Practice News:
‘On yer bike!’
Sunday 11 September – weather forecast RAIN and WIND – the cyclist’s enemy! Two tandems and trailer assembled and smart Bloomer Heaven t-shirts duly donned by Helen Blundell and her family (husband Andy, Lucy (6), Charlotte (6) and Matthew (4)) who embarked on a 25 mile sponsored bike ride from Stratford in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support.
Helen, a senior manager at Bloomer Heaven reported: “Fortunately the day was at least bright and rain free but as we set off from the car park and up the first hill into the wind I thought I had forgotten to take the brakes off. At least some of the ride the wind was behind us. We made it to the checkpoint in time for lunch and I swapped my ‘stoker’ (the one on the back) for the youngest of our crew to make the return journey. The wind was definitely getting stronger as we arrived back DRY and claimed a stamp on our card and a free banana and bottle of water (what more would you want after completing 25 miles). We all had a great time. Thanks to all who sponsored us – I will let you know the final total soon.”
Inspired by ‘Blind Dave’ Heeley, Patron of our client Ideal for All, who undertook the epic challenge of travelling from Lands End to John O’Groats in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support by running a marathon and then riding on the back of a tandem for 70 miles each day for ten days, Helen volunteered to pick up the cycling side. Mark Hunt in our Tax Department is taking the lead with the running and will be taking part in Bupa’s Great Birmingham Run (13 miles) on 23 October.
STOP PRESS: OFFICE MOVE DATE CONFIRMED
Following on from our news item below, we can now confirm that we will be moving on the 18th and 19th August to our prestigious new offices in the Colmore Business District in the heart of Birmingham’s City Centre. Our new address will be:-
Bloomer Heaven Limited
Rutland House
148 Edmund Street
Birmingham
B3 2FD
Telephone numbers are unchanged and remain as:-
Tel: 0121 236 0465
Fax: 0121 236 1465
If you need to contact us on the moving dates please visit this website’s homepage for contact details.
Please also note that if your sat nav does not recognise our new postcode then please use the address. Also, local car parking is indicated on the map below.
 |
Winner Helen Blundell presented with her prize by Madeleine Price, Administration & Marketing |
Fundraising for MacMillan
As part of Bloomer Heaven’s ongoing fundraising efforts a small event was held to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support. A large jar of jelly beans was placed in reception for staff and clients alike to pitch their wits at guessing how many were in the jar. The jar of jelly beans soon gathered celebrity status in the office with many a conversation surrounding the best method to guess the correct number. The lucky winner was a member of our staff Helen Blundell, Senior Charities Manager who has decided to donate the prize of the jelly beans to her local school. Bloomer Heaven raised £100 for MacMillan Cancer Support and will be making its donation to the charity shortly.
 |
Jackie, Mark, Dale, Paul |
St Basils Challenge 2011
For the sixth year running, Bloomer Heaven put forward a team for the annual St Basils Challenge. St Basils is a Midlands based charity working to prevent youth homelessness by providing accommodation and support services.
This year 96 teams took up the challenge of a 27 mile circular walk around the Barmouth estuary within the heart of Snowdonia, North Wales on the 25 June 2011.
In spite of the driving rain, wind, mist and mud, the team completed the challenge in under nine hours! Although poor visibility resulted in a section of the route being closed, the walkers were able to enjoy some stunning views of the Barmouth estuary. Certainly an area of natural beauty to return to when the sun is shining! Next year’s challenge is closer to home within the Malverns and hopefully the weather will be kinder!
Well done to the team for taking part and raising over £200 for St Basils.
June 2011 We are Moving ….
Our offices at Lionel Street have served us well for over 22 years.
However, we believe our clients and staff need an environment that addresses the business needs of the 21st century and reflects the client service ethos and professionalism we continue to deliver.
The new offices, based in Edmund Street in the heart of the Colmore Business District, will benefit clients and staff alike and we as a firm are looking forward to the move later this summer.
Full address and contact details will be made available shortly.
One of our longstanding clients is having a function at the Jam House in aid of Chernobyl Children’s Project (UK), the headline band being Fairport Convention. If you are interested in showing your support for this very worthy cause, please click on the pdf link for further details and follow the link below to book tickets:-
Bloomer Heaven joins MHA
Bloomer Heaven has joined the MHA Group linking up with six firms of independent chartered accountants across the country.
