ADVENTUROUS Gwent accountant Gary Parker has merged his Newport practice to create a bigger firm.

The mountain climbing, cycling, and marathon-running professional, has merged his tax consultancy, Parker & Co Accountants, with VAT specialist MAK Consultants.

The new business will retain the Parker & Co name but will be joined by MAK partners David Banes and Mark Peniuk and four general accounting staff.

The new team will number 16 employees at Parker & Co's aptly named Summit House and will have a combined turnover of around £600,000.

Mr Parker said: "The merger of the two practices makes perfect business sense as it brings together expertise in two distinct areas of accountancy to the benefit of all our customers.

"We are also hopeful that the combination of talents will prove attractive to new customers and will help us to grow the merged business."

Mr Parker said his teams has worked hard over the past 12 months to expand the business. He hopes to double the size of the business by 2007.

"Merging with MAK Consultants, which has built up an impressive reputation for dealing with care homes across Wales and the south of England, will strengthen our services and give us the competitive edge we need to drive the company forward."

New partner David Banes said: "We are delighted to be joining Parker & Co Accountants and we will both benefit from each other's knowledge and experience of business.

"I will, of course, be keeping my feet firmly on the ground and leaving the energetic side of the business to Gary."

Mr Parker is currently in training for a six-day, 200km Amazon Jungle Marathon. He has led expeditions in the Himalayas, Africa and the Middle East in both civil and military capacities.

He said he was relishing the challenge of leading the larger team of accountants into new territory.

The MAK team is relocating from offices in Malpas Road and part of the expansion plan is to take office space in the building next door to Summit House.

Parker & Co was set up in 1993 with a strategy of focusing on tax planning and management consultancy

Over the last year facilities have been extended to include a print service through Blue Sky Print, and IT consultancy through Paramount Information Technology. Turnover is claimed to have risen by 30 per cent during this period.

Mr Parker said he will launch another arm of the business later this year devoted to expeditions and corporate team building.

"Seven Summits Expeditions will give me the chance to let others share the amazing experience of climbing.

"I already have one client who will be climbing Aconcagua with me next January."

At 6,959m Aconcagua is the highest peak in the Andes. It's in Argentina near the border with Chile.