A Morpeth-based bookkeeper is aiming for business success after returning home following a dozen years in Australia.

Kay Sandford set-up in April this year. Her day-to-day work includes bookkeeping, VAT and Making Tax Digital submissions, payroll, and the reporting and cash flow side.

Among the other services provided by NorthernStar Bookkeeping is a one-off catch-up for people who have fallen behind.

Kay said: “I grew up in Morpeth and left when I was 25 for what was meant to be a year in Australia. I stayed for 12.

Kay Sandford started NorthernStar Bookkeeping earlier this year. Photo by RJM Photography.

placeholder image — Kay Sandford started NorthernStar Bookkeeping earlier this year. Photo by RJM Photography.

“I fell into bookkeeping more or less by accident out there, running the trust accounts for a real estate office, and I liked that it was black and white – either everything reconciles or it does not.

“I did an apprenticeship to learn bookkeeping properly and went on to build my own bookkeeping practice in Australia looking after dozens of small businesses.

“Coming home meant starting again from scratch, but it is the same work for the same sort of people.”

NorthernStar Bookkeeping also does a Bookkeeping Health Check that looks at how a business keeps its records and suggests efficiencies or highlights areas of concern.

Kay said the name of her business is a nod to home and to the night sky she missed while she was away.

She added: “I want to be a guiding light for business owners who don’t know what the figures actually mean within their business. This knowledge enables them to make better business decisions and be more successful.

“Starting a business is the exciting bit. The tax side is the bit that keeps owners up at night and it does not need to be that way.

“Let’s be honest, most people didn’t start their business because they love bookkeeping.

“I learned this trade through an apprenticeship and the long-term plan is to grow NorthernStar into a small team that can offer the same thing here.

“Making Tax Digital is the thing I get asked about most at the moment. It is already here for sole traders and landlords earning over £50,000, and from April 2027 it will include anyone over £30,000.

“That is a lot of local businesses who will need to keep digital records and report to HMRC every quarter.”

For more information about the business, go to https://northernstarbookkeeping.co.uk