I took over the role of chair of Jacksons’ charity committee last year when our previous chair stepped down. Having set the committee up two years ago, it felt like it was the natural thing to do.
Currently, there are nine members of the committee ranging from partners, trainees, and other staff from marketing, HR and legal departments, from both our Stockton and Newcastle offices. I’m always looking for new members and staff are welcome to join the charity committee, at any time, throughout the year.
Our staff are given the opportunity to vote for our charity of the year and the one with the most votes is adopted. Our charity of the year, 2019 is Dragonfly Cancer Trust which supports young children and adults (up to the age of 24) who are terminally ill by granting them a ‘last wish’.
Working with Jane Dennison, her team, and the Trustees at Dragonfly is a pleasure. Their enthusiasm is contagious and they work tirelessly to raise awareness and funds for the charity.
Everyone at Jacksons, not only the charity committee, gets involved in fundraising for our charity of the year. Like many other organisations, we organised a sweepstake for the Grand National a couple of weeks ago. It’s fun to watch the competitive side of people come out when these things are going on!
The charity committee is busy planning four big events this year including a book and brunch event at Durham Cathedral, a quiz night in Newcastle, and one in Teesside, and our annual golf day, also in Teesside.
My managing partner, Jane Armitage suggested the book and brunch event after spending some time in Chicago, where the event was organised by one of the charities she supported. I thought this was a great idea, so we are inviting local authors to the event to give a talk to our guests whilst brunch is being served. We’ve secured two businesses in the region to sponsor the event and currently looking for two more. In addition, Barclays have offered match funding. I am eternally grateful for this support as I know from experience, these organisations will be inundated with similar requests on a regular basis. I also understand that it is really difficult to decide which of the charities to support and there are many equally worthwhile causes out there.
Our quiz night is always really popular. We have been hosting one in Teesside for a couple of years and it made sense to bring it to Newcastle, with Dragonfly being based in the city centre.
The golf day event in Teesside last year was a great success, and some of the teams who took part are already planning their annual leave around this year’s event!
We have all been busy speaking to our contacts (and even strangers) and popping into some of the restaurants, hotels etc. up and down the North East to generate awareness and funds for our charity events. I’m always amazed at how generous people are when I ask for their support, whether it is a raffle prize, a cash donation, sponsorship or their time. Businesses have donated many items including pantomime tickets, cash, vouchers for restaurants, personal training sessions, afternoon tea, and an autographed book from Whitley Bay author Ann Cleeves, the list goes on.
We support other charity organisations at Jacksons including Teesside Hospice, Butterwick Hospice and have done for many years, and are excited to have become a corporate partner in 2019 for The High Tide Foundation.
The charity sector is suffering financially with the recent funding cuts and all organisations in the sector need as much support as possible. I wish I had a magic wand to wave away their financial problems! In the meantime, I feel like the staff at Jacksons is doing what it can to make a difference!
If you would like to find out more about how to support Dragonfly Cancer Trust, or any of the other charities we work with, please contact me at krobinson@jacksons-law.com. I can also give you details of our events, and how you can enter a team at the quiz night(s), buy a ticket for the book and brunch event or get involved in the golf day.
