Kreston Reeves named as one of the eprivateclient Top Accountancy firms, 2025

Accountants, business and wealth advisers Kreston Reeves have been named as one of the 2025 eprivateclient Top Accountancy Firms.

eprivateclient is the leading website and news service for private client practitioners, including lawyers, accountants, trustees and fee-based IFAs. The eprivateclient ranking for accountancy firms is an annual list of the best UK tax advisory firms who provide advice to domestic and international private clients, their families and their businesses.

Daniel Grainge, Partner and Head of Tax at Kreston Reeves comments: “Once again we are incredibly proud to receive this accolade from such a highly regarded industry body. Making it onto this list means our whole team has been recognised for the quality of advice, depth of knowledge and breadth of expertise we provide to our clients. The impending changes to inheritance tax that will affect business and land owners highlight the importance of high-quality tax advice to ensure wealth is preserved for future generations. I would like to thank our whole team as it is their hard work which has enabled us to receive this accolade.”

Simon Levine, Solicitor, Partner and Joint Head of Legal Services at Kreston Reeves comments: “This is a very special accolade and our whole team should feel enormously pleased. Over the last 12 months the team have been working hard with our clients to help them navigate the fast moving and significantly changing financial landscape to build the best future for their family, the generations to follow and their businesses.”

The team at Kreston Reeves will be celebrating the accolade at a champagne reception at EFG Private Bank, London on 23 October 2025.

About Kreston Reeves

Our purpose is to guide our clients, colleagues, and communities to a brighter future. We help businesses, charity and not-for-profit organisations, private individuals, and families with more than accountancy, business, and wealth advice. We help them realise their ambitions.

Disaster Recovery: A business-critical priority for UK organisations

In 2025, a string of industry giants were subject to sophisticated cyber attacks that dominated the UK headlines and resulted in major repercussions. These incidents show that not even household names are immune to the risk of modern threats. While large organisations may grab the headlines, attackers often turn their sights to smaller businesses – exploiting weaker defences and causing financial damage that can be just as severe.

As a result, a robust disaster recovery policy is not optional – it is vital. Disaster recovery (DR) is a vital element of operational resilience. It involves a structured approach to restoring IT systems after a disruptive event, whether this has been caused by a cyber-attack, hardware failure, or human error. Without a disaster recovery strategy in place, downtime can lead to serious financial, legal and reputational damage.

The risks of no disaster recovery plan

Organisations without a disaster recovery plan face a range of critical risks:

• ·       Permanent data loss:
• Business-critical data including customer records, financial information, and operational files may be unrecoverable if systems fail without a plan in place.
• ·       Extended downtime:
  Prolonged outages halts operations which impacts customer experience. The longer the downtime, the greater the financial and reputational damage.
• ·       In breach of compliance:
  Legislation such as the UK Data Protection Act (2018) requires organisations to have breach response protocols. Failure to comply can result in sizeable fines.
• ·       Loss of customer trust:
  Clients expect reliability. Repeated or prolonged outages can erode confidence and lead to customer dissatisfaction.
• ·       Business closure:
  Research conducted by the National Cyber Security Alliance shows that nearly 60% of small businesses close within six months of a cyber attack.

With an active disaster recovery plan, your business can ensure continuity, data integrity, and compliance; empowering secure, uninterrupted operations across hybrid environments.

Tailored solutions from FluidOne

At FluidOne, our team will work closely with you to design and implement disaster recovery plans that reflect your operational needs and risk profile. We offer a full suite of solutions from including cloud-based backups and intelligent monitoring to secure connectivity, ensuring business continuity and data integrity.

Businesses that invest in DR are better positioned to recover quickly, maintain service levels, and minimise disruption. For more information, you can call us call 01273 384 100 or email brighton@fluidone.com to get in touch with our experts today and find out how we can help protect your business.

Baked Worthing Christmas Gift Guide

Check out their tasty gift ideas and start shopping! Get in touch with them today! 

We would love to help you treat your team, clients and customers this Christmas.  Simply let us know what you’re looking for (the gift type, number of gifts, delivery/collection) and we can put together the perfect package for you.

Email hello@bakedworthing.co.uk or call us on 01903 216343.

