Practice News:
 |
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.
 |
 |
Best Foot Forward for Charity
Bloomer Heaven fielded a five-person team to take part in the annual St Basils Brecon Beacons Challenge which was held on Saturday 30 May.
A very impressive 130 teams entered the challenge to raise money for the Midlands based charity, which works to prevent homelessness among the young by providing accommodation and support services.
The Bloomer Heaven team was made up of Mark Hunt, David Fox, Paul Lambeth, Jackie Woolley and her husband Paul. Jane Hunt, Mark’s wife also supported the team by driving them to and from the event – providing both encouragement and plasters for blisters!
The seasoned walkers opted for the longer 28 mile route – rather than the softer 14 mile option. Their efforts were rewarded by taking them to Pen Y Fan - the highest point in the Beacons. The intrepid team also also took in an extra optional peak as they crossed over the Beacons simply “because it was there!”
Luckily the walkers enjoyed glorious sunshine all day long, which even resulted in Dave Fox getting sunburn on his shoulders!
The official line from Mark was “We kept up a very good pace all day, except for a very brief stop at a pub about 20 miles in. We finished in a time of 10 hours and 4 minutes”.
Well done to the team from Bloomer Heaven who raised over £200 for St Basils.
Photo shows:
The Bloomer Heaven team – from left to right: David Fox, Paul Lambeth, Mark Hunt, Jackie Woolley and Paul Woolley.
Bloomer Heaven Acts for MBI team in complex deal in the light engineering sector
Jay Boyce a director at Bloomer Heaven advised the management team in their buy-in of a South Wales based light engineering business for an undisclosed sum. The deal was initiated before the full impact of the credit crunch had impacted on the availability of debt finance and was completed at a time when such deals were at their lowest level for some considerable time.
The deal saw ownership of a well established business pass into the hands of two former senior executives of one of the sector’s leading players. Their experience, track record and post acquisition strategy were sufficiently strong to convince both vendor and lender that the business would continue to thrive despite adverse economic conditions.
Commenting on the transaction Jay Boyce said:
“We are delighted to have seen this transaction through to conclusion. In doing so, all parties had to compromise to a greater or lesser extent but in the end, the transaction met the aspirations of all concerned”.
Heavenly Service Records for Accountancy Staff
Bloomer Heaven’s managing director Chris Stephen-Haynes presents a gold bracelet to Carole King – one of nine staff celebrating 25 years with the firm.
L to R: Jay Boyce, Stuart Haines, Peter Jones, Olive Cooper, Steve Lee, Alan Healey, Deborah Hinks, Steve Worton, Norman Southwell, Chris Stephen-Haynes, Carole King, Dave Gray, Terry Heath, Sarah Law
City centre chartered accountants, Bloomer Heaven believe they have a very loyal and dedicated staff team in the Midlands with a third of them achieving long service records of between 20 and 25 years.
Of the firm’s 60 strong work force, more than 20 staff have spent more than two decades with the firm which has been in operation since 1877.
The longest serving member of staff is a former managing partner and now a director Peter Jones who has spent 40 years with Bloomer Heaven. In fact four out of the seven directors have individual service records in excess of 20 years and clock up 104 years between them. These include the firm’s managing director, Chris Stephen-Haynes and director Sarah Law who both trained with Bloomer Heaven and worked their way up the ranks to their current positions. Director and head of Tax Services, Jay Boyce has also been with the firm for 22 years.
Nine staff have recently celebrated their 25th anniversary with the firm and represent a cross section of employees ranging from book-keeper to senior manager. Many of these employees joined from school as 18 year olds when the firm was based in Post and Mail House before moving to its current location in Lionel Street 20 years ago.
Most people put the reasons for their long service down to working for a good team of directors and staff and finding their jobs varied and interesting.
Managing director, Chris Stephen-Haynes says he is delighted to have such an impressive number of long service employees working for the firm and comments:
“Over the years we have tried to emphasise individual development plans for all grades of staff and this has helped to provide a good motivating and working environment for staff. The directors have looked to provide a team spirit of working together for the success of the firm. We have a good record of investing in training for all staff especially at the trainee entry level. We have recently been awarded Gold Level status for our ACCA training as well as continuing accreditation from the ICAEW training programme for graduates. We are delighted that many trainees choose to stay with us to further their careers. We are proud of the mix of the ‘home grown’ talent alongside those who have gained experience elsewhere including some of the larger accountancy firms in the UK.”
Bloomer Heaven has a head office in Lionel Street, Birmingham, an office in Worcestershire and a market day office in Lichfield. For further information log on to www.bloomerheaven.co.uk.
Bloomer Heaven Contributes to Festival
Birmingham Chartered accountants Bloomer Heaven are sponsoring over 200 volunteers to ensure the smooth running of this year’s Lichfield Festival. The Festival is the West Midlands premiere multi-arts festival and runs from 9th – 19th July.
