Eastern Promise - The Podcast

Episode 133: Norwich BID's City Centre Manifesto

This Week: We talk to Executive Director of the Norwich Business Improvement District (BID), Stefan Gurney, and Norwich BID board member, Joe Faulkner, about the BID's City Centre Manifesto for the ancient and venerable city of Norwich.  
We'll learn what prompted this document; what is its intent, and how it seeks to marry the desirable with the achievable.  
Norwich is unlike any city in the UK; to use a cliché, it's small but punching well above its weight. No wonder the Norwich BID are seeking to declare the City of Stories the Capital of the East!  
And if other cities in our region may wish to debate that claim, a good-humoured discussion laced with friendly rivalry about why our places are awesome can be A. Good. Thing.  
Read the Norwich City Centre manifesto here.  
You can listen to our podcast back catalog, as well as contacting Eastern Promise, here.
Eastern Promise is proud to be supported by Mills & Reeve.     

Episode 132: UKREiiF Day 2 Highlights

This week: It's our second slice of UKREiiF 2025 and this time, we've got AN HOUR of highlights from Team Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, from the Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster pavilion, the Invest Suffolk stand and an exclusive chat with newly elected Mayor of the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, Paul Bristow.  
This show has everything: Cross-country coll.aboration between Cambridge & Manchester! Trains, planes and automobiles! Unicorns! And did I say UNICORNS!?!
If you're wondering why it's so long, then I have good news;  You're lucky it's as short as it is!  What a way to celebrate the East of England's barnstorming turn at the UK's most important property. investment and infrastructure show.
My thanks in particular to the Suffolk Economy team, Dr Andy Williams, Norfolk & Suffolk Unlimited, Team Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Team BA and Infrastructure Matters for making the Eastern Promise trip to Leeds so memorable and worthwhile.  Normal service resumes next week!
For more information, including our back catalog and contact form, visit the Eastern Promise website.  Alternatively, drop us a line at podcast@easternpromise.org.uk.
Eastern Promise is proud to be supported by Mills & Reeve. 1

Episode 131: Yesterday@UKREiiF 2025(Day 1)

Today: Mike Rigby brings you the happenings and highlights from the East of England's events at the UK Real Estate, Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) recorded at the Royal Arnouries and put together overnight to make sure YOU can find out what's occuring.  Mike talks to Rebecca Britton of Urban & Civic, Beth Dugdale of the Cambridge Growth Company, Steve Beel of Freeport East, Eman Martin-Vingerte of Bosch UK, and Judith Baker of the Cambs and Peterborough Combined Authority.  
PLUS!  Hear Suffolk Business Board Chair Mark Pendlington, Chair of the Cambridge Growth Company Peter Freeman, Jo Cassidy from Arup, and Rob Carter of R G Carter speaking in their various events, captured thanks to some really nice AV guys!  Join me tomorrow for my final day in Leeds...
Eastern Promise is proud to be sponsored by Mills & Reeve.

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.