SMEs. Two new areas of support he brings to the WLP portfolio are:

???????? ??????????. Optimising your product/service line-up and pricing structures to better meet your customers’ needs and improve your margins.

???????????. Getting a better deal with your suppliers and customers through effective negotiation, and upskilling your staff to achieve better outcomes.

Keep any eye out for posts and articles on the WLP website and LinkedIn page from David on these topics. Or if you want to get ahead of the competition and start discussing them now, why not get in touch with David today? [email protected]

Though stressful at first, it’s a good feeling to move out of an old space to somewhere new with plenty of room, a fresh perspective, and a huge upgrade in lunch choices. With that said, we are thrilled to have completed the first stage of our move to a bigger and better office in the heart of Norwich!

Our Digital Team, Health & Wellbeing Department, and Management Team have now moved to 93-87 Pottergate, Norwich.

Free from the tight quarters of our offices on Whiffler Road, our teams are feeling more like a community than ever before. With ample space to work and an all-around feeling of excitement that comes with a new space, we’ve been dosed with a wonderful burst of motivation to improve our services to the community.

We’re also looking forward to sharing these premises with Voluntary Norfolk, who are in the process of moving in upstairs. Through sharing a space, we aim to foster better collaboration between our organisations and further enhance the way we work with volunteers.

A huge thank you goes out to our incredible Business Manager, Beccy Humphrey, and HR extraordinaire, Alex Espinoza, for the hard work they put into the move. Their dedication and attention to detail have been instrumental in making this a smooth transition.

The Next Stage:

Moving our Norwich Advice Team in and making it our Official Norwich Public Office

Later this year, we will be moving our public advice service from The Forum to Pottergate. With more space, we’ll be able to accommodate even higher levels of demand in Norwich! With an additional six new interview rooms, we will be able to provide more one-to-one assistance to those in need, and we are eager to rise to the challenge. However, with this expansion comes the need for more hands on deck…

Join the Movement: Volunteer with Us!

We are now actively on the hunt for passionate and dedicated volunteers in Norwich to join our team and help us fill up the new space.

If you have one day to spare each week and are looking for a rewarding way to give back to your community, we would love to hear from you.

Help us support Norfolk’s citizens in their times of need!

www.ncab.org.uk/volunteer-opportunities

Howes Percival has recruited Partner Piet van Gelder as the firm’s first ever Head of Construction, to meet the growing demand for construction law services. Piet’s appointment follows a period of sustained growth for Howes Percival’s wider real estate and development team, which is nationally recognised and has advised on some of the largest development projects both regionally and beyond. Piet is a specialist construction and engineering lawyer who advises clients in the construction, engineering and renewable energy sectors and in respect of compliance with the new regime under the Building Safety Act. Piet has experience over the whole lifecycle of projects from compliance with building regulations, procurement and resolving commercial issues and project accounts. Piet has been involved with many engineering projects outside the renewables sector including nuclear waste plants, process engineering plants, sequence batch reactors and waste to energy plants. He has been involved in substantial disputes in the Technology & Construction Court and in international & domestic arbitration, as well as an experienced practitioner in adjudication and a keen proponent of mediation. Lucy Lord, Partner and Head of Property at Howes Percival, commented, “We are delighted to welcome Piet to Howes Percival to head up and grow our construction offering.  Piet has a wealth of experience and a strong client following.  He is a great recruit for us and brings the calibre and credibility we need to align with the strength of our development team and take our proposition to the next level. The local and national market in development terms remains very strong and we are seeing our development instructions increase quarter on quarter.  As a result, we need to expand our construction offering which is a critical specialism for our development clients.” For more information visit: https://www.howespercival.com/sectors/development-and-construction/ 

Captain Fawcett Ltd, Manufacturer and Purveyor of simply ‘First Class Gentleman’s Grooming Requisites’ based in King’s Lynn, has been flying the flag for West Norfolk on the epic BarbersRide motorcycle adventure across Europe to raise funds for international children’s charity Make-A-Wish.  

On the 3rd August Richie Finney, owner of Captain Fawcett and co-founder of BarbersRide, set off from Fawcett HQ to join a fellowship of mad-cap motorcyclists, united by their passion for bikes and barbering. The mission? To raise much-needed funds for ‘Make-A-Wish’, a charity which turns the dreams of seriously ill children into real life magic.   

Covering 972 miles / 1564 km (excluding getting there and back), a motley crew of over 30 riders roared through their a 5 day mission raising over £25K. Indeed, with BarbersRide now in its eighth consecutive year, since the Ride’s inception, total funds have climbed to over £143K – and donations for 2024 are still coming in! Huzzah!

Captain Fawcett, a West Norfolk Champion and East of England Export Champion, is a key sponsor of BarbersRide. The company founder, Richie Finney, is also one of BarbersRide’s founding members. He says: “It is a true pleasure to be part of bringing barbers and bikers together on these extraordinary annual journeys of camaraderie, mayhem and just fantastic goodwill. 2024 was BarbersRide’s first time taking to the highways of mainland Europe. Suffice to say, the warmth and hospitality of Europe’s barbers never fails to rise above its already legendary reputation. They truly excelled themselves, with live music, food and drinks laid on to revive the somewhat weary riders. We simply couldn’t do it without them. My personal thanks to Jenna at Fawcett HQ for her superb support and (almost) infinite patience!”

Regular BarbersRide Sponsors BARBICIDE® say: “We’ve been with BarbersRide from the start, we believe in what they’re doing for Make-a-Wish and hope that the Captain and his riders had a great European tour this Summer. Barbers do so much for our industry and it’s a chance for Barbicide to give something back.”

