CHARITY STAFF CELEBRATE RETURN TO HEADQUARTERS

Chair of Trustees Gwyn Dickinson MBE pays special thanks to the close-knit team at Devon In Sight for working through a difficult time as the headquarters underwent major building works. The staff will enjoy Hot Cross Buns before returning to normal working conditions after the Easter break.

Photo by Alex Walton, Exmouth Journal

The head office based at Station House in Topsham has been undergoing major building works for the past eight weeks to refurbish the adjacent building which will become the exciting new Resource Centre serving the visually impaired across the county of Devon.

Volunteer Samm Legg says “It has been without doubt very challenging to cope with the day to day running of the charity as staff and volunteers have had to deal with cramped conditions, noise, rubble and dust. Perhaps the most difficult thing was having most of our equipment boxed up in storage but we have done our best to provide as normal a service as possible for our clients. It is a lovely touch to have the hard work recognised by the Trustees”

Chair of Trustees Gwyn Dickinson MBE addressed everyone to show her gratitude, “I have been overwhelmed with the commitment and dedication shown by our staff, volunteers, supporters and members in the last couple of months. Everyone worked tirelessly to ensure that the level of service provided by Devon In Sight has not compromised by the disruptions. We are very much looking forward to the official opening of the new Resource Centre in July which will create opportunities to support even more visually impaired people in Devon. In the meantime the Trustees wanted to show their thanks to the dedicated team and welcome everyone back to Station House.”

The charity has reached a very exciting stage in its development, which began when Martin Pallett was appointed Director of Services last year. The charity will be re-launching itself this summer with a new logo and website and officially opening the new bigger Resource Centre at Station House in Topsham. There will be a larger and better equipped Resource Centre plus two multi-purpose rooms, which can be used for low vision clinics and other activities. The centre will have extended opening hours, currently Devon In Sight opens four days a week Tuesday – Friday. After the formal opening in July the centre will be open five days a week 10.00am – 4.00pm, which will enable even greater support for more visually impaired people from the whole of Devon, their Carers as well as the local community.

ACCOUNTANTS LAUNCH UK’S FIRST TAX RATES APP

Pioneering Chartered Accountants Haines Watts, with more than 30,000 UK clients across the network and over 60 offices nationwide including Exeter, has launched a new mobile app aimed at business owners, FDs and financial controllers. The exciting new app gives instant and continuous access to the latest UK Tax Rates on their iPhones. Download app here.

The app will be free to download from the app store. It will list a large proportion of UK tax rates, including Income Tax, Car & Fuel Benefits, Corporation Tax, VAT, Capital Gains Tax and National Insurance – amongst others.

Paul Benney Tax Partner at the Exeter office located in Southernhay, the financial heart of the City, says: “Time’s money with many business owners and FD’s working long hours so anything that streamlines accountancy; making it faster and more efficient is worth embracing. Giving them information at their fingertips whatever time of the day or night they need it is vital. Rather than having to use the internet via a PC to find out relevant tax rates or keep a hard copy tax card to hand, this app will allow access to tax rates anywhere, at any point in time.” Watch video here.

No other UK accountancy firm has offered such an app. The innovative move follows Haines Watts looking at how they can better serve business owners and Finance Directors by making information more easily accessible day to day.

Samantha Davies, Marketing Manager of Haines Watts, says: “Our partners, who are also business owners, rely on their phones now to access information 24/7 as a matter of course - we know that other business owners would be doing the same. Time is at a premium for business owners and FDs, and this is just a small step in the process of driving efficient and massively more convenient accountancy services. At Haines Watts we make sure we give business owners what they want, when they want it – technology is the ideal way to do this.”

Ben de Cruz Senior Partner says: “Every year we send out tax cards to our clients and contacts - in recent years we have become less reliant on hard copy material and emailed more. With access online via our website and now with our new app, we know that this will also have a positive impact on the environment”

Haines Watts see the new app as only the beginning and will track downloads in the coming months looking to develop onto other platforms in the future. Following a successful launch Haines Watts will seek to invest in further app development to help business owners in their day to day business lives.

www.hwca.com/exeter