Four staff at Wheelers Accountants have celebrated 25 years’ service, bringing the total number of employees who have been with the firm for a quarter of a century to seven.

The firm held a lunch at which the firm presented them with gifts to thank them for their contributions.

Consultant Mary Plant passed the milestone in September last year, having joined the firm in 1989 following the acquisition of the King’s Lynn office of Coopers & Lybrand.

Mary specialises in tax planning, working with businesses and individuals to mitigate their liability to all forms of tax.

She has seen many changes to accounting practices in the last 25 years.

“Technology has revolutionised the way we keep our accounts and report our tax figures”, she said. “The Chancellor’s latest plan to abolish the tax return and introduce real-time reporting for personal tax is yet another change that individuals – and their accountants – will need to embrace.

“We’re now an online society and this brings both its opportunities and its challenges.”

Caroline Brighty and Jill Ward, both secretaries to Wheelers partners, joined the firm in January and March 1990 respectively, while Helen Dobler from the tax department celebrated 25 years in April.

Senior partner Andrew Cave said: “The contribution to the smooth running of the firm by these members of staff cannot be underestimated. They have given us not just their loyal service but also their belief in the Wheelers ethos and their commitment to the high standards we set ourselves.

“Clients may seldom see those who work in the background, but we couldn’t maintain the quality of our service without key people like Caroline, Jill and Helen.”

The firm has also marked the retirement of Mary Dowton. She spent more than 40 years with Wheelers and its predecessor firms and was a well-known presence in the reception of the Wisbech office.