News from Larking Gowen

Tourism, leisure and hospitality businesses across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex remain operational, innovative and determined, but are now operating under structural pressure rather than short‑term disruption, according to the Tourism Business Survey 2026 from Larking Gowen, the region’s leading advisers to the visitor economy.

Running a business can sometimes be very lonely, that’s why a local chartered accountants and business advisory firm have been running their popular business breakfasts events across the region for nearly 10 years, inspiring and motivating business leaders over breakfast and providing a valuable opportunity for networking in the local business community.

We're pleased to announce the promotion of Audit Director, James Nichols, to Partner, effective from Wednesday, 1 April 2026.

Over half of East of England tourism businesses expect growth in 2025, despite rising costs and economic pressures, according to Larking Gowen’s latest survey. Optimism persists, with strong focus on investment, pricing strategy, and wellbeing.

Our Tourism & Leisure Business Survey is back for 2026! This survey is designed to gain valuable insights into the performance and practices of businesses in the Tourism, leisure and hospitality industry in East Anglia, and your participation is critical to its success.

Larking Gowen is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Maher as Partner from 2 February 2026. Chris will work out of their Ipswich office as part of its expanding tax team.

Our Greatest Night Out raised vital funds for East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Our Autumn Farming Conference series raised £2,000 for YANA (You Are Not Alone) Rural Mental Health Support.

Larking Gowen’s Autumn Farming Conference welcomed its biggest audience yet, offering expert insight into the latest tax, policy and environmental scheme changes affecting rural businesses. The series raised £2,000 for YANA (You Are Not Alone) Rural Mental Health Support.

The Ipswich team at Larking Gowen recently hosted a revamped version of their annual Christmas celebration, showcasing St Stephen’s Church as a fantastic new event space for the town.

By sponsoring SuffolkForward Network throughout 2026, Larking Gowen reaffirms its commitment to mental health and local community. Their support will help ensure Suffolk Mind can continue to expand its essential work.

Regional accountancy and business advisory firm Larking Gowen has forged a new partnership with Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club, sponsoring five women players and one men’s first team player.

We’re proud to announce that our Corporate Transactions team have won Deal of the Year (sub-£10m) at the Insider Media Central and East of England Dealmakers Awards 2025.

We’re thrilled to announce that Larking Gowen has been named the winner of the Payroll Team Excellence Award 2025.

Larking Gowen is proud to announce it has achieved silver accreditation from Best Employers Eastern Region (BEER), recognising our commitment to employee engagement and workplace excellence.

Larking Gowen is pleased to announce its role as sell-side advisor to Dynamic Fluid Solutions Limited (DFS) in its successful acquisition by Vestum AB (publ), a Swedish-based group specialising in infrastructure services and products.

Jan McLean has joined Larking Gowen as a Director in the specialist medical team. She will be working from the Ipswich and Norwich offices, supporting the teams in both locations and further strengthening the firm's offering across East Anglia.

A new generation of aspiring accountants has joined Larking Gowen, one of East Anglia’s leading accountancy firms, to begin their professional training.

Larking Gowen has launched Beyond the Barn: The Business of Farming, a new mini-podcast series offering expert advice tailored to the rural and agricultural community, whether you're in the cab of a tractor, at your desk or out in the barn! Hosted by Laura Clayton, the series covers practical topics such as tax, legal matters, and succession planning –helping farmers and landowners run successful businesses.

Larking Gowen and Pound Gates are sponsoring the Paris to Haywards Heath leg of Cooper Berry's inspiring “12k a Day” challenge.

Larking Gowen is proud to sponsor the inaugural Ipswich Book Festival, celebrating the transformative power of books. The festival will take place on 3 – 5 October 2025, and be held in multiple, accessible venues around the town, giving visitors a chance to explore Ipswich.

In recognition of their commitment to the work-life balance, Larking Gowen is proud to be shortlisted in the 2024 Employee Benefits Awards.

Watch our new YouTube video and see Sophie Curle and Julia White reflect on the impact their trainee years had on shaping who they are today.

