The power of good advice
Brightling & Co prides itself on providing a personal, yet professional, service.
Brightling & Co Accountants Ltd are accredited with
Accounting and Taxation Services
Committed to providing you with a personal service to meet your objectives
Taxation
Tax planning, advice and computations for individuals, trusts and companies
Services include annual tax returns, tax planning for high net worth individuals, Inheritance tax planning, VAT and corporate tax structuring.
Accounting Services
We cover Company, Partnerships and Sole Traders
We provide a number of services including accounts preparation and submission, bookkeeping and payroll services across all organisation types.
Probate
Brightling & Co is licensed to undertake Non-contentious probate in England and Wales
Both Nicky and Jenny are authorised to carry out the reserved legal activity of non-contentious probate in England and Wales.
Learn more about our probate service
Business Advisory
Financial plans, budgeting and company valuations
Gain insight and make informed decisions with cashflow forecasting and business modelling. These can be used for business valuations or planning internal investments.
About us
We offer a range of financial and accounting services ranging from personal tax for high net worth individuals to bookkeeping and payroll services for medium sized corporates.
All clients are provided complimentary access to a tax fee protection service that fully re-imburses our fees (up to a cap of £100,000) if a client is subject to an enquiry or if there is a dispute with HMRC.
Meet the team
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Nicky Brightling
Founder and Managing DirectorNicky Brightling
Founder and Managing DirectorNicky graduated from Wye College, London University with first class honours in Agricultural Economics. She went on to qualify as a chartered accountant with Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC) before moving to EY 's Employer Services Department in London. After a move to Kent with Chavereys, a local firm of Chartered Accountants specialising in Agricultural clients, she set up her own practice in 2006. -
Sarah Adamson
CFOSarah Adamson
CFOSarah is a qualified chartered accountant and chartered tax advisor. Having spent 18 years in the media industry initially in internal audit and then as a chief financial officer, she returned to practice in 2010 with a wealth of business knowledge to share with our corporate clients. -
Alistair Clarke
Operations DirectorAlistair Clarke
Operations DirectorHaving qualified with PwC, Alistair worked for the firm in Australia before joining BG Group where he worked internationally in commercial and M&A. Alistair has also founded two start-ups in the technology and electric vehicle space. -
David Padgham
Accounting and Business Services ManagerDavid Padgham
Accounting and Business Services ManagerDavid trained for 5 years at a local Ashford accountants before switching to a career in banking for the next two decades. He returned to accountancy in 2010 when he joined Brightling & Co where he has enjoyed seeing the business grow and develop to where it is today. -
Jenny Watts
Tax ManagerJenny Watts
Tax ManagerJenny is a qualified Chartered Tax Adviser and Trust & Estate Practitioner. Having spent 27 years with Chavereys, she joined Brightling & Co in early 2025. She specialises on all aspects of personal and trust tax matters including Capital Gains and Inheritance Tax advice. -
Annie
Annie
Annie graduated in Agriculture from Edinburgh University. After four years in expert marketing for British Meat and a year in banking moved to Chavereys where she qualified as a chartered accountant. Annie has worked with Nicky for over 20 years assisting with accounts preparation and bookkeeping. -
Rosie Hocking
Accounting and Business ServicesRosie Hocking
Accounting and Business ServicesRosie joined Brightling & Co in 2016. Whilst working, Rosie trained with the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers and is now a certified bookkeeper and member of the ICB after obtaining certificates at Levels 1, 2 & 3. Rosie has also obtained a Level 4 certificate in Self-assessment tax. -
Laura Brightling
Accounting and Business ServicesLaura Brightling
Accounting and Business ServicesBefore joining Brightling & Co in 2022, Laura completed a diploma in Equine Management with Business at Hartpury College. She currently provides bookkeeping and payroll services as well as assisting with the preparation of tax returns. Naturally she particularly enjoys working with our agricultural and equestrian clients.
Client Testimonials
Charlie Ireland
Great advice from a proactive team. Their Advice is directed towards client needs in a pleasant style. Certainly the Estate and Farm accountants of choice in East Kent.
Simon Grayson
We have worked with Nicky, David and all the team at Brightling and Co for a number of years, they have become an integral part of our business guiding us through the complexities of an ever changing tax environment. We work together in formulating our strategies and future direction, they provide a valuable sounding board for new ideas and help us to implement our plans in the most tax efficient way. We have absolutely no hesitation recommending Brightling and Co to friends and other business associates. We look forward to many more years.
Tracey Henry
We were looking for a team of accountants that were knowledgeable, proactive, supportive and helpful. We found them at Brightling & Co.
Where we’re based
You can find us at Vine Hall Farm, Bethersden, Ashford, Kent TN26 3JY
Alternatively, use our what3words address: ///documents.waistcoat.wisely