Having helped businesses and individuals with accounting and advice in Shepton Mallet since 1988, Burton Sweet is an integral part of the town's community.

The company has grown to a team of experienced accountants, advisers, consultants and specialists by consistently and continually providing an exemplary service, and the team at Cooper House on the Lower Charlton Estate know a thing or two about the Shepton Mallet area and how expertise, commitment and value are so important to businesses here.

Therefore, Shepton Mallet Nub News is delighted to welcome Burton Sweet as a sponsor of our site, which supports us in bringing our online good news newspaper to our loyal readers.

We caught up with Nigel Harris, head of business services, and asked him what makes Burton Sweet stand out from other chartered accountants and business advisers in the county.

"I'd like to think that what makes Burton Sweet different is the superb team of people we have here," he said.

"Many of them have trained with us and stayed on to develop their careers. That means they have developed deep working relationships with clients and have become a valued part of their businesses.

"Many of our family businesses are now in their second or third generation with us. Whatever questions or problems they may have, many clients will turn first to us for advice."

Despite operating in Shepton Mallet since the late 1980s, Burton Sweet as a business goes back further than that.

Set up in 1969 by Stuart Burton and David Sweet, the traditional practice has evolved into a regional centre of excellence for accounting, personal tax advice, assurance assignments, and business support, together with advice for individuals and businesses from start-ups to well established group structures.

But turn the clock back even further and you realise the heritage and history that Burton Sweet is built on.

Burton Sweet's roots sprang from the Clifton, Bristol firm of Ricketts Cooper, founded by Sidney John Ricketts who qualified as a chartered accountant in 1888.

He was joined by Harry Cooper who qualified in 1932 and was still working part time with Burton Sweet in 2007 when he was nominated for the ICAEW South West outstanding achievement award.

The firm's office in Shepton Mallet was named Cooper House in honour of Harry, combined with a nod to its former use as a barrel store.

The firm now has offices in Flax Bourton (Bristol), Weston-super-Mare, Frome and Shepton Mallet.

Burton Sweet has many strings to its bow, working across a number of sectors, including charities and not-for-profit, limited companies, trusts and estates and individual tax clients.

However, a popular part of its work is with sole traders and partnerships, and it is these micro businesses that make up the backbone of Shepton Mallet's enterprise.

With a wealth of knowledge built on many years advising the local business community, the team at Cooper House are happy to advise start-up and would-be entrepreneurs looking to take their first steps in building a new business.

Burton Sweet offers a complete package of services for small and not-so-small businesses, whether you just want a basic annual accounts and tax return service, book-keeping and VAT, or a more strategic support to help you manage and grow your business.

If you are thinking of incorporating, Burton Sweet can help you understand the pros and cons of turning the business into a limited company and whether it's right for you, choose the right time to change and assist you with all the legal and tax formalities to do so as smoothly as possible.

"We work with businesses of all sizes, from start-ups and home-based lifestyle businesses, to small and growing limited companies," added Nigel.

"We're here for the long-term with our clients, supporting them through the ups and downs. We can provide a full or partial book-keeping service to businesses that are either too busy to do it themselves or who prefer to outsource it to someone better qualified than themselves.

"As they grow we can offer any level of financial back office support they might need, right up to providing a part-time financial controller or virtual finance director."

You can visit the Burton Sweet website here, where you'll find contact details for all the team in Shepton Mallet, and full details of all the services provided.