Chesterfield-based Accountant Liz Fisher has scooped top honours in a prestigious national taxation exam, following her outstanding performance which saw her beat more than 1000 candidates to gain the highest marks.

Liz, who works at Mitchells Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers as Tax & Employer Solutions Manager, was awarded the Ronald Ison Medal for the candidate with the highest mark in the Advisory Paper on Taxation of Individuals. The exam was set by the Chartered Institute of Taxation, the principal body in the United Kingdom concerned solely with taxation.

Nationally, 395 people sat the Taxation of Individuals exam with only two thirds (67%) passing. Liz was also only one of only three candidates to be awarded a distinction in her Advisory Paper, gaining her the CCH Prize for the highest distinction mark awarded in the UK.

As well as Liz, Mitchells celebrated a hat trick of results in the exams with colleagues Partner Tim Leeman and Tax Specialist Lisa Eyre also securing passes. A total of 1,189 candidates entered the exams, with Liz, Tim and Lisa being three of 907 candidates to pass one or more papers in the May 2015 examination.

Tim Leeman was one of only 235 candidates in the May exam that completed all their CTA examinations which means he is now a qualified Chartered Tax Adviser, further strengthening Mitchells’ taxation team.

Successful completion of the exams has put Liz and Lisa one step closer to becoming a member of The Chartered Institute of Taxation and being able to call themselves Chartered Tax Advisers. The Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) qualification is seen as the gold standard for tax professionals.

Liz said: “”I was really happy to pass the exam but totally shocked to win the award. It means I’m one step closer to completing the qualification overall and becoming a Chartered Tax Adviser which will further enhance the proactive tax advice Mitchells is able to provide to clients.”

President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, Chris Jones, commenting on the results said: “I would like to offer my congratulations to all 907 of the candidates who have made progress towards becoming a Chartered Tax Adviser as a result of passing one or more papers at the May 2015 examination. 235 candidates have now successfully completed all of the CTA examinations and we very much look forward to them becoming members of the Institute in the very near future.”

One of the region’s leading estate agencies is sold on its new Chesterfield office.

Redbrik estate agency has purchased the historic former Shentalls building on Glumangate – which is straight across the road from its current sales office at number 22.

Redbrik’s new office will be home to the company’s existing sales team and their former office is set to become the company’s new lettings office.

Mark Ross, Director at Redbrik, said: “Our Chesterfield branch was our first Redbrik office when we launched the business just over two years ago and we love being located in the heart of the Town.

“The people of Chesterfield really have taken us to their hearts and we are delighted to have purchased yet another office on Glumangate.

“As a business we have experienced fantastic growth with offices in Millhouses and Crystal Peaks as well as two Chesterfield branches.

“Our new sales office is set to open in October and we will be offering the same level of outstanding customer service that people have now come to expect from Redbrik and with the same team of friendly staff who work so hard to deliver great results for every customer.”

To celebrate their move Redbrik have launched a social media campaign asking people to send photos of things that make them happy about where they live in Chesterfield.

Each week they will feature their favourite image in the frame on their new office windows.

To get involved people can tweet their image to @REDBRIKproperty using #happyinchesterfield

More than 500 requests for business advice, assistance and funding help have now been handled by the Growth Hub team at the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership.

The D2N2 Growth Hub was launched in Nottingham in December (2014) by the then Business and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock. It provides a ‘one stop shop’ for ambitious new and developing businesses looking for advice on training, growth, and how to access funding help to expand into fresh markets.

Growth Hub advisors work within the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The LEP is a private sector-led partnership between business, local authorities, skills and training providers, and community and voluntary organisations, which promotes economic growth and jobs creation in Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Since the Growth Hub team began work in January this year (2015) it has:

• Developed the website – at d2n2growthhub.co.uk – giving accessible advice on areas such as starting and growing a business, accessing finance, training and skills development, and expanding into new and international markets.

• Attended or arranged dozens of business facing events – including the first Venturefest East Midlands 2015 showcase in Nottingham, in April – all around the D2N2 area, where Growth Hub team members delivered talks and provided information on services offered.

• Held workshops on how business support providers can work together more closely; for example, the D2N2 Growth Hub ‘Working Together’ event, held at the University of Derby’s Enterprise Centre in April.

• Run D2N2’s first ever ‘Rural Means Business Conference’, at the RCAN (Rural Community Action Nottinghamshire) Newstead Centre, in Newstead Village, in March. Around 100 people attended to hear about the support and funding available to start up rural businesses around food manufacture, tourism, green energy and other enterprises.

• Introduced a new Partnership-wide Customer Relationship Management system.

The D2N2 Growth Hub also helps to ‘power up business’ by working with other partners including the national Business Growth Service (encompassing Growth Accelerator), the Manufacturing Advisory Service and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI); to enable businesses to grow, export and create jobs.

Satisfied customers who’ve approached the D2N2 Growth Hub for help include:

• Jay Lloyd of Ashover, Derbyshire, who is looking into starting up a rural business, possibly wedding venue hire, said: “I approached the D2N2 Growth Hub for help and advice, and was provided with some really useful contacts and very good pointers on which direction to go in. I hope that, as someone starting up a new business, other people I have dealings with will be just as kind and helpful.”

Lindsay Allen, D2N2 Growth Hub Senior Programme Manager for Sector Development, added: “We have now dealt with around 520 enquiries on a wide range of topics, from business people working in lots of different sectors within the economy.

“The Growth Hub aims to simplify the business support offer. We offer a universal service, with events, and our web and phone service; and for those businesses ambitious to grow and create jobs, we can offer intensive support.

“Among the top enquiries are people looking for further training for themselves or their employees, or wanting to know how to access funding to expand an existing business. There is a lot of information and support for businesses, and people who use the D2N2 Growth Hub services are finding we can be of great help in finding exactly what they need.”