You can download their brochure here

Link to Hope Shoebox Appeal

Local charity and chamber member Link to Hope has launched its 2025 annual Shoebox Appeal. For nearly 35 years this locally based charity had delivered thousands of shoeboxes filled with gifts to people facing poverty, displacement, and injustice across Eastern Europe, including Ukraine. These shoeboxes are filled by businesses, organisations, schools, churches and individuals.  The charity sent out nearly 26,000 shoeboxes from Ferring last year alone.

The charity supports a wide range of education and social care projects as well as humanitarian aid projects throughout the year. For the last three years in particular, the focus has been on supporting communities affected by the war in Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees in neighbouring countries as well as Moldova, Bulgaria and Romania.

The national deadline is 7th November, but local supporters can drop shoeboxes off at one of Link to Hope’s five local shops in Littlehampton, Goring, Chapel Road and Rustington or their Ferring office until the 28th November. To take part, please register on their website at https://linktohope.co.uk/shoebox-appeal-2025/

Pilbeam Construction replaces leaking roof at Grade II Listed Brighton church

The leaking roof of a Grade II Listed church in Brighton will be replaced by Pilbeam Construction just in time for Christmas.  

Work is already underway at St Mary’s Church in Surrenden Road where the expert team is installing a new watertight roof and redecorating the interiors which have suffered water damage.

Pilbeam Construction is set to complete the £700,000 project by the start of December, which will give the congregation a more comfortable space to meet when work is complete.

Alan Corbett, managing director at Pilbeam Construction, based in Southwick, West Sussex, said: “Our team have a lot of experience with restoring churches, so this was the perfect job for our specialists to come to the rescue.

“The roof at St Mary’s was in desperate need of repairs and we’re looking forward to visitors enjoying their restored church soon in more comfort.”

Pilbeam started work on the church near Preston Park in July. The roof will benefit from new slate, tiles and felt and batten. Leadwork, gutters, downpipes and fascia will be replaced too.

The team will also repair or replace masonry where needed and will carry out drainage surveys to identify the causes of internal and external flooding, then fix it.

Internally the Roman Catholic church, originally built in 1910 in the Arts and Crafts style of Gothic Revival architecture, has suffered from water damage.

The team is replastering and redecorating using cherry pickers to access the ceilings which, at their tallest, are around 50ft high.

Other problem areas have included the roof over the baptism font, where buckets had been deployed during heavy rain.

Meanwhile the stations of the cross were damaged by water ingress and the stained-glass windows have suffered from corrosion.

Challenges with the project include working around church activities and a nursery at the back of the church.

Father Sebastian Kijak from St Mary’s Church said: “We have been relying on patchwork fixes and careful maintenance for years, but we’ve now decided a full restoration can no longer be delayed.

“The team at Pilbeam have worked around us so we could continue with our usual activities.

“The total cost of the project is nearly £1 million and we’ve already set aside £500,000. However, we’re appealing for donations to complete our restoration.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming visitors to our much-improved church very soon.”

To find out more about donating to the church roof fund visit: https://www.brightonstmary.com/

For more information please visit:

https://www.pilbeamconstruction.co.uk/

Carpenter Box invests in future talent with record 27 new trainee appointments 

Leading Sussex and Hampshire accountancy firm Carpenter Box has welcomed a record 27 new trainee accountants, tax and business advisers over the past 12 months, with 12 joining in September. This brings the total number of trainees at the firm to 57, more than 20% of its 270-strong workforce. 

The new starters are based across Carpenter Box’s offices in Worthing, Gatwick, Brighton, Chichester and Portsmouth, joining a range of specialist teams including Audit, Tax, Business Services, Outsourced Finance and StarBox, the firm’s dedicated service for digital entrepreneurs and content creators. 

The 27 new starters are spread across five of the firm’s seven offices, with 11 based in Worthing, seven in Gatwick, and three each in Brighton, Chichester and Portsmouth. They are strengthening a wide range of specialist teams, including 11 in Audit, six in Business Services, four in Tax, four in StarBox and two in Outsourced Finance. 

Carpenter Box Managing Partner, Alan Edwards, who began his own career as a trainee at the firm, commented: “Investing in emerging talent is central to our long-term success. We’re proud that over a fifth of our people are trainees, and we’re committed to giving them the very best start in their careers. Our training provision has earned ‘Approved Employer’ and ‘Platinum’ status, and we will continue to build on this as we support the next generation of accountants, tax and business advisers.” 

