Sydney Mitchell recently held its first Buddy Bag Brigade at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Solihull. Sydney Mitchell chose The Buddy Bag Foundation as one of their nominated charities for 2019 with the aim of helping children affected by violence at home; it really does pull at the heart strings.
A group of 25 volunteers from Sydney Mitchell and the Crowne Plaza Hotel packed almost 2500 items into 180 bags for the children at the Buddy Brigade.
Each Buddy Bag packed by the team goes to local women’s and men’s refuges for the children who are often unable to take any personal belongings with them when removed from the family home after experiencing traumatic events. The Buddy bags are designed to give a little bit of pleasure and comfort to a child at such a terrible time for them and contain items such as pyjamas underwear, some toiletries, a book, notepad, a cuddly toy and something to play with – at a time when they are often frightened and afraid.
Sarah Archer, Partner, Sydney Mitchell commented:
We were all deeply moved when Chris and Karen Williams talked to us about the charity and the great work they do with women’s and men’s refuges in the region.
The thanks they receive from the children and their parents is heart-warming. We hope that our effort goes just a little way to give some comfort to the children when they arrive at the shelters. Just a few thoughtful items can make a difference at a hard time in their life.
A lot of emotion went into packing the bags with such personal items; we were all very glad to have given our time to help such a worthy cause and would encourage others to do so. We wish all those affected by trauma and tragedy in the home, safety and security during their times of need.
Chris Williams, Co-Founder of the Buddy Bag Foundation, said:
It’s not just the messages of thanks we receive from the children that makes our efforts so worthwhile but also the positive impact and the wonderful feeling that our volunteers get from being involved in a team building event with purpose. Thank you ‘Team Sydney Mitchell’ you’ve made a difference to 180 frightened children.
Nicola Corfield, Sales Manager, Crowne Plaza Solihull added:
We were really pleased to support Sydney Mitchell and the Buddy Bag Foundation on the day and to understand more about the work of this wonderful charity. It is important to all of the team at the Crowne Plaza Solihull that we are there to support our local community and charities.
Legal 500 Top Tier Law Firm Sydney Mitchell is an award winning Midlands based firm with specialist legal teams that include employment, commercial property, company and commercial services, litigation and insolvency. Private client teams include family law, residential property, dispute resolution, immigration and wills and probate, tax and trusts and personal injury. Sydney Mitchell LLP has been providing legal advice in the Midlands for over 250 years.
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For further information, please contact:
Linda Heyworth, Senior Marketing Manager
Tel – 0121 746 3300 Mobile: 0777 279 5041
Email – l.heyworth@sydneymitchell.co.uk
Picture:
All staff taking part in the Buddy Bag Brigade, Sydney Mitchell LLP
From left to right…
Anne Breslin, Hayley Caprani-Warner, Gemma Parker, Julian Milan, Linda Heyworth, Sophie Thomas, Debbie Williams, Roy Colaba, Miranda Buttler, Emma-Louise Hewitt, Kiran Siddiq, Jessela Adjei, Wendy Bencens, Hayley Burrill, Teresa Mannion, Mike Sutton, Sarah Archer, Nicola Corfield, Melissa Southall and Aniqa Basharit
About Sydney Mitchell:
Sydney Mitchell is a Midlands based award winning law firm, with offices in Birmingham City Centre, Sheldon and Shirley with additional facilities in Sutton Coldfield. Offering a range of specialist legal services for both businesses and individuals, Sydney Mitchell is listed in the Top Tier of the Legal 500, Lexcel accredited and won the Law Firm of the Year in 2018, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2011 and 2008 (5-15 partners) in the Birmingham Law Society Legal Awards.
The firm’s specialist teams include employment, commercial property, company and commercial services, litigation and insolvency. Private client teams include family law, residential property, dispute resolution, immigration and wills and probate, tax and trusts and personal injury. Sydney Mitchell LLP has been providing legal advice in the Midlands for over 250 years.
