FORMER head chef of Le Talbooth Tom Bushell has moved to The Pier as head chef in the Harbourside Restaurant.

After six years at Le Talbooth, Tom is relishing his fresh challenge in Harwich. He has put together an exciting menu packed with flavour and flair, adding lots of new dishes with old favourites given an unexpected twist. The Pier is situated on the quay in the heart of Harwich old town so the menu is much influenced by the sea. Dover soles, Harwich lobster and crab, cod and skate are all landed in the harbour opposite.

Tom started his apprenticeship with Milsom Hotels in his teens, working his way up in the kitchens and then in various restaurants throughout the country before he came back to Le Talbooth.

Tom said: “I am excited to be working in Harwich with a great team; it was my boyhood dream when I first started in Dedham to one day work at The Pier. I never thought I’d end up as head chef in the Harbourside restaurant! As well as a new menu, we’ll soon be introducing daily specials incorporating a local ‘catch of the day’. Fish is landed from the day boats onto the Ha’penny Pier opposite the hotel and we’re lucky to get the cream of the catch every day, you can’t get fresher than that”.

THOMPSON Smith & Puxon (TS&P) has appointed Sharon Auton Ltd as a partner in the firm, of Sharon Auton Ltd. Its director, Sharon Auton, has worked at TS&P as a chartered legal executive in the litigation team since 2000. The appointment brings the total number of partners at the expanding Colchester and Clacton-based firm to 11.

Sharon took the ILEX route to a career in law after taking an A level in law and being completely absorbed by it and its fluidity. She continued to study in her own time while working and raising a young family. Following the completion of her exams she joined TS&P for the qualifying employment necessary to become a chartered legal executive, advising on both general civil and commercial litigation. Sharon acts for a wide range of clients, both corporate and individual and has extensive experience of dispute resolution.

Sharon said: “I am really happy and excited to be appointed a director and look forward to building on TS&P’s success. I love that the law never sits still and is constantly evolving and we make it our business to keep up to date with the latest developments. I am looking forward to the challenges ahead.”

Julian Wilson, head of the TS&P litigation team, said: “Sharon has been an asset to Thompson Smith & Puxon during her time with us and has enjoyed a great deal of success on behalf of our clients, both private individual and commercial. Her wealth of experience and expertise will be invaluable as we look to expand our dispute resolution team.”

JACOBS Allen Chartered Accountants & Chartered Tax Advisers has announced that following their merger with Paul Donno & Co on March 1, Mark Baker and Reverend Derrick Sheppard have been appointed directors. The new company employs 20 people in two offices in Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill. Derrick Sheppard is a chartered accountant based in Garboldisham and part of the team ministry at St John the Baptist Church in Garboldisham.

Mark said: “I’m looking forward to being more actively involved in managing our merged practice, concentrating on maximising our efficiency and the quality of service we give our clients. We see that there are lots of opportunities to save our clients tax and this is one of the things I’ll be focusing on to help them to achieve positive growth in their business.”

“I love serious gardening, so much so that I have an RHS Advanced Certificate in Horticulture. Growth is therefore very much in my daily life - I enjoy nurturing businesses and plants in equal measure.”

Director Keith Senior said: “Mark joined us in 2009 after 26 years at Baker Tilly where he specialised in tax. He continues to be a great asset to Jacobs Allen and clients like his very personal service, approachability and attention to detail. Mark was drawn to work as part of our team by the breadth, depth and quality of work that we do, and the opportunity of having much more interaction with clients. It’s good to be able to reward his endeavours.

“We are also delighted to have appointed Derrick Sheppard as a non-executive Director. It’s always useful to have someone on the board who is not involved in the day to day running of the business to give an independent perspective and add strength to the planning process. He runs his own accountancy practice and is a very good independent thinker. We have worked with him for many years and share a common philosophy; we feel sure he will give us the benefit of his ethics and wisdom, helping steer our own strategic development.”

KEVIN Clements has been appointed director of fundraising and Marketing at St Nicholas Hospice Care.

Kevin joined the Bury St Edmunds-based Hospice, which serves the community of West Suffolk and Thetford, in July 2010 as partnerships fundraising danager, before being appointed to the director role in February.

Before joining St Nicholas Hospice Care, Kevin was involved with fundraising projects for Sue Ryder Care, Suffolk Mind and the MS Society – including a capital project which raised �2.5million in 12 months.

“I’m really pleased to have been appointed to this role,” he said. “My aim is to continue to inspire the community to keep giving to us and supporting us, to develop our income streams, improve the hospice’s digital presence and increase our national profile.”