An accountancy firm has welcomed six new trainees as part of its long-running commitment to nurturing future talent.
Champion Accountants, with offices across the North West, has appointed the trainees at its Manchester, Chester, Blackpool, and Preston sites.
The new recruits include five audit and accounts trainees and one management accounts trainee.
They will gain practical experience while working towards their AAT professional qualifications.
Ged Cosgrove, group managing partner at Champion Accountants, said: "Developing our own talent has been part of Champion’s culture for many years.
"We don’t see our trainee programme simply as a way of recruiting people into junior roles; we want to give ambitious young people the foundations on which they can build genuinely long-term careers.
"Technical development is obviously a major part of the programme, but becoming a great adviser takes more than technical knowledge.
"From day one, we want our trainees to learn how to communicate with clients, understand businesses, work as part of a team and develop the confidence to contribute their own ideas.
"Each new generation also brings a different perspective into Champion, so the learning very much goes both ways.
"We’re delighted to welcome Dylan, Fraser, Leo, Marcia, Thomas and Harry and look forward to seeing where their careers take them."
The 2026 cohort includes Dylan Davies from Chester, Fraser Brooks from Urmston, and Leo Goring from Preston.
All three have joined as audit and accounts trainees in Chester, Manchester, and Preston.
Marcia Rutter and Thomas Davies, both from Blackpool, have taken up similar roles in Blackpool, while Wigan-based Harry Johnings has joined the Manchester office as a management accounts trainee.
Over the past 20 years, Champion has supported more than 100 trainees through the programme.
Several current partners began their careers as trainees, and others have gone on to senior roles in industry, including finance director positions.
Some former trainees have even returned to Champion Accountants as clients.
Harry Johnings, the management accounts trainee based in Manchester, said: "I’d spoken to friends who had taken the accounting trainee route, so I knew it was something I was interested in pursuing.
"When I applied to Champion and met the team at my interview, I got a really positive impression and felt it was somewhere I could learn and develop.
"Even from my first week, it’s been clear that everyone is knowledgeable and willing to share their experience.
"I’ve already felt really supported as I start to learn more."
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