Eastern Promise - The Podcast

Episode 130: Cambridge's new Cancer Research Hospital

This week: We're on the world-famous Cambridge Biomedical Campus to find out more about plans for the new, multi-million pound Cancer research hospital there.  
Mike Rigby talks to Dr Hugo Ford, clinical lead for the project and Director of Cancer Services at the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Shelly Thake, CEO of the Addenbrookes Charitable Trust, ACT4Addenbrookes!
Together, we'll discuss the importance of the planned hospital, discuss aligning our finest scientific minds on the problem of cancer and find out what we can all do to help with the fundraising effort.
This is a vitally important project and in by far the best place for the region and the nation to maximise the scientific expertise on the biomedical campus, throughout the city and the region as a whole.  
For more information on the project, visit: https://www.cambridgecancer.org.uk/. 
Find out more about the fundraising effort at: https://act4addenbrookes.org.uk/. 
You can listen to the Eastern Promise back-catalogue and contact us by visiting https://easternpromise.org.uk. 
Eastern Promise is proud to be supported by Mills & Reeve.     

Episode 129: Norwich FIG & Save Britain's Heritage Conferences 2025

This Week: We join two conferences in the heart of Norwich; first, the Norwich Financial Industry Group (FIG) met in Aviva's iconic Marble Hall to discuss the ramifications of AI for FinTech and the financial sector. Speakers Ash Black and Nathan Punter of Coder explain how AI can boost the Norwich Financial Cluster.
Then!  Oh, but then, your host Mike Rigby is joined on the streets of Norwich by Director of Save Britain's Heritage, Henrietta Billings, to preview the charity's upcoming annual conference on 15th May 2025 in the Kings Centre, on King Street in Norwich.  
We run down the speakers and panels, as well as discussing the conference's key theme: delivering good growth in heritage locations - and what better place or time to discuss it than sat outside with a coffee on Gentleman's Walk on a sunny Wednesday morning in April?  
Nope, there isn't one.  
For more details and to get tickets to the Save Britain's Heritage Annual Conference, click here. 
For more information on Norwich FIG click here.
To find out more about Eastern Promise podcast, including our back catalogue and contact form, visit our website at https://easternpromise.org.uk.  Alternatively,  email us at: podcast@easternpromise.org.uk. 
Eastern Promise are proud to be supported by Mills & Reeve.

Episode 128: Jack Abbott MP - Missions Champion for the East and MP for Ipswich

This Week: Direct from  the James Hehir Building of the University of Suffolk, Mike Rigby chats with Jack Abbott MP, Member of Parliament for Ipswich and the Government's Missions Champion for the East of England.  
Jack shares what that role means in practice, his road to Parliament, his maiden speech, why all the policemen and doorkeepers already knew his name, and his hopes for the future of Ipswich and of Suffolk, as both and MP and a local boy.  
It's a fascinating glimpse 'behind the Speaker's Chair' from a unique perspective.  
For more information about Jack, including his contributions to debates, visit the House of Commons website here or his own website, https://www.jackabbott.org/.    
For more information on Eastern Promise, including our back catalogue, visit https://easternpromise.org.uk. 
Eastern Promise is proud to be supported by Mills & Reeve.

Episode 127: Opportunity East & #HackEd

This Week: We bring you an on-location special!  
First, Mike Rigby talks to organisers and key delegates at the East of England Local Government Association (EELGA) & Infrastructure Matters' conference, 'Opportunity East', itself based on EELGA's landmark 2024 report (PDF) and held at the award-winning 'Lab' at ARU Peterborough. 
With us are EELGA Chief Executive Cairistine Foster-Cannan, Charlotte Horobin, CEO of the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce,  Strategic Director of Transport East, Andrew Summers, and MP for Lowestoft, Jess Asato.  We'll explore the message of Opportunity East and what the output will achieve.  
Then, we head hotfoot (and back in time, technically!) to Norwich University of the Arts for Tech Educators' #HackEd hackathon!  We hear from mentors, Frankie Shreeves, Steve Whitelock of Aviva and Neal Riley of Adaptavist.  We'll dive into why Norwich is such a hotbed for the hackathon!  
In a shock move, we've had to cram in an extra episode due to all the awesomeness going on!  
Links to the various organisations featured are above.
For more information on Eastern Promise,  to listen to our back catalogue and to contact us, visit our website, https://easternpromise.org.uk.
Eastern Promise is proud to be supported by Mills & Reeve.

Episode 126: Prashant Shah (O2H Group & Cambridge Wide Open Week)

This Week: Mike Rigby chats with Prashant Shah, co-founder of both the O2H Group, which seeds new ideas in science, technology and green innovation, and the amazing extrava-palooza that is Cambridge Wide Open Week! (do peruse the links below for more info).  
Prashant tells us about his introduction to the Cambridge ecosystem through his father, what makes him such a strong advocate for the city and its entrepreneurs, the story behind the iconic Hauxton Mill, where O2H Group has its UK headquarters and the venue for the unique house-party that draws the Cambridge Wide Open festivities to a close.  It was a pleasure to chat with him.
For more information on O2H Group and Cambridge Wide Open Week, click on the relevant link.
Find out more about Eastern Promise, listen top our back catalogue and contact us, visit: https://easternpromise.org.uk.
Eastern Promise is proud to be supported by Mills & Reeve.

