Christopher Hardman, owner of Berridges the Jewellers in Ipswich, has recently been invited to join as a Fellow of the Institute of Registered Valuers.

The prestigious invitation was made after he achieved a score of 94% in a recent monitoring exercise; he now becomes one of only 42 Fellows in the UK and only three in East Anglia.

Christopher joined Croydon’s the Jewellers from school in 1979 and founded Berridges over 20 years ago with his wife Angela. Having qualified to undertake valuations in1985, Christopher has continually specialised in valuations with a keen interest in vintage jewellery visiting auctions and antiques markets around the country.

Christopher said: “I am delighted to have been invited to become a fellow , I Joined the National Association of Goldsmiths Valuations Committee in 2000 to help raise the standards of valuations across the UK. The consistent monitoring of the valuers has seen the number of registered valuers fall from approx 600 to 200, which is ensuring standards are met across the industry.”

Berridges offers customers an unrivalled valuation service, which are all undertaken by Christopher on the premises, unlike most jewellers who have to send clients jewellery away with a long turnaround time.

“All valuations contain a detailed description, photograph and of course value,” explained Christopher. “ The valuation is stored on a secure website where it can be accessed by any authorised insurance company eliminating the need for paper copies. A detailed description is not only vital when making an insurance claim it also helps the police when it comes to tracking down stolen items.”

Although a small part of the business it is one that Christopher is particularly proud of. “If you can value jewellery accurately it keeps you one step ahead when it comes to purchasing new stock at the most competitive prices,” explained Christopher. “I would recommend that you have all your items professionally valued at least every five years for peace of mind and of course in case of any loss or theft.”

: : A young apprentice has impressed his bosses at Essex legal firm Birkett Long so much that he’s now on the road to a career in financial services after they gave him a permanent job in the financial services business in Colchester.

Sam Francis, 18, shunned going to university and amassing student debt in favour of the apprenticeship scheme as an office administrator.

He gained the role through TheLightBulb organisation – a private company working in partnership with the government to deliver funded apprenticeships and training courses across a range of industries.

Sam has gained an NVQ Level 2 qualification in Business Admininistration. During his year with Birkett Long, Sam impressed his bosses so much that they dubbed him their “Man Friday” and now he has achieved the role in financial services that he was aiming for.

Sam said: “My new role is financial services administration assistant with a view to becoming a trainee paraplanner.”

The teenager, who achieved nine GCSEs at Basildon’s Woodlands School and 4 A/S levels at Palmer’s College, said the past year with Birkett Long had been “great” and moving to the team of independent financial advisers was a highlight.

Now he is planning on continuing to study since he wants to take the Chartered Insurance Institute exams – the insurance and financial study programme for the financial services industry.

Sam said: “The qualification I am studying for is the Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning – there are six exams in total and I aim to achieve a minimum of two a year. In the long term, I hope to become a financial adviser.

“Everyone here has been brilliant in making me feel welcome and helping me learn all the new processes.”

Nicola Ward, associate and head of financial services, said: “It is refreshing to have a young person’s outlook in the team and someone who has enthusiasm and drive to further his career in financial services. He will be an asset to our team.”

: : The Ipswich office of financial and business advisers Grant Thornton has further invested in its expanding team with a new senior appointment.

Trevor Ling joins Grant Thornton as a Tax director having held senior positions with other national firms in London and the Eastern region, primarily working with mid-corporate businesses. Previous to this, Trevor spent 12 years in industry, latterly heading up the tax operations of two FTSE 250 companies where he gained valuable in-house experience.

In his new role, Trevor will further build on Grant Thornton’s market leading reputation across the region, working with ambitious, growing businesses to help realise their goals. Later this year, he will go on to join a team spearheading the firm’s new Essex office in Chelmsford.

Trevor said: “During my time working in industry, I was a client of Grant Thornton and was always impressed by the way the firm operated and the extensive range of services offered. I now have a fantastic opportunity to join this exceptional team and help to firmly establish the firm’s footprint in Essex.”

James Brown, practice leader at Grant Thornton’s Ipswich office, said: “This is an exciting time for Grant Thornton as we continue to expand and cement our presence in new markets. Trevor’s appointment is further demonstration of our commitment to investing in the very best people to take the business forward.”

: : The Scrutton Bland Group is delighted to announce that its independent financial advisers have been awarded the prestigious “Chartered Firm” status.

Chartered status is an exclusive title only awarded to firms which meet rigorous criteria relating to professionalism and capability. It is a recognition of the high level of qualification and professionalism throughout Scrutton Bland’s Financial Planning division. It also acknowledges the quality of our advice matched to a transparent and competitive charging structure.

: : Kevin Pryke has joined Colchester-based East Anglian buildings supplies company Kent Blaxill as finance director.

Kevin, 33, who trained with accountants Scrutton Bland before moving to KPMG, worked previously for seven years as financial controller at Notcutts in Woodbridge where he gained experience of acquisitions, disposals, implementation and integration of new systems and process improvement.

Managing director Simon Blaxill said: “Kevin is young and ambitious and joins us with considerable experience of a fast growing business.

“He is a good fit for us at a time when we are looking to both expand our branch network and maximise our service to customers at our existing locations.”

Kevin said: “My brief includes improving management financial information and integrating it into the business, as well as helping with company strategy for growth.”

Outside of work Kevin, who lives in Ipswich, has interests in squash, football and cycling.