We’re delighted to announce that Larking Gowen has been awarded Best Benefits to Support Work–Life Balance at the Employee Benefits Awards 2025!

Over half of East of England tourism businesses expect growth in 2025, despite rising costs and economic pressures, according to Larking Gowen’s latest survey. Optimism persists, with strong focus on investment, pricing strategy, and wellbeing.

Larking Gowen's annual Tourism Business Survey results launched on 13 June, following a seminar held at Prospect House in Norwich. The survey results brochure includes interviews with regional business leaders and commentary from our own experts. 

Larking Gowen was pleased to launch its first Business Breakfast event in Essex on Wednesday, 14 May. This highly anticipated event was a sell-out, bringing together business leaders and professionals for a morning of networking and learning.

Norfolk Community Foundation's scheme, Good for Good, now has over 200 businesses actively engaged and Larking Gowen is proud to be one of them.

Lizzy Lloyd, Medical Partner at Larking Gowen, has been appointed Chair of AISMA. Lizzy aims to shape AISMA’s future through new initiatives like AISMA NextGen and the AISMA Academy.

We're proud to be sponsoring Big C Cancer Charity's upcoming charity Football match!

Our Tourism & Leisure Business Survey is back for 2025! This survey is designed to gain valuable insights into the performance and practices of businesses in the Tourism and Leisure industry in East Anglia, and your participation is critical to its success.

Larking Gowen is pleased to announce the continuing expansion of their Business Tax Advisory team with the appointment of Partner, Andrew Robinson, who joined on 1 April 2025.

We are extremely proud to confirm that Larking Gowen has been shortlisted for the prestigious Tolley’s Taxation Awards Best Tax Practice in a Regional Firm 2025 award.

Guest listen to keynote speaker, Kev House, at the latest Larking Gowen's Spring Business Breakfast, held in Suffolk. 

Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors, Larking Gowen, is hosting a brand-new event for the Essex business community on Wednesday 14 May 2025.

The generosity of our people never ceases to amaze us! At the end of 2024, employees across our six offices came together to generously donate food, toiletries, and other essentials to local food banks and homelessness charities.

Our amazing teams at Larking Gowen smashed the target and raised £7,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA)!

We’re delighted to support Brighten The Corners, a not-for-profit organisation, in Ipswich, that runs live music venues, studios, an annual festival and training programmes.

We’re thrilled to support the Suffolk and Norfolk Tourism Awards 2025, which celebrate excellence across Norfolk and Suffolk.

Read more about this year's charity fundraising efforts at our annual Autumn Farming Conference for YANA and RABI.

Larking Gowen is proud to be sponsoring the maths-themed events which will showcase incredible research and demonstrate how maths impacts our everyday lives and the future.

Dawn Lay-Flurrie has joined Larking Gowen as a Partner in the Colchester office, with a remit to further strengthen accountancy and business advisory services on offer in the Essex region.

In this special mini-series, you can hear presentations direct form the Autumn Farming Conference held on 5 November 2024, including insights on inheritance tax, diversification and much more 

We received record attendance at 2024's Autumn Farming Conference as a result of the Autumn Budget announced just a week prior, causing some uncertainty for the Farms and Rural Business industry.

Members of Public Sector Pension Schemes will have received, or will shortly be receiving, a remedial pension saving statement from their pension scheme, detailing the amended growth in that scheme between 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022. 

Larking Gowen is pleased to be supporting the Norfolk Food Hall, a project by the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association at the Norfolk Showground & Events Centre. The project aims to showcase Norfolk's produce and strengthen community ties.

We were proud to support the recent Suffolk Community Awards, which celebrate Suffolk’s most inspirational individuals, groups and communities.

At our recent Autumn Business Breakfast, Laura Bielinski emphasised the importance of evolving digital marketing strategies, focusing on SEO, paid ads, social media engagement, and the increasing role of video and audio in consumer behaviour.

Larking Gowen wrote a formal response to HM Treasury on the Government's consultation on proposed implementation of VAT on Private School Fees draft legislation, published on 29 July 2024.

