Services group Norse has driven nearly £130m into the Norfolk economy, according to new research revealing the scale of the company's contribution to the region.

The Norwich-based group's financial impact - measured as Gross Value Added (GVA)– reached £129m in the county and £286m across the UK, an independent study commissioned by Norse has found.

The firm – which runs facilities management, property services and care homes – is using the study by SQW to underscore its value to Norfolk where it directly employs 5,385 people.

The findings also show that 49pc of Norse Group's total turnover of £264m was made outside the county – an increase of third since SQW's last study in 2012.

It comes as Norse faces a challenge to channel fresh capital into the business to fund growth in its care home and energy businesses.

Peter Hawes, managing director of Norse Commercial Services, said, 'We have always been extremely proud of the important role Norse plays both in Norfolk and across the UK – and that has now been both highlighted and reinforced by the findings of this comprehensive analysis.

'The remarkable figures detailed by SQW's economists in the report speak for themselves and confirm the strength of our business and our commitment to social value.'

The report states the group has supported 12,925 jobs in the UK and 6,384 across Norfolk when taking into account the impact on suppliers and spending by employees, It found that Norse provided 1.6pc of jobs in the county and generated 0.7pc of its GVA. The findings are based on research which state that Norfolk employs 401,000 people with a GVA of £16bn.

Mike Britch, managing director of the Norse Group and NPS said: 'I am delighted that this latest report has confirmed how the Norse Group is going from strength to strength, even in these challenging and pressured times. In the past two years our staff numbers have increased by over 750 and turnover is up by over £40m.

'We support communities with local job opportunities and are now renowned for providing excellent care provision to older people in Norfolk.'

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