Archives: Case Studies

  Sheppys Cider have been craftsman cidermakers for over 200 years. Always living in Somerset, the Sheppy family still continues the ancient combination of farming with cider-making. Farming 370 acres at Three Bridges Farm since 1917, three generations of the Sheppy family have weathered the ups and downs of farming and cidermaking by embracing change […]

Nestled in the heart of South Somerset is the quaint village of Martock, home to 5,000 people and a selection of pretty hamstone buildings. New to the village is Martock F.I.T, a friendly, community orientated gym co-founded by Dave Root and Ed Noble in 2016. With an emphasis on providing custom training opportunities people all of ages, fitness levels and abilities, Martock F.I.T aims to provide a service that other local gyms cannot.

Classic Canes Limited is a Somerset-based family business specialising in growing, manufacturing and wholesaling walking sticks, seat sticks an umbrellas. It was established in 1982 by Diana and Ben Porter when they realised the raw material for walking sticks was growing naturally in their woodland near Hinton St George. Having started at the proverbial kitchen table, the family business has since grown to supply over 2,000 retailers in more than 40 countries worldwide. The unique product range comprises over 700 models of traditional and contemporary walking sticks. The company’s speciality is the thumbsticks, hiking staffs, knobsticks and other rustic sticks made from native British hardwoods such as ash, hazel and blackthorn. Today, the company is run by Ben and Diana’s daughter, Charlotte Gillan, and employs 11 people.

A client who had set up and run his own business came to us for advice on how to reduce his inheritance tax liabilities, which would have been substantial had he passed away within the next seven years.

A long-standing client had, during his career, built up a substantial property portfolio. One of these properties he had decided to gift to his son who had recently married. But he was also concerned that if his death occurred in the next few years his son might be liable for a substantial amount of inheritance tax, which could force him to sell the property which he had been gifted.