Gloucestershire Chartered Accountants Randall & Payne in Cheltenham have raised over £13,000 for local children's charity, the Pied Piper Appeal.

Every 2 years the firm's staff are involved in selecting their corporate charity and cast their vote after a series of presentations. Typically, they have raised around £5,000 for other charities during the 2 year period, so are pleased to have more than doubled the initial target set for the Pied Piper Appeal.

Managing Partner at Randall & Payne, Tim Watkins, commented, "We are extremely proud of the amount raised over the last two years and would like to offer a heartfelt thank you to all involved in this fantastic achievement".

Randall & Payne's efforts have been acknowledged through a nomination from Cathryn Hage of the Pied Piper Appeal for the Local Business Charity Awards. In the hope that they win, the charity will benefit from an additional £1,000 in prize money.

The funds have been raised through organising numerous fundraising events such as quiz nights and horse racing themed nights, as well as raffles, dress down Friday's each month, and cake sales. Partners have been involved in individual sporting challenges such as cycle rides and golf days.

The money raised has already facilitated a new playground at Belmont Special School situated in Warden Hill, a short distance from the Randall & Payne offices on Shurdington Road. The impact of the project is far reaching; the Belmont children have challenges around communication and interaction, as well as social and emotional needs. The school regularly monitors the number of incidents and challenging behaviour from pupils. Since the playground was installed; the school has reported a 30% drop in behavioural incidents and each pupil has gained the opportunity for more physical exercise.

Head teacher at Belmont Special School, Kevin Head, said, "The facilities quickly reinvigorate the children and get them interacting with each other on a different level in comparison to the classroom. They really have transformed the playtimes of the children at Belmont - setting them up superbly for their journey beyond Belmont. Thank you so much to Randall & Payne and the Pied Piper Appeal."

Tim Watkins and Russel Byrd proudly presented Julie Kent, trustee of the Pied Piper Appeal, and 'Boulder' the bear, official mascot, with a cheque for £13,782 at the Randall & Payne office this week.

Randall & Payne, based on Shurdington Road in Cheltenham, has been trading in Gloucestershire for 139 years, employing 57 staff and offer a range of services, including tax, business advisory, accountancy, auditing and corporate finance. The accountancy firm have built a strong reputation for supporting a wide range of Gloucestershire based businesses.