Bloomer Heaven Limited

Our business

Bloomer Heaven is a long established firm in existence for over 130 years. We are a growing independent firm of Chartered Accountants and business advisors acting for a broad range of clients - small and large, local, regional and national.

We offer a comprehensive range of services designed to meet the needs of our clients across all core business areas including accountancy, audit and taxation. Where appropriate we work together with other professional advisors to provide full support to our clients.

Bloomer Heaven is a member of MHA, a UK wide association of respected and progressive independent accountants and business advisers.

Our expertise

Bloomer Heaven's charity and not-for-profit team offers a breadth and depth of experience and expertise in advising the sector. Led by Chris Stephen-Haynes and Helen Blundell, we have a diverse portfolio of charity and not-for-profit clients and their subsidiaries.

We have recognised that in a world of changing legislation and increasing demand for transparency and accountability the demands placed on charities and those responsible for managing them can sometimes feel overwhelming. We have developed a team committed to meeting the need of charities for specialist assistance and guidance.

As part of MHA we are involved in a working party focussed on the charity sector and influencing consultations relevant to the sector.

We pride ourselves on being able to offer an excellent specialist service to our clients in the not for profit sector based on the desire to make a difference. We have developed an excellent reputation as a firm supporting the needs of its clients in the not for profit sector, underpinned by professional integrity and supported by high calibre directors, staff and clients.

Our people

Chris Stephen-Haynes leads the not-for-profit team. Chris has a knowledge and experience of the sector as both an advisor and a trustee and has driven the expansion of the practice in the sector.
His client portfolio ranges from small unincorporated charities to large regional bodies and he has been involved in advising across a range of issues from audit and accounts to governance, forensic work, restructuring and refinancing amongst other matters.

Chris is a director of a community interest company. He is a trustee of the Association of Charity Independent Examiners and a member of the Technical Assurance Panel with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW).

Helen Blundell is the senior charities manager and since qualifying as a Chartered Accountant Helen has focussed her work on the charity and not-for-profit sector. She has a post graduate certificate in Charity Accounting and Finance Management from South Bank University as well as the ICAEW Diploma in Charity Accounting.

Helen's main responsibility is for audit and accounts clients in the not-for-profit sector. She has also worked on a number of special assignments including systems reviews, costing projects and investigations and delivered training locally and nationally. She has been involved in audits of European grant funding both from the perspective of the recipient of the funding and also on behalf of the European Commission. Helen has also been involved in responding to consultations regarding International Financial Reporting Standards particularly in the context of the not-for-profit sector.
Chris and Helen are supported in their roles by a team of expert staff in the fields of taxation, VAT, and specialist consultancy work.

Our services

With the breadth of a general practice and the depth of a specialist team we are able to provide support across a range of areas including:

Audit and assurance

• Preparation of accounts in accordance with the SORP and current legislation
• advising on treatment of funds and income recognition
• audits
• independent examinations
• audit certification of grants

Taxation

• assisting with gift aid
• completion of tax returns
• advising on trading activities
• VAT advice on specific projects (e.g. buildings etc.)
• assistance with VAT returns
• advice on employment related tax issues

Governance and procedures

• assistance with incorporation
• systems and controls reviews
• trustee training
• governance support
• advice on corporate restructuring

Bureau support

• book-keeping
• management accounts
• budgeting and cash flows
• forecasts
• company secretarial

Our clients

With a particular focus on the not-for-profit sector we have built up a client base across
a range of different sub-sectors.

Social Enterprise

Over recent years and with the introduction of Community Interest Companies (CIC), social enterprise has become a 'buzz' word. We have advised a number of organisations on CIC's and assisted with restructuring.

Education

We have a number of audit clients in the education sector including independent schools and academies. As well as dealing with statutory audit we have undertaken pension return certification, grant funder certifications and advised on the introduction of and implications of public benefit reporting.

Health and Welfare

We have a core base of Audit and Independent Examination clients operating in this area.
In addition, to those core services we have assisted clients with training on accounts packages, full cost recovery reporting under public benefit and corporate restructuring.

Arts

We have clients delivering arts in different niche areas of the arts. We have supported them in reviewing restricted funds and understanding income recognition rules.

Religion

We act for several large regional church bodies, a Mosque and at the smaller scale, several independent churches. As well as support to the individual clients we also work with the wider base and have delivered training for church independent examiners. We have also worked on special projects to develop financial stability.

Membership Organisations

Membership organisations are often working with a national trustee body. We have provided restructuring advice, reviewed opportunities for income maximisation and cost reduction and undertaken Independent Examinations and Audits. We have also reviewed tax status.

Our commitment

Our not for profit team has a genuine passion for and commitment to the sector.

We commit to work in partnership with our clients to help them maximise their potential.

We commit to be proactive and innovative and work with our clients to deliver solutions.

We will be honest and open in our dealings with clients.