l.heyworth@sydneymitchell.co.uk @SydneyMitchell_ www.sydneymitchell.co.uk
About the Buddy Bag Foundation
The Buddy Bag Foundation was created in response to the rising number of children who enter emergency care after fleeing violent situations at home. The Foundation helps restore a sense of safety and security into a child’s life during a traumatic time. By providing these children with a few essential items, the charity can help make the transition into emergency care a little easier. Over 48000 children require emergency accommodation each year in the UK. Founder Karen Williams launched the Buddy Bag foundation in 2014 after being inspired by the Alannah and Madeline Foundation in Australia. hello@buddybagfoundation.co.uk
www.buddybagfoundation.co.uk @buddybagsuk Charity No. 1164916
About the Crowne Plaza Hotel
Crowne Plaza Solihull is set in the heart of Solihull and just 5 miles from the NEC and Birmingham Airport. The hotel offers a range of bedroom types, 12 meeting rooms, a heated swimming pool and a lakeside terrace restaurant. Free WiFi is available throughout and free on-site parking is available. The hotel has a range of conference facilities including 12 meeting rooms which can hold up to 200 delegates. The on-site leisure club, Club Moativation has a heated indoor pool, sauna, hot tub and fully equipped gym. Crowne Plaza Solihull is located 1 miles from the M42 motorway junction 5. Solihull train station is a 10-minute walk from the property.
https://www.crowneplaza.com/hotels/gb/en/solihull/
West Midlands law firm, Sydney Mitchell has been short-listed in the medium size law firm of the year category at the Law Society Excellence Awards for the second year running. The medium law firm of the year category, which is open to all law firms in England & Wales with between 5 and 29 partners, is judged on matters such as professional excellence, staff engagement and development, business and client acquisitions.
Senior Partner, Sydney Mitchell LLP, Karen Moores commented,
We have had a fantastic year and it is wonderful that the Law Society has recognised our success by short-listing our firm in their national awards. It is also amazing to have been short-listed in these Awards for the second year running and I would like to thank all of our clients and staff for all of their support.
Sydney Mitchell is the only law firm based in the West Midlands within this category and so will be waving the flag for the West Midlands legal community at the Law Society Legal Excellent Awards ceremony which takes place in London on 23 October 2019.
The Law Society president Simon Davis said:
There are more than 140,000 solicitors in England and Wales – to be shortlisted for an Excellence Award is to be recognised as among the very best of the profession. The firms and solicitors shortlisted should be commended for going above and beyond to support their clients, often navigating tricky and sometimes contentious areas of the law.
Full details of all shortlisted ... https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/support-services/events/excellence-awards/shortlist/#
More details can be found on the Law Gazette article link ...
On the 6 July a team of four intrepid climbers from Sydney Mitchell Solicitors will take on the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge. 12 hours, 3 Peaks, 64 pairs of socks and an abundance of plasters, is in between them and victory.
They are taking on this gruelling challenge to raise funds for two worthy causes, Age UK Solihull and The Buddy Bag Foundation.
Age UK Solihull is a charity with a mission to improve the lives of older people within the Solihull Borough. Age UK Solihull provides many services including social clubs and befriending programmes to tackle feelings of isolation and loneliness many within the older generation are going through.
Please click on the following link to learn more: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/solihull/about-us/
The Buddy Bag Foundation provides comfort to children who enter emergency care after fleeing violent situations at home. Buddy bags help to restore a sense of safety and security into a child’s life during a traumatic time.
To learn more about The Buddy Bag Foundation click on the following link: https://buddybagfoundation.co.uk/our-mission/
To sponsor our “Peaky climbers” in their aim to raise money for these two charites please click on the link below and donate, all donations are welcome.
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/PeakyClimbers-Sydneymitchell
Watch out for more information. Hour by hour coverage will be posted on the 6 July on our Facebook page @SydneyMitchellSolicitors
If you are a business owner, HR manager/professional or business adviser this interactive and helpful discussion is a must for you!
Work Related Stress – The Risk for Employers
Come along to join us for coffee and pastries where we will be looking at:
- What the risks are to your business
- How to protect your business
- The right documentation to have in place
We will highlight the key risk areas and minimise the risk of claims against you and your business by giving you practical steps to follow when managing this tricky situation.
It will be a jam packed morning covering:
- What is work-related stress and why is it such an important issue
- Employers obligations
- Employment documentation
- Health and safety issues of stress at work
- Potential claims including discrimination
- What employers can do to reduce stress in the workplace
- Managing stress-related sickness absence
Let Emma-Louise Hewitt, Head of Employment Law at Sydney Mitchell give you the opportunity to discuss the key problems that you are facing in your business.
We are sure you will find this event of interest. Book now to attend this FREE event. Please confirm your attendance by emailing Linda or Aniqa events@sydneymitchell.co.uk
We do hope you can join us
FREE EVENT - Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney Seminar - Protecting your family
At Sydney Mitchell we are concerned that people are not planning well enough for their future and protecting their families.
We often put matters off to a later date believing we have plenty of time to sort financial matters out in the future.
Often, it is a difficult topic to broach and many families dislike talking about money, bills and what will happen when they die.
