Agents Do Charity - bikes, hikes and megabytes

Welcome to this week’s Agents Do Charity, our chance to salute those who do so much to help others.

If your agency is doing a little charitable something which we should bring to the attention of the industry, please email press@estateagenttoday.co.uk - and we’ll do the rest! 

 
Sheldon Bosley Knight: Leamington Spa Amateur Swimming Club, which wears jackets sponsored by Sheldon Bosley Knight, is celebrating after four of its young squad qualified for a national swimming competition.

Charlie Rounce and Teia Hendley both aged 17, Erika Sheppard, 16, and 13-year-old Isabella Cleary, will take part in six events at the British Championships which takes place in Sheffield on Sunday.

Charlie will be in action in the 200m fly, Erika will compete in the 200m free, Teia will feature in the 50m and 100m breaststroke and the 200m individual medley and Isabella will be in the 100m breaststroke.

A further 10 from the club will be taking part in the Swim England National Summer Meet, a week later, also held at Ponds Forge, Sheffield.

Dandara:  A team from Dandara Southern has raised more than £10,000 for the UK Sepsis Trust and Motor Neurone Disease Association, embarking on a challenging 20-mile hike to raise funds and awareness.

The hike took place on Friday 24 May, along the South West Coast Path from the Portland Bill Lighthouse to Lulworth Cove. With the original goal of £10,000, the team managed to raise £10,095 to donate to the charities, which provide vital sepsis and motor neurone disease research, patient care and community initiatives.

Paul Ebbs, managing director for Dandara Southern, said: “MND and sepsis are devastating conditions that impact the lives of thousands each year. These two organisations are doing invaluable work to raise awareness, conduct research and ensure that those impacted by the conditions receive the highest possible care and quality of life.”

Only the best 24 in the country are invited to compete in the British Championships and the next 24 in the ranking are invited to compete in the England Nationals.

The young athletes will be wearing new club jackets for the events which have been sponsored by Midlands-based land and property agency, Sheldon Bosley Knight.

LSASC head coach Graham Nash said: “I’m so proud of all of them as they’ve trained so hard to get to Sheffield.

“It’s a huge achievement for the club which, at 150 members is small compared to our counterparts in other areas of the country. To have so many going to these two events is phenomenal and I’m so thrilled for them.

“We are also delighted Sheldon Bosley Knight has sponsored our new jackets. They are very smart and I know the squad is proud to be wearing them.”

Sheldon Bosley Knight custodian Mike Cleary said: “We have a proud heritage of supporting the communities in which we live and work.

“We are always particularly excited to be able to support talented young people who are making a positive difference to their communities and this is no exception.

“Everyone at Sheldon Bosley Knight wishes both squads every success in the forthcoming championships."
 

Computers for Schools: Industry figure Stephen J Brown’s Computers for Schools initiative is approaching its £200,000 fundraising target.

The industry consultant is seeking industry support to purchase and donate tablets to children and families lacking access to IT devices and has been trying to raise £200,000 to help fund this.

Fundraising reached £145,000 this week and 1,414 tablets and laptops have been distributed so far.

Brown said he is now hoping to hit his target by filming a video series with industry professionals called “If I could tell you one thing, what would it be”.
The aim is for all the great tips to be made into a book, with all the proceeds going to the computers for school campaign. All contributors will then go into a draw to win a laptop or tablet to give to a school of their choice. 

He has recorded more than 100 already, Contact Stephen to get involved: stephen@sjbconsultancy.co.uk

Agents Giving: The annual Agents Giving Charity Ball, sponsored by Reapit and supported by Foxtons and Let Alliance was hosted by Jason Lee of Propertymark at The Epsom Downs Racecourse last Friday.

It celebrated the outstanding fundraising efforts of the property industry as well as showcasing the industry’s skills with the Agents Got Talent Competition. 

Guests enjoyed a fun packed evening of awards, talent, dancing and DJ Dave Seed.

The Agents Got Talent Competition, hosted by Simon Bradbury, saw agents perform for the judging panel, which included Russell Quirk and Natalie Barton. 

See the talent line up here: https://agentsgiving.org/agents-got-talent-2/

The winner of the Agents Giving talent was Joe Rylett from eXp with his stunning performance of David Gray’s Babylon which was compared to a professional singing level by the judges. Joe said: “Wow, what an event the Agents Giving ball was! It was inspirational, entertaining, nerve jangling but above all, a whole lot of fun. Congratulations to all involved. It was an absolute privilege to part of it with you all and my kids think it’s hilarious I won a trophy for singing.” 

The winners of The Fundraising Champions Awards were proudly named on the evening and announced by host Amy Shields from Women in Estate Agency. 

See the full list of The Fundraising Champions Award winners and award sponsors here: https://agentsgiving.org/events/fundraising-champion-awards-winners-2024/

A special industry award for Outstanding Contribution to Charity sponsored by Propertymark was won by Charlie Panayi of Red Squirrel Property Shop.

Charlie said: “Receiving this award and hearing the speech really was an overwhelming moment for me. I’m not sure I fully appreciated what I have achieved over the last 7/8 years for charities and local communities, until I heard someone else speaking about it. I don’t do what I do for recognition, however it really did feel amazing receiving that along with the standing ovation. It helps reinforce what and why I do what I do. Thank you to Agents Giving for putting on a fantastic evening.”

David Newnes, chairman of Agents Giving, said: “We would like to thank our sponsors, supporters, donators, partners, and guests for a wonderful evening and especially our Agents Got Talent Got Talent contestants who were truly sensational”. Special thanks to our charity auctioneer for the evening Richard Worrall. The evening raised in the region of £37,000 for The Trussell Trust and The Agents Giving Grant Fund.

Andrews Property Group: The team at Andrews Property Group has raised more than £6,000 for charity in a week of fundraising activity across the branch network.

Teams took static bikes into the branches and pedalled virtual distances across the branch network. There were also cake sales, raffles, dog walks and generous donations from partners and suppliers.

The money raised goes to a project called [establish], which was set up by Andrews Charitable Trust, the owner of Andrews Property Group. The project provides high quality, safe and affordable housing to young people vulnerable to homelessness, helping them grow into fully independent adults. Andrews Charitable Trust partner with local youth support organisations who provide ongoing weekly support to the residents.

The fundraising will provide deposits for tenants when they move on to the private rental sector.

The [establish] project currently houses 21 young people in 7 properties. Andrews Property Group provide housing management services directly and liaise regularly with the [establish] tenants.

David Powell, managing director of Andrews Property Group, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve exceeded our original fundraising target of £5,000, I’m so proud of everyone in the Andrews team who got behind this fundraising week. We’re proud to be charity owned and the [establish] project is one that we collaborate on with Andrews Charitable Trust. 

“Hearing about the tenants' experiences reminds us just how transformative safe, affordable, stable housing can be. It's not just about providing a home; it's about offering a foundation for these young people to build their futures.”

FIA: The Federation of Independent Agents (FIA) raised £5,000 at an auction during its FIACON conference last week.

The charity auction, hosted by Pattinsons Auctions, was held on behalf of the Pink Ribbon Foundation supporting breast cancer charities from across the UK, which saw an incredible £5,000 raised.

Graham Lock, founder of the FIA, said: “Our members conference was once again a great success, not only did we learn and share so much on the day, we also helped to raise money for a fantastic cause.”

The event itself included presentations from Simon Gates, Chartwell Noble, Graham Lock, Pattinsons Auctions and an expert AI panel which included Heather Staff (Street), Ian Preston (Preston Baker) and Dev Malle (Simplify) who gave their opinions on the current and future benefits of AI within the estate agency industry.