Agents Do Charity - as the clocks go back...

Don’t forget there’s an extra hour in bed on Saturday night - a chance to get some extra stamina for your charity fund-raising efforts.

Not that you need encouraging if this week’s heroic efforts are anything to go by. If you want a share of online publicity for your fund-raising, drop us a line at press@estateagenttoday.co.uk.

In the meantime, change those clocks and read these great reports:

CFINE: This body is the lead partner of the Food Banks Partnership Aberdeen, providing food parcels to those in poverty in the city. It has benefited from the donation of more than 500 items since the beginning of the year from The Law Practice Solicitors and Estate Agents as part of its pledge to support 10 local charities during its 10th anniversary year. 

Staff at the Holburn Street-based company were asked to nominate local causes to support throughout the year to ensure the corporate donations were aligned with charities that resonated with the team.

Fiona Rae, deputy chief executive at CFINE, says: “On behalf of the Food Banks Partnership Aberdeen, we would like to thank The Law Practice for their continued support of our food bank. Their generous donations go a long way in helping us to provide support for excluded and vulnerable people living in Aberdeen. Cfine is delighted with these initial 500 items and the continued pledge from The Law Practice. Regular donations are hugely important to the ongoing service we deliver and has already helped many accessing the food bank facility.”

Since January The Law Practice has also supported Give Blood Scotland, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Aberlour Child Care Trust, Befriend A Child, Alzheimer Scotland and Crohn’s and Colitis UK.

Cystic Fibrosis Trust: As part of its longstanding partnership with the trust, Benham & Reeves Residential Lettings hosted a glittering event at The Cumberland Hotel in central London. 

The dinner and auction, spectacularly, raised nearly £45,000 for the charity. The mountaineer Nick Talbot, who next year will become the first person living with cystic fibrosis to attempt Mount Everest, delivered an inspiring speech to the assembled guests.

The evening got off to a great start with Cystic Fibrosis Trust partnerships manager Jacqueline Rogers encouraging all the guests to participate in a rousing red and yellow card challenge which eventually whittled down the coloured card holders in the room to one lucky winner of a spa weekend donated by Champneys. Further games ensued with the raffle proving especially exciting thanks to a host of spectacular donations. The auction, hosted by renowned property auctioneer Andrew Binstock, raised even more funds.

The event was part of a series of fundraising efforts hosted by Benham & Reeves Residential Lettings in aid of Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Over the last year, the agent has hosted coffee and cake baking mornings, hosted auctions and one member of staff even ran The London Marathon in aid of the charity.

London Air Ambulance: Foxtons has announced its new three-year charity partnership with London's Air Ambulance. The charity has become Foxtons first long-term official partner and was unanimously chosen by employees.

London's Air Ambulance provides an advanced trauma team to critically injured patients and serves the 10 million people living and working within London and the M25 using a helicopter during daylight hours, replaced by rapid response cars at night. The charity is the only one of its kind in London to perform immediate life-saving medical procedures normally only found in a hospital emergency department, at the scene of an accident. Since launching 26 years ago, the service has treated over 33,500 patients.

“We are delighted to be supporting the vital work that London's Air Ambulance does and helping the charity to maintain its service and contribute towards long-term sustainability. Foxtons is committed to delivering a positive impact to the communities in which we operate and we feel honoured to be partnering with such a remarkable charity and look forward to developing our relationship over the years” says Foxtons chief executive Nic Budden. 

Sunshine Fund: It was all smiles as a three year old disabled Tyneside boy met Caroline Pattinson from Pattinsons Estate Agents, which has helped him buy a seating system. Nathan Hewitt, who is from Howdon and has Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy, needed the seating system to allow him to continue attending his local nursery, having outgrown his existing one.

His family applied to the Sunshine Fund, which helps disadvantaged kids in the North East, for £2,230. Meanwhile, Caroline, managing director of Pattinsons, and a team from the business signed up to do the Sunshine Fund’s Sunshine Run, part of its month long Go Bananas fundraising drive in June. The team raised £1,134 with Caroline’s contribution put towards buying Nathan his seating system.

Caroline says: “It was fantastic to meet Nathan and his family, I was thrilled that the money I raised went to his seating system at his nursery. I was determined to raise as much money as possible for the charity.”