Wendy Celebrates 40 Years at Whitings LLP

6th August 2026

When did you join the Firm?

I started working for Whiting & Partners on 10th July 1986. I completed four weeks work experience in the Wisbech office the previous December. 2 weeks were spent in reception and 2 weeks were spent upstairs working on accounts under the supervision of Christine Dickson. At the end of my work experience John Buck told me if I would like a job when I finished college in the summer there would be one there for me. I remember speaking to him to accept the job offer with the date I would be finished college. I never heard anything from him immediately so I helped my Dad strawberry picking.

On 9th July I received a phone call from John Buck which went like this, “I am sure you are helping your Dad strawberry picking mate but would you be able to start work tomorrow” working in an office sounded much easier than picking strawberries so I was there at 9am the next morning, and still here 40 years later.

What did you do when you started?

Initially, I was in reception again, as one of the girls was leaving.

Most new starters had the following jobs in those days:

making coffee,
answering the telephone,
filing
recording all the post in and out in a manual hand written book.

When I eventually started working on accounts it was a case of writing up clients bank accounts from cheque book stubs and paying in books and agreeing the bank, one after another until you could agree a bank. The next step was writing the entries into a manual ledger book. There was a saying that the debit was near the door and credit the window. I guess that was OK whilst you were seated the right way round.

Ruling ledgers off was another job that always fell with the juniors. In those days it was nothing to have at least 2 or 3 years of accounts in draft at a time, especially farmers. All before self assessment when everything had to be up to date, we really didn’t know how we would manage to cope with it, but like everything you do. Another junior job was the calling over of accounts. The secretaries would type the accounts, one person would read from the manually written draft and another person checked for spelling mistakes and number errors.

What has changed during your time at Whitings?

I don’t remember exactly when the first computer was brought into the office. I remember it being linked to a dot matrix printer and lots of printouts on nice green and white stripey paper appeared. There was only one computer, so not everyone got to use it. I kept to the manual method for a while longer.

Mainly, I worked for John Buck until about 1990/91 when Alan Salmon picked up a big audit job (at least it was then) there was a holding company, parent company and subsidiaries. I can recall drafting/consolidating group accounts using A3 sheets of paper Sellotaped together for the extended trial balance. In about 1992 we got a portable computer. It was heavy, the size of a small suitcase, but it meant we could use spreadsheets which was an absolute game changer for that particular job.

I left full time employment in February 1999 when I went on maternity leave. I returned some months later part time, two days a week working for Alan Salmon. Following his retirement, most of his farming clients were transferred to James Cater at Kings Lynn office. In July 2005 (I believe it was) I transferred to Kings Lynn. This enabled me to keep the same client contact I had. Some of those clients I am still working on today albeit the next generation.

What did you find challenging?

When Xero was introduced I found it difficult to use initially as I couldn’t see the debit and the credit. I remember James telling me I could use it and would understand it as I had written up manual ledgers so therefore understood double entry bookkeeping the concept was exactly the same.

I have seen many changes over my time at Whitings. Self assessment and computerisation are the big ones, but also now MTD.

A word from Wendy’s Manager Adrian on her time at Whitings

‘Wendy has a very good relationship with clients, and they often give feedback showing their appreciation. She is a good role model for other members of staff who are starting out in the profession. Wendy also helps to make everyone feel welcome as part of the team in the office’.