2020 has been a very interesting year, to say the least. The world has become a very different place to what we were used to in mist of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The way we work, go to school, socialise and even shop has changed, but fortunately, this hasn’t stopped us moving forward in the fight to combat the disease and become stronger as a nation.
We have all had our fair share of challenges this year; everything from not being able to spend time with family and friends to home-schooling children, staff being furloughed and businesses losing valuable work. In light of this, the support of the Government has been exceptional, and this has enabled us all to, in the most part, stay afloat and carry-on trading.
At Dunkley’s, we have been by the side of our clients from the very beginning and are doing what we can each day to ensure we provide the support and guidance they need to plan for the future and become risk-proof as a result.
Maintaining strong relationships and providing essential guidance to our clients has been a key driver for us as throughout 2020, as, after all, they are at the heart of how we deliver our service. Even with all the support we have given and the challenging times we have seen ourselves in, we have been lucky enough to achieve a number of positive highlights throughout 2020 which we wanted to share to add a touch positivity to this truly unexpected year.
Dunkley’s Year In Review
ACCA Qualifications
In January, Laura Woods and Zoe-Marie Cambridge passed their final ACCA exam and are only a few steps away from being fully qualified as Chartered Certified Accountants. We are extremely proud of them both!
New Staff Members
Even in these turbulent times, we have welcomed a number of new staff to our team. Phoebe has joined our Accounts team for a year-in-industry placement as part of her Business degree, Poppy and Zain have joined our ever-growing Tax Team and Phil has been welcomed into our Payroll department.
Big Birthday Celebration
In March, Mike turned 60 celebrating his big day in Frisco, CO before the world went into lockdown. Before he left for his holiday, Dunkley’s staff put on a surprise party for him as after all life’s milestones are not supposed to be counted, they’re supposed to be celebrated. Happy 60th Mike!
Special Work Anniversaries
2020 marked a number of large workplace anniversaries for our staff. Emma Somers, Hollie Honeywell, Joanne Bruce, Joe Weston, and Lisa White celebrated being with Dunkley’s for 5 years, Tom Bull for 15 years and Caroline Jones for 20 years. Congratulations and thank you for your continued hard work and dedication to the business.
AAT Exam Achievements
Our 5 AAT apprentices, Eloise Palmer, Emily-Jayne Emery, Joseph Gonzalo, Lauren Hudd, and Taylor Thornbury have been working very hard over the last year to attain their qualifications. They are all at various stages in the course, but we are very proud of what they have all achieved so far and look forward to supporting them in their next steps.
Award Nominations
Throughout 2020, we were delighted to be shortlisted for the Investing in People and COVID-19 Hero award at the Accounting Excellence awards, the Financial award at the Bristol Life awards and the Customer Excellence award at the Business Leader awards.
Personal Achievements
This year two of our staff members worked hard to achieve personal success. One of our secretaries, Kirsty Liley set herself a challenge to complete 1.7million steps to raise vital funds for Diabetes UK. Throughout June, Kirsty walked the distance of John O’Groats to Lands’ End and raised over £720 for the charity. Well done! Chloe Debiaune, our Tax Client Manager successfully passed her CTA exam and is now a Chartered Tax Adviser. Massive congratulations Chloe – such a wonderful achievement!
ACCA & ACA Exam Successes
Our 3 ACCA trainees, Daniel Chapman, Gabby Smith, and Luke Withey and 2 ACA trainees David Bailey and Nathan Wheeler have been working very hard over the last year to attain parts of their professional qualifications. Each of them has passed one or more of their professional exams this year and we couldn’t be prouder. Well done!
Charitable Giving
2020 has been a challenging time for charities and it has not been easy to hold events or run fundraising activities to support them. With our Roaring 20s Ball postponed to 2021, we needed to think of other, creative ways to support St Peter’s Hospice throughout the year. In October, Emily-Jayne Emery, Kirsty Liley, Laura Mundy, Natasha Miller, Nicole Crompton, and Matthew Dobbins set themselves a challenge to partake in the 10-mile ‘Midnight Walk’ around Bristol. The route took them over 4 hours to complete, but it was worth it as they managed to raise a staggering £1,009.
Community Involvement
As you know we absolutely love to get involved in the local community, so why should COVID-19 stop us! In October, Bradley Stoke Town Council put on a “Famous Witches and Wizards” scarecrow trail and we got ourselves on the map. Our “Voldemort” scarecrow, dementors and other Harry Potter inspired props sat proudly in the large oak tree outside of our offices with 100’s of visitors coming to see them throughout the half-term week.
Managerial Promotions
Throughout 2020, we are delighted to have promoted a number of staff to higher managerial roles. Amber Vierke is now an Accounts Manager, Nathan Pretty and Steve Gibbs are now Audit and Accounts Managers, Chloe Debiaune is a Tax Client Manager, Joe Weston is a Client Manager and Tom Bull has become an Associate and soon will be a Client Partner once his qualifications are obtained. We are so proud of their achievements and wish them all the best in their new roles.
Website Redesign
Over the course of the year, we have been working hard to redesign the Dunkley’s website. The big reveal finally happened in December and we have received really positive feedback as a result. For us, the website encompasses who we are as a business much more than ever before so if you have not seen it yet, please do as we’d love to know what you think!
Here’s to a prosperous 2021.