Agents Do Charity - heartwarming festive fund-raising galore…

Hello, and if it’s Friday it can only mean Charity day as we celebrate the industry’s continuing fund-raising despite challenges from Covid to cold weather.

You could be featured here as we countdown to Christmas - please let us know your fund-raising activities, details of any fund-raising page and perhaps a photo or video, and we’ll do the rest. Please send these to press@estateagenttoday.co.uk.

Gloves and scarf on, here we go…starting with a fantastic achievement.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice: Simon Gerrard - managing director of Martyn Gerrard Estate Agents and a previous NAEA president - has walked a full marathon 26.2 miles distance in aid of Noah's Ark Children's Hospice and raised an amazing £41,933 for their ‘Moments That Matter’ campaign.

After starting off at the Martyn Gerrard office in Crouch End, he walked way to Putney Bridge and then routed back round to finish at The Ark in Barnet, the new children's hospice building which his fund raising will go towards supporting. 

It took him 8 and a half hours to do the full route, with his two eldest sons joining him for the last quarter. If you wish to donate you can do so here. 

"While it may have been a long day of walking for me, they offer round the clock care seven days a week and are a pillar in the communities Martyn Gerrard serves.  I'd like to send my thanks to all of the Martyn Gerrard Estate Agent community who donated and enabled us to raise £42,000” explains Simon.

This is a huge sum for one person to raise - congratulations from all those at Estate Agent Today and Angels Media!

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Holding On, Letting Go: Harrisons Estate Agents has donated £1,000 to kick start the campaign which promises to donate a Christmas gift to every child helped by Kent charity Holding On Letting Go.

Chris Ellis, who runs Harrisons, says: “This has been a very difficult year for so many people and the staff at Harrisons decided they wanted to make a difference to people who are struggling. We believe agents should play an important role in the local community. The more we learned about Holding On Letting Go, the more we wanted to help. They carry out vital work for local children who are suffering with grief and trauma from losing a loved one. We hope to help put a smile on the face of many of these children this Christmas.”

In addition to Harrisons’ initial donation, the company has set up a Just Giving page and are asking people to donate money towards Christmas gifts for children helped by Holding On Letting Go. Local toy shop, The Hobby Shop in Faversham is providing all the toys at cost price to help ensure everyone’s donations go even further.

Anyone wishing to donate to the appeal can go to Harrisons Just Giving page here.

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Demelza Hospice Care for Children: Conveyancing company Convey Choice is backing this charity, which provides care and support for young people suffering from serious and terminal conditions.

Throughout December it is donating £3 for every conveyancing instruction placed through its online portal this month.

“When families are really struggling to cope because their children are suffering from a serious and terminal condition, Demelza provides specialist care and support bringing them back from breaking point” says Ryan Edwards, Convey Choice business development manager. 

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Agents Giving: Here's a last chance to get to the industry charity's own awards event, this afternoon between 3.45pm and 5.30pm. 

The event is to celebrate all the amazing Acts of Kindness you have all been doing this year with the winners being announced by Agents Giving patron Phil Spencer. The charity will also be announcing the winner of the charity sponsored by Foxtons, where two winners will be awarded a donation towards their charity of £750 each. Stay tuned for the After Party just after 5pm sponsored by Simply Conveyancing.

You can view the event for free at this Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/event/485241/9d3b9c5c49.

St Joseph’s School, Longsight, Manchester: The school has celebrated the opening of a new sensory garden that will provide recently returned students with a place to escape and relax, following a donation from Lovell Homes.

Lovell Homes provided funding for building materials such as timber, fixings, stone, and ballast to complete the sensory garden project as well as the outdoor glockenspiel and drum.

The team also provided bird feeders to encourage wildlife into the area.

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Trees For Cities: London developer Avanton has planted 300 trees in East London in support of charity Trees For Cities.

The young trees, which are a variety of native and non-native species will help to tackle air pollution from nearby roads and sequester CO2 emissions.

The 300 trees planted by the Avanton team in Mile End are the bulk of trees that will make up a hedgerow of 500 whips along Agnes Street. Alongside the young trees, Trees For Cities have planted 20 large trees, areas of native hedgerow and woodland habitat.

The East London project is one of many undertaken by Trees For Cities. Each year, trees in London remove 2.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. The trees also remove many thousands of tonnes of air pollution; dust and other gaseous toxins from the capital at a value estimated at £126m in public health savings annually.