The association was launched in 2010 with the aim to deliver a national brand comprising a number of major regional firms, working collaboratively to develop and promote member businesses. Each member firm will remain independent and retain its own identity locally.
Joining MHA will also bring with it membership of one of the leading international associations of independent accountants, business consultants and lawyers, Morison International giving Bloomer Heaven clients with aspirations outside the UK access to overseas offices, international advice and expertise.
Bloomer Heaven’s Managing Director, Christopher Stephen-Haynes said “MHA is an innovative approach, allowing constituent firms to offer a greater range of services to clients. Through the Association, members will be able to transfer knowledge and skills between each other to develop specialisms and offer them to prospective and existing clients.
Bloomer Heaven is the oldest independent accountancy practice in Birmingham with a strong reputation and we would never want to merge or lose our name.
As soon as we were approached, we could see that becoming part of MHA would mean we could achieve more for our clients and for our future.”
Mike Brown, Chairman of MHA, said: “We have worked hard to find like-minded firms with outstanding reputations in their field of expertise or geographical area, and Bloomer Heaven fitted the bill in the West Midlands.” For more information about MHA, visit www.mha-uk.com
Bloomer Heaven Launches Seminars for Churches
We have launched a series of training sessions specifically aimed at church treasurers and independent examiners of churches across the Midlands. The seminars are designed to help this voluntary group deal with changes to the Charities Act 2006 which means that many church accounts will be more widely available to the public.
Chris Stephen-Haynes, managing director of Bloomer Heaven and Helen Blundell, Senior Charities Manager are leading the seminars and will use their skills and expertise as members of the Association of Charity Independent Examiners (ACIE) to ensure that treasurers and independent examiners in the area are properly equipped and informed of their responsibilities.
Helen Blundell comments:
“Many independent examiners of local churches are taking on this duty voluntarily and often have very little support available to them and few opportunities to receive training. At Bloomer Heaven we are passionate about sharing our skills and knowledge with others to ensure that churches and charities get the best advice and support.”
Chris Stephen-Haynes who also serves on the Council of Trustees of the ACIE adds:
“We are running a number of seminars this year aimed at church treasurers, independent examiners and prospective examiners. We are also looking to make this opportunity available to the wider church community through dialogue with regional church bodies and local churches. We ran a pilot event last year for the West Midlands United Reformed Church which was very well received and we are looking forward to future events later this year.”
The firm has also run a seminar this year for its wider charity client base focussing on the current challenges and how best to avoid pitfalls when implementing new ideas. The event included advice on areas such as VAT reliefs available to lessen the impact of the VAT rise, ways to become less reliant on government funding and general developments in the charity sector.
Helen Blundell adds:
“In the current economic climate many charities are developing new and creative ways to reduce reliance on government funding but if the process is not properly thought through then opportunities can be compromised. At Bloomer Heaven we look to support our clients in implementing new ideas and weathering the storm of the current environment.”
Anyone interested in attending future charity seminars or receiving further information should contact charities@bloomerheaven.co.uk.
Bloomer Heaven Finalist in Category for Work/Life Balance
Bloomer Heaven are pleased to announce that we have been named as finalist for the Birmingham Best Business Awards, one of the Midlands highest profile awards, in the small sized business category for offering some of the best Work-Life Balance policies in the region.
This award recognises businesses and organisations that are truly flexible and offer their staff an excellent work life balance.
We are particularly praised for a number of areas of best practice including remote access for staff enabling them to work from home, automated synchronising function on office Blackberrys restricted to office hours, accommodating religious practices and providing paid study leave in addition to offering all levels of staff, including directors, reduced hours and variations to standard working hours.
Helen Blundell, a senior manager at Bloomer Heaven and mother of three explains Bloomer Heaven’s nomination:-
“I felt that Bloomer Heaven deserved to be nominated because I have benefited from the firm’s flexibility in accommodating family commitments. This has allowed me to combine a job I enjoy at a professional level without compromising my family time.”
Chris Barlow, Director, also comments:-
“Work-life balance has always been a part of our business ethic but has been increasingly relevant in the last few years. The flexibility of our approach and willingness to respond positively to staff needs in maintaining an appropriate work-life balance has enabled us to recruit and retain excellent staff at all levels in the organisation.
