Charity: Gordons; Lupton Fawcett Denison Till; DWF; Yorkshire Bank
STAFF at law firm Gordons have raised £10,000 for Willow Young Carers Service, the firm’s charity of choice for 2015/16.
A number of employees from across the firm’s Leeds and Bradford offices have spent the last 12 months taking part in a series of fundraising events, including a nine-and-a-half-hour trek across the Yorkshire Three Peaks, a bake off, a football tournament and a Santa fun-run.
Willow Young Carers Service, which is part of children’s charity Barnardo’s, supports children and young people in Leeds who care for a family member affected by a physical or mental health illness, disability or substance misuse problem.
Sylvia Shatwell, manager at Willow Young Carers Service, said: “We’re very appreciative of the fantastic support Gordons has provided over the last year. As a small local charity, this is a very significant amount of money which will help us make a positive difference to the lives of those supporting family members suffering from the various forms of ill-health.”
The sum raised for Willow Young Carers Service takes the total amount raised for local charities by Gordons over the last five years to £100,000.
:::
LAW firm Lupton Fawcett Denison Till has supported training of more than 30 members of its York office staff to become Dementia Friends in support of an Alzheimer’s Society initiative.
The firm said it is keen to encourage all staff to develop the necessary skills to engage and work with those affected by dementia together with their relatives and carers.
The interactive Dementia Friends sessions were led by Dawn Clements, director of fundraising at St Leonard’s Hospice. The sessions enabled staff to learn about what dementia is, how it affects those living with it and consequently, how best we can help.
Antonia Moore, a senior solicitor at Lupton Fawcett Denison Till’s York office, who specialises in private client advice, says: “It is a common misconception that dementia is a disease which only affects the elderly. Our awareness training has highlighted that dementia is actually caused by many different diseases, with Alzheimers being the most commonly known. Many also fail to recognise the 700,000 carers who support their loved ones, a figure that is set to rise in the coming years.
“The training was really well received by all my colleagues who took part. It turned our obliviousness into inspired awareness. The number of residents living in the York area with dementia is increasing and we are advising more and more clients with dementia related issues.”
The firm’s Leeds and Sheffield offices are also being trained as Dementia Friends during May and June.
:::
THE managing partner and CEO of DWF in Leeds has signed up to a charity skydive to kick-start the firm’s newly-launched foundation.
Andrew Leaitherland will be taking the leap along with 50 of his colleagues. The law firm has regularly been involved in charity fundraisers to support employment, homelessness, education and wellbeing, but this is the first activity since the launch of the foundation at the start of May.
Each jumper will take the leap from 10,000ft with a qualified instructor organised by Skyline, a company that specialises in corporate charity events, free-falling at 120mph before parachuting the final mile back down to solid ground.
Mr Leaitherland said: “It’s great to be a part of something that will really help our local communities. I’m not particularly fond of heights so as this is my first skydive I’m certainly apprehensive, but the DWF foundation is a great initiative and I’m pleased to be supporting it.”
Clare Beavan, foundation manager at DWF, says: “The foundation works as a grant-giving service which will enable us to fund many more charities and smaller projects that are often overlooked in the communities within which we work, alongside the more prominent charity names we all know and recognise. The skydive is an excellent way to kick off our fundraising and really begin to fill that fund pot.”
The skydive will take place on June 5 and the firm is urging any charities looking for funding to apply through the DWF Foundation website.
:::
A CORPORATE fundraising group led by Yorkshire Bank staff is to climb the region’s three highest mountains for charity.
More than 40 people, including Yorkshire Bank’s Leeds-based specialist and acquisition finance (SAF) team, are taking on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge on June 9. All funds raised will be donated to Leeds Autism Services, which provides a range of services to adults with autism.
Yorkshire Bank’s SAF staff will be joined by volunteers, family and friends from the charity as well as representatives from a range of Leeds-based professional service firms including Park Place Corporate Finance, Pinsent Masons, Squire Patton Boggs, Livingbridge, Endless, Key Capital Partners, Eversheds, KPMG, BDO, Valuemaker, Traditional Stone and RSM. Councillor Adam Ogilvie has also agreed to lace his hiking boots and take part in the charity event.
The 24-mile walk involves scaling Yorkshire’s three highest peaks – Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough – in under 12 hours and incorporates 5,200ft (1,585m) of ascent.
