Agents Do Charity - from the top of the world

Friday is Agents Do Charity day and as the country enjoys the delights of Wimbledon and rues the Lionesses' departure from the Women's World Cup at the semi-final stage, so many of you have been doing your bit for various good causes.

If you'd like us to publicise your latest fundraising efforts, all you need to do is get in touch on press@estateagenttoday.co.uk and we'll do the rest.

Fine & Country Foundation and Campbells Foundation: A remote hillside village in the Sindhupalchok region of Nepal, known as Thangpalkot, has been fully reconstructed thanks to a joint venture by Fine & Country and Campbells Estate Agents.

Nepal was struck by a devastating earthquake measuring a magnitude of 7.8 in April 2015. More than 100 people were killed, thousands were injured and millions lost their homes.

The Fine & Country Foundation partnered with Campbells in February 2017 to support the village after the disaster.

On the ground, the project was coordinated by Renzen Dorzey Bomzan, a local resident of Thangpalkot1. Together, they formed a simple but effective model for constructing earthquake-proof houses, costing £1,800 each.

To celebrate the end of an era of support in Thangpalkot, Bomzan arranged for a group of Sherpas to trek to the summit of Mount Everest with a customised flag to thank all the people who made donations to fund the building materials for each house.

"This marks the moment the final house in Thangpalkot1 was completed and our project is over. Our supporters have followed this project for nearly four years and I can’t thank them enough for all their donations, kind messages and help along the way," says Paul Campbell, founder of Campbells Foundation.

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Richard House Children's Hospice: A team from London estate agency JOHNS&CO recently gave up a day at the office to volunteer in the gardens at Richard House Children's Hospice.

The hospice supports more than 300 families across East London and is JOHNS&CO's chosen charity for 2019. Last month, a team of agents spent the day weeding and tidying the hospice gardens, which total 2.7 acres.

"The gardens at Richard House are fantastic and so much effort has been put into them to make them as engaging and bright for the children and their families as possible," says Carla Bradman, marketing director at JOHNS&CO.

"Recognising that many of the children at Richard House won’t make it to the seaside, Richard House’s dedicated volunteer gardener has created a seaside haven with a beach hut and canoe."

"It was very humbling to be able to help, especially in time for the summer fair in a couple of weeks," she says.

JOHNS&CO has raised almost £3,000 for Richard House so far this year but has a target of £10,000 - you can donate here.

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Salvation Army and Hestia: The Caridon Foundation, part of the Caridon Group, has joined forces with the Salvation Army and Hestia to help combat Modern Day Slavery.

Despite slavery being officially abolished centuries ago, thousands of people are still being exploited and sold as slaves across the UK.

They can be forced to work in the sex trade, used as domestic slaves, exploited for labour or human trafficked.

The London Borough of Croydon together with Hestia and the Salvation Army work with survivors for 20 weeks. Support is based on the principles of trauma-informed practice and focuses on developing resilience, with help around accessing legal, health, and financial advice as well as support to establish meaningful social activities and healthy relationships.

An essential part of the support package is stable housing which is where the Caridon Foundation comes in, helping survivors with social housing and supported accommodation.

The Caridon Foundation welcomed its first Modern Day Slavery survivor onto its service in June and due to Croydon having the highest rate of slavery in London, around 100 survivors are expected to be helped by the Caridon Foundation, Salvation Army, and Hestia.

"We feel honoured to be given the opportunity to work with the Salvation Army and Hestia to help survivors learn from their experiences and offer our support," says Mario Carrozzo, chief executive of the Caridon Group.

Paramount Pantry and the Winch: After a sterling contribution to Agents Giving Day’s food bank drive, London agency Paramount Properties has been doing even more fundraising this week.

The agency’s Paramount Pantry is launching a year-long program where any resident of NW6 or NW2 can organise for a bag to be dropped off for them to fill up with non-perishable food items and used clothing.

Of course, a particularly good time to do this is just before a move and the Paramount office also acts as a drop-off point for the food bank all year round.

Next on the list for Paramount Pantry is the donation of a kitchen refurb to the Winch, which started this week. The Winch is a facility that supports infants & mothers, children, and youths with a huge list of programs to help them to grow, develop, and connect.

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Foodbanks across the country: To coincide with Agents Giving's 'Support Your Local Foodbank' event, Relocation Agent Network (RAN) once again encouraged its member agents to donate supplies for the nation's foodbanks.

RAN collected over 15,000 items of food and vital supplies across a week in June, surpassing the original target of 10,000 with ease.

"An event like this really does demonstrate the power of our network and what can be achieved when our members work together," says Richard Tucker, managing director of RAN.

"We know the donations will make a real difference to support people in crisis and I would like to thank all of our participating Relocation Agent Network members for really getting behind this initiative and helping us to make it such a success."

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Ending Homelessness Together: This week a conference took place with the aim of drawing on the expert knowledge and stories of industry professionals to come up with solutions in the fight against homelessness.

There was also the opportunity for attendees to pledge valuable funds at the conference, which was organised by Steve Bolton, a property investor and philanthropist.

The fact that there are over 200,000 empty properties across England alone, with an estimated 170,000 families and individuals who remain homeless is a stark illustration of the scale of the problem we face, according to the organisers.

"We’re seeking more individuals and organisations who are as passionate as we are about making a difference to homelessness in the UK to join us. The more ‘great minds’ we have available to contribute ideas and solutions, the better," says Bolton.

"Those within in the property and finance sector are probably more acutely aware than anyone else of the challenges in terms of funding and providing the necessary housing to tackle this crisis."

"So, we’re appealing for more leaders to step forward and work with us in order to achieve what we know is possible; ending homelessness in this country for good," he says.

For more information, visit: https://www.stevebolton.com/.