At Larking Gowen, our membership with PrimeGlobal offers numerous benefits, allowing us to expand our professional network and access a wealth of international expertise.

Larking Gowen is proud to announce its sponsorship of this year’s Norwich Half Marathon, taking place on Sunday, 24 November 2024.

This corporate community event is an opportunity to engage with local businesses and the broader community, and we are proud to be a part of it.

A new wave of talent has embarked on their professional accountancy training at Larking Gowen.

We encourage businesses to participate in this opportunity for team building and keeping fit with a bit of healthy rivalry thrown in!

Joanna Burton joins the leading East Anglian firm as a Director, working from its Norfolk offices, bringing with her a wealth of commercial and industry experience.

Larking Gowen's Volunteer Day's flexible policy supports local initiatives and personal interests, such as conservation, food banks, or education. Managing Partner, Julie Grimmer, highlights the diverse and impactful volunteer efforts.

Larking Gowen are proud sponsors of two local agricultural shows – the Wayland Show and the Aylsham Show. Both full of the region's rural heritage and culture.

Larking Gowen is proud to belong to a group of dedicated professionals, in Norfolk, that came together in the late 1990s to form Norfolk ProHelp.

Julie Grimmer presented a Giant cheque to East Anglia's Children's Hospices from money raised by our people at the Epic Night Out last year.

Our new Charity FUNDcast series delves into topics such as Artificial Intelligence, myth busting, Gift Aid, alternatives to social enterprise and more.

Larking Gowen are proud to support the inaugural Brave Futures Dragon Boat Race - find out how to get your team involved!

Larking Gowen is delighted to be sponsoring the International Women’s Day event, taking place at Milsoms Kesgrave Hall on 6 March 2024 to celebrate this year’s theme #InspireInclusion.

Our Tourism & Leisure Business Survey is back for 2024! This survey is designed to gain valuable insights into the performance and practices of businesses in the Tourism and Leisure industry in East Anglia, and your participation is critical to its success.

East Anglia's Children’s Hospices (EACH) supports the needs of children and young people throughout East Anglia, and Larking Gowen is thrilled to be part of their new Business Circle.

Larking Gowen is delighted to announce its participation as a sponsor in the 2024 Norfolk Superhero lineup, securing the position of Performance Sponsor for the first time. Representing the firm as a team of two are Ethan Frost, from our Corporate Audit and Advisory team, and Abi Davis, from our Medical accounting team.

Suffolk Mind is hosting its second annual Midsummer Celebration, which Larking Gowen is proud to sponsor.

On 19 March, we hosted our Spring Business Breakfast at Milsom Kesgrave Hall, Ipswich. With over 150 attendees, our team delivered a fantastic event where guest speaker, Ben Coomber, spoke about how emotional intelligence can become leadership's superpower!

Local businesses and organisation’s are invited to work together and get active with the brand new 2024 Larking Gowen Ipswich Half Marathon Corporate Challenge. The winning group will be crowned champions of the Corporate Challenge which was launched at Portman Road this week. 

Larking Gowen are thrilled to share their support as Event Sponsors for 2024.

We’re proud to announce the appointment of a new Director to our Corporate Audit and Advisory team, based in the Ipswich office.

After a hiatus of over three years, the Larking Gowen Norwich Half Marathon is back, poised to reclaim its status as one of the region's premier running events.

Larking Gowen has announced a new appointment to its Norwich Business Team, emphasising the focus on advisory services.

Larking Gowen are proud to support the inaugural Brave Futures Dragon Boat Race

Our team will be at the Show both days and look forward to talking to anyone who may be looking for a career in accountancy or whose children may be interested in a trainee position.

Those who took part in the survey had the opportunity to share their experiences in the industry. Tourism business owners shared what's working for them, the challenges they face, and how the current economic climate is affecting their businesses.

Larking Gowen was pleased to co-host a networking and charity event in May 2024 in support of a new hospital for children, in the East of England.

Artificial Intelligence is in the thoughts of most business leaders both for the opportunities it can provide and for potential dangers, and who better to give guidance than digital marketing guru Daniel Rowles at the Larking Gowen Summer Suffolk Business Breakfast at Milsoms Kesgrave Hall this week.

