Professionals: Senior partner raises £500k for charities

A SENIOR partner at  Simon Fenton Partnership in Manchester has raised more than £500,000 supporting local charities and recently became one of few to be awarded RICS Fellowship through nomination.

Fellows of RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) are considered major achievers and leaders in their field, having completed exceptional projects or made a special contribution to the surveying profession and wider land, property and construction industry.

Salford born Nick Abbott led a campaign to save Salford Children’s Holiday Camp in Prestatyn, Wales from closure after the local council said it could no longer afford the £50,000 a year needed to fund it.

The camp has provided holidays for underprivileged children since 1926 and, having stayed there as a young boy, Abbott was keen to ensure it continued to provide a quality holiday destination for disadvantaged children from Greater Manchester.

Abbott started a fundraising campaign with local residents, businesses and sports clubs all donating funds.

Using his contacts and colleagues within the industry, he was not only able to save the holiday camp, which is now open for business, but was also able to repair and improve it and has secured revenue funding for years to come.

Abbott first joined SFP in 1990 as a project quantity surveyor, shortly after the practice was founded in 1988 by Simon Fenton.

Fenton retired from the practice in 2009, leaving it in the capable hand of Abbott and the other partners. Fenton nominated Abbott to become a Fellow of RICS.

He said: “Nick has dedicated his time to helping others and is chairman of the Salford Foundation and Salford Foundation Trust, which supports the vocational, personal, social and academic development of young people and adults in Salford and other boroughs in Greater Manchester.”

Victoria Hampson, RICS Regional Director, North and Midlands adds: “Only 20% of our members have attained Fellowship status and the much sought-after FRICS designation, so Nick is part of an elite class of chartered surveyor.”

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WEIGHTMANS’ lawyer Graeme Jump has been awarded with a Lifetime Achievement Award, in the 2016 Manchester Legal Awards, honouring his career of more than 50 years in law.

He was commended for his lasting contribution and impact to the legal services market in the region during his career.

Jump was admitted as a solicitor in 1969, he was made partner at Mace & Jones in 1973 and was senior partner from 1997 until 2007. He started at Weightmans during the merger with Mace & Jones in 2011, and has extensive experience of dispute resolution in all aspects of commercial and business conflicts including shareholder and professional negligence. His specialisms include partnership and LLP law, and also corporate recovery and insolvency.

Richard Corran, regional office head for Weightmans Manchester, said: “We are incredibly happy for Graeme, and proud that his efforts have been recognised across the profession. Graeme deserves this award as he has made a longstanding impact in the legal community, he is an inspiration to us all.”

During his career Graeme has been actively involved in the affairs of the profession and business life generally in the North West. He served as a council member of both the Liverpool Law Society and the Manchester Law Society, being both President and Honorary Treasurer of the latter.

Jump said: “I am extremely, honoured and grateful for this award. I have enjoyed working with some great people during my career, and am delighted that I can pass on my experience to the new talent that we have coming through the profession.”