Suffolk Money

Darryn Flynn – MD of Waller Transport

This week our guest is haulage and transport expert, Darryn Flynn, who gives us a fascinating insight into the world of logistics.

Darryn talks to Colin about the evolution of Waller Transport; from the small venture his father-in-law started in Colchester, to the thriving business it is today, with offices in Ipswich, Hull and Liverpool.

Having joined the company around eight years ago, Darryn’s previous experience was varied, but always utilising his skills with people, relationships and communication. Throughout his life Darryn has seen the clear benefits of having a mentor and is a passionate advocate of learning from others. So Waller Transport regularly brings in coaches to look at the different systems and processes, offer new insights and support his team.

The haulage industry has never faced a more challenging time, with ongoing issues caused by Brexit, COVID and the long-term pressures of consumer prices pushing down drivers’ wages. Darryn’s vision about the future of freight transport, how the industry needs to be incentivised and, the value of drivers elevated, is quite inspiring.

Today, it’s something different, as we look back at some of the people we met in 2021. Amazingly, we’ve already produced almost 40 podcasts since we launched the podcast just under a year ago.

My thanks to all the guests who’ve given us their time in 2021. We are indebted to each and every one of them. We’ll be back with more in the coming weeks, but in the meantime here’s a little reminder of some of the fascinating talks we’ve had since we began.

In the final show of our second season of Suffolk Money, we are delighted to welcome the Founder and Senior Director of The Teapot Project; a Community Interest Company which fights food waste and hunger in Suffolk.

Mischa Pearson is an inspirational social entrepreneur who, along with her fellow Teapotters, stops unsold supermarket, farm and restaurant food from going to waste. Tackling both climate change and poverty, The Teapot Project reduces unnecessary carbon emissions created by food waste, and redistributes the surplus food on a Pay As You Feel basis into the community. Those who can afford to, pay the full price, offsetting those who can’t.

Suffolk born and bred, Mischa established The Teapot Project back in 2015 and quickly went on to win Suffolk’s Greenest County Award. She talks to Colin about everything from her inspiration to start the company, its evolution through the pandemic and her plans for the future.

Thanks so much to Mischa and to all our guests over the last 12 months.

If you’ve missed any of the previous episodes, please do check them all out here: https://suffolkmoney.co.uk/podcasts/

George Agnew is Chairman of the Rougham Estate, which consists of over 3,000 acres of Suffolk countryside, with 20% of this being beautiful woodland.

Recently the Estate has diversifed into the seasonal Pick Your Own market, growing thousands of sunflowers and pumpkins for the public to pick and enjoy. However, the Estate is probably best known for its beautiful Christmas Trees and atmospheric 16th Century thatched barn. This year celebrates the 30th anniversary of Blackthorpe Barn’s craft fairs; which together with the magical Christmas Shop, Courtyard Café and festive workshops have really built Rougham’s reputation as the go-to Christmas destination.

So in this festive episode of Suffolk Money, George talks to Colin about everything from the challenges of modern farming to the science of Christmas trees; and why you may choose a Nordmann Fir over a Norway Spruce!

Suffolk Building Society’s roots date back to 1849. And though now in a thoroughly modern setting, their mission in 2021 remains the same: helping their members to buy a home and save their money with an organisation they can trust.

In this week’s Suffolk Money podcast, Richard Norrington – Chief Executive Officer at Suffolk Building Society – talks to Colin about the integrated role of a modern, inclusive building society and how their recent change of name reflects their strong community values.

Wayne Burns caught the celluloid bug at an early age, igniting a passion for film and showbiz that has stayed with him ever since. In this episode, Wayne talks to Colin about everything from his childhood love of theatre, back in the ‘glory days’ – which inspired exciting jobs such as the resident Punch & Judy man and projectionist at Aldeburgh cinema – right through to his current position at Leiston Film Theatre, where he has been Manager since 1992.

Proudly claiming the title of ‘Suffolk’s Oldest Cinema’, Leiston Film Theatre is an iconic venue with an outstanding reputation, which Wayne and his dedicated team have worked incredibly hard to build. Audiences are guaranteed a warm welcome; whether coming to enjoy a film, a live entertainment show, or perhaps to see Wayne himself on stage in the annual sell-out Pantomime!

Whilst walking her dog one day in 2018, Debbie noticed that the amount of marine litter being washed up onto her local beach clearly reflected the grim facts of the global ocean pollution crisis. As a keen follower of the Blue Planet series, Debbie’s motivation to do something about the situation led to her founding a volunteer-based, community interest group called Litter Free Felixstowe. Debbie’s drive, skills and determination became infectious and the group quickly grew. It now has over 1,100 members, not to mention the support of Sir David Attenborough himself!

In this week’s Suffolk Money podcast, Debbie talks to Colin Low about how this mighty team of local volunteers have made it their mission to ensure that no plastic waste ends up in the sea. By acting as a community, they inspire residents, visitors, businesses and hauliers to take action. Together, it is their aim to make Felixstowe the UK’s first Litter-Free town.

Since recording this podcast, we’re also delighted to report that Debbie recently won the ‘Green Hero’ award at the Suffolk Greenest County Awards 2021. Here’s what the judges said:

The best business ideas are often based on innovative solutions to existing problems. This is exactly what Olive Quinton came up with when she founded Lofty Heights CIC; a Not For Profit Social Enterprise that supports the Suffolk community in the most amazing way.

In this episode Colin chats with Olive, who explains how she came up with the remarkable concept of combining two seemingly unrelated issues, that when put together provide specialist support to the more vulnerable people in our community. Recognising that a loft emptying service could help solve the problem of cold homes – enabling people to access insulation grants – Olive married this with the idea of providing employment and training opportunities to young homeless people in Suffolk. Olive tells us how the Enterprise has developed over the years, from a ‘kitchen table’ project to a specialist de-cluttering, deep cleaning, garden clearance service that​ works closely with the NHS, Local Authorities, Charities and Housing Associations.

Following the presentation of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review last week, in this episode we’re bringing you something a little different.

Colin Low highlights the key issues from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak’s announcements, and the financial changes that have arisen as a result of this.

This episode is accompanied by a 20 page pdf attachment, which can be viewed by clicking here.

People get struck by the idea of creating their own business in the strangest of places.

It produces a range of spirits and liqueurs; infused with fruit, berries and blooms, which come from hedgerows, local growers and an allotment.

In this week’s Suffolk Money podcast, Karen talks to Colin Low about how it all began, the challenges they’ve faced and the invaluable support of family and friends.