Practice News:
Paul Lambeth is interviewed by BBC Midlands Today
Paul Lambeth joined Bloomer Heaven in November 2008. Having gained 3 ‘A’ levels he had decided that, unlike many of his friends, he did not want to go to university. His ambition was to become a qualified accountant whilst gaining ‘hands on’ experience working for a firm of Chartered Accountants.
Paul was nominated by the AAT to be interviewed by the BBC to advocate AAT for school/college leavers as an alternative to university.
In the interview, which was broadcast on Friday 20 August (the day after ‘A’ Level results), Paul was asked to comment on the benefit of training as an apprentice to gain professional qualifications without going to university.
He said that working as a student, whilst training to qualify for AAT and avoiding student debt, was a huge benefit.
Paul’s final words of wisdom to those students wishing not to pursue a place at university were:-
‘If you don’t get into university, it is not the end of the world as there are other options’
Paul is currently studying for his AAT technician level with the aim of qualifying next summer.
ST BASIL’S CHALLENGE 2010
For the fifth year running, Bloomer Heaven put forward a team for the annual St Basil’s Challenge. St Basil’s is a Midlands based charity working to prevent youth homelessness by providing accommodation and support services.
This year 150 teams took up the challenge of a 28 mile circular walk in the Cotswolds on the 5 June 2010.
In spite of the heat, the team completed the challenge in a decent time of just over ten hours. They saw some beautiful countryside but discovered there were some rather large hills in the Cotswolds! More surprisingly, they are considering next year’s challenge involving a mountain climb in North Wales!
Well done to the team for taking part and raising £150 for St Basil’s.
In this photo: Rob, Dave Gray, Dan, Dave Budd, Jackie and Paul
West Midland Chartered Accountancy firm joins forces with fast growing Independent Financial Adviser
A leading Birmingham based accountancy firm has forged an alliance with the region’s fastest growing firm of independent wealth managers and financial advisers.
The partnership between Bloomer Heaven and Bromsgrove-based AFH will operate under the banner of the newly formed Bloomer Heaven Wealth Management Limited to provide independent advice to Bloomer Heaven’s clients.
The new company has been authorised with the Financial Services Authority as an appointed representative of AFH and advice will be undertaken by the professional team of advisers at AFH Wealth Management.
Director of Bloomer Heaven, Jay Boyce said: “The need for coordinated financial advice has never been greater.
In the face of the recession, volatile stock markets, government deficits and higher taxes, clients are uncertain as to the best way to plan ahead.
Whether we are talking about those who have made or who are making returns from their businesses or others who simply want to plan for their future needs or retirement, the need is for the whole picture to be looked at so that objectives can be met, returns maximised and tax bills reduced to a minimum.
We believe that it is essential to offer our clients integrated advice and this was the driving force behind our partnership with the AFH Group.”
AFH currently has 50 IFAs and offers a wealth of financial services to corporate and private clients. They are one of the few IFAs in the country to offer in-house discretionary portfolio management and stock broking services.
AFH Managing Director Alan Hudson said, “The new partnership will bring together accounting and tax planning on the one hand and independent financial advice on the other to plan for the future and we will be keeping clients up to date with developments in the world of wealth management.
Whether we are talking about business entrepreneurs or anyone with savings , accumulated wealth or pension funds, this coordinated approach is the best way forward. “
BIRMINGHAM CHAMBER CHARITY FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT
Bloomer Heaven put forward a team for the Birmingham Chamber Charity Football Tournament in the heat held on the 2 March 2010. A donation from each team’s entry went to Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer charity, the official Chamber Charity of 2010. The tournament took place at Powerleague Yardley with the teams battling it out for a free kit and Nike Football!
The players were Ian Holme (Captain), Nick Grove, Richard Wareing, Ian Wilkins, Richard Hewitt, Jon Wain, Dave Gray and Paul Lambeth. Although the night was cold and damp and the team (with Reesha lending her moral support) having quite a journey with the traffic to get to the tournament, a good night was had by all!
Bloomer Heaven’s team did not win the tournament heat, however, they did manage to win 2 of the 4 games comfortably and only lost 2 by a very narrow margin, finishing runners up overall in their group! The team from Birmingham Metropolitan College were the tournament heat winners on the night.
The Directors would like to thank the lads (and Reesha) for putting in a valiant effort! Their commitment and effort was outstanding. As we all know it’s not the winning that counts but the taking part and of course raising money for charity! The Directors would also like to thank Ian Holme for supplying the kit for our players; they did indeed look the part as you will see from the photos.
Most importantly, Andy from Powerleague reported a total of £400 was raised for the charity!
Photos by Seven Star Photography
Top Left to Right: Nick Grove, Richard Wareing, Ian Wilkins and Richard Hewitt.
Bottom Left to Right: Jon Wain, Dave Gray, Ian Holme and Paul Lambeth.
