STAFF at the award-winning Bradford-based accountancy firm, Watson Buckle, have celebrated the success and service of Julie Todhunter who has just completed her 40th year at the practice.

Julie joined the practice in 1979 as a trainee accountant, with just three years of experience at a firm in Huddersfield, little did she know that this job move would be her last.

During her time at the firm, Julie has gradually progressed throughout the firm and now holds a senior position within its Corporate Services team.

When asked about why she stayed for so long at the firm, Julie said: “I have loved my time at Watson Buckle and continue to enjoy the varied work that it offers me. While I technically work for the firm, I work independently with my established clients, so it doesn’t really feel like a regular job.

“I have spent years creating close professional relationships with the businesses that I support and have a very good understanding of their requirements, in many cases working with multiple generations of the same family.

“Watson Buckle has always been very supportive of everything that I do and thanks to this I have kept up with the changes in the profession, which have been significant over the years. IT now plays a big role in what the profession does and I now confidently work with a number of software packages to support our clients.”

This isn’t the only big celebration for Julie this year as she prepares to enjoy a cruise to celebrate her 60th birthday in April which she shares with her triplets.

Susan Sedgwick, joint managing director at Watson Buckle, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating Julie’s 40th year with us. She continues to be an important member of our team and has always been very hard working, passionate and supportive of what we do.

“It is rare these days to find someone who has served four decades with the same company. We have a number of long-standing members of staff which must say something about our culture and working environment.”