Agents Do Charity - the bumper early-October edition...

There's been a surge in agents letting us know about their fantastic good work - an indication of just how big the charitable side of our industry has become.

In recent days we've had evidence of the enormous contribution local and national agents make to charity with the Agents Giving Ball, which revealed that Agents Giving itself is on course to raise over £1m this year.

Big winners at that event, for their own efforts at charity fund-raising, were Paramount, Spicerhaart, Robinson Michael & Jackson and LSL agencies, along with Fresh Start Properties, Premier Lettings and Avery Estate Agents. Rightmove has also been a big donor - £100,000 to the Agents Giving fund.

If you want your efforts recognised on Estate Agent Today, we would be delighted to honour you. Just let us know at press@estateagenttoday.co.uk.

In the meantime, here are this week's (many) heroes...

Rockinghorse Children's Charity: During October, November and December Searches UK will donate 20 per cent of its profit to the Rockinghorse Children’s Charity for every Charity Search Pack ordered. 

The pack includes a Personal Local Authority Search, Official Drainage & Water Search, a Groundsure Homescreen, Chancel Check and Groundsure Planning Search, will help us contribute as much money as possible to this incredibly valued charity. All money raised will go towards buying life-saving cardiac monitors for the children’s A&E department at The Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton - one of Rockinghorse's areas of operation. 

Horsforth St Margaret's Under-12s Mustangs: A local junior football team is celebrating after netting a major sponsorship deal with estate agency Manning Stainton.

Muystangs coach Richard Cusworth says: "What a brilliant company to deal with. They responded to our request really quickly which meant we could kit out the boys in time for the start of the season." Sarah Joseph, Manager of the Horsforth branch of Manning Stainton adds: "Horsforth St Margaret’s is a wonderful community based club, running a staggering 50 teams across a range of age groups."

In the last 18 months Manning Stainton has donated nearly £120,000 to a range of good causes including schools, clubs and youth organisations.

Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People and St Giles Hospice: It's a big thank you from John German Estate Agents to riders and walkers who took part in a sponsored cycle relay last month. 

John German staff, friends and families, cycling in relay across four counties of the Midlands, visited all 10 of the firm's offices. Hats, or rather helmets, go off to three cyclists - Mark, Chris and Rob - who completed the whole circuit, visiting all 10 John German offices, totalling 143 miles. A special thank you also goes to the team at We Are Ghost, who designed the eye catching jerseys and also took part.

The event has raised so far a grand total of £2,418. If you would like to show your support and donate visit: www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/JohnGerman175

MacMillan Cancer Support: Staff from Linley & Simpson in Yorkshire swapped bricks and mortar for swimwear, bikes and a pair of running shoes as they successfully completed their first ever triathlon.

Six representative sof the firm followed in the footsteps of Leeds’ most famous sporting brothers by competing in Alistair and Jonny Brownlee’s Legacy Tri. Before they set off, they were given some expert words of support from Alistair himself, the sport’s current Olympic, European and Commonwealth champion.

The Linley & Simpson teams have already raised £1,600 for MacMillan Cancer Support through their efforts – and money is still coming in.

To support the cause, donations can still be made via www.justgiving.com/Nicola-Sutton5

Shooting Star Chase: Fantastic and brave volunteers from Townends Estate Agents, part of Badger Holdings Limited, took part in a tandem skydive to help raise vital funds for Shooting Star Chase.

After an hour’s briefing and being fully kitted out, members of staff jumped from an 10,000 feet at the GoSkydive centre in Salisbury, Wiltshire. A few people even decided to pay an extra fee to really face their fears and go from 15,000 feet. 

Reaching speeds of up to 125mph, and with a freefall of approximately 30 to 60 seconds, everyone took on a real challenge and helped to raise a fantastic sum of money, over £15,000, for a very worthy cause.

Badger Holdings Limited has supported Shooting Star Chase, a leading children’s hospice charity caring for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their families, for the past 15 years. 

Countrywide Charities: Over 270 Countrywide employees cycle for 64 days raising over £35,000 for charity, raising over £35,000 for six national charity partners and a number of local charities.

The Countrywide Great Tour is a 64-day, 6,800 kilometre cycle challenge around the coast of Britain. The Tour’s six charity partners include CTC, Alzheimer’s Society, Macmillan Cancer Support, Leukaemia & Lymphona Research, Anthony Nolan and Action For A-T.

James Dowling, an employee of Countrywide, was chosen as The Countrywide Great Tour’s ambassador and successfully cycled the entire route. James raised over £2,700 for charity and highlights from James’s journey can be viewed on Facebook via The Countrywide Ambassador page.