Imagine a friendly and efficient bookkeeping / accounting service that is cheaper than an in-house team and smarter than a one man band.

Bean counters – a mildly derogatory, idiomatic term used to describe the irritating precision of accountants and bookkeepers. That’ll be us then!

We could be your super efficient accounts department…

Imagine an accounting service that is more capable than most, less costly to run than a dedicated in-house team, and one that speaks the kind of plain English that you’ll readily understand.

…or we could rip through
your bookeeping a few times a year!

We’re equally happy interacting with corporate business systems and in-house accounts assistants, as we are sorting out jumbled piles of receipts and invoices and cutting through the paper trail of nastiness that the Tax and VAT people demand.

We are fully accredited by the AAT and we’ve been in business for over 20 years – so we must be doing something right!

The Team

Meet the team below!

Ryan Cotton-Shutt MAAT - Director

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Ryan completed a degree in Business Management in 2012, enjoying a variety of retail management positions in London before settling down in Cornwall. Qualifying as an accountant in 2020 he joined us as director in 2021. His young family keeps him busy, but when he gets a breather, he enjoys playing basketball and golf… but not all at the same time.

Ashley Jayne FMAAT - Director

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Ash is a Penzance lad! He started out working in a builder’s merchant before joining the Backroom in 2014. Since then he has smashed his way through AAT and ATT exams and is now one of our directors. Outside of work and family commitments he is passionate about old VW buses and runs the local VW club which, it would seem, mostly involves partying.

Helen Dallimore MAAT - Tax Manager

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Helen was a tax inspector with HMRC for 36 years!!! What she doesn't know about tax isn't worth knowing! She's now developing her role at The Backroom as our tax returns manager. She enjoys coastal walks with her dogs, playing euchre, gardening, collects first edition books, and on a Saturday night she can be found in her local pub pulling pints.

Lara Fear - Accounting Technician

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Lara joined us after moving, with her family, to the delights of West Cornwall. Previously, she had a varied career in retail, banking, training, and accounting, primarily based in the Midlands. She is studying towards achieving her final AAT level and when not doing this, her collection of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia, biographical and historical reading continues to grow and grow!

Rob Miles-Thomas MAAT - Accountant

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Following an apprenticeship with the Isles of Scilly Steamship company Rob joined us in 2021 as a fully qualified accountant. In his spare time he regularly enjoys a round of golf, playing snooker and pool, going to the gym and lazing in the Cornish sunshine. Rob also considers himself a petrolhead and he spends an awful lot of time keeping his car clean!

Leanne Green - Accounting Technician

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Leanne joined us in 2021 after moving to Cornwall from Hertfordshire. She is currently working her way through her AAT qualifications. She enjoys coastal walks, beachcombing and playing badminton. She also loves to travel, with Sweden being one of her favourite places to escape to, where she can indulge in lots of Kaffe & Fika!! Whatever that is.

Amanda Trevarthen - Accounting Technician

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Amanda moved to sunny Penzance in 2004. She worked as a primary school teacher for many years before deciding on changing careers completing her AAT qualifications. She loves to read and go to the gym, but she spends most of her free time running a taxi service for her son who plays football for Penzance.

Phoebe Hughes MAAT - Accountant

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Leaving university with a degree in Environmental Resource Management Phoebe chased the dream and travelled the world surfing, but in 2015 she settled down to develop a career in accounting. She has now completed her AAT and is a qualified accountant. She stills spends her free time chasing the sun and camping in her old VW with her partner and their two whippets at every opportunity.

Zoe Morris - Accounting Technician

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Zoe joins us after hanging up her Thai boxing gloves and winning the title of European Champion! Since leaving school she has also earned a degree in Sports Performance and Coaching in 2010, and fully qualified as an accountant, and has somehow found time to get married and have three children, all boys! Despite her limited time she still enjoys a range of snacks and fitness activities.

Ebonnie Richards - Apprentice

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After leaving school Ebonnie joined us as an apprentice. She is currently working her way through all the professional qualifications to qualify as an accountant. She spends most of her free time with horses, and particularly enjoys showjumping and cross-country. She also loves woodland walks, reading thriller/crime books and baking, with gingerbread cookies being our favourites. More please!

Our Clients and Specialisms

Our clients come in all shapes and sizes, from small local businesses, all the way up to London based businesses with 50 or more employees. We cover multiple sectors and specialise in seamless integration with our clients to provide them with a highly professional outsourced accounts department.

  • Bookkeeping and VAT Returns
  • Sole Trader Accounts
  • Self Assessment Tax Returns
  • Full Service Accounts Department

Services

First and foremost we always communicate in plain English – there is no accountants technobabble here!
Along with the usual accounting and bookkeeping services, we do everything we can to help your business run smoothly.

General Bookkeeping including:

  • Bank and credit card reconciliations
  • Supplier bill processing and / or payment
  • Sales invoicing and debtor management
  • Project profitability and management reporting
  • VAT Returns
  • Payroll management
  • Workplace Pension administration
  • Preparation of books for 3rd Party Accountants

Accountancy Services including:

  • Management accounts and business performance reporting
  • Self Assessment and Partnership Tax Returns
  • Sole Trader Accounts

Other Services include:

  • Training clients how to do bookkeeping
  • Training clients how to use accounting software

Contact Us

Much of our work comes from London and the big cities, we also have a growing local client base in West Cornwall.
You’d be welcome to visit our offices in Penzance – just drop by and say ‘hello’.

Tel 01736 364 330

Feel free to give us a call, email us at office@backroom.biz, or fill out the form below.

Contact Us

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Address and opening hours

31 & 32 Causewayhead, Penzance, Cornwall TR18 2SP

9am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday.