Agents Do Charity - caring communities

Check out some of the latest charitable endeavours from agency and property brands this week.

Agents Giving: Entries are now open for industry charity Agents Giving’s Fundraising Champions of the Year Awards 2023.

You can enter the awards or nominate someone you know who has carried out some extraordinary good deeds for charitable causes in their local community or has undertaken a fundraising challenge for charity. 

The winners will be announced at the Agents Giving Charity Ball sponsored by Callwell, which will take place on Friday 14 July and will once again be celebrating the extraordinary fundraising efforts of the industry. 

David Newnes, chairman of Agents Giving, said: “We have seen so many wonderful fundraising events, challenges and good deeds taking place by agents and suppliers which once again highlights that there are so many of you doing some fantastic work for good causes.

Agents Giving will also be awarding the Outstanding Contribution Award for Charity - this category sponsored by Propertymark allows anyone to nominate their very own charity person of the year.

Enter on the Agents Giving website: https://agentsgiving.org/agents-giving-fundraising-champion-awards/

The awards are free to enter, and you could be in with a chance of being recognised with one of these highly respected industry charity accolades. The deadline for award entries is 30 May 2023, the categories are:
· Best Team Fundraising - Sponsored by The Valpal Network
· Best Company Fundraising – Sponsored by Stephen J Brown Consultancy in memory of his wife Sam Brown
· Best Individual Fundraising – Sponsored by Mint Insurance
· Best Creative Fundraising – Sponsored by National Home Move
· Best Community Fundraising
· Best Industry Supplier Fundraising
· Best Fundraising Campaign - Sponsored by Simply Conveyancing
· Special Fundraising Award
· Best Social Media Campaign Award – Sponsored by Social Angels
· Best Agency Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Award – Sponsored by ESTAS
· Outstanding Contribution Award – Sponsored by Propertymark

The award winners will be announced at The Agents Giving Charity Ball which will be held at the Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey, as well as seeing the return of the Agents Strictly Dancing Competition.

Last year the ball was a sellout, bookings for tables are at £1,500 per table of ten or £160 per individual ticket. Book your tickets today to secure your place at the ball as only a few tables remain: https://agentsgiving.org/event/strictly-agents-dancing-charity-ball-2022/

Nicol & Co: Independent agent Nicol & Co has welcomed a report that reveals that Worcester folk are the most generous in the UK.

A survey commissioned by online lottery company Raffolux for the Smiley Movement, found that those who live in Worcester were the most likely to donate to good causes.

The news comes as Nicol & Co revealed that the company’s own Community Fund has now passed the £40,000 mark in money raised for good causes across Worcestershire.

The residential sales and letting agency, which has offices in Droitwich, Worcester and Malvern, gave almost £25,000 to hospices, food banks and other good causes in 2022 – more than double the figure of £12,000 donated by the firm’s Community Fund in 2021.

Nicol & Co’s Community Fund was launched in March 2021, with a pledge to donate £100 to a school, community organisation or local charity  for every property sale it handles.

Managing director Matt Nicol said: “Worcester Warriors may sadly be out of the Premiership but this survey proves that Worcester people are still top of the league when it comes to supporting local causes.
 
“When we decided to team up with our clients and offer them the chance to nominate who should receive £100 when we sold their property, to get to a figure like £40,000 seemed a long way off.

“But only two years later, we have passed the £40,000 mark and have our eyes set on £50,000 as our next target.

“There is a great feeling in our offices at passing the £40,000 mark, and everyone here at Nicol & Co is thrilled to be giving something meaningful back to the local community.”

There was a total of 249 community fund donations of £100 in 2022, with other good causes including 15 schools across the county, and various other one-off gifts given to smaller organisations.

As well as the community fund, Nicol & Co has also been active in supporting local organisations by investing over £13,000 into multiple sponsorship projects.

Those benefiting include a number of the county’s amateur rugby, football, hockey and cricket clubs alongside the likes of Harlequins Dance and a number of other arts organisations. Recently, Nicol & Co also sponsored new jackets for Droitwich CVS staff and invested in some new equipment for the local Litter Picking Group.

Matt added: “Some vendors are happy for Nicol & Co’s staff to have the pleasure of deciding which local group or project should receive the £100 donation from their sale, and we are always pleased to hear from new groups and deserving causes.”

Any group that would like to be considered can email community@nicolandco.co.uk.
 

