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Auditor to Rescuer - Chris Reeeves involved in dramatic rescue of drowning man.
Posted on 2010-02-08 12:42:15
Along with two friends, Chris Reeves, who works in Carpenter Box's Audit and Assurance Group, was on a chance fishing trip out of Brighton Marina on Saturday morning (6th Feb) when their boat was signaled from the Brighton Pier. They quickly realised that someone had plunged from the pier into the sea, and was in danger of drowning. Chris, who lives in Shoreham said 'It was unbelievable, we headed over to the man who by then had been in the water for a few minutes and was fully clothed. His head had gone under a few times but eventually we managed to get him to the rear of the boat, and dragged him in'. The three friends Chris, Ben Craft and William Stevens, then covered the man in a tarpaulin to keep him warm and raced back to the marina where they met the lifeboat which had only just launched. The life boatmen assisted the casualty whist waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Chris went on to say ‘It was only by chance that we had gone fishing, so it feels really surreal that we were there at that precise moment. I’m really glad we were able to help’.
Carpenter Box Sponsor St Barnabas Hospice Roadtrip
Posted on 2010-01-20 16:52:48
Carpenter Box are pleased to announce that they will be sponsoring the 'The Hospice Roadtrip 2010' in aid of the Building a Dream fund for a new St Barnabas House Hospice. Sam Haworth, one of the firm's Trainee Accountants will be making the trip and raising more money for this fantastic cause. Plans are well advanced for the 2010 Roadtrip which is a sponsored fun drive across Europe to raise money for the new St. Barnabas Hospice being built for local people. How it came about. The idea of the roadtrip came about because one of the founding team members tragically lost his wife Alison at the young age of 29. She spent her last days at St. Barnabas House where she received the best care available. He felt the need to support the hospice as a sign of his gratitude allowing them to continue their care for the local community. Over the past two years the Roadtrip has raised over £20,000 for St. Barnabas and Chestnut Tree House Hospices. Carpenter Box also sponsored the original trip in 2008. For more information and to donate yourself see www.hospiceroadtrip.co.uk
Time is Running Out
Posted on 2010-01-17 10:37:43
With the 31st January 'online' deadline fast approaching remember to submit your Self Assessment Tax Return or risk a penalty. If we are compiling your return then as long as you have given us all of the required information it will be job done!
Looking forward to 2010
Posted on 2010-01-04 09:07:55
As 2010 gets into its stride we at Carpenter Box will continue to develop the range of services we provide to our clients. We will also be looking to give an even better service by offering added value by way of seminars, newsletters and training. Wishing you a Happy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year.
School Children Design Christmas Cards that Tick the Carpenter Box!
Posted on 2009-12-16 16:37:53
In September we asked Thomas A Becket First and Thomas A Becket Middle Schools whether their children would like to take part in a competition to design their 2009 Christmas cards. Both schools accepted and the children got busy! Vivien Stevens, Head Teacher at Thomas A Becket First School, commented on their involvement: “We were delighted to be invited to take part in the competition. The children thoroughly enjoyed creating their designs and the standard of the artwork produced was fantastic” Two runners-up from each of the schools were chosen together with the two winning designs. Chris Coopey, one of the judges at Carpenter Box, was invited along to the schools to present the prizes to the winners. Chris said of the special assemblies: ““We were truly astounded by the effort and creativity put into the cards. Deciding who the two winners were was very difficult! The children in both schools were a credit to their teachers and parents. I and my colleagues Heather Metcalf and Lucy Tunstall were treated to Christmas carols at both schools which were sung incredibly well!” The winners were - Thomas A Becket First School Winning design: Nilakshi Balakumar, Age 7 First runner up: Ted Hartley, Age 7 Second runner up: Reilly James, Age 5 Thomas A Becket Middle School Winning design: Chloe Mitchell, Age 8 First runner up: Alicia Hurst - Age 10 Second runner up: Helena Dichello, Age 8
Lyn Bacon retires following 40 years service.
Posted on 2009-11-16 17:43:32
When Lyn Bacon joined Carpenter Box Neil Armstrong had not long returned from the surface of the moon, Concorde had just made its maiden flight and the country still traded in Pounds Shillings and Pence! The year was 1969. So Lyn's retirement at the end of October 2009 means that she has achieved an amazing 40 years with the firm! Of course, saying goodbye to Lyn was always going to be difficult for staff and clients alike. One letter from a client effectively forbade the firm from allowing her to retire at all! A fitting reflection of the affection and esteem whch Lyn was held in. To mark the important day Lyn was entertained to lunch by Carpenter Box's Chairman Paul Archer, the firm's CEO - John Billings and Stuart Noakes who heads up the Tax Services Group in which Lyn worked. During the lunch Lyn was presented with gifts marking the firm's appreciation of her hard work over all of those years.
Carpenter Box win Community Award
Posted on 2009-10-16 12:15:30
At a glittering award ceremeny held on Saturday 10th October Carpenter Box Directors Martin Godsmark and Hilary Julian were presented with the coveted Worthing Business Awards' Business in the Community Award by Meridian TV's Fred Dinenage. The award recognises the amazing amount of effort put in by the staff of Carpenter Box to charitable work and to community and business support. Hilary said of the presentation: "We were really nervous but were delighted to have been selected by the independent panel of judges. It's a great pat on the back to the staff at Carpenter Box who are passionate about helping the less fortunate and about Worthing in general." The firm has recently launched it's own Charitable Foundation to put an even greater focus into its fundraising efforts.