We have a number of staff with family or other commitments who work either shortened hours or variations to the standard office hours. We have found that this flexibility affords a greater sense of commitment, productivity and loyalty. We are particularly proud of our retention rates with 38% of our workforce currently serving the company for more than 20 years in a profession which is renowned for its high staff turnover.”
Grants Advisory Service
Grants are often regarded as easier to talk about than to actually access.
Bloomer Heaven is pleased to announce the launch of a Grant Advisory Service that can assist businesses in securing capital grant funding.
The service is available to existing and prospective clients, and is a valuable source of up to date information on regional, national and European funded grant programmes and business support schemes. Funding schemes are usually targeted at assistance with capital projects such as building extension or machinery purchase, or business development issues such as diversification, job creation, training, people development, marketing, energy efficiency, product development and innovation.
The Grant Advisory Service ensures client businesses can maximise their awareness and involvement in any of the grant schemes that are appropriate to them. A key feature of this service is the ongoing identification of potential sources of grant funding, or other public sector support schemes appropriate to your business.
If you wish to receive further information and obtain a FREE trial search, please email us at grantfinder@bloomerheaven.co.uk
Bloomer Heaven Supports Local Rugby
Bloomer Heaven, an independent firm of Chartered Accountants, are proud to be associated with Moseley Rugby Club. This season we took perimeter advertising as a way of supporting the work that Moseley are doing in the local area. Like Moseley, Bloomer Heaven are a well established firm, both Moseley and Bloomer Heaven can trace roots back to the 1870’s, and we are proud to support the Club and its excellent efforts in bringing Rugby to the local community.
The photos are of one of our Directors, Chris Barlow, together with Moseley players David Lyons and Paul Spivey at the Club.
Bloomer Heaven has a long association with some of the other Club sponsors and advertisers for whom we act in a professional capacity and we recently took the opportunity to entertain some of these, along with some other clients, for the match against Birmingham and Solihull which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Bloomer Heaven would like to wish the Club all the best for the remainder of the 2010/11 Season!
We would also like to extend our thanks to David and Paul for making themselves available for these photos to be taken.
For further information on Moseley Rugby Club, please visit:-
http://www.moseleyrugby.co.uk/SITE_STRUCTURE/index_1.htm
 |
 |
The following article appeared in the Birmingham Post:-
ACCOUNTANTS EXPAND TEAM
The Birmingham office of accountants Bloomer Heaven has expanded its senior team with the appointment of Andy Doody as a client manager in the firm’s corporate department.
Mr Doody joins the firm from Moore Stephens in Birmingham where he held a similar role and was a senior manager in charge of its general practice.
His new role will see him working primarily with SME clients and will strengthen Bloomer Heaven’s expertise and offering within this field.
Chris Barlow, director of Bloomer Heaven’s audit and accounting services, said: “Our team enjoys a strong reputation amongst the professional and business community across the West Midlands and is therefore able to attract high calibre managers such as Andy.”
”We are pleased to have someone with his experience joining our firm and look forward to using his expertise in working with new and existing clients.”
Mr Doody added: “I look forward to working with the corporate team in further building up this key area of SME services and have every confidence that my background and experience will be of great value to current and new clients.”
 |
Paul Udenza and Leon Small from Oscar Birmingham with Chris Stephen-Haynes, managing director of Bloomer Heaven, and Ellen Alfred. |
Firm makes charitable move
City centre accountancy firm Bloomer Heaven has gone beyond its traditional accountancy role to provide a base to one of its clients who became homeless.
The client in question was OSCAR Birmingham - a charity which provides advice, support and counselling to those affected by the Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia blood disorders.
Tasty Fundraising at Bloomer Heaven
 |
| Chris Barlow, director at Bloomer Heaven and Suzanne Smith of Your Happy Cakes with Suzanne’s cup cakes which will be sold to raise money for ‘Wear it Pink’ day. |
Midlands Chartered Accountants, Bloomer Heaven, has found a tasty way of raising money for ‘Wear it Pink’ day on 29th October which is part of the Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Rather than collecting funds through wearing pink, staff and clients will be tucking into plates of delicious cup cakes all sporting the Breast Cancer pink ribbon. Each cake is being sold for £2.00 and the firm is hoping to raise a substantial amount by having a number of coffee and tea breaks during the day for both staff and clients to enjoy a cup cake and donate to charity at the same time.
