In the run-up to Christmas we test the mood on the High Street, in our latest podcast from Suffolk Money, supported by Kingsfleet.

For our last episode of 2024, Kevin Burch took a trip to Bury St Edmunds to talk to Mark Cordell, who works with his team to promote the town and Julian Milton, who runs a gift shop called Loft and Spires. Despite all the financial challenges the retail industry has been through and is currently facing, both remain optimistic about this festive season and beyond.

Julian explains how his independent shop, like many others in Bury, thrives by not only offering interesting products that can be bought impulsively, but also by offering outstanding customer service. His ethos is shared by many local business owners, who understand that by working together they can ensure Bury maintains its outstanding local and national reputation.

As CEO of the Our Bury St Edmunds Business Improvement District (BID), Mark explains how he and his team make sure the town looks after its local repeat customers, as well as marketing Bury nationally as a town that people want to visit and spend time in. Already known as the Foodie capital of Suffolk, Mark is also keen to build Bury’s reputation as the best customer service town. BID provide advice and guidance to over 400 town centre businesses, to help them in achieving this and nurture a collective approach to ensure Bury St Edmunds remains an attractive prospect to locals and visitors alike. 

For more information about Loft and Spires, visit

https://www.facebook.com/loftandspires

And you can find out more about Our Bury St Edmunds Business Improvement District (BID) on their website: https://www.ourburystedmunds.com

In this week’s Suffolk Money podcast, supported by Kingsfleet, we look at the hospitality industry, as it prepares – post Budget – for the hectic and financially critical festive period. Kevin Burch meets someone who knows the industry better than most; Jamie Smith, who runs Jamie Lee Smith Catering and who’s currently celebrating a landmark 25 years in the business. 

Many will also know Jamie for the outstanding reputation he’s built at 16 Steakhouse; one of the highest-rated restaurants Ipswich. Formerly Greshams and attached to Venue 16 (a popular wedding and events venue), Jamie reinvented his business here during lockdown, when he couldn’t continue outside catering due to Covid restrictions. Jamie knows the importance of staying ahead of the game, and has managed to thrive by staying flexible, positive and making sure he always has the right product to sell.

Embracing the different challenges that he and his carefully assembled team face every week with their high class outside catering service Jamie clearly knows where his market is and how to please his customers. 

His fascinating insights range from the importance of the festive season (having already made plans for Christmas 2025), to the value of watching countdown every day! To find out more about the business, visit https://jamieleesmithcatering.co.uk

Ahead of Remembrance Day, we have a fitting guest for our latest podcast from Suffolk Money, supported by Kingsfleet. Kevin Burch meets Adam Simpson-York, who has set up an initiative online, to try to reunite wartime medals and memorabilia with the families of the veterans who owned them.

Adam’s story is a truly philanthropic one and his reputation now proceeds him, due to the success he’s had this far in "returning the lost property that should never have really been lost". He finds and researches memorabilia that is being sold on ebay – anything from WW1 medals through to photos and named antiques and even bibles – and then traces their living relatives. A natural problem solver, Adam enjoys a mystery and his findings have brought joy to many – including Queen Camilla herself!

Kevin also meets Sam Moles, who Adam has helped with his detective work. Sam describes the elation he felt on receiving the detailed information that Adam bestowed him with about his memorabilia and the importance of the family connections made.

If you’d like to find out more Adam’s Facebook page is called Medals Going Home https://www.facebook.com/MedalsGoingHome

How do you breathe new life into neglected buildings? One man who knows is property developer and investor John Howard, who’s our guest in the latest podcast from Suffolk Money, supported by Kingsfleet.

Having worked on more than 4000 schemes in 88 different towns and cities across the UK, John’s career spans more than 40 years. In this episode, he tells Kevin Burch all about how it all began, lessons he’s learnt and advice he’d give to others, in what has become a highly competitive industry.

Many will know him for his involvement in high profile schemes, such as the Wine Rack in Ipswich, which had previously sat neglected for many years. He has also just taken on another complex challenge in Suffolk’s tallest structure, The Mill, on the town’s beautiful waterfront. 

John talks about the importance of getting out and talking to people, how he is driven by those he works with, the buzz he gets from doing deals; and how he’s like his dog, “enthusiastic and up for it”, wanting to make the most of every day!

As one of the UK's most experienced property developers and investors, John also hosts seminars and has written several books, based on his own vast industry experience. To find out more, visit www.johnhowardproperty.com

Earning money from doing what you love is something many us aspire to and, in this weeks’ episode of Suffolk Money, Kevin Burch meets somebody who is doing this with remarkable success.

Cally James runs Hippy Hut Pottery, near Bury St Edmunds, which she opened in 2022. Here, from her beautiful garden studio, Cally runs workshops and weekly classes for her pottery students. Most are regulars, who enjoy doing something fun, creative and therapeutic. Cally also makes sure she has time in her week to focus on her own work and experiment with new products; which include everything from ceramic birdboxes to garlic bowls!

The Hippy Hut itself was built by Cally and her husband for an astonishingly low cost. As Cally takes Kevin on a tour, they visit the kiln room and she explains where the real investment lies and the reason for her seeking a start-up business loan. When her initial kiln suddenly broke, Cally needed to quickly find nearly £10K to replace it, to keep her business going. She applied for a loan to cover the cost and was delighted to find that government-backed start-up loans offer good terms and conditions, plus help and support throughout and after the process.

Her success story has now landed her the role of an ambassador, promoting the value of start-up loans for small business, through the British Business Bank. Cally talks enthusiastically about how such loans can help other small businesses to thrive, with valuable mentoring and support as part of the package.