Alan Edwards' Bike Ride for Lauren
Posted on 2009-09-17 16:20:53
On 13th June 2009, Lauren had an accident which has resulted in her being paralysed from the waist down. Lauren played for Worthing Minors girl's football team, helping them to win the Sussex Cup earlier this year and she was taking place in trials to play for Brighton and Hove Albion youth girls team before the accident. After 2 major operations, Lauren is recovering well and hopes to move to Stoke Mandeville spinal injury rehabilitation centre soon. One thing that will help Lauren enormously is the provision of a specialised sports wheelchair which costs around £17,000. It's this sum that a group of Worthing business people calling themselves 'the Wacky Racers' aim to contribute towards, setting themselves a target of £5,000 in sponsorship as their target. As well as Alan, who is a Director in Carpenter Box's Business Services Group, the other 9 riders will cycle 65 miles from Worthing (Offington Drive to Reading's (Madjeski Football Stadium). They are Jeremy Wootton of Thomas Eggar Solicitors, Ben Cheal of Roffey Homes, Ian Vickers of Vantis, Ian Hart of Ian Hart Funeral Services, Chris Chatterton of Sussex Defence Lawyers, Phil Bristow of Nsure, Gary Smith of Allied Irish Bank (GB), Nick Sherman of Griffin Factors and Chris Sherman "The Team Captain".
Fire Damages Office
Posted on 2009-08-21 13:38:45
One of Carpenter Box's Grafton Road offices has been extensively damaged by fire. Calls were made to the Fire Brigade in the early hours of Thursday 21st August to attend a serious blaze at 15 Grafton Road. The fire was a result of arson to the belongings of a woman, thought to be in her 60s, who lives on the streets and is well known in the area. She keeps her belongings in several shopping trolleys moving them around day by day. It was these trolleys that were set alight. Because they contained several small propane cylinders which were used by her for cooking, the blaze was very intense and burnt through windows and a door causing serious damage to two offices as well as the exterior of the building. Practice Director Chris Coopey who was called out to the blaze said "It was extremely lucky that the lady was not injured. This was a serious and potentially fatal incident which has also caused tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage to Carpenter Box. We hope the perpetrators will be brought to justice. Fortunately, the quick and effective response of the Fire Brigade meant that the damage was limited, but things could have been much worse". When interviewed by the BBC about the incident Chris explained that the firm's Business Continuity Plan was immediately activated and all the necessary steps were quickly taken to maintain the firm's service to its clients. Although some files were water damaged the firm has been scanning all paperwork for nearly a year and the effects will be minimal. The damage to the building will take weeks if not months to repair, but all affected staff have already been relocated and repairs put in hand.
Carpenter Box contribute to the Worthing & Adur Fund
Posted on 2009-07-24 12:52:28
The Carpenter Box Charitable Foundation has agreed to become the first corporate contributor to the Worthing & Adur Fund to be administered by the Sussex Community Foundation on behalf of the Worthing and Adur Chamber of Commerce. Speaking about the donation John Billings, Carpenter Box's CEO said: "The Worthing & Adur Fund gives the town a tremendous opportunity to make a difference by supporting charities that might otherwise struggle for funding".
He want on to say - "Carpenter Box is proud to be the first corporate contributor to the fund and we hope that by our example other Worthing and Adur businesses will also want to become involved to raise the £25,000 target set for the fund. The fact that the govenment will then effectively match this funding giving a total endowment of £50,000 gives a tremendous opportunity for the community to see a long term benefit."
Radio Ad Goes to Air
Posted on 2009-06-30 08:00:02
Carpenter Box has commenced a campaign on Heart FM to raise awareness of its services across Sussex. The 'Love Numbers' campaign hits home with a message about the firm's skill in helping to raise profits and minimise tax liabilities.
Charity Seminar Success
Posted on 2009-06-18 09:55:23
Its no easy thing to be a trustee of a charity but the big positive is that people are still willing to get involved. At a recent seminar to help trustees understand more about the financial and legal aspects of operating charities and not for profit organisations Hilary Julian, an accountant and Director at Carpenter Box and who specialises in the charitable sector touched on the responsibilities of trustees and the things they should look out for. These basic pointers are all designed to help trustees in making sure their organisation is well run in terms of compliance and especially with regard income and expenditure. Areas of risk were highlighted (how do you bench mark the advice of an investment manager?) as well as tips on how charities can maximize income through making the most of the tax regime - both for them and their donors. The seminar which was one in an ongoing series was held at the Seattle Hotel in Brighton in conjunction with Rix and Kay solicitors, who concentrated on the legal aspects of governance.
Carpenter Box Sponsor 2009 Worthing Business Awards
Posted on 2009-06-17 09:53:16
For the third year running Carpenter Box has agreed to help sponsor this important event which aims to celebrate the success of Worthing based businesses in categories ranging from MicroBusiness to the prestigious Worthing Business of the Year. Carpenter Box CEO John Billings commented:
"Whilst this is only the third year that the event has run, it has already established itself as the premier annual business event for the town. We are pleased to continue our support of the event to the extent that Chris Coopey, a fellow Director of Carpenter Box LLP is Chair of the Worthing Business Awards Committee."
The organising partnership comprises representatives of Economic Development at Worthing Borough Council, Worthing and Adur Chamber of Commerce, Worthing First and the Worthing Herald. The newspaper has agreed to provide organisation and publicity throughout the coming months and will also seek sponsors and sell tickets. The awards ceremony takes place on Saturday October 10th at the Pavilion Theatre on Worthing Pier."
Registered to carry on audit work and regulated for a range of investment business activities by The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales
Carpenter Box LLP. Registered in England and Wales No. OC317470
Registered Office: Grafton Lodge, 15 Grafton Road, Worthing BN11 1QR
Regulated by: The Institute of Chartered Accountants. (Membership No. C001356562)
Trading Name: Carpenter Box is a trading name of Carpenter Box LLP
