Agents Do Charity - a marathon edition (and talking of marathons...)

Hello everyone and welcome to this week’s Agents Do Charity - it’s a bumper edition with plenty of fantastic fund-raising going on from those within our industry.

One of this week’s stories concerns intrepid agents running marathons, which prompted us to ask about those running the London Marathon on Sunday April 22.

We know lots of agents take part so please let’s make next Friday’s Agents Do Charity a special with your fund-raising appeal, and perhaps even some photos or videos of your preparations. Don’t be shy...we’d love to help publicise your efforts.

Just drop us a line at press@estateagenttoday.co.uk and we’ll do the rest.

Thank you...and now here we go with this week’s good work.

Agents Giving Charity Ball 2018: Agents Giving is calling for your talent video auditions for this year’s ‘Agents Got Talent’ industry charity ball.

Agents Got Talent will be held on Friday December 7 at The Grosvenor Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square, London as part of the charity’s fifth annual ball.

So whether your talent is singing, dancing, music, comedy, magic or a variety act let them know.

Simply send the Agents Giving talent team a clip of your talent and if successful you could showcase yourself in front of hundreds of your industry peers at the end of this year. 

Clips must be less than three minutes long and please make sure you include your name, act name, agent name, location and contact details.  

Make sure you send in your videos before July 31, the closing date. 

Just fill out the registration form on the Agents Giving website to accompany your video.  Successful acts will be required to fundraise for Agents Giving.

So if you’ve got a talent that’ll wow the judges, what are you waiting for contact the Agents Giving talent team today on 01372 370895, info@agentsgiving.org to find out more.

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London Play: Mudchute Farm lived up to its name as nine teams of girls and young women battled it out in boggy conditions for the winners’ trophy at the third annual All London Girl Kart Grand Prix, organised with the help of volunteers from property consultancy JLL.

Girls from Hackney Play Association overcame mud aplenty to narrowly beat second-placed Lambeth’s Triangle Adventure Playground team.

The nine teams competed first against the clock – building go karts from scratch in just four hours – and then against one another in the hotly-anticipated annual event organised by the charity London Play. 

The Hackney team celebrated their win like true motorsport heroes: in a shower of sparkling grape juice. They will get experience some serious horsepower thanks to the Henry Surtees Foundation, which donated the first prize trip to Kent’s Buckmore Park Kart Circuit, where Formula One stars Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button started out. 

Corporate volunteers from JLL and Cass Business School helped the day run smoothly and had a brilliant time in the process. Cass volunteer Rioghna said: “It was great seeing the girls use all the tools properly and working together. And it was also a great opportunity for us to get out of the office and help make the day a success.”

Sophie Webb, associate director at JLL, comments: “The team at JLL had a superb day yesterday at Girl Kart Grand Prix 2018, it is a superb initiative by London Play aimed at breaking gender stereotypes and supporting play and creativity amongst young girls. For us, it has been a great team bonding opportunity and work with our local community.”

There’s a mixed event coming up on August 9, also at Mudchute Farm. Anyone interested in joining the fun can email info@londonplay.org.uk for more information.

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Smile With Siddy: The Bristol office of JLL raised a fantastic total of over £33,000 for  this charity, which raises awareness and funds research in the city for Neuroblastoma, a cancer that affects children.

The sum was raised thanks to activities arranged by the office such as ‘dress down' days, bake sales, a quiz night and ‘quest' events, which are akin to treasure hunts with challenges in local pubs. 

Twelve of the JLL Bristol team cycled from Bristol to Dublin, raising £16,800.

Simon Peacock, lead director at JLL's Bristol office, says: "Smile for Siddy is an incredible local charity and a very worthwhile cause so we are thrilled to have raised £33,000 to help fund further research and help spread awareness of childhood cancer symptoms in Bristol."

Flora and Matt Cahill set up the charity Smile with Siddy in memory of their son who died aged just 17 months following neuroblastoma.

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Hope4: Agents from Fine & Country Rugby are preparing for a stormy night as they sleep rough for homelessness next Friday, April 20.

Claire Heritage and Sam Funnell will be donning plenty of layers and waterproof coats, leading volunteers in a shelter-building competition - one of the highlights of the night.

Claire Heritage from Fine & Country Rugby says: “This will be the first time Sam and I have taken part in a Sleep Out. Sean Newman, director of Fine & Country Rugby and a trustee of The Fine & Country Foundation, has been involved in a multiple Sleep Outs before. He has inspired us to get involved and raise more awareness for this wonderful charity, Hope4. We only had a very brief insight as to what it is like to be sleeping on the streets, we will do all we can to help.”

Last year, the Fine & Country team raised more than £1,000. Support the team and help the most vulnerable by donating here.

National Kidney Foundation: Dorset Property assistant manager Sharon Masters is running marathons this year for this great charity.

You can find out full details about her fantastic efforts here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sharon-masters2 

The main trail marathon, the Dorset Invader, involves running around the Dorset countryside in togas (and occasional sups of real ale...). You can find out more here...https://whitestarrunning.co.uk/dorset-invader/

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12 Marathons Challenge: This Sunday the Fine & Country Foundation’s most enduring mission begins, The 12 Marathons Challenge.

This weekend’s Brighton Marathon will host the first race for Emma Preston, regional manager for GPEA, and Clint Nykamp, partner from Fine & Country Solihull.

The pair will run one marathon per month for 12 months to raise money for homelessness. The Fine & Country Foundation invites eager runners to join one or more marathons, either alongside Emma and Clint in the race or cheering from the side-lines.

Clint says: “It’s scary how quickly the first race is approaching. We have been training around five times a week and received plenty of support from family and friends. Having supporters to cheer us on or run with us at each race will make a huge difference to our running. Our goal is to end homelessness one mile at a time.”

Join Emma and Clint on their journey. Find your nearest race and donate to support their fight to end the causes of homelessness by visiting www.fineandcountryfoundation.com.

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Zebras Children and Adults: Angels Sales & Lettings in Enfield arranged a special Easter event with mascots, balloons, party boxes and Easter eggs for Zebras Children and Adults Charity.

The charity aims to provide services to people with disabilities and help improve their quality of life through recreational outlets. It is currently trying to raise enough funds to open its very own recreational centre for children and adults with disabilities.

"It was a wonderful event and even Mickey and Minnie Mouse came along - we loved seeing all the smiles in the room," says Prem Singh, the agency's founder and director.

You can find out more about Zebras Children and Adults Charity here.