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Bloomer Heaven director, Chris Barlow is recognised by the BNI for his ‘Outstanding Business Generation 2009’ at its recent awards ceremony. |
Chris Barlow, director at chartered accountants Bloomer Heaven has won the award for ‘Outstanding Business Generation 2009’ presented by the BNI – the global business networking group.
Mr Barlow was recognised at the Birmingham and Coventry region’s annual award ceremony which was held at Birmingham’s Botanical Gardens.
Mr Barlow who is a member of the Apollo Chapter which is based at the ICC beat over 500 other members representing 16 chapters across Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry in the field of business generation. Adhering to the BNI ethos of ‘Givers Gain’, Mr Barlow has generated significant business for his fellow members to earn him this title.
Commenting on his win, Darryl Buchanan, BNI director said: “Chris has worked tirelessly in the development of BNI Apollo from a fledgling few when the chapter was launched more than five years ago to the successful results driven chapter it is today. The recognition Chris received at the awards dinner is well deserved and reflects his support and commitment to BNI. Without his efforts, BNI Apollo would not be in the great position it currently is.”
In addition to winning the ‘Outstanding Business Generation 2009’, Chris Barlow was also nominated for the ‘Givers Gain’ category.
Mr Barlow says he is delighted to receive the award for business generation and added: “It is enormously rewarding to be publically acknowledged for my contribution to helping Apollo’s members generate business. I have been part of this chapter since it was first set up in 2004 and have witnessed it become one of the most effective across the UK thanks to the high levels of business we are able to refer to each other.”
The evening was held in conjunction with W.A.I.T.S (Women Acting in Today’s Society) – a West Midlands based educational charity concerned with local women’s fuller involvement in all aspects of their community. It also supports women address issues such as domestic violence, isolation, health, and crime.
Three thousand seven hundred pounds was raised at the award ceremony to help this cause.
Bloomer Heaven Acts for Vendors in Sale of Software Business
The Birmingham office of chartered accountants Bloomer Heaven has acted for the vendors in the sale of a West Midlands based specialist computer software business.
HMT Systems Limited which has its headquarters in Oldbury has been acquired by SMART Technologies (UK) Limited based in Hertfordshire for an undisclosed amount.
Both companies are leading specialist suppliers of workforce management systems to the NHS. The merger will increase the presence of the organisation within the NHS sector and will strengthen its position as the leading supplier of eRostering systems using the latest web technology.
Bloomer Heaven’s Corporate Finance partner Jay Boyce led the team in providing transaction support to the shareholders and acted for HMT’s managing director, Keith Elkin and chief executive, Paul Chapman. He was supported by Bloomer Heaven’s Tax director, Kari Campbell, senior business advisory manager, Phil Care and Tax trainee Ian Holme.
Pinsent Masons acted as legal advisors to the vendors with partner Chris Moss leading the corporate team.
Commenting on the transaction, Jay Boyce said: “The interesting feature of this transaction was the fact that the vendors chose SMART as the preferred purchaser as it was recognised that the combined entities would form a formidable team delivering value to clients and employees alike. Bloomer Heaven was delighted to be able to assist the parties reach a successful conclusion.”
Keith Elkin, Managing Director at HMT Systems which pioneered the first rostering systems for the NHS in the UK back in 1997 said, “We believed the best way for us to leverage our expertise and product development experience was to join forces with a larger organisation. We looked at a number of potential acquirers before selecting SMART which we felt offered the best culture fit and the same commitment to the NHS market.”
Eric Smart, CEO of SMART added “We are delighted with the acquisition of HMT Systems. There is a great deal of synergy between our offerings to the NHS which will strengthen our market position.”
The two companies will continue to operate from their existing offices in Hertfordshire and the West Midlands, with both management teams remaining active within the business.
It has become a tradition that Bloomer Heaven support the Breast Cancer Campaign “Wear it Pink”.
There are many people in the UK living with Breast Cancer and many more being diagnosed every day.
Not to disappoint, as you can see from the photographs, Bloomer Heaven Staff entered into the spirit of things once again. On the 30 October 2009, we at Bloomer Heaven got “in the pink” and donated a minimum of £2 each to the worthy cause.
Below are some pictures of the Bloomer Heaven staff suporting Wear it Pink:
(left to right) - Reesha Sen, Carole King, Jenny Harvey and Helen Horton
(left to right) - Chris Barlow, Stuart Haines, Nick Grove, Steve Worton and Mohammed Ansari
(left to right) - Debbie Hinks, Barbara Mead, Terry Heath and Carole King
Bloomer Heaven Limited is happy to pledge its support to the “Made in the Midlands” campaign. Manufacturing companies across the West Midlands have also pledged their support to safeguarding jobs within the region. Sarah Law, Marketing Director at Bloomer Heaven Limited, commented “we were very pleased when our client “H T Brigham & Co” asked us to join them in supporting the campaign. We believe that it is essential to establish links with local companies and how important it is to champion manufacturing in the Midlands. We are very happy to be part of this campaign”.
Please see article reference H T Brigham & Co that appeared in the Business Report Special Edition dated September / October 2009.
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