The money will provide the funds for the volunteers to undertake a variety of roles that are vital to the successful organisation of the event. These include meeting and looking after Festival artists, assisting with event and stage management and working backstage. The volunteers will also help out with education projects, assist with targeted publicity drives and undertake general administration work.
This is the first time that Bloomer Heaven has been involved in the Lichfield Festival. The firm has a Birmingham city centre head office, an office in Worcestershire and a new market day office in Lichfield. Sarah Law, who is a director of Bloomer Heaven and who was responsible for setting up the Lichfield office, explains why the firm was keen to provide financial support:
“The Lichfield Festival is an outstanding annual event which puts the city on the map.
Having recently opened a market day office in Lichfield we were keen to support a
a local initiative and become actively involved in a quality event which attracts such high volumes of people. We were particularly keen to be able to help the wonderful band of volunteers who give up their time and work so hard to ensure the Festival runs as efficiently and smoothly as possible.
“Bloomer Heaven is delighted to be associated with Lichfield Festival this year and we look forward to being part of a successful and memorable event.”
Festival Director Richard Hawley says he is pleased to have Bloomer Heaven on board as a key sponsor and adds:
“Volunteers are vital to the Lichfield Festival. Without them the Festival would not be able to host 75 events and welcome over 400 artists to venues across the city such as Lichfield Cathedral and the Garrick Theatre. Without the funding in place for the volunteers the Festival could not go ahead so we recognise how important sponsorship is at this grass roots level.”
Bloomer Heaven is one of the largest firms of independent Chartered Accountants in the West Midlands. It was recently named Small Accountancy Firm of the Year by the West Midlands district of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.
For further information on The Lichfield Festival see www.lichfieldfestival.org.
New Charities Group Launched in Birmingham
A specialist charities group has been launched in Birmingham by a nationwide accountancy organisation to pool industry expertise and influence development in the not-for-profit sector.
CharterGroup, a network of 55 independent accountancy practices across the UK is responsible for setting up a national specialist charity group. Bloomer Heaven Limited which is based in Lionel Street, Birmingham will be one of the representative firms in the West Midlands.
Chris Stephen-Haynes, Bloomer Heaven’s managing director is one of the founding members of the group, which is dedicated to serving the needs of all charities at a local and national level. Commenting on the launch, Mr Stephen-Haynes says:
“The Specialist Charity Group has been formed for accountancy practices which specialise in the charity and not-for-profit sector to discuss topical issues, share experiences and discuss how to market its expertise and services to charity organisations.
“At Bloomer Heaven we are committed to supporting and developing the charity and not-for-profit sector. As part of the Specialist Charities Group we are working together with like-minded firms to strengthen this support to charities to help them realise their potential and maximise their impact in the local communities.”
The group was officially launched at an event held at the Arden Hotel in Solihull. More than 40 delegates from member firms attended.
For more information contact Chris Stephen-Haynes or Helen Blundell at Bloomer Heaven on 0121 236 0465.
19th November 2008Bloomer Heaven Holds Charity Seminar
Charity experts from Birmingham chartered accountants Bloomer Heaven Limited are holding an afternoon seminar on Wednesday, 26th November designed to help charities comply with new legislative changes. The new laws, which apply for year ends 31st March 2009 mean that trustees will have to start including public benefit reporting in their annual reports.
The event is open to trustees, finance managers and directors and all those involved in charity organisations. It takes place from 4pm to 6.30pm at Ramada Birmingham Oldbury Hotel & Conference Centre in Wolverhampton Road.
Speakers include Chris Stephen-Haynes, Karl George, Helen Blundell and Mark Hunt of Bloomer Heaven who are charity specialists. In addition to guidance on public benefit they will provide delegates with advice on how to strengthen governance and maximise impact as well as dealing with general matters such as making trustees meetings more effective.
Other issues covered will include the common pitfalls regarding payments to trustees and volunteers where charities can easily fall foul of PAYE legislation.
Commenting on the charity event, Helen Blundell says:
“The area of reporting public benefit is taking on a higher significance as it becomes part of the annual report. We guide delegates through what they need to do to help them meet these new challenges.
“We also offer advice which is vital to anyone making payments to trustees or volunteers with particular emphasis on how to prevent and rectify PAYE problems.”
The seminar costs £15.00 and includes a light buffet.
Anyone interested in attending should contact Debbie Hinks by email to debbiehinks@bloomerheaven.co.uk or call her on 0121 236 0465.
Bloomer Heaven Takes to the Dales in the name of Charity
“Lucky” Team Number 13. From left to right: Paul Woolley, Mark Hunt, Jackie Woolley, Dave Gray and Ian Bright
A team from Bloomer Heaven took to the hills of Derbyshire for a gruelling 28-mile challenge to raise money for St Basil’s – the Birmingham based charity, which supports the homeless.
