City of Norwich School are looking for businesses to get involved in their Careers Day on Wednesday 4th March.
During their whole school Careers Day CNS have various employability and careers workshops going on and they need employers to get involved to talk to students and offer real world experience.
If you’d like to be involved please contact [email protected]
Our Norwich Christmas Breakfast has annually been a highlight of the Norfolk Chambers events calendar; finishing the year with a morning of fun and festive networking. On the morning of 5 December, Norfolk Chambers members arrived during sunrise to be greeted by Holiday Inn Norwich North’s fantastic Christmas trees and a room filled with twinkling lights. Getting into the spirit of things, attendees pulled out their best Christmas attire with everything from flashing jumpers, Santa earrings and even a full elf onesie! Morning cuppas were served and networking went into full flow. This year we chose to support Break Charity at the breakfast event. Break support children, young people, and families in four key areas: young people in care and moving on, children and young people with disabilities, families in need of support, and children at risk. We were pleased to be joined by Michael Rooney, Relationship Development Manager for Break as our host for the morning. Michael kicked off the morning by talking about all the amazing things Break do, and how businesses can get involved in such simple ways. For example, simply dropping off items you clear out over Christmas to one of their charity shops helps to make a positive difference. The first networking activity was then introduced which was Christmas anagrams. Each table had to work together to unscramble the anagrams and find the festive words. Breakfast was served shortly after to allow attendees to continue their conversations. Following breakfast it was time to bring back our classic safari move. Each attendee had to pull a card out of an envelope and move to a new table. This was an opportunity to mix up our attendees and get them to make new connections. To break the ice we then had our final networking activity which was a Christmas quiz. We asked attendees on their tables to name the 12 days of Christmas and Santa’s eight reindeer. One table almost had it but ended up getting days 11 and 12 mixed up – which meant another table ended up being crowned the winners. To round the morning off, Michael was tasked with choosing the best Christmas outfit at the breakfast. Despite the tough competition and multiple light up jumpers, our overall winner was David Tuthill of Coleman Opticians in his elf onesie. It was a great morning and a wonderful way to finish off a year of great networking with Norfolk Chambers.
Help us give a warm welcome to the newest members of Norfolk Chambers of Commerce for the month of November. We had a whooping 25 members join this month.
Visit their business to explore what they have to offer. Click on a business name below to view the full listing in our Member Directory.
All things Antenatal The first national pregnancy & birth directory with a social conscience.
A-Plan insurance Taking the hassle out of insurance
Ark Ark is a design studio, co-founded by award-winning creatives, Simon McWhinnie, Lee Nash and Neil Wright.
Enjoying Norfolk Enjoying Norfolk and our discount card, takes our mission one step further. We want pewople to discover, support and enjoy Norfolk’s best businesses. By offering Discounts we hope you’ll be minded to discover new places and explore new things to do in Norfolk..
Core Petro
Drive Alive With over 30 years of experience in Fleet Risk Management, Drive Alive delivers exceptional customer service
Eastkin Creative Social videos, eye catching ideation and social strategy with an eye & love for film and design.
Ebony-Storm Halliday Digital marketer. Editorial assistant. Freelance ninja.
Ekocycle Your partner in embracing all aspects of plastics, with the most diverse being recycled.
EM&F East Anglia We have been selling businesses for 50 years which means when it comes to business for sale – we know how to get results.
Endless Story We specialise in elegant backdrops and totally unique props with a hint of french chateauesque style!
Espresso HR The HR tool for your business. Free yourself from HR admin and get back to working on your business
External Services Ltd We provide a broad range of services and specialise in providing virtual in-house support to our clients.
Fullertons Booksearch You may be looking for one book or many books. We are the professionals who will search and hopefully find that elusive item.
Layrd Design Commercial interior design. Layrd Design specialise in Workspace & Leisure Design.
Little Green Button The Little Green button is the original on-screen panic button suitable in all workplace environments which can be discreetly activated to request immediate assistance from colleagues.
Mind Harbour Mind Harbour provide wellbeing courses for businesses and community groups across East Anglia.
Norfolk Feather Company For over 90 years Norfolk Feather Company has been supplying and making traditional Feather and Feather and Down products.
Orca Will Writers ORCA is an independent Will Writing company specialising in all your estate planning needs.
Peru Consulting Peru is a growing and dynamic independent consultancy formed in 2012 to help customers solve complex business problems and maximise value from their investment in technology. Rhino Building We are a Builders Merchants and DIY depot based in Norfolk.
Steadfast Training We are a training provider that delivers first class skills, employability and training solutions to create better futures for individuals, families, businesses and communities.
