A brand-new Charter has been created by top business leaders within the county, aiming to utilise the wonderful natural space Norfolk provides us through promoting sustainable and unique work & life choices.
As plans for this year’s Norfolk Enterprise Festival (NEF) are well under way (Saturday the 13th of July at Hoveton Hall), top business leaders from the county met together to launch the ‘Charter for Small & Medium Sized (SMEs) in Norfolk’. This Charter reflects the ethos of the festival and calls for local business networks to collaborate towards igniting Norfolk’s economy while increasing the wellbeing of the county’s business community.
The Charter was created in response to a workshop at the first ever Norfolk Enterprise Festival last year, where attendees voted on their main concerns surrounding the economy in Norfolk. Top issues being the physical and mental isolation local business owners feel within the county.
To combat these issues the charter presents these aims as part of its 3-year vision:
1) Enhance sharing: a SME community which actively communicates, collaborates & shares knowledge & ideas to support each other
2) Supportive Ecosystem: an environment which invests time & money into resources to help ambitious SMEs prosper whilst protecting our natural resources
3) Happiness First: SME success is evidenced by financial growth, reduced isolation and enhanced wellbeing
To underpin these the NEF Charter celebrates the wonderful natural surrounding Norfolk provides; a fertile environment for a well-balanced work & life ratio. If our businesses can prosper here through increased infrastructure, opportunity and communication, Norfolk will be an ideal county for a business owner looking to combine success with happiness.
Norfolk Enterprise Festival co-founder and MP for mid Norfolk George Freeman, stated that ‘this Charter is a clear and powerful prospectus for better supporting enterprise in Norfolk. My commitment as Festival co-founder is to take this message to the corridors of power’.
So what next? The NEF Charter’s goals are now being promoted through the strategic work of the NEF, Mr. Freeman’s political campaigns and the business leaders involved who wish to continue to focus their efforts on improving SME culture and connectivity within Norfolk. As Emily Groves, founder and managing director of IndigoSwan, explains ‘the happiness first philosophy makes perfect sense. If we focus on empowering our business leaders, sharing world class inspiration and collaborating with the immense talent we have within the region we’ll create a momentum for change’.
The Norfolk Enterprise Festival is a core driver to deliver and develop these aspirations for change. Join in transforming the future of Norfolk enterprise by attending the NEF on the 13th of July at Hoveton Hall, and have your say. Early bird tickets on sale until the 30th March.
For more info and tickets visit www.norfolkenterprisefestival.co.uk or contact julia@norfolkenterprisefestival.co.uk |+44 (0) 7930874613
Twitter: @festivalnorfolk Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin: @norfolkenterprisefestival #NEF2019
Photo shows from left to right: Mark Fisher (Vistage Group Chair), Pete Floyd (Risk & Policy Analysts), Julia Devonshire (NEF), Matt Cater (Cater Cunningham), Emily Groves (Indigo Swan Ltd), Mark Lapping (NEF), Libby Brown (NEF), George Freeman (MP), Chris Starkie (New Anglia LEP) Photo cred: Lesley Van Dijk (New Anglia LEP)
