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Anne Corder Recruitment has retained its quality certification for the 27th consecutive year – having risen to the challenges faced by the business world in another turbulent year. The Peterborough-based recruitment firm has again passed its quality review, with inspectors praising the team of experienced recruitment professionals and their “outstanding” management methods. The recognition comes in a year where the team has continued to embrace the changing working landscape, including liaising virtually and remotely with clients and candidates, alongside driving its own exciting changes within the business. Recognised as the only international indicator of quality, the ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) 9001:2015 certification demonstrates Anne Corder Recruitment’s dedication to running an efficient and cost-effective business, as well as the commitment paid to the well-being of staff and candidates alike. Managing Director Nel Woolcott said: “ISO certification shows our commitment to always meeting the very highest business standards. The positive impact this approach has upon candidates and clients is clear in our exceptional satisfaction ratings. We are particularly proud of this achievement again this year, not least because of the challenging times everyone continues to face and embrace. “We have continued to operate a ‘business as usual’ in most unusual circumstances and of course we are once again delighted with the outcome and high praise from the inspectors who have recognised our robust and proven working ethos.” As part of a more robust audit, which means the company are recertified for the next three years, inspectors spent time reviewing its methods and systems, with an evaluation being made through record verification and sampling methodologies.

A three-day independent audit of Peterborough Cathedral’s safeguarding arrangements has been described by the Dean, the Very Revd Chris Dalliston, as ‘very encouraging”. The audit was carried out by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) last November and found safeguarding to be “well embedded in the Cathedral community” and linked with “a culture which understands its importance, and promotes safeguarding as supported by openness, caring and diversity.” Rather than making recommendations in the report, SCIE instead make a list of ‘Questions for the Cathedral to consider’ to highlight any areas of concern. They are in the process of reviewing all 43 English cathedrals and Peterborough’s audit was the 40th one they have done. On average a cathedral will be given at least 30 questions to consider. In Peterborough’s case there were just 13 items on the list, and some of these had already been identified by the Cathedral as needing attention. The Dean, the Very Revd Chris Dalliston, said: “We are very encouraged by the positive nature of the SCIE audit. It is a tribute to the hard work of the Safeguarding Group at the Cathedral led by Canon Sarah Brown and (since her departure) Canon Tim Alban Jones, as well as our Independent Safeguarding Officer, Tim Hitch, and Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser, Bev Huff. Over the last four years, through training and communication, we have made it our aim to embed safeguarding into everything we do at the Cathedral. We are glad that this has been recognised but the effort does not stop here. Safeguarding remains a high priority and we will continue to develop our work in this area so that we can be a safe and welcoming place for everyone.” As part of the process the SCIE auditors interviewed 13 members of staff and two volunteers. They also reviewed numerous files and documents, as well as the system for undertaking DBS checks. Comments received from the wider cathedral community via a confidential online survey were also taken into account.

We are delighted to share the news that cofinitive has been named the No1 PR & communications agency in East Anglia for the second consecutive year running. Our multi-award-winning agency has held onto its top spot in the prestigious ‘Image Makers’ rankings - compiled annually in Business Weekly’s coveted 2021 New Year Honours list – after what the newspaper described as “another brilliant 12 months”. Dubbed a “communications powerhouse” last year, we have now received what must be our favourite description to date. In awarding us the top spot again, Business Weekly wrote: “cofinitive has serious class – and attitude in a nice but edgy kind of way”. The newspaper continued: “Founder Faye Holland has continued to build a team in her own ‘get it done with maximum efficiency’ image”. It added: “cofinitive clients are almost inevitably game changers in their field and globally influential. [Faye] would rather enthuse than bruise an ego but if she believes clients are missing a beat, she does not hesitate to tell them. Suffice to say that Business Weekly has been roundly thanked for recommending science and tech clients especially to cofinitive’s thoroughbred stable.” This prestigious ranking kicks off 2022 perfectly for cofinitive and we are extremely grateful for the recognition and praise for our dedication and work. Faye Holland, founder and director of cofinitive said: “There is so much expertise in our region in this space and we are delighted to be on the list – and we are genuinely humbled to be top again. Congratulations to all the other Image Makers, and the rest of those recognised on the New Year Honours listings – bravo Business Weekly for celebrating the importance of good comms for our region’s businesses.”