TJP Wills & Estate We are part of a large group of like minded professional advisers working with APS Legal & Associates Ltd.
Visualise Visualise is a creative design studio based in Norwich, Norfolk and covering London and the surrounding areas. Designing and developing bespoke websites, graphic design and social media animation.
Year 5 pupils from Mile Cross Primary School entered the Dragons’ Den this week, in the finale of a project aimed at inspiring young business minds and raising aspirations.
Teams pitched their business ideas to the real-life dragons from Norwich’s business community, with the overall winners receiving a virtual investment into their idea. The project began two weeks ago at City College Norwich’s StartUp Lounge, where a workshop delivered by Norwich School’s Business Enterprise department challenged pupils to come up with a business idea to impress the dragons. Pupils were mentored by the current Norwich School Lower Sixth, and were tasked with creating business plans, marketing strategies and financial projections for their business.
Ideas ranged from a litter-picking drone to remove plastic from the ocean, a home security system which can also put out fires and a pop-up book for all ages. The winning idea, an automatic fishing pole, impressed the judges with its clear purpose and marketing strategy and professional pitch on the day.
Norwich School was grateful once again for the support of the Business Dragons, Nova Fairbank, Head of Policy at Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, Stefan Gurney, Executive Director of Norwich Business Improvement District, and Charlotte Beach, Executive Support – Event and Activities Supervisor at City College Norwich.
Commenting on the finale, Nova Fairbank, Norfolk Chambers of Commerce said:
“The students pitching at today’s Dragon’s Den have done an amazing job. Their presentations were well thought out and they had clearly done lots of work and research before presenting enthusiastic and interesting pitches. The Dragons had a truly difficult decision to select the winning bid. The talent and energy in the room was brilliant and I think we may have seen several future entrepreneurs! Well done to all the teams.”
The school’s relationship with Mile Cross Primary was built through a link with the Norwich Opportunity Area (NOA), which aims to raise aspiration amongst the city’s identified wards. The Dragons’ Den aims to support the the NOA priority to ensure primary-aged children have early access to careers and enterprise activities through their schools.
Here at the Chambers we are definitely feeling the Christmas spirit: the tree is up and decorated and our desks are adorned with tinsel. We also held our very first Christmas Carol evening in partnership with the wonderful Blickling Hall on Monday 2nd December to get everyone in the festive mood.
Held in Blickling parish church guests walked up the candlelit pathway to the church which was beautifully decorated with candles, a Christmas tree, and garlands. With a cup of mulled wine (or spiced apple) and a mince pie in hand guests took their seats ready to hear all about Christmas at Blickling from the Jacobean period up to the 1930s. The costumed speakers gave great accounts on Christmas in their periods, including the creation of the tradition of decorated trees and card-giving in the Victorian period. During the Edwardian period a key and coin were hidden in the pudding with whoever got the key acting as master for a day, this could end up with a servant in charge and the master acting as servant! After hearing from the volunteers we were then treated to some carols courtesy of Vocalights Choir who encouraged everyone to join in!
At the end of the evening guests walked back to their cars past the spectacular Blickling Hall with its tree-lined drive and brightly coloured lights illuminating the hall. It was a great way to bring the business community together to kick off the festive season at a beautiful venue, even if it was very cold! If you’d like to explore the hall’s 400 years of history for yourself you can take a look round their festive house and garden of lights until December 20th as part of their Home for Christmas celebrations.
It’s business awards season!
Following the success of the Norfolk Business Awards 2019 on Thursday 21 November, it was time for Norfolk Chambers of Commerce members to be represented in London for the national Chamber Business Awards 2019, hosted by the British Chambers of Commerce.
Chris Sargisson, CEO of Norfolk Chambers of Commerce accompanied Chambers members Indigo Swan and Gnaw Chocolate to Tobacco Dock, London on Thrusday 28 November.
Indigo Swan and Gnaw Chocolate were crowned as regional winners back in September for the Workplace Wellbeing Award and the Export Business of The Year Award respectively.
Following a glamourous night of drinks and celebration, Indigo Swan were announced as the runners up for the national Workplace Wellbeing Award – a brilliant achievement!
Chris Sargisson had this to say: “It’s great to see Norfolk businesses being recognised on a national scale – it is something we’ve advocated for a number of years now; Norfolk businesses are brilliant, we just need to shout about it!
“An enormous congratulations both Gnaw Chocolate and Indigo Swan.”
On a cold grey morning the wonderful Jill Watkinson from Soul Church, a charity based in the north of Norwich, warmly greeted me in their beautifully decorated Christmassy foyer. Soul Church have been members of the Norfolk Chambers since April, so meeting a couple of times a year is the perfect way to find out how things are going and what support they need. They always manage to surprise me with their initiatives so I was very excited to find out what they’ve been up to recently.