Our FREE seminar will look at what can be done now to safeguard, you and your family.
Date and time:
12 March 2020 - 10.30 am
Location:
Fountains Care Home, 1355 Stratford Road, Shirley, B90 4EF
To book your place at the FREE seminar
Call: Lorraine Shannon – Home Services Adviser on
0121 581 2605
Email: Lorraine.Shannon@barchester.com
Leading Midlands' law firm Sydney Mitchell LLP hold their ‘Movers & Shakers’ Networking Event throughout the year at Ginger's Bar, Purnell's Bistro, owned by Michelin starred Glynn Purnell.
Karen Moores, Senior Partner at Sydney Mitchell regularly welcomes over 50 Midlands’ professionals to the event.
Karen commented:
Our aim is to bring together Midlands’ professionals at an informal event where they not only experience the excellent food produced by Glynn and his team but can also build on their professional relationships.
We are extremely pleased with the overwhelming support for the event.
Law firm Sydney Mitchell LLP has offices in Birmingham City Centre, Sheldon and Shirley.
Additional pictures from the event can be located at
Leading West Midlands’ law firm Sydney Mitchell celebrated their 12th successful quiz at The Studio in Birmingham, raising almost £3000 for its nominated charities; Age UK Solihull and the Buddy Bag Foundation.
80 people took part in the action packed Quiz with Stoo Pittaway, of SpeedQuizzing as Guest Quizmaster. It was a fast and furious event with a few twists. Teams were able to play Jokers to double up on points on key questions, buy chance cards, that gave teams the opportunity to leap to first place, second place, plus add or deduct 10 points during the competition.
The winner of the much coveted Sydney Mitchell Charity Quiz Trophy for 2020 was Dains Chartered Accountants, ’The Forlorn Hope’ whose musical knowledge was outstanding, with Eastcote Wealth Management in 2nd place ‘Donald Trump’s IQ closely followed by Prime Accountants ‘Primal Scream’ in 3rd place.
Karen Moores, Sydney Mitchell Partner, commented:
We all enjoy the fast and furious quiz and helping raise money for our charities. There were a few new faces this year and great to see so much healthy competition throughout. Almost £3000 was raised from entry fees, raffle and the Chance Cards; it is wonderful to see everyone being so generous in support of the charities. Thank you also to Cornwall Street Barristers for the £50 Lasan Gift Voucher raffle prize.
Rebecca Jacob, Digital Marketing and Fundraising Officer for Age UK Solihull, thanked all quizzers:
We thank Sydney Mitchell for their continued support of our Charity. We are proud to be able to help our older and vulnerable residents in Solihull and Age UK Solihull would not be able to do this without the support of the local community and businesses.
Karen Williams, Founder of the Buddy Bag Foundation, added:
Thank you to Sydney Mitchell for choosing us as their chosen charity. We would not be able to function without the generous support from our sponsors and fundraisers.
Sydney Mitchell is a Midlands based award winning law firm, with offices in Birmingham City Centre, Sheldon and Shirley with additional facilities in Sutton Coldfield. Offering a range of specialist legal services for both businesses and individuals, Sydney Mitchell is listed in the Top Tier of the Legal 500, Lexcel accredited and won the Birmingham Law Society Legal Awards in 2018; having previously won the award five times.
The firm’s specialist teams include employment, commercial property, company and commercial services, litigation and insolvency. Private client teams include family law, residential property, dispute resolution, immigration and wills and probate, tax and trusts and personal injury.
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For more information contact call 0121 746 3300 or visit www.sydneymitchell.co.uk
For further information, please contact:
Linda Heyworth, Senior Marketing Manager
Tel – 0121 746 3300 Mobile: 0777 279 5041
Email – l.heyworth@sydneymitchell.co.uk
Pictures:
1. Winners – Dains Chartered Accountants (The Forlorn Hope)
2. 2nd Place - Eastcote Wealth (11 Donald Trump’s IQ)
3. 3rd Place - Prime Accountants (Primal Scream)
4. Scores
1st Prize – Dains Chartered Accountants – Karen Moores, Senior Partner presented Champagne to the Winners (Richard Pugh, Michael Bevan, Hoan Nguyen and Andrew Donaldson)
2nd Prize - Eastcote Wealth - Ben Brayshay, Rob Kenyon, Alex Haynes, Karen Moores (Sydney Mitchell LLP) Rob Kenyon (Eastcote) (Donald Trump’s IQ)
3rd Prize – Prime Accountants – Liz McMillan, Peter Hewston and Indu Melvin, Karen Moores of Sydney Mitchell LLP presenting prize (Primal Scream)
Winning Scores
Another great professional networking event held at Purnell's Bistro, Ginger's Bar, Birmingham with over 75 guests attending.
