Colchester chartered accountants firm Griffin Chapman is to celebrate its 75th anniversary this month.

The 22-strong firm, which is based at Apex 12 on Old Ipswich Road, was founded by Clifton Pyke on North Hill in 1941 and over the years has gone through a number of mergers with other local firms, becoming Griffin Chapman in 2000.

Partner Carolynn Pissarro, who has been at Griffin Chapman for almost 30 years, said: “Clifton Pyke was a local man, so it was fitting that he set up the business here in Colchester.

“There was never any need to move Griffin Chapman anywhere else in the region, as the town has always had such a thriving and diverse business community.”

Like all businesses with such a long history, the advent of new technology has represented one of the biggest changes for Griffin Chapman over the decades.

Carolynn said: “Spreadsheets simply revolutionised our business when they were created. Now, we try to be as progressive as we can when it comes to using the latest accounting and taxation software packages”.

“However, we will always stay true to the ethos of the firm back in Clifton Pyke’s day, which was putting the customer first and always acting with integrity.”

She said the firm had also adapted to changing needs and opportunities in the market, some linked to Government policies such as the introduction of school academies.

“No-one knew what they were when they first came in, so we made it our business to find out and see how we could help,” she said. “We formed an academy group in the UK200 Group, a membership association of chartered accountants, and we now act for over 10% of all registered academies in the UK.”

Carolynn added: “The firm has been run as a whole rather than individual partner teams looking after their own clients in isolation.

“This is rather a unique way of doing things in the accountancy world, but we’ve found it to be a very beneficial model as all our clients benefit from the vast expertise of our staff.”