Sydney Mitchell balloon race has lift off

LAW firm Sydney Mitchell launched 250 balloons at Hogarths Hotel, Dorridge, to celebrate the firm winning the Birmingham Law Society Law Firm of the Year and its 250 years in business.

The Mayor of Solihull and Karen Moores, partner, Sydney Mitchell, thanked all for their support in helping to raise much needed funds from the event for two great charities:  the Tiny Babies Appeal for Birmingham Women’s Hospital, raising funds for specialist neonatal equipment, and the Maria Watt Foundation raising funds for teenagers and children with cancer. 

Moores said: “It was a spectacular sight seeing 250 balloons race across the sky. All funds raised today will go towards helping us reach our target of raising £10,000 this year for our chosen charities.

“In addition to the balloon race we also have planned, for later in the year, a 250 mile bike ride and a charity ball.”

Crowe Clark Whitehill fundraising for injured troops

ACCOUNTANCY Crowe Clark Whitehill has presented a cheque for £7,586 to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) Charity, towards the recently opened Fisher House facility for military patients and their families.

It was Crowe Clark Whitehill’s Midlands chosen charity for 2012-13 and fund-raising initiatives included a Stratford to Stratford cycle ride – the 122 miles from Stratford, East London to Stratford-upon-Avon – headed by Midlands partner Dave Darlaston.

Mike Hammond, chief executive of the QEHB Charity, said: “Fisher House is a true ‘home away from home’ for military patients and their families, but it is only made possible thanks to the generous support of individuals, organisations and companies like Crowe Clark Whitehill.

“I have been honoured to get to know the staff as they have worked so hard in supporting Fisher House over the past 12 months and I would like to thank them all.”

BMW apprentice challenge raises cash for Cancer Research.

BMW apprentices, along with other engineering apprentices from the region, participated in a Go-Kart challenge, raising more than £1,200 for Cancer Research UK.

As part of their studies at Birmingham Metropolitan College, the apprentices were tasked with a project to design and construct go-karts.

A race challenge day demonstrated both their team work and technical achievements, marking the successful completion of their first-year of training.

Showing they also have a head for business, the engineering and technical apprentices organised the race-day event themselves, hosting a number of invited guests and worked hard to fundraise for Cancer Research UK.

Joe Welsh, a manufacturing engineering apprentice at BMW Plant Hams Hall, said:  “This has been an exciting and enjoyable project.  It was good to work together and test out some of our newly learned skills, and I’m really pleased we were able to raise money for such a worthwhile charity at the same time.”

Cancer Research UK is BMW Group in the UK’s ‘house charity’ of 2013-2014 and the company will also make a donation, adding to the funds raised by the apprentices.