Local catering equipment specialists Broadland Catering Equipment are urging local businesses to support Gas Safety week following a spate of gas related incidents.

The recent fatal gas explosion in Oldham and the explosion, which rocked Broadland Catering Equipment’s neighbours on Rackheath industrial estate last January, have brought gas safety into focus and the industry is keen to stress that badly fitted and poorly serviced gas appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions as well as carbon monoxide poisoning. According to statistics released by the Gas Safe Register thousands of people across the UK are diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning each year as a result of faulty gas appliances.

Initiatives such as Gas Safety week, initiated by the Gas Safety Register and runs from 10-16 September 2012 aims to bring the gas industry and consumer organisations together to promote gas safety. Over 1,000 organisations supported the event in 2011 and the hope is to continue to grow the reach of the campaign in 2012.

Broadland Catering Equipment Director Colin Chettleburgh said “We are keen to get as many local caterers to support the Gas Safe week as possible, to ensure that we reduce the risk of more tragic or damaging gas incidents. The current focus of GasSafe and HSE is air quality and illegal gas work.”

“The most important thing for people to do is check that their Gas Safety Certificate is up to date and that their equipment has been serviced within the last 12 months. It is also important for people to test their emergency procedures in the event of a fire or gas leak are robust and ensure any gas work of any kind is carried out by engineers competent in that area of work. If they are not sure, they can ask the engineer for their card or check out the company and engineer on the Gas Safe website. Many people think a qualified gas engineer can do any kind of work. In fact, there are over 70 different gas qualifications and any engineer carrying out work they are not qualified for is potentially putting lives at risk, which is why it is a criminal offence” Colin added.

The most recent Catering Technical Bulletin issued by HSE in April this year has sharpened the focus on kitchen ventilation and extraction. Mandatory air quality tests carried out by competent engineers will assure operators that their systems are working properly and their staff are working in a safe environment.

The Gas Safe Register replaced CORGI in 2010 as the official gas registration body for the United Kingdom. By law all gas engineers must be on the Gas Safe Register.

Did you have your say on Government red tape at this morning's Broadland Business Forum?

Over 60 local business leaders came together with Broadland District Council to discuss the effect red tape is having on the business community both in Broadland and across Norfolk.

Councillors from the Local Authority met with business leaders in an open table format to work through any problems businesses face in their day-to-day operations and what the Council can do to help grease the economic wheels of the region.

The next Broadland Business Forum is due to take place on Wednesday 31st October 2012, whilst similar events will be taking place in Breckland (5th September) and South Norfolk (19th September) in the coming months.

For more information on the Online Business Directories we run to bring businesses together and provide marketing support, across Norfolk, please call Robert on 01603 702374 or email info@thelivelycrew.co.uk

The Broadland Business Forum, which is run alongside the Broadland Online Business Directory enjoyed a day on the Broads on Wednesday 25th April, when they met at the Norfolk Broads Yacht Club for the quarterly breakfast forum.

Alongside the chance to hear from some top speakers on tourism in Broadland, including Barbara Greasley of Norfolk Broads Tourism and former Radio Norwich DJ Steve Bradley, members also had the opportunity to enjoy Wroxham Broad with a trip out on boats provided by the speakers and the Yacht Club.

The Norfolk Broads itself, is looking to expand its global appeal with a raft of initiatives, which were announced by Norfolk Broads Tourism Chairperson Barbara Greasley during the Broadland Business Forum at the Norfolk Broads Yacht Club.

“The Norfolk Broads is a jewel in the crown for this part of the world. James Berresford, CEO of Visit England vacationed on the Broads with his family in 2011 and will return this year and we need to ensure that others follow his lead. That is why we set-up the Broads Tourism Forum in 2005 and are continuing to grow our links with local businesses. Recently we have pioneered the Broads Quality Charter, which works with local eateries to promote locally prepared food and are expanding the Broads Outdoor Festival for 2012” announced Barbara.

Barbara also asked local businesses to get involved with the Broads and announced the new ‘Nuture the Broads’ fundraising initiative. “We are acting to safeguard the future of the Broads and are looking to raise funds specifically for protecting the Norfolk Broads unique character. We are working with local business to promote the scheme and are running initiatives such as a £1 donation on every hotel booking, to help safeguard a valuable resource”, adding “in 2009 the Norfolk Broads attracted over seven million visitors, who brought over £419m into the local economy, we want to ensure that this number grows each year whilst the Broads remain the uniquely special place they are today.”

The Broadland Business Forum also heard from former Radio Norwich DJ Steve Bradley, who has recently hung up the headphones after 15 years on the airwaves to set-up a luxury charter business on the Norfolk Broads.

