After completing my Accountancy degree in 1993, I was sure of one thing in life - I didn’t want to be an accountant! However, fast-forward 31 years and I’ve never known anything else, the last 29 of which have been spent at Towers & Gornall.
It was September 1995 when William Richmond took me under his wing and told me I would enjoy the friendly Towers & Gornall office environment, largely due to the cricket and football chats on a Monday morning! However, I also grew to enjoy the relationships with my colleagues and, just as importantly, with the clients that William introduced me to, and before I knew it, I’d qualified as a Chartered Certified Accountant.
The majority of my client-base has always been built around farming. Perhaps that is no surprise as I’ve always lived in the rural area of Garstang and my grandparents on both sides were farmers, as are many of my close relatives to this day. Many of my clients today are those I was preparing accounts for as a junior back in the mid-90s, so it’s a very rewarding job for me to witness how they have grown.
Watching how the agricultural industry has changed, and how family businesses have dealt with this as they have progressed through the generations, has been fascinating. The same could be said of Towers & Gornall, as staff numbers have trebled in my time and we’ve recently moved into purpose-built new offices.
As I alluded to earlier, away from the office I love sport. I’ve played cricket at Shireshead and Forton Cricket Club for over 40 years, right through from playing at Old Trafford in a junior final aged 11, to captaining the 1st XI for 13 years. I still play for the 2nd XI, and also run the junior ‘All Stars’ section and under 11 team.
Over the last few years, I’ve really enjoyed running, beginning at Lancaster parkrun (where I’m still to be found either running or volunteering every Saturday morning) and progressing to much longer runs in the Lakeland fells. I’m also a committed member at my local church, where I’ve helped run the Friday night children’s club for over 20 years.
However, what I love the most is to spend time with my wife Lis, and our two daughters Emily and Heidi, whether that be walking in the Lakes, surfing in Cornwall, or just watching a film at home. Fortunately, the proximity of work and home life has meant I’ve always been able to invest time doing just that, and hopefully there’s a few more years in me yet!