Carpenter Box offers a range of professional qualification pathways, including the ACA, ACCA, CIMA and CTA, reflecting the diverse career ambitions of its trainees. The firm also runs annual open evenings to connect with future recruits and showcase the opportunities available across its offices. 

Carpenter Box is hosting its next Trainee Scheme Open Evening on Tuesday 11th November 2025 for anyone interested in exploring a career within finance. To register visit https://www.carpenterbox.com/event/trainee-scheme-open-evening/ 

www.carpenterbox.com 

A24 Worthing to Horsham and Dorking Transport Improvements - have your say!

The Transport Teams at West Sussex County Council and Surrey County Council are seeking views on potential transport improvements along the A24 corridor between Worthing, Horsham and Dorking.  'The comments we receive will help identify key constraints, issues, and opportunities that will be used to shape our plans for the corridor and enable us to seek future funding opportunities.'

The area covered by the engagement exercise includes the A24 from the A25 Dorking Deepdene roundabout and nearby railway stations in Dorking, to Horsham, and to the A27 Offington Roundabout in Worthing. The area also includes the A280 Long Furlong between the A27 at Clapham and A24 at Findon because of the importance of this link in connecting the A27 with the A24.

Improvements

The types of improvements that being considered along the A24 corridor include:

• junction capacity improvements

• bus priority and bus stop improvements

• walking and cycling path improvements

• crossing facilities for people walking, cycling and horse-riding

• road safety improvements including junction modifications, safety barriers and speed limit changes

Have your say

You can find out more about these suggested improvements by visiting https://yourvoice.westsussex.gov.uk/A24-worthing-horsham-dorking where you can also have your say by completing our questionnaire and commenting on an interactive map. This initial engagement period will close at 11:55pm on 27 October 2025.

'Proposals for the corridor are at an early stage of development, so we would like to hear from people and organisations who may be affected by the improvements we are considering to help us to develop the designs. If we decide to progress the improvements, these designs would then be presented as part of future consultations.'

Harvest Appeal for Urgent Food Donations

Turning Tides highlights rising need as homelessness grows and food poverty worsens across West Sussex.

Local homelessness charity Turning Tides has launched its annual Harvest Appeal, calling on the community to donate food and essential items to support people facing homelessness across West Sussex.

Every donation goes directly to Turning Tides’ Community Hubs in Worthing and Littlehampton, where food is used to provide hot breakfasts and food parcels for homeless people, and to our residential projects, to support clients with meals and clients moving into their own accommodation. Last year alone, the charity supported over 1,000 local people experiencing homelessness at the community hubs and the need is sadly growing.

Turning Tides Community Development Manager, Amy Thorley, stated

“Harvest is traditionally a time of sharing and coming together and this year our Harvest Appeal is more vital than ever. We are seeing more people walk through our doors who never imagined they would need our help. Something as simple as a food donation can make the difference between going hungry or staying nourished and well. We know times are tough for all, just one tin or one pot noodle could make a huge difference to someone’s life.”

For many people experiencing homelessness, it is the simplest items that make the greatest difference. Pot noodles and ‘just add hot water’ meals are essential for clients who may only have access to a kettle in temporary accommodation. Some local cafés kindly provide hot water free of charge, giving rough sleepers the chance to prepare a warm meal.

Equally, tinned foods with ring-pull lids are vital for those who do not have access to a tin opener. A can of beans, tuna, or macaroni cheese with a ring-pull can provide immediate nutrition and protein for someone sleeping rough, a small detail that can mean the difference between eating or going hungry.

People experiencing homelessness often face poor health as a result of malnutrition and limited access to food. Nationally, life expectancy for people who are homeless is just 45 years for men and 43 for women, nearly half that of the general population. Turning Tides stresses that reliable access to food is essential not just for survival, but also for rebuilding health, resilience and hope.

The charity is asking for donations of food and toiletries, including:

Drinks: coffee, squash, bottled water, juice, sugar, long-life milk

Basics: baked beans, spaghetti hoops, pot noodles, pasta-n-sauce, microwave rice, sauces, cereal, porridge pots, snack bars, tinned meals, tinned tomatoes

Sandwich fillers: tinned ham, corned beef, tuna, sardines, mackerel, peanut butter, marmite

Sweet & savoury: biscuits, crisps, sweets, rice pudding, custard, tinned fruit

Toiletries: shampoo/conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant

Donations can be dropped at Turning Tides’ Donation Hub, ordered via online food shops for delivery, sent as shopping vouchers, or purchased through the charity’s Amazon Wishlist. Please check opening times to ensure someone is there to take delivery.