The cakes have been supplied by Your Happy Cakes – a brand new cup cake business based in Coventry and one of Bloomer Heaven’s clients. Suzanne Smith, who has launched the venture, says she is delighted to be able to join forces with Bloomer Heaven and help raise money for a very important charity. She comments:
“As a very close member of my family battled with Breast Cancer, this charity is particularly significant for me. I was delighted when Sarah Law, a director at Bloomer Heaven suggested that we could raise money through selling my cakes. It will be great for Bloomer Heaven’s clients who can look forward to a gorgeous cupcake alongside a discussion of their accounts!”
Sarah Law adds: “Traditionally we have always supported the ‘Wear it Pink’ day by donning a variety of pink outfits. This year we thought we’d ‘eat’ rather than ‘wear’ pink and support one of our new businesses at the same time. We have already sampled Suzanne’s cakes and know that they will literally sell ‘like hot cakes’!
Your Happy Cakes is a homemade luxury cake business providing bespoke luxury cakes and cupcakes to businesses. In true corporate style, cupcakes can be designed with a business logo and iced in company colours. Packaging can also be personalised. The cakes can be used in a variety of novel ways such as giving them as a ‘thank-you’ to current clients, catching the eye of potential new clients, giving them out at conferences and exhibitions and to raise money for charity.
For more information on Your Happy Cakes, see the web site www.yourhappycakes.co.uk .
Bloomer Heaven Takes first GCSE Student as Trainee
 |
| Chris Stephen-Haynes, managing director of Bloomer Heaven (2nd left) with trainees (l to r), Paul Lambeth, Clare Third, Eamonn McInerney and Alex Kidson |
Bloomer Heaven - one of the region’s largest firms of independent chartered accountants - has for the first time in decades opened up its trainee schemes to take on a 16 year old GCSE student to train for a career in accountancy.
Alex Kidson who lives in Tividale, Oldbury has joined Bloomer Heaven and will be initially studying for her Association of Accountancy Technician’s qualification (AAT) with the firm alongside professional study at the BPP Professional Education study centre in Colmore Circus. Following her gaining her AAT qualification, Alex should be able to study to become a chartered accountant.
Alex has 12 GCSEs and comes from St Michaels C of E High School. She beat a large number of similarly qualified applicants for the apprenticeship due to an exceptional CV and an impressive willingness to work hard.
Traditionally Bloomer Heaven has appointed mainly graduates to undertake the challenging training to become a qualified accountant. However, the appointment two years ago of Paul Lambeth one of its small number of A Level students has been so successful that it has encouraged the firm to consider taking on a larger percentage of younger and less academically qualified trainees. Bloomer Heaven’s training manager, Jackie Woolley explains:
“We have had some very good A Level students over the years but our focus has tended to be on graduate entry. Paul who is also studying for the AAT as a stepping stone to studying for his chartered accountancy (ACA) exams has proved to be an outstanding student which has made us rethink our approach to non graduate recruitment. As an endorsement of his ability he has been put forward by the Association of Accountancy Technicians as a web site case study of a successful student and was also recently interviewed by BBC television talking about the opportunities for non graduates wanting to get into accountancy.
“Paul’s performance made us realise that there is a large number of similar students at GCSE and A Level standard who have the ability and potential to be very good trainees and do as well as those entering the profession as graduates.
“We have also seen a sharp rise in the number of applicants who want to become accountants but have become disillusioned by the university route. Many are unhappy about the amount of debt they are likely to run up while studying combined with the reduction in job opportunities when they qualify. By going down the AAT route, students not only receive funding but also receive a salary which means financially they are much better off.”
In tandem with more non graduates applying for training posts, the competition for places for graduate trainees is also particularly high this year, according to Ms Woolley. She adds:
“We have seen a record number of people applying for our training schemes and the standard is far higher than in previous years. Consequently we have had a very tough job in picking just two graduates out of all those who applied and unfortunately have had to turn away a lot of excellent students.”
Eamonn McInerney and Clare Third were appointed as graduate trainees this autumn beating several other applicants. Eamonn studied Accountancy and Finance at Sheffield University and Clare was at Birmingham University where she studied History and Philosophy and was captain of the hockey team.