A beloved senior partner at an accountancy firm has announced her retirement at the end of the month.

Carlisle-based Saint & Co's first tax partner and veteran of the industry, Pauline Jackson, will call it a day with an impressive career behind her.

Mrs Jackson has seen the company's tax department grow significantly over her 25-year tenure.

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The business has said that her work led to an expansion of its tax services to include trusts and estates, company and personal tax planning, company restructuring and acquisitions and sales.

Mrs Jackson said: "I have loved every minute of my time with Saint & Co, and I can honestly say that I’ve never woken up and not wanted to go into work.

"I’ve got the loveliest clients and associates, and I’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of people who have sent letters and messages wishing me well and asking me to pop in to see them when I’m passing."

She added: "Being made the company’s first tax partner was the pinnacle of my career which I had been working so hard towards, and for the firm to recognise my experience and expertise to further grow the business was the highlight.

"I’m extremely proud to have developed the tax department by introducing additional services which Saint & Co provide, and I’m happy that the company is in such a strong position as I retire after 25 fantastic years."

After beginning her accounting journey in Liverpool, she moved to York, where she qualified as a chartered certified accountant.

Subsequent moves furthered her expertise, which led to her joining the company in a part-time role, progressing to full-time and then to her role as tax partner.

She said: "What I love about working in tax is that you are presented with a different challenge every day, and I like having scenarios and situations in front of me where I have to find the best solution for the client.

"You can never stand still within tax as there’s always annual budget changes to understand and likely to be more this year with a General Election coming up.

"Having to adapt and continually learn new things is what has made it so interesting and varied."