Arbicon are pleased to announce the appointment of John Elven as Senior Consultant, adding to its expertise in NEC, civil engineering and construction contracts. With a career of over 30 years focussing on dispute resolution and avoidance, John has supported major contracting businesses across the construction and civil engineering industry, providing contractual advice with informed recommendations in situations where disputes have occurred and require practical solutions and resolution. He has exceptional knowledge of NEC contracts and has carried out contractual reviews and screening for NEC, JCT, FIDIC and ICE contract forms, advising commercial teams on improvements to existing procedures and processes to minimise or avoid disputes. John specialises in the preparation of cases for Arbitration and Adjudication and has frequently acted as Party Representative for payment disputes, extension of time and loss and expense claims, as well as contract termination and contra charge issues. John has gained considerable experience in a variety of construction and civil engineering projects, including building, groundworks, drainage, infrastructure, major roadworks, water treatment works, pipelines, marine cabling, utilities, energy, demolition, and remediation.

AscendantFX Capital Inc, recognised as one of Canada’s top growing companies has opened its first office outside of North America in Peterborough. The financial technology and global payments provider will focus on growing their business client base and valued partnerships by offering technology-driven payment solutions that save customers time and money as they navigate a challenging economic environment. “Having the infrastructure and operational capabilities to expand into the UK market is a significant and strategic milestone for our company,” said Jason Mugford, President and Chief Executive Officer at Ascendant. “Furthermore, our plan is to invest in local talent, expanding the office to become a hub for the wider European region.” Many of the Canadian and UK team at Ascendant have a historical connection with the area, launching the world’s first business payments foreign exchange platform in 1997, whilst at Thomas Cook, which latterly became Travelex. Ramnath Ramhit, Managing Director UK & Europe, formerly of Thomas Cook, Travelex and HSBC added: “Being rooted in the local business community is important to Ascendant, we see a strong opportunity to work with the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce to help local companies protect margins and save costs.” For over a decade, Ascendant has worked with thousands of businesses and over 2,000 financial institutions in North America, providing customised solutions to track and send global payments with ease. Ascendant are one of the first to introduce tracking transparency on all SWIFT gpi compatible payments. Tracking payments like a parcel has been a long-standing request from Ascendant’s customer led innovation group. To take it a step further, Ascendant is making this data accessible to customers within their online platform, aPay, as well as through their API solution, aPay Link. Ascendant is at the forefront of innovation in the sector and will continue to drive innovation based on customer needs.

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A King’s Ely flautist has secured a place at the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Lauren Booth, who is in Year 11 at King’s Ely Senior and who joined King’s Ely Acremont Pre-Prep in Year 1, will be visiting the prestigious London music conservatoire every Saturday, to study Flute. Lauren has been playing the flute since taking advantage of taster sessions in Year 2 at King’s Ely Acremont Pre-Prep. In July last year, she made school history when she achieved a 49/50 Distinction in her ARSM Diploma exam on the flute. This is the highest mark ever achieved by a King’s Ely student and according to Neil PorterThaw, King’s Ely’s Director of Music, is a mark very rarely achieved. Lauren said: “My flute teacher is Liz Hargest, who has been teaching me ever since King’s Ely Acremont Pre-Prep. I love to express myself through my flute and explore all the styles and genres that I can play. I enjoy performing as it allows me to share the music with the audience.” To say that Lauren is an active member of the King’s Ely Music Department would be a slight understatement. She said: “I’ve been singing for about five years, and have just started playing the piano, as well as playing the piccolo, which is in the same family as the flute, but flute is my main instrument. I’m also part of a few music clubs at King’s Ely, such as Piano Trio, Flute Choir, Chamber Choir, Chapel Choir, Nightingales, Concert Band and Orchestra.” Lauren is the fourth King’s Ely student to be celebrating conservatoire success recently. Ally Bowerman is visiting the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama to study Voice; Mimi Hughes is visiting the Junior Royal Academy of Music to study Voice; and Polly Casey is visiting the Junior Royal College of Music to study the Recorder and French Horn. King’s Ely is renowned for its holistic approach to education, and this is reflected in the school’s outstanding Visual and Performing Arts provision.

