Well, there we have it another year done. We’ve almost made it to the end of 2021, and what another weird, wonderful, and super busy year it’s been.

Despite all the challenges, rural business has persevered and thrived, and there’s been much to celebrate. We’ve helped dozens of our clients organise their finances, take advantage of government grants and get the plans in place they need to grow successfully.

We look back at some of 2021’s highlights here.

A growing accountancy firm

We’ve been extremely fortunate to go from strength to strength as our small rural accountancy practise got a little bigger!

We recruited again in 2021 and will be looking to do the same in 2022.

September saw us needing more space for our growing team and we moved office. If you didn’t know already, you’ll now find us at 11 Mallard Court, Mallard Way, Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 6ZQ.

Planning remains as important as ever

Unsurprisingly, one of the key themes we saw in 2021 was the importance of a plan! A good financial plan can mean the difference between success and failure, and it’s essential to help manage your cash flows, identify opportunities, and reduce risks.

That was one of the key pieces of advice Suzanne gave to aspiring food and drink producers in a report, published by Hillsgreen, entitled “Recipes for Success: Insights from the Rising Stars of UK Food & Drink.”

And it will be one of the subjects the team will be discussing with delegates at Cultivate 2022, the rural business conference that we’re sponsoring in January.

Some of the other key trends we spoke about in 2021 included:

• The importance of data, and whether your rural business is using it to your advantage.

• The need for good succession planning, particularly in family farm businesses.

• Diversification, which remains a big, important focus for rural businesses year after year.

A year for big tax changes

Despite the uncertain economic picture, Chancellor Rishi Sunak decided 2021 was as good a year as any to make some big tax changes for business.

Many haven’t come into force yet, and as always, we keep all our clients up to date on what might affect them, but some of those changes to highlight include:

• A big shake up to corporation tax over the coming years

• A rise in dividend tax rate by 1.25% from April 2022

• Super deduction benefits for machinery and equipment

• An end to the VAT rate cut for hospitality and holiday accommodation (now up to 12% and back to 20% in April)

• Rule changes to tax-free employee accommodation

We certainly saw lots of change compared with 2020, with lots to be really positive about, but we all share the feeling that we’re not quite back to where we want to be yet, with COVID still hanging over us as we head into 2022.

Phew, what a busy year

We certainly saw lots of change compared with 2020, with lots to be really positive about, but we all share the feeling that we’re not quite back to where we want to be yet, with COVID still hanging over us as we head into 2022.

But despite the pandemic there’s still so much to celebrate in the world of rural business and much to look forward to next year.

We’d like to take this moment to thank all our clients, friends and family for their continued support and wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a happy, healthy 2022.

We’ll be closed from 1pm Christmas Eve until the 4th January, but we are looking forward to getting back to work all rejuvenated and ready to work with you and your businesses.