Soul Church strongly believe in a brighter future for those in need across Norwich and wow are they showing it! From providing the homeless with food, shelter, and a warm place to shower; to bringing the community together by delivering a free Christmas Show in their auditorium! One of the things that really blew me away was their ‘Wonder Tree’ which stands in their foyer of the church.
The idea behind ‘Wonder Tree’ is to provide gifts for every child at Mile Cross Primary School as many of them unfortunately wouldn’t have anything to open come Christmas morning. Hanging from the tree are gift tags with information about the potential recipient, such as “unisex gift for 5-8 year old”, the giver then comes back with a suitable unwrapped gift to leave under the tree. Before sending the gifts, volunteers from Soul Church, YMCA, and Norwich City Football Club will be doing a mass-wrap. With over 200 of the 400 students already able to open something the ‘Wonder Tree’ is really living up to its name!
If you’re in the area it’s the perfect place to warm up with a delicious coffee or cake and feel part of the community. Why not pop in to find out more? For more information on the wonder tree leaflet, click below!
This piece is written by Nicole Risby, Customer Experience Team.
Ahead of the general election on Thursday 12 December 2019, Norfolk Chambers and our members are calling on the future government to deliver a bold and clear strategy to support economic growth across all regions and nations of the UK.
Health, immigration and crime, as well as avoiding a messy disorderly No Deal Brexit, are all important and relevant issues for business. However, the Norfolk business community is clear that action is needed on a range of domestic fronts, including improving the competitiveness of the UK’s business environment, upgrading physical and digital infrastructure across the country, and supporting business growth, whilst balancing the need to be sustainable.
The Norfolk Chambers’ business community is sending a strong message that this election cannot, and must not, be about Brexit alone.
We will judge the next government against five key criteria:
Attached is the Norfolk Chambers manifesto – outlining what our members think on the key issues.
Business satisfaction rates fall, underlining need for parties to make good on infrastructure promises
UK businesses are even less satisfied with UK infrastructure than they were a year ago, according to research published today by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and Stagecoach.
The survey of 1,200 business leaders, including those in Norfolk, finds that only one third (33%) of East of England businesses feel that the UK road network is meeting their needs when reaching customers, suppliers, and employees. This is a reduction from 47% in 2018. 53 per cent had experienced delays resulting in increased travel costs, loss of business or client dissatisfaction across a one-month period.
Satisfaction with the UK rail network is even lower. Just over one quarter (27%) agree that it is meeting their needs. In 2018, the figure stood at 34%.
The BCC is calling on the next UK government to deliver promised investment in road and rail schemes, and to give businesses a greater voice for businesses in local decision making. According to today’s research, the majority of businesses do not feel that their views are taken into account when decisions are made about infrastructure. Only one in seven feel their views are either somewhat or very much taken into account in national decisions. One third (33%) feel their views are considered at the local level.
Nova Fairbank, Head of Policy for Norfolk Chambers said:
“This election has generated a barrage of promises on infrastructure spending, but unless we see real action in the early months of the new parliament, our hard-pressed firms will struggle to deliver the economic resurgence we desperately need. Improving our roads capacity, particularly the A47; and enabling our rail franchise to deliver further service improvements by upgrading track infrastructure, would send a vital signal that businesses are finally being heard, would kick-start business investment across the country and will pay dividends long into the future.
“Alongside an immediate commitment to revitalise our ageing roads, the next administration should waste no time in delivering HS2 and promised investment in Northern Powerhouse Rail as part of a UK-wide high-speed rail network.”
Stagecoach Group Chief Executive Martin Griffiths said:
“Britain’s congestion crisis is getting worse, directly impacting businesses and their employees, as well as causing further damage to air quality in our towns and cities. This research underlines a growing frustration that, despite transport authorities having powers right now to improve our road infrastructure, there is a lack of radical action to address the problem.
“If we are serious about supporting jobs and our regional economies, as well delivering cleaner air and healthier communities, we need urgent measures to prioritise public transport and incentivise a large-scale switch from cars to more sustainable bus and active travel.”
In 2020 and beyond, business priorities for the next UK government, the BCC is calling for public investment in infrastructure to rise to at least 1.4 per cent of GDP per year – exceeding the funding guideline of 1.2 per cent recommended by the National Infrastructure Commission.