Sharon Moore, who works in Larking Gowen’s Fakenham office, has been fundraising for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust for 24 years. Most of her events have taken place at either a weekend or in the evenings so she never thought that she’d be able to have the opportunity to take advantage of Larking Gowen’s Volunteer Day scheme; that was, until April last year.

The New Wolsey Theatre are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Larking Gowen as a dedicated sponsor of the theatre - “Their contribution has been vital over the years, especially for the important work we do with young people and our local communities”

Our Corporate Transactions and Tax Advisory teams helped East Anglian firm, Canham Consulting, with a great succession route to become an employee-owned business, benefiting over forty employees.

Delegates from all sectors of the farming, food and supply industries attended the 2023 Larking Gowen Autumn Farming Conference at Wherstead Park, in Suffolk, on 10 October.

Lee Green, Director of Insolvency and Recovery, and Bruce Masson, Director in the firm’s long-established Farm and Landed Estates team, are to become partners, with effect from 1 April.

Our Farms and Landed Estates team is bidding farewell to Partners Grant Pilcher and Mark Balfour, who retire on 31 March after a combined tally of more than 60 years of working with the firm.

The senior management team of one of the region's largest office supply companies has successfully completed a buyout of the business. Mayday Office Equipment Services, based in Norwich, has been taken over by Operations Director Karen Aldred, Commercial Director Jamie Mulhall and Sales Director Adam Northcut.

We're proud to be named as national runner up for the British Chambers of Commerce Workplace Wellbeing Award. The 15^th Annual Chamber Business Awards took place on 28 November 2018 at a gala dinner at Tobacco Dock in London.

Larking Gowen was one of nine ‘Early Bird Herd’ firms challenged to raise £3,500 by January 2019, as part of next year’s Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk in aid of St Elizabeth Hospice. We can announce today that we’ve smashed that target, raising over £4,700, and well before the deadline.

Rotarian John Button of the Ipswich East Rotary Club (pictured on the right in photo above) has received the award of Event Organiser of the Year from Community Action Suffolk. Community Action Suffolk champions community action in Suffolk by supporting the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in its work

East Anglian based chartered accountants, Larking Gowen, is proud to be announced regional winner of the Workplace Wellbeing Award in the British Chamber of Commerce ‘Chamber Business Awards 2018’, it has been announced today.

Eight runners from MHA Larking Gowen entered the Great East Half Marathon, which took place in Ipswich on Sunday.

The dedicated team ran the gruelling course raising money for Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk in aid of St Elizabeth Hospice, which supports people with a progressive or terminal illness.

Teams from 18 local businesses took part in a crazy golf challenge at Ufford Park Hotel in Woodbridge on Tuesday raising over £1,500 in support of Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk, the next big art trail organised by St Elizabeth Hospice.

Chartered accountants and business advisors Larking Gowen has launched a new market-leading benefits package for its people. 

Have you migrated your accounts over to online accounting software yet? If not, what’s stopping you? In the first episode of their new series, digital partner Martin Bugg and specialist Jessica Rafferty-Smith discuss the key steps and considerations for businesses.

We bid a fond farewell to Partner, Chris Greeves. On 23 March, the firm hosted a retirement event at Fakenham Racecourse where clients, fellow partners past and present, and colleagues gathered to celebrate Chris’ 40 years in the business.

Leading East Anglian accountancy firm, Larking Gowen, has announced the appointment of a new Partner in its Farms and Landed Estates Team. Laurie Hill, who joined the firm in 2019, will be starting his new position in April 2023.

The Larking Gowen Autumn Farming Conference, a new event for all in the agricultural sector, ranging from farmers, growers, and landowners to those in the supply industries and end customers, generated an extremely positive response from the delegates at Trinity Park, Ipswich on 4 October.

The Autumn Farming Conference 2023 will focus on important and relevant issues around sustainability, water management and environmental schemes. Book your place now.

Larking Gowen announces two newly appointed Partners, as they wish one Partner a fond farewell.

