A FORMER chef who got a head for numbers from the demands of his trade has joined an accountants in Old Town.

Will Atkins is now the audit and accounts senior at Haines Watts after working in the high-pressured catering industry for ten years.

The 38-year-old from Devizes, who qualified at another firm over the last five years, said: "In my time as a chef I found I was often helping out with the finances as I’m strong with numbers. In an industry where margins tend to be small, being on top of the finances was extremely important and I then found I was helping other contacts with their accounts too.

"When I decided to make a change it was a natural step to begin to train formally as an accountant.

"I already had a good grasp of how a business needed to run its finances to stay healthy, sustainable, profitable and compliant.”

Managing partner Mike Lloyd: “His appointment is as a direct result of our continued growth as a business and our commitment to providing an unparalleled service to businesses, charities and not-for-profit organisations in Swindon, Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire.”

Haines Watts, based in Old Town, has been going for 24 years.