Donations Officer, Moira Gardner, added:

“Every tin, packet and donation truly makes a difference. Our shelves have never been so bare and these donations are imperative to our services. As soon as goods come in, they are sent straight out to our services. This Harvest we are asking our community to stand with us, so we can continue to provide not just food, but dignity, compassion and hope.”

For more information and details on how to donate, visit: https://www.turning-tides.org.uk/harvest-turning-tides-2025/

Mental health charity supports a record number of people amid growing levels of need.

Worthing-based mental health charity, West Sussex Mind, has launched its annual Impact Report, which shows that it supported more people during 2024-25 than in a single year in its 55-year history.

West Sussex Mind supported 7,766 people – families, children and young people, parents, adults with mild mental health problems and some with severe mental illness, people experiencing mental health crisis, over-65s, carers of people suffering with dementia – through one-to-one sessions, social activities, groups and workshops across the county.

The charity has expanded its offer to meet the growing demand for support, which is being felt across West Sussex, and has found innovative new ways of providing support. For example, it partnered with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to provide a walk-in service at Staying Well Worthing for people experiencing mental health crisis, reducing pressure on A&E and blue-light services. It has also started supporting people living with psychosis in the community, through partnership with the local NHS mental health trust, introducing those with severe mental illness into community activities.

West Sussex Mind's CEO, Kerrin Page, said: "We continue to experience rising demand for our services and we know that people's mental health needs are increasing. It's also a complex time of change in the Sussex health system. We are committed to continue supporting as many people as we can in partnership with the NHS and our voluntary sector partners."

Headline figures from the report include:

• 32,759 individual and group interventions, where people who use West Sussex Mind’s services get one-to-one support or take part in group activities⁠ (29,472 in 2023-24)
• 9,429 people trained by West Sussex Mind (6,111 in 2023-24)
• 9,547 calls answered by Help Point for advice, information and support (8,616 in 2023-24)
• 1,428 under-25s supported across all West Sussex Mind’s services.

BHT Sussex and West Sussex Mind partnership secures community mental health contract for West Sussex

West Sussex Mind is delighted to join BHT Sussex in its recent award by NHS Sussex for the five-year West Sussex Mental Health Support Services contract. BHT Sussex is the lead provider for the service with West Sussex Mind as the main sub-contractor. The two charities will work in partnership to deliver the service, bringing high-quality mental health support to the communities of West Sussex. 

BHT Sussex and West Sussex Mind worked closely together to create their bid, drawing on their deep knowledge of mental health needs in their communities. They have a strong history of partnership working over the last ten years, where they were lead partners in the Pathfinder West Sussex alliance, which brings together NHS and voluntary partners to provide joined-up mental health support to people across the county. 

West Sussex Mind and BHT Sussex share a dedication to co-producing services with people with lived experience of mental health and peer support. Together they are committed to an inclusive and accessible model for mental health support, driven by the needs of West Sussex residents, improved access to services and better physical health for people with severe mental illness.  

Kerrin Page, CEO of West Sussex Mind, said: “We’re delighted that BHT Sussex has been appointed as lead provider for West Sussex Mental Health Support Services and to join forces with them to deliver the service, building on our strong community links. The voice of lived experience is central to how we design our services at West Sussex Mind and this was a key part of our bid. We’ll continue to build on this ethos with the new contract and work closely with partners to improve the wellbeing of communities across West Sussex.” 

West Sussex Mind and BHT Sussex will continue to work collaboratively with other partners, including Southdown, Crawley Open House, Turning Tides and Stonepillow, and look forward to strengthening these partnerships as they develop the service together. 

For more information about West Sussex Mind, visit www.westsussexmind.org. For more information about BHT Sussex, visit www.bht.org.uk 

*Co-produced mental health services are informed by and shaped by people with lived experience of mental health themselves, who are involved in the design and delivery of the services. As part of the bid, West Sussex Mind and BHT Sussex met with people with lived experience of mental health services to hear their voices and include their insights.