Episode 125: Helping SMEs in the East of England win Govt. contracts

This Week: Eastern Promise has assembled a mighty armada of experts to weigh in on the not-so-small matter of how the East of England's SMEs can WIN more business from across the public sector!  
Coming to you from the Norwich offices of The Crown Commercial Service, the CCS' Deputy Director of Cloud Neal Smith joins our own Mike Rigby, along with Tim Robinson of Tech East, Jack Weaver of the Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, Candy Richards of the Federation of Small Businesses and Greg Gibson of our very good friends (and sponsors!) Mills & Reeve.  We discuss the opportunities to be had, the role tech firms in particular can play, and some of the ways SMEs can outmanoeuvre the big boys & girls!
Click here for more information on the Central Digital Platform and the Crown Commercial Service.
You can also click on the links for the following Chambers of Commerce:  
Chambers East
Bedfordshire
Cambridgeshire
Essex
Hertfordshire
Norfolk
Suffolk
You can also find out more at:
The Federation of Small Businesses
Tech East
To find out more about Eastern Promise, listen to our back catalog, or to contact us, visit: https://easternpromise.org.uk. 
Eastern Promise is proud to be supported by Mills & Reeve.

Episode 124: Peter Freeman (Chair, Homes England & Cambridge Delivery Group)

This Week: It's a long-awaited interview for Eastern Promise, as we sit down with Chair of the Cambridge Delivery Group and former Chair of Homes England, Peter Freeman.
Mike Rigby chats with Peter his background, how he approached his role, his philosophy of development, new towns vs. urban extensions and get his tips on how your favourite East of England-focused podcast can help.  We're truly grateful to Peter for his time. 
You can find out more about Homes England and the Cambridge Delivery Group here.  You can also read The Case for Cambridge document produced by the previous Government.
You can contact Eastern Promise by emailing podcast@easternpromise.org.uk or by visiting https://easternpromise.org.uk and clicking on the contact link.  
Eastern Promise is truly proud to be supported by Mills & Reeve. 

Episode 123: Microencapsulation Collaboration! Xampla & The Quadram Institute

This Week: We delve into the microencapsulation collaboration between Cambridge-based materials innovator Xampla and Norwich Research Park's titan of digestive health, The Quadram Institute!
These two centres of excellence have come together to ensure that the probiotics we take for better digestive health can actually be packed, shipped to your local supermarket, stored at home and then consumed with minimal loss in quality - always tricky when you're dealing with live cultures!  Until now, what a probiotic says 'on the tin' may not match what ends up in your gut.  
Xampla nutritionist Hannah Pearse, Quadram Institute group leader, Prof. Arjan Narbad and QIB Head of External Relations Andrew Stronach are on hand to tell us more.  You'll never look at yoghurt health drinks, dishwasher tablets, or takeout pizzas in the same way again!
To find out more about Xampla and The Quadram Institute, click the relevant links, and here are links to BBSRC and Innovate UK for good measure!
To listen to more episodes from the Eastern Promise podcast's back catalog, to contact the show, or to find out more about what we do, click here.  Or, you can contact us at podcast@easternpromise.org.uk.  
The Eastern Promise Podcast is produced in The Podding Shed for the Eastern Promise Community Interest Company, in proud association with Mills & Reeve.    
 

Episode 122: Innovate Cambridge w. Kathryn Chapman & Michael Anstey

This Week: Eastern Promise takes a look at the exciting, inclusive and growing dynamo that is Innovate Cambridge!
Recorded at their HQ, The Glasshouse, in Botanic House on Hills Road in the city, Dr Kathryn Chapman, Executive Director, and Board Member Michael Anstey, chat with host of the Eastern Promise podcast, Mike Rigby, about the progress Innovate Cambridge has made thus far, the vision behind the initiative and more, including the Cambridge X Manchester partnership (of particular interest to our Mancunian Exec Producer!)  
But that's not all!  We take a meander around The Glasshouse with Innovate Cambridge's Ana Lucia Buckman, taking in the decor and finding out the thinking and feel behind the warm, welcoming design of this facility.
You can find out more about becoming a member of Innovate Cambridge by clicking here.
You can contact Eastern Promise at: podcast@easternpromise.org.uk or by visiting easternpromise.org.uk, where you can also hear previous episodes of the podcast...
Eastern Promise is proud to be sponsored by Mills & Reeve. 

CROWDSOURCERY! Hopes for 2025 & Your Questions Answered!

This Week: Yes! Deferred is not denied and postponed is not prevented, 'coz CrowdSourcery is back to work its magic once again! 
This time, we're looking at your hopes and dreams for 2025, with health, wealth and happiness featuring on your lists, in no particular order.  
BUT THAT'S NOT ALL...By no means, for CEO of Eastern Promise and Executive Producer of this Podcast answers YOUR questions, including: funniest guest, most moving story, impediments to progress, getting the East of England noticed!  His favourite coffee shops!  Mike answers them all... Thank you to everyone who sent in a question(s)!
To contact CrowdSourcery and/or Eastern Promise, you can email: crowdsourcery@easternpromise.org.uk or podcast@easternpromise.org.uk.
Eastern Promise is proud to be supported by Mills & Reeve.