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Les Enfant Day Nurseries Limited


With engineering as his profession, and more than three decades’ experience in vocational education and training at the highest level behind him, a switch to running day nurseries might sound like an unlikely career move for David and Joy Smith to have made.

But when David was offered early retirement from a local technical college, he and Joy opted to try their hand at the day nursery business – an idea triggered by the fact that his eldest daughter was a trained nursery nurse and his eldest grandson attended a nursery – and that decision has worked out very well indeed.

Since setting up their first nursery in February 1994, the Les Enfants Private Day Nurseries chain has expanded to four nurseries – two in Huddersfield, one in Dewsbury and one in Batley, plus a crèche at a Total Fitness gym in Huddersfield. In total, the business employs around 50 staff and provides places for 190 youngsters.

David, who is responsible for the financial side of the business, has worked with Lambert Roper & Horsfield, where his contact director is Denise Thornton, virtually from the start of Les Enfants. A conversation with a nursery client connected to Lambert Roper & Horsfield, just a couple of weeks after the nursery opened, led to David making contact and he has been with the firm ever since.

He explains: “We are happy to stay with Lambert Roper & Horsfield and have built up a strong, professional relationship with them.”

Les Enfants has its own in-house bookkeeper, whose records form the basis for the annual accounts that Denise’s team prepares, and which she interprets for David, and discusses with him, to assist in his business planning.

Lambert Roper & Horsfield also provide advice on tax and played a key role when Les Enfants, which started life as a partnership, was incorporated as a limited company in 2002. The firm has also set up the Les Enfants company pension scheme, with Scottish Widows.

David says: “If I need advice, I’ll give them a call. I’m comfortable enough with them to ask silly questions, and they don’t flinch when I do!

“Whilst competent in my own areas of expertise, I am not an accountant and need a company I can trust and rely on. Lambert Roper and Horsfield meet that need. It is important to have access to professional advice at the end of a phone, this we have.”

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Is 2025 your year to incorporate? Here are our top tips

January 16th, 2025

Nearly 900,000 companies were incorporated in 2024 – an 11.2 per cent increase compared to 2023. More entrepreneurs are recognising the benefits of limited companies.

The advantages of limited companies include limited personal liability, mitigated taxation and greater exposure to investment opportunities.

To help you start your journey towards limited company status, here are our top tips:

Research

Taking the first steps towards incorporation should not be taken lightly. Whilst it limits liability if things go wrong, it does come with some strict compliance requirements in regard to regular reporting to Companies House, which you need to prepare for.

Paying yourself

As a director, you can pay yourself via salary, dividends, or both to maximise your take-home pay.

The most efficient approach is often to pay yourself a lower salary, so you are not liable for Income Tax or National Insurance Contributions (NICs), but still contribute enough towards your state pension, and take the rest as dividends, which is subject to a lower tax rate.

Be aware that it may not always be possible to pay a dividend if your profits aren’t sufficient.

Structuring your company

When considering the distribution and management of share rights in a limited company, several key aspects must be carefully planned and managed. You will need to define how dividends are paid, voting rights and share structure.

At this stage, you may also need to discuss a future exit, including transfer, drag-along and tag-along rights.

As part of this process, you will need to address how the shares and shareholder rights align with the company’s Articles of Association.

Open a business bank account

Open a separate bank account for your business as soon as possible. Some founders make the mistake of thinking they can mix personal and business finances at the beginning, but it makes applying for reliefs and paying taxes more complicated as you have to declare what each transaction is for and when it was made.

Treat your business like a separate entity (because it is)

If you plan to inject personal funds into your company or take money out, do it properly through a Director’s Loan Account.

Make sure to detail each transaction going in and out of the business and never take out excessive amounts of money, as this can attract attention from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and lead to fines.

If you are considering incorporation, you should seek professional advice and ongoing support to reduce the potential for errors and non-compliance with Companies House regulations.

Ready to take the next step? Contact us today for expert advice on incorporating your business.

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