In 2020 I qualified as a bookkeeper with the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB) and went on to set up my own bookkeeping practice in June of that year.  I currently hold level 3 certificates in bookkeeping and accounting, and payroll management, along with level 4 for self assessment.  These are the highest levels attainable for these subjects with the ICB!

Even though my bookkeeping practice is only a couple of years old, I’ve run my own business for the past 17 years.  I started out as a driving instructor in 2005 and set up Drive Ahead School of Motoring in 2010 (this is where the Drive Ahead name comes from!).  I’ve grown the school from just myself as a single instructor to where it is currently with 6 instructors in my team.  My full time work is now in my bookkeeping business, but I’ll continue to run and develop the driving school as well.  The bookkeeping and accounting knowledge I’ve built up over the 17 years has made my move into the bookkeeping profession that much easier, and has given me insight into what’s needed to run a successful business. 

Out of office hours I enjoy playing the drums which I fell in love with after my son took up the drums at school in 2019.  I’ve always been a big fan of music, in my teens I played guitar and my claim to fame is that my band once headlined a show in Liverpool with The Coral as our support.  They went on to make a career out of it (here’s probably their best know song – Dreaming of You), sadly we didn’t!  I still love to go to concerts, and now my kids are getting older they love to come along too.  I also like to stay active, I regularly swim, cycle and do yoga.