David Wilson Homes: Following on from a multi-year partnership with Littlehampton Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Club, Angmering housebuilder David Wilson Homes and its contractors AGL Scaffold Ltd and Woodhard Group Ltd have partnered with one of the charity’s members, Andy, to help redesign his garden in time for spring.
 
Kimberley Benson, sales and marketing director for David Wilson Southern Counties, visited Andy at the beginning of March to find out more about the project, and discuss the plans for a wider garden redesign, which included installing raised beds and laying new paving to make the garden more accessible for Andy and his family.

The housebuilder joined forces with Ashley Taylor, Director of AFL Scaffold LTD, who donated sleepers to the project, and Warren Parker, contracts manager at Woodhard Group Ltd, who constructed the raised beds.

Andy said: “Due to a historic injury, I have struggled to keep up with my garden and have fallen behind on some garden chores, including planting, weeding and grass cutting, and have instead relied on those around me for their help. 

“I am very grateful for the support from David Wilson Southern Counties, as these planters will help, alongside the other improvements to the garden, to give me back my independence outside so I can enjoy the space to the fullest without it being too labour intensive for me to maintain.”

Kimberley added: “It has been a pleasure to organise the delivery and creation of these raised beds with Ashely, Warren and Andy, which are key to lifting the garden up to a more manageable height and make his outside space more accessible. The Littlehampton Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Club is central to the local community, and we continue to be committed to supporting ex-service men, women and their families in the Littlehampton area.”

Last year, David Wilson Southern Counties donated £4,000 towards the charity’s new van which will be used to support a variety of club outings, as well as being made available for a small contribution to other local, not for profit community groups to help contribute to the running costs and continuity of the project.

 

Barratt David Wilson Homes: National charity The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) recently received £1,500 from Barratt David Wilson Homes, whose North Thames division is based in Watford. 

The donation will contribute towards supporting children, their families and individuals who have been diagnosed with retinoblastoma. The donation was made as part of The Barratt Foundation’s Community Fund initiative, which sees the housebuilder donate £1,500 each month to a charity improving the lives of individuals in the areas close to its developments.

Marc Woolfe, head of sales at Barratt David Wilson North Thames, said: “The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust is a vital organisation, close to our head office here in Watford, supporting children suffering from retinoblastoma and their families nationwide. 

“We hope this donation will allow them to continue providing vital support to those families and individuals alike. We are fully aware that CHECT does not receive any government support and, as a result, is solely reliant on donations such as ours to continue its important work. We hope these funds will help the charity continue to deliver its essential services helping those children in need.”
 
Richard Ashton, chief executive at Childhood Eye Cancer Trust, added, “We are incredibly grateful to have been the recent recipients of Barratt David Wilson North Thames’ Community Fund. Donations like these enables us to continue providing support to children up and down the country facing a retinoblastoma diagnosis. Our charity offers a range of services from emotional support for families, to funding new research, and raising awareness for this rare form of eye cancer. None of which would be possible without generous donations, like this one from Barratt David Wilson Homes.”

Meanwhile, Barratt Homes in Kent has partnered with homelessness charity Porchlight, donating £5,000 to the charity and attending its big sleepout event, which took place on Monday 27 March at Leeds Castle.

The sleepout brought together around 30 people from a range of businesses in Kent, including three members of Barratt Kent’s senior team: sales and marketing director Natalie Perry, commercial director Colin Apps and development director Luke Cooper. 

Natalie said: “As a local housebuilder in Kent, we are proud to announce our support for Porchlight. Our kickstarting donation of £5,000 is just a drop in the ocean for the funds needed to tackle homelessness, and we look forward to a year of fundraising to enable Porchlight to continue to extend its reach across Kent. 

“The sleepout was an important reminder as to why charities such as Portlight are so crucial to supporting local communities, and it was fantastic to meet like-minded individuals, all united by a goal to end homelessness.”

Jo Skelton, strategic partnership manager at Porchlight, added: “Funding to our homelessness services is being cut, so we are extremely thankful to the directors of Barratt Kent who came to our big sleepout at the end of March. 

“Their time, commitment and support will really make a difference to those most in need of our services. With Barratt Kent choosing us as their charity of the year, we look forward to working with them closely throughout 2023.”

 To donate to Barratt Kent’s JustGiving page please visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/BDW-KENTPORCHLIGHT2023