Larking Gowen Corporate Finance remain top of the league and have been ranked joint first in the latest report from Experian Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A). The team have advised on twelve deals for the East of England making them one of two firms ranked as the most active financial advisors in the East of England.

Larking Gowen provided corporate finance and tax advice to Ben Burgess in their acquisition of John W. Doubleday Dealership.

East of England mergers and acquisitions (M&A) volume continued to flourish during 2022, reaching a peak of 683 deals. This was the highest the region has seen over the last decade, despite challenging economic conditions; up on the 663 transactions recorded in 2021.*

The Experian Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) report for the first 6 months of 2018 ranked Larking Gowen’s Corporate Finance team joint first in the region.

Larking Gowen, Corporate Finance Partner, James Lay, has been named as High Achiever 2019 for the European Region, at last week’s Mindshop annual conference, for his work advising businesses on maximising their potential.

Following up on the theme for the year of "Future Proofing Your Business", at Larking Gowen's Summer Business Breakfast, former Squadron Leader, Sarah, explained how her training and experience led her to understand that embracing uncertainty is an important step towards confidence and self-belief.

Following up on our theme of "Future-Proofing Your Business" we were very happy to welcome Nick Wealthall as speaker to our Autumn Business Breakfast at Milsoms Kesgrave Hall on 26 September.

We’re back for series SIX, and what better way to start than letting Mark do what he does best – philosophise about himself! He muses around what ‘being a creative person’ really means, and how we can embrace creativity and innovation in our businesses.  

Our Charity News includes latest guidance & support available for the not-for-profit sector, including new guidance being published by the charity regulators, and guidance on social media use. 

Larking Gowen’s sponsorship of the City of Norwich Half Marathon and the Ipswich Half Marathon has led to a collaboration between the East Anglian accountancy firm and Macmillan cancer research.

The major regional independent chartered accounting partnership and one of the UK’s top 40 accountancy firms, Larking Gowen has this month announced a great result supporting two of the UK’s leading charities, CLIC Sargent and Alzheimer’s Society.

The New Wolsey Theatre are pleased to confirm that Larking Gowen are to continue supporting the theatre’s busy Creative Learning department in their delivery of outreach, community and schools work and have now committed to supporting the theatre for the next 3 years.

Larking Gowen is delighted to announce that it has appointed Anders Rasmussen as a new Partner joining their corporate team on Monday 6 November.

Chartered accountants Larking Gowen have announced that they have joined Elmer’s Big Parade. The trail of 50 large and 100 small Elmers will hope to raise vital funds for St Elizabeth Hospice and arrives in Ipswich in 2019.

The 23rd Lords Mayor's City Centre Classic Road Race took place in Norwich this weekend, with a record-breaking number of participants. Sponsored for the first time by chartered accountants, Larking Gowen, the race was set up in 1996, and has a reputation as on of the toughest on the UK race circuit, attracting top athletes from the county, and around the UK.

The Insolvency Service have released the latest data on company and individual insolvency numbers in England & Wales. The statistics cover the period from April to June 2018 (Q2 2018).

Bury St Edmunds and Beyond, the official tourism brand for Bury St Edmunds and surrounding area, are inviting tourism and business professionals to come along to meet their members which include accommodation providers, visitor attractions, food and drink providers, plus partners they are working with to promote the area.

Larking Gowen LLP is delighted with the announcement that Norfolk ProHelp has secured significant funding, as well as new sponsorship. Norfolk ProHelp provides free professional and strategic advice to charities and community interest groups throughout Norfolk.  Julie Grimmer, Partner at Larking Gowen LLP, acts as voluntary Chair for the organisation.

A leading regional accountancy and business advisory firm has been awarded Platinum Partner status by cloud accounting platform Xero. Larking Gowen, which has offices throughout Norfolk and Suffolk, now has Platinum status for both Xero and QuickBooks, which was awarded last year.

Larking Gowen is proud to support Norwich-based charity, The Benjamin Foundation, with its Flight for Youth campaign. The charity is celebrating 25 years helping young people, in Norfolk and Suffolk, facing homelessness and other challenges.