To find out more about Hippy Hut Pottery visit

https://hippyhutpottery.co.uk

And to find out more about start-up loans, simply visit 

gov.uk and search for start-up loans 

We have a wonderfully uplifting story in the latest podcast from Suffolk Money, supported by Kingsfleet, as Lesley Dolphin takes us on a tour of the Pathways Care Farm near Lowestoft.

Described as ‘an oasis of calm’ it supports countless vulnerable people, helping them to build confidence, learn skills and ultimately be part of something really special.

Founder and Director, Geoff Stevens, tells Lesley how his past experiences of running a business, working with disadvantaged people, and also caring for parents with Dementia, all led him to this point. Having left the corporate world, he’d made it his mission to find a way of looking after people, no matter what their difficulties are; helping them fulfil their goals and live their lives.

Geoff takes Lesley on a tour of the Farm, where they meet volunteers and farm workers alike; including Laura, Charlotte, Katie and of course Geoff’s wife Den. Here, everybody is equal and has complete ownership of what they do with their day.

With a clear vision from the start of what he was trying to achieve, with the help of his amazing, dedicated team, Geoff has developed a farm that was completely derelict and covered in brambles, to the beautiful 13-acre site it now is today; with everything from polytunnels to grow vegetables and paddocks for pigs and alpacas – to chickens in Peckingham Palace!

Having created this place of calm, amidst the hustle and bustle of busy, troubled contemporary life, Geoff has more ideas and would love to add a care home aspect to Pathways Care Farm. Not only would this be for people in their later years – helping them to live an enjoyable and fulfilling life – but also for young people who are struggling with education and need a place where they can learn and contribute to society.

To find out more about Pathways Care Farm please visit:

https://www.pathways-care-farm.org.uk

Welcome to the first episode of season six of our Podcast, Suffolk Money. Today, Kevin Burch takes a deep dive into the story of the Broomhill; from its magnificent past, through to the exciting regeneration scheme that has secured its future.

Recognised as one of the finest outdoor pools in the country, Broomhill first opened in 1938. However, as Mark Ling (Chairman of the Broomhill Pool Trust) explains, when indoor, heated pools became more fashionable, the town struggled to financially support the aging lido and, Broomhill was forced to close.

Having now been shut for more than 20 years, our iconic open air pool is now on the cusp of a £10 million transformation and could re-open within just two years. Mike Read MBE (Trust President) and Will Ludkin (Project Architect) tell us all about the exciting regeneration scheme and how this is dovetailing nicely with the current renaissance of open air swimming. All have been working hard to maintain the strong, art deco identity of the original building and preserve its heritage for future generations. But, unlike the old days, the pool will now be heated to make sure it can remain in use all year round, making it a much more sustainable model than ever before.

To find out more about Broomhill’s regeneration, come along to the open weekend on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th September from 10am until 4pm – everyone’s welcome!

Or for more information please visit https://broomhillpooltrust.org

You can also watch a short film version of the interview here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbYnbVF4gGA

While having a baby is wonderful, the initial costs of sourcing newborn essentials can actually be quite overwhelming for those who may be struggling financially or have little support. Here, the Moses Project Suffolk plays a vital role. So for our final episode of Season 5, Colin Low went to meet team members Becky and Nicky, to find out more about this incredible project and how the volunteers support families in Suffolk .

They explain how the Moses Project provides a moses basket, full with everything a new mother may need; from baby clothing, blankets, nappies and bottles, through to toiletries for both baby and mother… and of course a cuddly toy! Referrals for the baskets mainly come from professionals working with new mums. The team of dedicated volunteers then sort donations and carefully put together the baskets, before delivering them to local family hubs across Suffolk for collection.

The project was started in 2016 and in that year, 16 baskets were distributed to new mums in need. The project has grown over time and, last year an astonishing 182 baskets were delivered. Each basket helps a new mother to give her baby a safe place to sleep and the basics they both need to be able to thrive. By taking the pressure off the mother and showing that there are people who care, at a time that can be quite over-whelming, they really make a difference to families in need.

To find out more about the brilliant work they do, please visit https://www.facebook.com/themosesproject

We have a fabulous guest for this episode of the Suffolk Money podcast, supported by Kingsfleet, and one who is well-known for her energy, enthusiasm and positivity.

Bridget McIntyre, MBE, has lead an incredibly successful business career, but is now focussed on helping to bring out the best in others, through the social enterprise venture and charity she founded in 2010. 

As Lesley Dolphin went to find out, dream on is a ladies’ boutique with a remarkable difference. Based in the delightful market town of Eye, this is a CIC (Community Interest company) where all their profits from selling clothes and their styling service are used to help others. From funding complimentary makeover days – for people recovering from cancer or undergoing treatment, and for those who make an exceptional contribution to others – to free development programmes via their sister organisation The Blossom Charity, this social enterprise is all about improving people’s lives and helping them to gain confidence.

Everything that Bridget offers, demonstrates her kindness, warmth and positivity. She is passionate about delivering sustainable change for all who attend her workshops, and has a refreshing take on the point and purpose of money.

You can find out more by visiting dream-on.co.uk or theblossomcharity.co.uk

A couple who’ve established an award-winning business in Halesworth, making artisan venison and game pies and sausage rolls, are the focus of this week’s episode from Suffolk Money.

​As consumers, we’re keener than ever to know where our food comes from and precisely what’s in it and, Lynn and Steve Tricker run a small but hugely successful business, where traceability is at the heart of everything they do. 

In this week’s podcast, Kevin Burch meets the husband and wife team – both born and bred in Suffolk – to find out all about Truly Traceable and their highly ethical approach to deerstalking and butchering fully traceable meat. Everything is handmade in small batches from their Suffolk home and beautifully encrusted in Lynn’s justly famous buttery pastry!

You can find out more about their mouth-watering pies by visiting their website at: https://www.trulytraceable.com