About Whitakers

Cornwall's longest-established
Chartered Accountants

Founded in Newquay in 1935, Whitakers has spent over 85 years delivering ethical, personal and professional accountancy at a reasonable cost — and we're still here, still independent, still local.

Our heritage

A distinguished heritage since 1935

Whitakers was founded in Newquay in 1935, making us one of the longest-established firms of Chartered Accountants in Cornwall. For more than 85 years we have remained rooted in the same community, guided by the same principles: ethical practice, personal service and professional advice at a cost that is fair and transparent.

That continuity is not accidental. It reflects a deliberate choice to grow steadily, to retain the people who know our clients, and to resist the drift toward impersonal, volume-driven accountancy. The result is a firm whose principals have each spent decades here — not passing through, but building careers and client relationships that endure.

Meet the principals

The people behind your account

Both principals trained and qualified within Whitakers itself — a rarity that gives clients genuine continuity and deep local knowledge.

S G Hawkey FCA

Principal

Stephen joined Whitakers in 1993 and trained and qualified entirely within the firm. More than 30 years embedded in Cornwall's business community has given him a thorough understanding of the industries intrinsic to the region — farming, tourism and leisure among them — and the particular pressures that come with running a business in the South West.

L P Sole FCA

Principal

Paul joined Whitakers in 1997 and, like Stephen, trained and qualified with the firm. His 25-plus years here have brought him invaluable knowledge of the issues that affect businesses across the South West — knowledge that comes not from textbooks but from sustained, hands-on client work in this region.

Our commitment

Personal service, every time

Every Whitakers client is personally assigned to a principal, supported by our Chartered Accountants and staff. You deal with the same people, year after year.

Continuity of contact

All clients are personally assigned to a principal and supported by professional staff — so you are never passed around or handed to whoever is available.

Accessible office hours

We are open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:15 pm. Appointments outside those hours can be arranged in advance — we work around you where we can.

Transparent fees

Our fees are outlined clearly at the initial meeting. We charge competitive hourly rates and believe you should know what you are paying for before any work begins.

Credentials & accreditation

Recognised standards, trusted platforms

Whitakers is a member of the ICAEW Practice Assurance Scheme and Mercia, and works with the leading cloud and desktop accounting platforms used by our clients.

Software we support includes Sage, QuickBooks, Xero, KashFlow, FreeAgent and IRIS OpenSpace — so whatever system your business already uses, we can work with it.

Ready to work with a firm that stays the course?

Get in touch with the Whitakers team at our Newquay office. We'll outline how we can help and what it will cost — clearly, at the first meeting.