BarbersRide have supported Make-A-Wish since 2019, saying: “Make-A-Wish grants special wishes for sick children when they are most in need and bring positivity and happiness in times of distress. We decided to work with a national children’s charity so that children from each region could benefit and Make-A-Wish were the perfect organisation to partner with. In 2024 we were delighted to work with our European friends and extend that support to Make-A-Wish in Germany and the Netherlands. This incredible charity is truly a global phenomenon.”

Make-A-Wish Chief Executive Jason Suckley said: “We are hugely grateful to BarbersRide and all those who have supported their brilliantly unique way of fundraising for Make-A-Wish over the years. Any money they raise will help us with our ambitious mission to light up the lives of every child across the world who has a critical condition, by granting their wish. From the moment they are diagnosed, the joy of childhood is often brought to an abrupt end while treatment, medical appointments and worry take over. It can’t be underestimated how powerful a wish can be in bringing light and joy to those children, as well as their loved ones, creating positive moments and cherished memories that have a lasting impact on all their lives.”

In 2025 BarbersRide will take to the road again. Get involved!

Barbershops and brands

If you are a barbershop who would like to be considered to host an event or if you work for a brand that would love to be involved in sponsorship, then the BarbersRide team will be thrilled to hear from you. 

Please email [email protected] 

Barbers and bikers

The event organisers would also be delighted to hear from riders who would like to join them for the ride of a lifetime.  

Contact BarbersRide here: https://barbersride.com/

BARBERSRIDE 2024: 

Key Sponsors:

•   Captain Fawcett

•   Barbicide

•   Hair Pomades

•   Reuzel

 Associate Sponsors:

•   Lind Newmarket

•   Denman Pro

•   Denman Brush

•   Depot Male Tools

•   WAHL Europe 

•   Uppercut Deluxe

Principal Media Partner:

•   BarberEvo

Media Partner:

•   Barber Society Magazine (Netherlands)

Hosts:

– Seton Kappers (’s-Gravenzande)

– District Barbers (Amsterdam)

– Herr Feldmann (Monchengladbach)

– FON-iX Coiffeur (Mainz)

– Charlemagne Barbershop (Aachen)

– Schorem (Rotterdam)

Greater Anglia has today (2 September) launched series two of its Life on Rails podcast with Michael Portillo featuring as the special guest in episode one. Presented by Lucy Wright and Dominic Rosso from the company’s Corporate Affairs team, the Life on Rails podcast gives passengers a peek behind the curtain of one of the largest train operators in the country. Across this brand-new series of the magazine-style podcast, Life on Rails will welcome a wide variety of special guests who will share their incredible stories. Greater Anglia employees who are at the heart of operations will also explain how they have helped make Greater Anglia the most punctual and reliable train operator in the UK. There will also be special features that will showcase how Greater Anglia is working tirelessly to give its passengers better journeys. Guests include fleet and operations colleagues who will be discussing how the new fleet of trains have helped to transform rail travel across East Anglia. Later in the series, senior leaders from the Greater Anglia Executive Leadership Team will join the podcast, as well as representatives from Network Rail to discuss how they are continuously investing in rail infrastructure and the role they play in helping us achieve record-breaking performance. Each episode will delve a little deeper into some of the recent Greater Anglia news highlights. Lucy and Dom will examine some of the company’s most talked about stories and share some previously unknown information. In a new feature called Destination in the Spotlight, the podcast will welcome Community Rail Partnership Officers from across the network who will share some of the beautiful locations on their route and talk about some of the exciting activities that they are hosting. In the first episode which launches on Monday 2 September, the journalist, broadcaster, and railway advocate Michael Portillo joins the podcast to discuss his Railway Journeys, what made him fall in love with rail travel, and what he finds most attractive when travelling on the Greater Anglia network. Michael Portillo, said: “I have a lot of fondness for Greater Anglia, and it was a pleasure to join their Life on Rail podcast. “The introduction of the new trains has been particularly impressive, and I have been struck by their acceleration and punctuality. They also look very smart while being quiet and therefore do not upset my soundman if we are ever filming. “I have been incredibly fortunate to spend time in East Anglia and the Greater Anglia staff very often come out and greet us. They want to make sure that everything runs as smoothly as possible, and I am truly grateful.” Also in the first episode, Lucy and Dom will speak with Greater Anglia’s Safeguarding and Community Safety Manager, Georgia Payne. With World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September, Georgia will be discussing how we support people struggling with their mental health. L-R: Georgia Payne, Dominic Rosso, Lucy Wright (Credit. Greater Anglia) Thalia Rushmore is the Community Rail Partnership Officer for the East Suffolk Lines between Ipswich, and Lowestoft and Ipswich and Felixstowe. She joins the podcast to speak about some of the beautiful locations along this route and share some of the exciting activities that they are hosting. Dominic Rosso, Greater Anglia’s Senior Media and Public Relations Manager, said: “The Life on Rails podcast is back. We are truly excited to give passengers a peek behind the curtain of Greater Anglia and showcase how we are putting passengers first. “It was a true delight to welcome Michael Portillo to the podcast and hear how his affinity with the railway began and why he believes that rail is the best way to travel.” (Credit. Greater Anglia) Life on Rails series 2, episode 1 is now live. It is available on all usual podcast platforms and www.greateranglia.co.uk/podcast. The podcast will be issued bi-monthly.

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!)