Agents Do Charity - positive charitable developments

A variety of charities have received support from the property industry this week.

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.

Agents Giving: Industry charity Agents Giving is calling on agents to help support their local food banks.

It comes ahead of Agents Giving Day on 20 June, supported again by The Guild of Property Professionals and Relocation Agent Network. The aim is to encourage support of all local food banks by donating food parcels as more people than ever are facing extreme food poverty.

You can help by preparing a simple food parcel of items to donate to your local food bank to help with the supplies they so desperately need. Check with your food bank the items they are in most need of, collect them up and make the donation.

Your office can collect food donations from your wider community, you can also contribute by purchasing and donating items via your local supermarket collection bin, just a couple of items will help make a big difference to the ongoing need for emergency food in local communities.

Last year Agents Giving Day saw thousands of food items collected and this year we hope to beat that figure with agents around the country all on a mission to collect as many food items as possible.

David Newnes, chairman of Agents Giving, said: “We are encouraging everyone to support their local food banks for Agents Giving Day. By simply collecting up and donating a food parcel it can help make such a difference to those living and going hungry in our local communities”.

Tell us which food bank you are supporting by registering: https://agentsgiving.org/event/20th-june-2024-agents-giving-day-support-your-local-foodbank/

David Wilson Homes: Housebuilder David Wilson Homes, which is building homes at its The Poppies development in Kent, is supporting local charity Dandelion Time with a £1,500 Community Fund donation.

Dandelion Time, founded in 2003, is a nature-based charity that provides support to children who have suffered from traumatic experiences including domestic abuse and neglect. The charity supports them to overcome behavioural and emotional issues to build confidence and to cope better at school, home and day to day life.

The £1,500 donation from David Wilson Kent will go towards helping families to attend sessions at one of Dandelion Time’s three sites, each within a farm setting, significantly reducing its waiting list. 

These sessions provide a space where children can feel safe, whilst keeping their minds busy. Families can access a range of activities, including rhythmic natural crafts, gardening, working with animals, sensory experiences, and bringing families together to strengthen bonds, all with the aim of improving children’s mental well-being.

Graham Carpenter, Dandelion Time’s chief executive said: “With one in five children suffering a probable mental health disorder in 2023, according to NHS England, the need for Dandelion Time is greater than ever.

“So donations such as these are crucial to support those who need our help. With the help from local organisations, our charity can make a difference, with 93% of the children we have helped having improved their self-esteem and 87% having improved their emotional well-being.”

Natalie Perry, sales and marketing director for David Wilson Kent, added: “Having heard the shocking figures surrounding child abandonment and abuse, it was so important for us to support Dandelion Time, as well as being a local charity to The Poppies development. It is clear how much of a difference this charity is making to support children and help them grow, and it gives us great pleasure to have the opportunity to support it. Building strong relationships with the local community is key as we build new homes, and we look forward to seeing how our donation will help contribute to improving young lives”.

Roffey Homes: As part of an initiative to bring more greenery to the streets of Worthing, property developers Roffey Homes have generously donated £20,000 and sponsored the planting of 15 new trees in Sompting Avenue, Worthing.

The initiative is the result of a partnership between Worthing Borough Council and Trees For Streets, a charity that helps individuals and businesses sponsor the addition of new trees to their local communities.

Increasing the number of trees in towns and cities has a wealth of benefits for residents, local wildlife and the wider environment. But as well as breathing new life into the streets of Worthing and enhancing the environment, the trees sponsored by Roffey Homes have personal unique significance. Located on Sompting Avenue in the north of the town, the site for the new trees was specifically chosen by managing director Ben Cheal for its important role in his family’s heritage.

Sompting Avenue was where Ben’s parents had their first home together and was also where Ben’s grandfather Reginald Cheal laid the foundations for the Roffey Homes business, by developing his first couple of houses and starting to turn what was originally a cul-de-sac into the avenue it is today.

Reginald established Roffey Homes in Worthing in 1960, and the company has remained family-run and firmly embedded in the local community ever since. The business still operates from its original office in Cheals Mews in the town centre – which itself was constructed by Ben’s great-grandfather (also named Ben) in the 1930s.

Ben said: “My father has a long history of secretly planting acorns in and around Ferring, and so when we saw a press release on the partnership between Worthing Borough Council and Trees for Streets, a national tree sponsorship scheme and charity, we decided to donate. 

“When they included Sompting Avenue in the list of possible streets to plant the trees, we jumped on it due to the close history we have with this Avenue as well as the visual impact it will have as people enter our town. We look forward to seeing Sompting Avenue turn into a tree-lined avenue.”

Bond Wolfe:  A special ‘dine and donate’ campaign at Asha’s restaurant in Birmingham has seen customers help to raise £500 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Scores of generous customers donated £1 extra via their bills when dining at the top Indian venue during April.

This was raised for the Bond Wolfe Charitable Trust which then boosted the donations to a figure of £500, as the hospital is the trust’s chosen charity of the year for 2024.

Nouman Farooqui, the general manager at Asha’s restaurant, said: “We’re so proud of our customers who joined with us to help Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and thrilled that the Bond Wolfe Charitable Trust helped us to reach £500.”

Lisa Worrall, manager of the Bond Wolfe Charitable Trust, added: “We have a close relationship with Asha’s and were so pleased that they decided to help us raise funds to support Birmingham Children’s Hospital, our chosen charity for 2024.
 
“So many diners took part at Asha’s that we their efforts deserved an extra contribution from the trust, which we know will go towards helping young patients.

“The primary focus of the Bond Wolfe Charitable Trust is to raise funds for a range of worthy causes that help people from all walks of life.

“In 2024, we are proud to be supporting the Birmingham Children’s Hospital and this contribution will be just one of many that we will be making through our fund-raising efforts across the year.”