Norfolk Chambers of Commerce are once again pleased to be supporting the Norfolk Skills & Careers Festival. Returning on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 March 2020 at Norfolk Showground, this interactive event is aimed at 14-24 year olds to help inspire them for their future career and to demonstrate the various options available. The event spearheaded by Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association provides an opportunity for your business to connect with Norfolk’s young people, support the future workforce and demonstrate and talk about the key skills involved in your industry. The Festival will be structured around thirteen sectors covering Energy, Advanced Manufacturing, ICT – Digital and Creative, Financial and Business Services, Leisure, Tourism and Culture, Food and Farming, Science and Innovation, Health and Social Care, Construction and Logistics, Education and Training, Public Services, Retail and Enterprise and Careers advice. The Festival is run on a not for profit basis and the organising partners include: Norfolk County Council, Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association, Archant, City College Norwich, Easton and Otley College, Beacon East, Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and Norwich School. For 2020 the Festival is looking for exciting new businesses to get involved to put on an interactive and engaging display of the career opportunities Norfolk has to offer. Both exhibition and sponsorship opportunities are available with prices starting at £350+VAT. If you book before the 31 December you’ll receive an early bird rate on your booking too! To find out more about supporting the Norfolk Skills and Careers Festival 2020, take a look at the documents below or get in touch with Cheryl Watson: E: [email protected] T: 01603 731971
Norfolk businesses are thriving, and the Norfolk Business Awards 2019 were a gleaming example of that last week at the Norfolk Showground Arena.
We were delighted to see two Norfolk Chambers of Commerce members amongst those being celebrated at the awards ceremony last Thursday.
Indigo Swan were once again, for the second year in a row, crowned Small & Medium Business of the year.
MHA Larking Gowen picked up the Best Employer Award, an excellent achievement following on from their BCC Regional Winners Award for Workplace Wellbeing in 2018.
A huge congratulations must go out to all of the excepitonal winners on the night:
Read more on the EDP Business Section.
The percentage of UK firms facing recruitment difficulties has returned to previous highs, while one in four businesses expect to increase headcount according to the UK’s largest survey of employers.
The latest Quarterly Recruitment Outlook from the British Chambers of Commerce, in partnership with Totaljobs, reveals that almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of businesses who attempted to recruit faced recruitment difficulties in Q3 2019, compared with 64 per cent in Q2.
Skills shortages were predominantly felt across skilled manual roles and professional roles, with 80 per cent of construction firms and 71 per cent of transport and distribution businesses facing difficulties recruiting the right staff. In the run up to Christmas, 70,000 transport and distribution roles were advertised on Totaljobs in Q3, receiving an average of 23 applications per vacancy.
Despite concerns over Brexit deadlock, labour market performance and expectations are holding up fairly well. Only 11 per cent of businesses have decreased their workforce in Q3, with one in four businesses increasing their total headcount. Headcount remained consistent at 62 per cent of responding businesses.
Looking forward, one in four businesses plan to increase their headcount in Q4 2019, and two in three expect to keep their workforce consistent. Just 8 per cent of UK firms expect to decrease their headcount in Q4 2019. Supporting signs of a buoyant recruitment market, over 740,000 job vacancies advertised on Totaljobs in Q3 2019, with over 13 million applications made on the platform.
Although over half (54 per cent) of UK businesses tried to recruit in Q3 2019, just one in four (28%) micro- businesses attempted to recruit. In contrast, 75% of small and mid-sized businesses (250+ employees) and 90% of large businesses (250+ employees) recruited in the same period.
BCC Director General Adam Marshall said:
“Jobseekers will welcome the fact that many businesses are continuing to hire staff, but policymakers should be alarmed that skills shortages continue to bedevil firms – particularly in the skilled roles that will be needed to drive healthy manufacturing and export performance following Brexit.
“The next government must swiftly translate election promises into action and deliver more generous investment in high-quality technical and vocational education at all levels, alongside a flexible, fast and affordable immigration system that provides access to a broad range of skills. It must radically reduce upfront business costs so firms have the confidence and cashflow to back this up with on-the-job training and apprenticeships.”
Patrick Wehrmann, CEO of Totaljobs said:
“The labour market remains one of the strongest pillars of the UK economy, and in the previous quarter, there were almost 750,000 vacancies advertised on Totaljobs, driving over 13 million applications from the UK workforce.
“Despite economic uncertainty, our latest research indicates that the labour market is buoyant, and with over a quarter of businesses looking to expand their workforce with an increased headcount in Q4, this looks set to continue.
“However, it’s notable that skills shortages continue to affect businesses UK-wide, and as such, regardless of wider economic concerns, employers should be mindful that they are doing what’s necessary to attract and retain the best talent on offer.
“Totaljobs research shows that workers are particularly driven by professional development and training, clear progression paths, and a healthy work-life balance. It’s vital that employers put these things front of mind and continue to drive investment in their people in order to keep staff engaged, and drive business output during a dip in the economy.”