More than ten charitable causes in Aberdeen have benefited from generous donations from The Law Practice Solicitors and Estate Agents as the company, founded in 2005, celebrated its tenth year of business.
The Law Practice has raised a total of £5418.59 and a super amount of awareness for many of the local charities.
In January 2015 owner and principal solicitor Margaret Waldron pledged to support at least ten individual causes, one for each year she has been in business. She said: “We wanted to contribute to the local community that helped the company develop over the decade. Each cause was handpicked by a member of staff. That way, each charitable effort really means something at The Law Practice.”
The Law Practice’s charitable efforts during 2015 have been as follows:
- Give Blood Scotland – The Law Practice team have been given the convenient option to leave the office and donate blood during working hours.
- Community Food Initiatives North East – for 365 days the team has collected tins, tubes, jars, packets and parcels of food and household staples, totalling 682 items.
- Marie Curie Cancer Care
- Free wills for those aged over 55 during spring, equating to £300 of free services.
- Befriend A Child
- Launch of a ‘De-clutter and Donate’ campaign, encouraging The Law Practice clients to donate to the charity shop when packing up and moving home.
- Donation of around £400 worth of unwanted goods to the charity shop.
- Turning the team and The Law Practice website blue and yellow in support of Befriend A Child’s 40th
- Alzheimer Scotland – 10% of all wills instructed during July, August and September (£215) went towards Aberdeen’s new Dementia Resource Centre.
- Crohn’s & Colitis UK – 10% of all leases instructed during August, September and October (£105) went towards Aberdeen’s fundraising team.
- Northsound 1’s Cash for Kids – The Law Practice collected 55 gifts for young people living in poverty in the north-east.
- Aberlour Childcare Trust – Margaret took part in Strictly Come Prancing, raising £1,270.
- Harlaw Academy PTA, Trades Advisor, Barnardos and Camphill Wellbeing Trust have benefited from the donation of wills for raffles throughout the year, coming to a total of £1,000.
In addition, The Law Practice supported the national Will Aid campaign, agreeing to prepare wills for free during the month of November for clients donating to a charity of their choice. Ten wills were prepared, equating to £1,350 of free services from The Law Practice. Meanwhile, generous clients who benefited from the campaign contributed a total of £740 to their chosen charities.
Finally, on a national basis The Law Practice supported Save The Children, Macmillan Cancer Support and Make-A-Wish through Christmas Jumper Day on Friday 18 December, raising almost £40.
Lydia Fyall, senior fundraising executive at Aberlour Child Care Trust, said: “We were delighted to be supported by Margaret and the whole team at The Law Practice this year. Margaret and her husband gave up so much of their time to participate in our event Strictly Come Prancing. The event is our biggest fundraiser of the year and wouldn’t have been possible without The Law Practice. The Law Practice shared the work that we do in the community and helped raise our profile; all of this helps us to provide support for some of Scotland’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable young people. A very heartfelt thanks to The Law Practice.”
Lana Bambridge, resources and development manager at Befriend A Child, said: “Befriend a Child were delighted to be one of the many worthy causes supported by The Law Practice this year. Their commitment to raising funds and awareness for so many charities throughout the year stands as a true testament to their culture and commitment to the local community. We’re very grateful and wish them the best over their next 10 years!”
Sarah Geoghegan, policy and engagement manager at Alzheimer Scotland, said: “It's fantastic that the Law Practice have supported so many local charities this year. We're extremely grateful to them for choosing Alzheimer Scotland. The money raised will help us to continue to support people with dementia and their families in Aberdeen over the coming year.”
Fiona Rae, deputy chief executive at Community Food Initiatives North East, said: “CFINE have been delighted to work in partnership with The Law Practice this year. The donations received for the Food Bank Partnership Aberdeen have been overwhelming and have benefitted individuals and families throughout Aberdeen who are experiencing poverty. The commitment of the team at the Law Practice is really appreciated and we look forward to working with them again in 2016.”
Margaret said: “I’m absolutely thrilled that we’ve pulled off the campaign, beating our target of ten individual causes and supporting a super range of charities not just financially but also by creatively raising awareness and by getting clients involved too. It’s been a fantastic way to give back to the local community that’s supported us but also to our team, with the causes handpicked by them.”