Sporting the ‘unlucky for some’ number 13, Mark Hunt, Dave Gray, Ian Bright and Jackie Woolley – together with Jackie’s husband Paul joined almost 150 other teams to walk the dales. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t on their side and the rain started as the teams left Bakewell. With little let up it drizzled all day – soaking the walkers and hindering progress.
Despite the weather and the distance, the Bloomer Heaven team managed to keep to the route with only one slight detour, which was down to poor weather conditions and not being able to spot key landmarks on the horizon. The team spirit of the Bloomer Heaven group was also in evidence as they not only started together but finished together too while many teams saw their younger faster walkers taking off into the distance!
Commenting on the challenge, Mark Hunt says:
“We walked, then trudged, then shuffled across the muddy Dales – but we made it with everyone in tact! The last five miles were particularly bad and the weather was awful but it’s not called a challenge for nothing! And it hasn’t put us off - we’ll no doubt be back again next year to take on the Brecon Beacons!”
The team would like to thank everyone for their generous sponsorship for a very worthwhile local charity.
24th October 2008
Bloomer Heaven in the Pink
There will be a pink glow around the Lionel Street head office of Birmingham chartered accountants Bloomer Heaven on 31 st October as its staff raise money for the ‘Wear it Pink’ campaign by donning pink attire to the office to celebrate the day.
The campaign is part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the firm’s 60 members of staff will be turning out in pink shirts, ties, hats, t-shirts and feather boas! Staff will be donating at least £2.00 each for the privilege of being ‘in the pink’.
This is the second year that Bloomer Heaven has held this event and it is hoping to double the figure raised last year.
Event organiser, Jessica Daly says she is delighted that so many people have got into the spirit of the ‘Wear it Pink’ campaign and comments:
“As accountants are often seen as being rather grey, this is a great chance to dispel this myth and encourage our accountants to get out their pink ties and pink shirts. I’m sure our clients will welcome us bringing a bit of brightness into their lives and raising money for charity at the same time!”
The ‘Wear it Pink’ donations will fund innovative, world-class research throughout the UK to understand how breast cancer develops, leading to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure.
14th October 2008
Record Number of Trainees for Bloomer Heaven
City based chartered accountants Bloomer Heaven has recorded its highest number of trainees in its 130 year history.
The firm which has its head office in Lionel Street now has 15 trainees which more than doubles its intake in recent years and underlines Bloomer Heaven’s commitment to investment in providing top quality training for future accountants.
The training is also one of the most wide-ranging available and covers a cross section of accountancy disciplines. Current students are studying for ACA, ACCA, AAT, ATT and Payroll Professional exams. The firm recruits students on an annual basis and provides training programmes for A Level students as well as graduates.
The training programme has produced a number of well qualified and highly competent accountants – many of whom have remained with Bloomer Heaven after qualifying. These include the current managing director Chris Stephen-Haynes and director Sarah Law. Chris qualified with the firm in 1991 and Sarah in 1993. Nick Grove is also another success story for the firm. Having gained his ACA earlier this year, Nick now has his own client portfolio.
Commenting on the new intake of trainees, Bloomer Heaven’s training and HR manager, Jackie Woolley says:
“The firm believes in providing comprehensive and effective training to ensure the continual professional development of all staff. This means we can guarantee the highest level of staff competence and professional integrity to ensure that we offer an unrivalled service to our clients.
“We are committed to the training of students by providing financial and organisational resources to ensure that they receive the most appropriate guidance, tuition and experience throughout their training period. As a well-established medium sized practice, we can offer a varied ‘hands on’ work experience within our business lines including audit, accounts, tax and payroll. Our quality of training has led to excellent exam success and we are delighted that so many of our students continue as employees with Bloomer Heaven after qualification.”
Bloomer Heaven is an approved training office for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and has ACCA Approved Employer and AAT Accredited Employer status.
Bloomer Heaven also has an office in Stourport-on-Severn and a market day office in Lichfield.
Students currently studying under the Bloomer Heaven training scheme include:
ACA
Ben Brown, Sukhdeep Aujla, Jenny Harvey, Kate Healey, Richard Wareing, Mohammed Ansari
ACCA
Reesha Sen, Richard Hewitt, Sally Evans, Jonathan Wain
AAT
David Fox
ATT
Clare Greenaway, Ian Holme and Jessica Daly
Payroll Professional Diploma
Julie Parry
Some of the record number of trainees at Bloomer Heaven Chartered Accountants shown with Chris Stephen-Haynes (3 rd from right), the current managing director who qualified with the firm in 1991.
From left to right:
Front: Jenny Harvey, Clare Greenaway, Kate Healey, Chris Stephen–Haynes, Julie Parry, Sukhdeep Aujla.
Back: Jonathan Wain, Ben Brown, Richard Wareing, Nick Grove, Richard Hewitt Mohammed Ansari, Ian Holme