Agents Do Charity- a heartwarming choice of causes

A variety of charities have received support from the property industry over the past week, from on land to under the sea.

If there are charitable endeavours you think the rest of the industry should know about, please email us on press@estateagenttoday.co.uk, or get in touch via our social platforms, and we’ll do the rest.

Nicol & Co: Estate agency Nicol & Co has donated £200 to Worcester Warriors Community Foundation to help pay for urgent repairs to the charity’s vandalised minibus.

The donation is one of scores that have been made to local charities, schools and groups from the company’s community fund that have now topped £28,000.

Matt Nicol, managing director of Nicol & Co, which has offices in Droitwich, Worcester and Malvern, said: “We were upset to hear that the Foundation’s minibus had been vandalised and asked what we could do.

“The repairs were set to cost £3,000 and they were just £200 short, so we decided to contribute that amount to help get the minibus back on the road as soon as possible.

“We’ve only played a small part in a bigger appeal, but we are valued partners of what is a great charity that helps to involve the community in sport, education, health and social cohesion.

“This is a great example of our Community Fund doing what it does best – helping great local causes in need.”

The Worcester Warriors Community Foundation is the charitable arm of Worcester Warriors Rugby Club, which is currently in administration because of financial problems.

Nicol added: “Like everybody associated with the club we are hoping for a successful outcome and the doors being open again soon at Sixways.”

Dan Hart, development coordinator at the Worcester Warriors Foundation, said: “We’re really grateful to Nicol & Co and everybody else who contributed to the fundraising campaign to repair our minibus.

“This had been our sole remaining transport and used for a variety of projects including wheelchair rugby, so it really is crucial to us.”

Hart added that the Foundation was operating as usual as its funding was completely separate to the Worcester Warriors Club.

Nicol & Co launched its Community Fund in March 2021 by pledging £100 to the seller’s good cause of choice for every property sale it handles.

Some vendors give Nicol & Co the honour of choosing which local group the £100 should be donated to, which resulted in the donation to the Foundation.

Agents Giving: The Agents Giving Dragon Boat Race is set to make waves in the industry next May.

The second Dragon Boat event will be on Sunday 7 May 2023 at Fairlop Waters, Ilford, Essex.

Registration is now open for teams to take part in this super charity fundraiser.

If you are an estate agency, lettings agency or property supplier you can put a team together and enter.

You do not need to be super-fit because this is about having an enjoyable day fundraising for charity.

Each team can have up to 17 members, including “a drummer”, no fitness capabilities are required and you can share a boat with others.

It is the ultimate water sports activity for ages 12+, where you will race in three heats, each being around 250m, with the winners going through to the grand final race. 

Enter now to secure your boat space at: https://agentsgiving.org/event/dragon-boat-race/

It’s going to be a super family fun day out for charity so bring along your family, friends, and colleagues to join your boat and cheer you on.
 

Kebbell: Employees at housebuilder Kebbell have been busy raising over £6,500 for charities dear to their hearts including baby hospice Zoë’s Place, Wycombe Homeless Connection, Bishop Monkton Primary School, Run For Your Life and the Iver Heath Scout Group.  

Andrea Fawell, sales and marketing director at Kebbell, said: “We mostly chose our charities because we have personal connections or because they were nominated by our staff as causes that are particularly close to their hearts. 

“Zoë’s Place was chosen by our staff in the north, whilst staff in the south raised £1,910.40 through the Give As You Earn Scheme for Wycombe Homeless Connection as an optional donation made directly from their salary each month.”

Hamptons: Estate agency Hamptons has donated £10,000 to help the Marine Conservation Society.

The £10,000 donated by Hamptons will be used by the charity to fund a seagrass protection and restoration project currently underway along England’s south coast.

Seagrass is essential for our ocean, and planet’s, health, capable of absorbing and storing carbon from the atmosphere up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests. 

It also provides a vital habitat to sealife. 

But, seagrass is currently under threat; UK seagrass habitats have been damaged and degraded over the past century, and have reduced in area by 92%.  In marinas, help is needed to replace traditional mooring systems that damage the seabed and as a result, seagrass habitat.

Lara Ellis corporate partnerships manager at the Marine Conservation Society, said: “We’re delighted to have the support from Hamptons to continue our work protecting and restoring vital seagrass habitats in England. 

“Seagrass is an incredibly powerful tool in our fight against climate change, but it’s been put at risk from years of damage.”

Mary Beeton, head of residential sales at Hamptons, added: “With our ocean currently at tipping point, it’s difficult not to feel overwhelmed when considering the sheer scale of the problem. 

“But by joining the fight to save our ocean and contributing where we can, we hope to make a difference. Alongside partnering with the Marine Conservation Society and supporting them in their efforts, Hamptons has gifted everyone in the business a volunteering day: a day to give back for the good of our communities. 

“We’ve also been busy planting Mangrove trees and are now close to planting a total of 3,000 trees. All in an effort to protect this planet we call home.”

Hamptons also hosted a beach clean on Brighton’s seafront this week in partnership with the Marine Conservation Society with 50 employees.

Fine & Country: The Fine & Country Foundation has opened its Autumn Grant Scheme, which provides an opportunity for the network to nominate charities and non-profit organisations in the UK and abroad that need financial assistance. 

The Foundation donated more than £31,752 during the Spring Grant Scheme this year, in additional to the various other initiatives the organisation has supported throughout 2022.

So far during 2022, The Foundation has donated over £122,841 to charities.

Jon Cooke, trustee of the Fine & Country Foundation, said the grant scheme aims to provide financial support to non-profit organisations, specifically focussed around supporting charities in the fight against homelessness and poverty. 

He said: “Grants are issued in Spring and Autumn, with Fine & Country offices around the world encouraged to submit applications nominating a charity of their choice to receive a donation of up to £3,000. 

“These proposals are then reviewed by The Foundation board and successful projects are awarded with grants. The money presented to these charities will offer them much-needed funds to continue the fundamental work they carry out for their communities,” he adds.

Cooke added that with the cost-of-living crisis placing additional financial pressure on many organisations, the support could be a lifeline to many during this time of uncertainty. 

He said: “There is no doubt that many non-profit organisations will be feeling the impact of rising bills, which in turn could be affecting their ability to carry out the work that they do effectively. 

“While a grant may not solve all their problems, we hope that it will help them in the right direction and will have a positive impact on their local community,” he concludes.

Applications for the Autumn Grant scheme are now open, visit the website to find out more or to donate to The Foundation.

Iamproperty: Proptecth firm iamproperty has raised £9,346 during a series of September fundraising activities in aid of its charity of the year, Tiny Lives Trust, which supports premature and sick newborn babies and their families.

Four teammates – Rob Wallace, Hope Killick, Dan Milne and David Simms, took part in the iconic Great North Run (GNR), with the starting line not far from iamproperty’s HQ in Newcastle.

Sponsorships saw them raise a total of £1,267.

The group then teed off on its annual Charity Golf Day, inviting Partner Agents and team members to join them on the course. Following a successful day of golf, they added £8,079 to the fundraising pot.

Following the Golf Day, Jamie Cooke, managing director, said: “We are so proud of our team for helping to raise money and awareness for Tiny Lives Trust. It’s a challenging time as we’re all facing increasing costs, so we appreciate the generosity of our team and our Partner Agents more than ever.

“A huge thank you goes out to our four GNR runners, agents and partners who joined the golf day and everyone who donated to our chosen charity.

“The money we raise will go a long way in making a difference to the lives of babies and families that need the support. Tiny Lives Trust is our charity of the year as voted for by our team and we have more fundraising planned before 2022 comes to an end to raise as much for them as possible.”