Andrews, the estate agency chain whose majority shareholder is a charitable trust, has handed over a £394,688 gift aid payment.
The payment, which Andrews makes each year from its profits, makes up most of the grant-making trust’s funding.
Over the past five years more than £1m has been contributed by Andrews, which was instrumental in setting up Oxfam, ActionAid and Help the Aged, and also helped co-found the Estate Agency Foundation in 2007.
The Andrews Charitable Trust’s partnership with the firm is the only such estate agency model in the UK, and is a legacy of Andrews’ founder Cecil Jackson-Cole, who believed that commercial success should benefit society.
The Trust typically provides seed-corn funding for new charities over two- to seven-year periods. A wide range of charities have received money in the past, including those in the third world.
Since 2008, ACT has awarded £1.2m in grants, and last year it received 331 applications for funding. The trust is currently seeking applications from charities that require funding.
Michael Robson, Andrews’ chief executive, said: “Social responsibility is right at the heart of Andrews – it always has been and always will be.
“Despite the ongoing economic troubles, the business performed well in 2012. We were delighted to be able to make such a significant contribution to the Andrews Charitable Trust this year, and see it as an indicator that recovery is on the horizon.”
In addition to the annual gift aid payment, four working directors act as co-trustees, donating up to ten days a year to ACT and the charities it supports.
https://www.andrewscharitabletrust.org.uk/
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