The roll out of Greater Anglia’s new trains is continuing in 2022, with the first one to enter passenger service this year going into operation on the Southend Victoria – London line, as the train operator continues the programme to replace its entire fleet with brand new trains, giving further improvements in accessibility. The introduction of the latest UK-built electric commuter train brings the total number of new trains in the Greater Anglia fleet to 103. New trains are now running on every route on the Greater Anglia network apart from between Ely and Kings Lynn, where they will be introduced later this year. The new trains are longer with more seats, plug and USB sockets at every seat, free fast wifi and climate controlled air conditioning. They also have improved accessibility features on every train, such as accessible toilets, wheelchair areas, passenger information systems, call for aid buttons and priority seating – these seats are available to anyone but those who can stand are encouraged to offer them to others around them who may have a non-visible impairment, be pregnant or less able to stand. The arrival of more new trains means that more of the train operator’s old trains have been retired and that, as a result, Greater Anglia’s entire fleet now meets modern accessibility standards. New trains with low floors and retractable steps which bridge the gap between the train and platform run on the majority of Greater Anglia’s regional, intercity, and Stansted Express services. Greater Anglia’s other new trains, which have two wheelchair spaces and one accessible toilet per five carriage train, so four wheelchair spaces and two accessible toilets when running as 10 carriages, operate on routes in Essex and on West Anglia services. Martin Beable, Greater Anglia’s Engineering Director, said: “With the removal of old trains from service, and more brand-new trains entering service regularly, our transformation of the railway in East Anglia has reached another positive milestone. “This will make it much easier for people to travel with confidence on our network in future.”

Domino Printing is undertaking ground-breaking research with Cambridge University Institute For Manufacturing (IfM) to examine the jetting process in continuous inkjet printers, how the chemicals in inks behave in different conditions and the potential impact on performance. This research is key to ensure consistent and reliable print quality in coding and marking and is leading to Domino developing new formulations which will optimise inks for different production environments. Achieving a clean, crisp code on a beverage canning line requires a very different type of ink to that used for harsh industrial applications, like printing on cables or cement bags. Dr Josie Harries, Group Programme Director, at Domino says: “We are constantly seeking new ways to advance our products, solutions, and services to deliver the best performance and value for our customers. “Part of our research includes an ongoing project to better understand the jetting process in continuous inkjet printers. We are looking to examine how inkjet formulations behave in every type of atmosphere from hot to icy cold, from sticky to dusty, to reflect all the variables likely in our customers’ plants, so that we can identify which formulations make reliable inks.” Another specific area that is being examined closely is particle build-up, where small ink deposits accumulate within a printhead, meaning more frequent cleaning and potential downtime for the customer. Domino says that the benefit of this research project is two-fold: it helps the industry to better understand how to design printers that offer better uptime; and it informs the ink formulation process so that R&D teams can develop inks which will function reliably within specific printers, and in specific production environments, helping to reduce downtime and waste. Dr Josie Harries concludes: “Collaboration, whether with the IfM, our colleagues, or external partners, is key to our R&D efforts in this area – it is also one of our core business values, and a central part of how we are working to build expertise within Domino. An issue, or idea, studied in isolation will only progress so far, restricted by the knowledge, experience, and technical capabilities of one entity. By working with the IfM we are not only able to extend our existing testing capabilities, but also benefit from a broader knowledge base.”

The Cambridge Building Society opens its new branch in Bury St Edmunds next week (Monday 17 January). It is the first branch The Cambridge has launched in a new location in more than 10 years. Developers, COEL, have been updating the two story building at 29 Butter Market in the heart of the town centre, since September, to provide comfortable and convenient customer and staff facilities. “We are tremendously excited to open this new store, which we know customers are eagerly anticipating,” said Chief Operating Officer, Lucy Crumplin. “We’re proud to be bucking the trend for branch closures1 by opening a branch in a new location and offering the face to face service customers still crave, right here in Bury St Edmunds. For us it is about offering a personalised customer experience, from an expert our customers can trust.” The Bury team is led by experienced Store Team Leader, Vaughan Potter, who previously managed The Cambridge’s Ely and Newmarket branches. He is joined by Rhys Davies and Patrick Cowell, who transfer from the customer contact centre, and three new recruits – Matt O’Leary, Beannie Curtis and Alexander Pitt, as well as Karen White, supporting on a one-month secondment from the Newmarket branch. “It’s an opportunity I simply couldn’t pass up,” said Vaughan. “Bury St Edmunds is a great town and I am delighted to be the one to open the doors with this great new team, who are all committed to offering excellent service to this thriving community.” The new store’s ground floor follows the vibrant, open-plan décor of The Cambridge’s recently updated stores in Cambridge, Ely, St Ives, Bar Hill, Histon, Cherry Hinton and Great Shelford. It provides easy access to facilities for less able customers and those with additional challenges. The second floor provides state-of-the-art hot-desking facilities, as well as break-out and refreshment areas. The office area gives The Cambridge’s teams the flexibility for hybrid working, to support a healthy worklife balance.

