A NEW advisor has been appointed as an advisor to the board of Blackburn chartered accountants Pierce.

SImon Raine comes to the Ainsworth Street firm with over 35 years of financial experience.

Before his current role at Mentor House, he was a member of the northern management team for Handlesbanken, the Swedish bankers, and has a number of other advisory roles.

Mr Raine said Pierce, who he had worked with for a long time, had "strong values, great local connections and a hard-working, intelligent team".

Tom Wilkinson, a Pierce director, added: "Simon brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the firm and it is great to welcome him to our team."