Agents do Charity – as June approaches

As we approach another Bank Holiday weekend, estate and letting agents across the country have again been raising thousands of pounds for charity this week.

We’re always delighted to share news of your fundraising exploits so if you’ve got a good news story please get in touch on: press@estateagenttoday.co.uk. 

Here’s a round-up of the great work carried out by this week’s everyday heroes:

Featherbank School: Yorkshire agency Manning Stainton has been working hard in the community and has this week sponsored a new writing and literacy shed at a local school.

Reception pupils at Featherbank School in Horsforth are enjoying their new learning refuge, which has been described as ‘an Aladdin’s cave of reading and writing equipment’.

“We have had this on our wish-list for a while now and thanks to the generous donation made by Manning Stainton it has become a reality,” says the school’s Reception teacher, Gail Gunn.

Sarah Joseph, manager of the firm’s Horsforth branch, adds: “It gives us a real sense of pride to be able to support the school in this way."  

"The fact that the writing shed encourages children to learn and have fun at the same time makes it extra special and we are thrilled to have been able to help.”

Manning Stainton has donated in excess of £65,000 to over 100 good causes in the last year.

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Hope for Children: Online estate agent eMoov has announced a new partnership with Hope for Children, a charity dedicated to helping children in both the UK and overseas.

Over the course of the year, Russell Quirk’s firm plans to raise £50,000 for the charity and has a long line of events planned to make it happen.

It’s kicking off with a 10k charity run in London on May 30, when nine members of the eMoov team will be donning their running shoes for the good cause. 

The agency has also updated its online checkout so customers can choose to donate £10 of their fee to Hope for Children.

“As a father of four, I like all parents find the plight of disadvantaged children something that really hits home, regardless of their location,” says Quirk, eMoov’s founder and chief executive.

“I have an outstanding team and I know that together, we go above and beyond to help Hope for Children in their mission. I ask you to join us in our mission and to give what you can, no matter how small.”

CEO of Hope for Children, Murielle Maupoint, adds: “We are delighted to be partnering with eMoov to help further our programmes in the UK.” 

“They are just as passionate as we are about making a difference to children's lives and this will give us a platform to develop our activities such as the provision of household essentials for economically vulnerable families.”

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Housing for Women: Earlier this month, estate agents from across London took part in the annual Estate Agents 10k to raise money for the charity based in Brixton which houses and supports vulnerable women and their children in the capital.

This is the third year that Housing for Women has organised this event, with many new agencies taking part this year.

Participants included estate agents from Currell, Fine and Country, Marsh and Parsons, Chelsea Square, Winkworth, Stirling Ackroyd and Hamways.

All together the teams raised a whopping £11,200. 

With this money, Housing for Women will be able to continue to provide accommodation and support for women and their children who have fled domestic violence, have been trafficked for exploitation, and those leaving prison who wish to be reunited with their children.

“Not only is Housing for Women a very worthy cause to run for, it focuses a group of unfit Estate Agents to get out into the fresh air and do something healthy for a change. A win, win situation for everyone,” says one of the participants, Ray Jacobs from Chelsea Square. 

“We enjoyed it so much that we created a running club to train for the 10k, which is now a permanent fixture in our week.” 

"We strongly encourage any agents who are thinking about participating next year to take the plunge. You will be raising funds for a great charity and may get fit along the way.” 

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust: Last week, Manchester estate agency Sanderson James handed over a cheque for £9,000 to the facility which brings relief to thousands of cancer patients each year. 

The money raised by Sanderson James is an accumulation of several fundraising events over the course of the year so far.

The agency’s managing director, Dean Sanderson, owes his life to the incredible work of The Christie’s Teenage and Young Adult Unit, which treated his cancer as a child and has helped him remain free of illness for over thirty years.

In October last year Sanderson James held a spectacular charity ball at the Lowry in aid of the hospital. 

A glamorous dinner and evening of entertainment was marked by a charity auction offering signed sports memorabilia, professional photoshoots and casino experiences.

Sanderson James’ team members also turned their hand to a charity car wash in aid of The Christie and five of the agency’s bravest staff members have even jumped out of a plane in aid of the charity’s fantastic work.

Dean Sanderson has set up his own website to tell his story and explain the essential care and relief that the hospital brings to so many cancer sufferers in the Manchester area on a regular basis.

You can access the website here: www.deansanderson4christies.co.uk.

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The Phoenix Centre for Autism at Cage Green Primary School: An excited group of students from the primary school in Tonbridge had a taste of professional life in their local high street thanks to a visit to estate agent Robinson Jackson. 

The children were welcomed to the office by operations director Tony Robinson, branch partner Spencer Humble and the rest of the Tonbridge team. 

During the visit the children took a tour of the office, got to sit around the boardroom table and even conducted their very own ‘creative session’ on the company’s supersized whiteboard.

The students travelled from their school to the office in a Variety Club Sunshine Coach donated last year by the Robinson family. 

“Seeing the Sunshine Coach pull up outside our Tonbridge office was a heart warming moment. My father Alan Robinson, our family and the wider Robinson Jackson Group have supported the Variety Club Sunshine Coach initiative for over 25 years – donating at least one coach to a local special needs school during every one of those years,” says Tony Robinson. 

“The students were impeccably behaved and it was a joy to have them in our office.”

“The school aims to get the students out and about in the coach as much as possible - we all thought a trip to Tonbridge High Street and our branch would be good fun.”

Mrs Beggs, Cage Green’s Special Educational Needs  and Phoenix Centre Leader, adds: “Many of our students can be sensitive to a change in routine and environment, so we worked for two days prior to our visit to prepare the group.” 

“This involved showing them pictures of the office and explaining what might happen during their time away from the classroom.” 

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the day was a creative session on Robinson Jackson’s supersized whiteboard, which gave the students the chance to express themselves and have fun. 

“The icing on the cake was a handprint montage created by the students,” says Robinson. “It looks so great that we’re having it made into a permanent work of art for our office.”