- "In the last 20 years our business has changed considerably…and as the focus of our business has changed, Bird Luckin have moved with us."
Alex Tanner, George Tanner (Shalford) Ltd - "Bird Luckin has looked after us incredibly well for over 60 years, they are pro-active and innovational - meeting all our needs to help us achieve our aims."
Richard Stubbings, Cliffords Limited - "I can honestly say that Bird Luckin are the best firm of accountants and auditors I have ever dealt with - and I don't say that lightly!"
Colin Webb, Walthamstow Stadium - "It's important for us to know that we will always be able to contact the right people to give us the right advice and support."
Jane Bennett, Bennetts Funeral Directors - "Although we deal mainly with one Partner … we also know that if we need to contact someone else who is a specialist in another area, we can get the advice we need quickly and easily"
Jeremy Ruggles, J.S. Wright & Sons Ltd - "Bird Luckin got us to a stage which would have taken us months - if not years - to reach on our own, and they got us there in a matter of weeks"
Matthew Sullivan, SNC Ltd - "You can be a good accountant, but if you don't have an understanding of the industry it can be very difficult. "There are two or three people we have regular contact with at Bird Luckin who know our business well, and it makes a difference.""
Robert Church, W A Church (Bures) Ltd - "The work which Bird Luckin has done for Boddingtons over the past few months has helped shape our future direction for the better."
John Warner, Chief Executive, Boddingtons Ltd - "Bird Luckin has acted for us since our inception 10 years ago. They have a very 'can do' yet highly professional attitude - we are very appreciative of their support and advice over the years."
Marlon Fox, Outlook Property Ltd
HMRC staff and local MPs take part in small business work experience
Tax officials and local politicians will gain hands-on experience working within small businesses as part of a Forum of Private Business (FPB) initiative.
The business group and Government officials hope the project will help develop a greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing small business owners in order to improve working relationships.
More than 70 politicians took part in last year's 'Business Buddy' scheme which saw them placed in SMEs within their local constituencies.
The initiative has now been extended to include HMRC staff, who took part in their first placement visiting a branch of chartered accountants in Reading.
Chief executive of the FPB, Phil Orford, said: "Clearly, there's no substitute for first-hand experience. We are widening the Business Buddy scheme so that HMRC officials can take part in order to gain a greater understanding of what it takes to grow and run a small firm, and also explore how they can work together more effectively, for the good of the economy as a whole."
An HMRC spokesman said the initiative provides a unique opportunity for staff to get to the heart of what life is like for small business owners.
"Understanding the challenges small firms face helps us design better services for the future and support them in getting their tax right quickly and easily," HMRC said.
Business owners were also given the opportunity to discuss some of the biggest hurdles facing SMEs today. In a survey about their experiences of the scheme, 87 per cent of respondents said that the state of the UK economy was a major issue they had brought up with their local political representative.
Local business issues, regulation, and consumer and business confidence were also discussed as issues of concern, as well as taxation, health and safety and workforce skills.
Business owners said they hoped the meetings had ended in agreed action about how to improve the UK's business environment.