Held to Account – Helen Burgess-Allen, Bookkeeper.
Helen in five words is:
Kind, calm, animal lover, not good with unfairness, likes a challenge.
Another Answer in three words is:
I described it to a friend as the place I’ve found my ‘Tribe’, they speak my language and it’s fun here.
You are a vastly experienced bookkeeper. What led you into the profession?
I really wanted to be a mounted policewoman but the school careers advisor said I’d have to be a police person first and might not get into the mounted section, which wasn’t what I wanted. I did work experience with an accountant in High Wycombe and never looked back.
What is the most important attribute of a successful bookkeeper?
Attention to detail.
What have you missed most during the COVID restrictions?
Seeing people in the flesh and hugs.
Our research informs us that you are an animal lover. What animals do you look after and what role do they play in your life?
We have two cats at home, Jake and Dan, two horses who live on a farm – Tino, who is retired, and Prim, our stoppy mare who has ‘opinions’ – and one third of a sheep, Paddy, who we bought when the other lambs went on ‘holiday’. Three ladies clubbed together to buy him as he lost his Mum and twin, and we couldn’t bear for him to go after bottle-feeding him. They all bring huge amounts of happiness to my life.
If you could learn a new language, which would you choose and why?
Horse, so I could understand why Prim is so stroppy sometimes.
Two weeks holiday to spend with family anywhere in the UK? Where and why?
The Lake District, for the wonderful walks.
What was the last book you read and was it any good?
I’m still reading ‘The Wild Silence’ by Raynor Winn, the sequel to ‘The Salt Path’. A fantastic true story.
Recommend to us one book for a long-haul flight to Australia?!
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. Although when I was looking it up to check the author it has now been marketed as semi-fictional, when I read the book it was sold as a memoir. The bit with the dentist is unforgettable.
Another day at Another Answer – what was great about it?
Helping clients do the things that they don’t have time/don’t want to do, which gives them time to do the things that they are good at. And the great company.
If you would like to speak to our award-winning accountants and bookkeepers based in Buckinghamshire, then please do get in touch.