Steve, who has recently passed his professional boat skipper qualifications, gave an example of how local businesses working together can maximise the benefits the Broads ever-increasing profile brings. “We work very closely with Horning Ferry Marina and the local eateries and hospitality venues along the Broads, to launch and of course at the end of a long day on the water, there is no better place to retire to for a meal and a nightcap than a local watering hole. It is a two-way relationship and everybody wins.”

Whilst the Broads are seeking to build their national and international profile, local people aren’t being forgotten, with local sailing clubs also opening their doors to encourage as many people as possible to experience the beauty that is on their doorstep.

“There are people who have lived their whole lives in Norwich and have never been on the Norfolk Broads” insisted Norfolk Broads Yacht Club Rear Commodore Malcolm Kemp. “The days of having to be interviewed before you are allowed to become a member are long gone and we are keen to encourage as many people as possible to enjoy Wroxham Broad. To celebrate the Diamond Jubilee on the 2nd June, we will be hosting an Open Day for members of the public to come along and try out the activities on offer. We also have seven wherries visiting the Broad, completing the spectacle.”

Broadland District Council also used the event, featuring over 70 local business leaders, to announce a new Environmental Business Network, designed to allow businesses to share best practice, to improve the economic and sustainable performance of local business. Kirsty Burns from the Council stated “we want this forum to be very interactive and provide a platform for businesses to ask questions of the Council’s environmental team and liaise with each other to boost business performance.”

The Broadland Business Forum is part of the BOLD Directory Group, which covers over 11,000 businesses across Norfolk. The Forum brings together over 70 local businesses at a series of events, to foster closer links between the public and private sectors across the region. For more information on how you can become part of this burgeoning business community, please contact Robert Ediker on 01603 702374.

The Broadland Business Forum, will drop anchor at the Norfolk Broads Yacht Club for a business breakfast on Wednesday 25th April.
Hot on the heels of the recent post-budget breakfast which saw local MP Chloe Smith as keynote speaker, the forum will now focus on tourism in Broadland and ways that the local business community can maximise the potential return from the influx of visitors the area receives each year.

Barbara Greasley, keynote speaker, chair of Broads Tourism and co-owner of Broads Tours will  update the forum of 2012 plans for tourism both on the Norfolk Broads and across the county as a whole.

Former Radio Norwich DJ Steve Bradley will feature amongst the speakers. Steve will tell businesses why he has left a lifelong career he loved, to launch a luxury boat charter on the Norfolk Broads. Known to many as the voice of Norwich, Steve is now a fully qualified boat pilot and will be launching his new venture on Norfolk’s waterways in the coming weeks.

Self-proclaimed Canoe Man, Mark Wilkinson will also be advising members on how to make the most of the Norfolk Broads and the beauty of Broadland in building a successful business in the area.

Post breakfast attendees will be able to enjoy networking onboard a choice of river transport, providing an ideal and unique opportunity to get to know one another and enjoy the jewel Norfolk’s tourism crown.  
 
Parking and mooring at the venue will be available on the day.

Chloe Smith MP for North Norwich and within the Broadland area, as well as a member of the government team who puts the budget together, has agreed to deliver a post budget speech to the Broadland Business Forum on Wednesday 4th April.

The briefing is being held at the Oaklands Hotel and will run from 7.45am – 9.30am. This event is being put on by the Broadland Business Forum, which brings together business leaders from across the area. The forum meets quarterly and has won praise from the Olympic Development Committee for encouraging economic growth in the area.

Places are still available but demand is expected to outstrip availability, so if you are interested in attending this unique chance to hear from and question an influential member of the government’s finance team, book now to avoid disappointment.

The BOLD Group, which manages the Broadland Business Directory was founded in 2009 with the introduction of the Breckland Online Business Directory and now includes directories for Breckland, Broadland and South Norfolk. Together, the directories are designed to improve the connections between local businesses and District Council’s across Norfolk. The directories have thus boosted the economic output of the areas they serve, on one occasion alone over £100,000 of business was passed between two members. The directories have also given the private sector a powerful collective voice.

In addition to improved local links, the directories act as the marketing arm for many local businesses, providing a forum for their news, events and job vacancies as well as online and offline marketing support, increasing access to the local business community. Monthly bulletins to the 11,000 listed businesses also keep businesses in the loop with key stories, opportunities, vacancies and public sector initiatives locally and further afield.

If you are a business in Breckland, Broadland or South Norfolk, you are entitled to a free listing on the directories. In addition to the free listing, the directories are marketing tools for your business, allowing you to post your news, event and job vacancies to the local community. For more information, to register your business, or check your business’ listing is up to date, please go online.
To book your place, please call Robert on 01603 702374 or email info@broadlanddirectory.co.uk