_______________________________________ 1 Banks and building societies have closed (or scheduled the closure) of 4,299 branches since January 2015, at a rate of around 50 each month. Read more: https:// www.which.co.uk/money/banking/switching-your-bank/bank-branch-closures-is-your-local-bank-closing-a28n44c8z0h5 - Which?

Do you have come exciting news to shout about that could be featured on this page? Get in touch. Tel: 01223 237424 email: s.parr@cambscci.co.uk

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) based at MOD Lyneham, Wiltshire, launch the Craftsman CUP to BTEC National Extended Diploma Engineering students (year 2) at Cambridge Regional College. A total of nine colleges are participating in the Craftsman CUP, a competitive competition for engineering students. Working in teams, the engineering students must select from a choice of project briefs written to address everyday issues faced by the REME. From November, 25 Cambridge Regional College engineers will start working in competition teams under the mentorship of a REME Engineer. Engineering Lecturer, Habib Rahman said: “The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) have been working with colleges since 2016 to put together this unique learning experience. Students will gain ‘real world’ exposure of the work of the REME through multidisciplinary engineering projects based on problems that the REME engineers face on a daily basis. The work of our students is essentially supporting the British Army. College students will work in project teams to engineer a solution to a given REME ‘problem’ with an overall team being awarded the Craftsman CUP.” Between now and May 2022, the projects will be assessed by REME mentors within college, and the most impressive design concepts will be selected to progress to the finale at MOD Lyneham. In the finale, the teams will showcase their design, innovation, and craftsmanship abilities to a panel of REME dignitaries and the winning team will be awarded the prestigious Craftsman CUP (College UTC Project). All students taking part in the Craftsman CUP will achieve their Industrial Cadet Gold Award, as participation in the Craftsman CUP meets the criteria of the industry recognised award, equivalent to the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Buying a new home is one of life’s most stressful experiences, and so to streamline that process, This Land has partnered with Yourkeys - the award-winning software platform. Yourkeys, the sales platform for housebuilders and estate agents and part of Zoopla, focuses on buyer onboarding and sales progression tools. The company’s online based platform digitally streamlines the new home buying process for housebuilders providing efficiency and visibility to everyone involved. Not only can buyers complete their reservation from the comfort of their own home for any of This Land’s developments, they can also complete ID checks and pay fees, as well as instruct their conveyancer and mortgage broker from the many trusted partners within Yourkeys’ ever-growing network. Once these steps have been completed, the buyer will have total transparency throughout their home buying journey, with Yourkeys providing updates to an email or mobile device every step of the way. Yourkeys automates all the administration, accelerates sales transactions and, for the buyer, removes the stress of purchasing a new home, making it an enjoyable experience. Commenting on the news David Lewis, acting Chief Executive Officer at This Land, said: “We know that the home buying process is convoluted and can be hampered with red tape. Yourkeys is the latest inhome purchasing technology which can significantly speed up the buying process, allowing purchasers to complete their new reservation from their mobile device in a matter of minutes. They can even instruct a solicitor from hundreds of top-rated law firms.” Riccardo Iannucci-Dawson, Managing Director of Yourkeys, commented: “At Yourkeys we’re on a mission to simplify the house buying process for all parties involved and positively transform the experience for consumers. This partnership will enable us to reach a brand new audience and we’re looking forward to working together closely to ensure buyers at This Land developments have a stress free and transparent house buying journey.”