Karen Moores, Senior Partner, thanked all attendees for supporting the networking events and their contribution over the years in our fundraising activities.
In particular, Karen thanked those who supported the recent Charity Ball at which the firm raised over £10,000.
Karen Williams of the Buddy Bag Foundation and Lorraine Hart of Age UK Solihull addressed all guests, thanking Sydney Mitchell for their support of their charities and for the amazing fundraising the clients, contacts and staff have done over the last 12 months.
The food, as always, provided by Glyn Purnell and his amazing chefs and staff was excellent.
Karen Williams announced at the event that Sydney Mitchell had been awarded "Company of the Month" by the Buddy Bag foundation for the firm's recent fundraising activity. A great honour and the certificate was accepted by Karen Moores and Linda Heyworth on behalf of Sydney Mitchell.
A few of the pictures from the event can be seen below and on the link attached.
Over 200 people attended the Sydney Mitchell Charity Ball held at the National Conference Centre on 22 November 2019, raising over £10,000 for two local charities; the Buddy Bag Foundation and Age UK Solihull.
Karen Moores, Senior Partner, Sydney Mitchell thanked everyone for their support of the charities and welcomed Chris Williams of the Buddy Bag Foundation and Anne Hastings, CEO of Age UK Solihull to say a few words on behalf of the charities.
It was an amazing night aimed at raising funds for two well-deserving Midlands’ charities and I can’t thank everyone enough for their generosity on the night and to all who donated prizes for the raffle. We chose our charities this year covering both the young and old in our communities. It is a real pleasure to be able to give something to people who are vulnerable and needing support. Thank you again to all supporters and those who gave their services or time to make this event successful.
The National Motorcycle Museum and Pellier Noir Photography donated a percentage of sales on the night to the charities. Over £4300 was raised from the ‘tops and tails’ and the raffle on the night. Prizes were generously donated by contacts and local businesses namely; John McHale, Jask, CIPP, Mondelez International, Heritage IFA, Hogarths Hotel, the National Conference Centre, DACS, Move Exchange, Birmingham Underwater Exploration Club, The Buddy Bag Foundation and Sydney Mitchell. A special thank you to Andrew Lockington of Avalanche Capital Financier of Properties in Solihull and Warwickshire, who donated a cheque for £1,000 direct to the Buddy Bag Foundation at the event.
Chris Williams, Founder of the Buddy Bag Foundation gave an emotional speech about how the charities help children who are often taken from their homes in the middle of the night following a traumatic event in the home.
Many times children are unable to take any personal belongings with them when taken to a place of safety. The Buddy Bag is designed to give a little comfort during that time and contains a few items like underwear, pyjamas, toiletries, a book, notepad and a cuddly toy or teddy bear.
Anne Hastings, CEO of Age UK Solihull, explained that without the support of local businesses in the community, many of our older people in Solihull would not benefit from the activities currently provided to help improve the wellbeing of those living in the borough.
We are grateful to all present for their support and to Sydney Mitchell for hosting this Charity Ball enabling us to improve and develop the services Age UK Solihull is able to provide across the borough.
Legal 500 Top Tier Law Firm Sydney Mitchell is an award winning Midlands based firm with specialist legal teams that include employment, commercial property, company and commercial services, litigation and insolvency. Private client teams include family law, residential property, dispute resolution, immigration and wills and probate, tax and trusts and personal injury. Sydney Mitchell LLP has been providing legal advice in the Midlands for over 250 years.
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Picture: Karen Moores, Senior Partner, Sydney Mitchell
For further information, please contact:
Linda Heyworth, Senior Marketing Manager
Tel – 0121 746 3300 Mobile: 0777 279 5041
Email – l.heyworth@sydneymitchell.co.uk
Notes to Editor
About Sydney Mitchell:
Midlands based Sydney Mitchell is an award winning ‘Top Tier’ Legal 500 law firm, with offices in Birmingham City Centre, Sheldon and Shirley with additional facilities in Sutton Coldfield. Offering a range of specialist legal services for both businesses and individuals, Sydney Mitchell is Lexcel accredited and won the Law Firm of the Year in 2018, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2011 and 2008 (5-15 partners) in the Birmingham Law Society Legal Awards.
The firm’s specialist teams include employment, commercial property, company and commercial services, litigation and insolvency. Private client teams include family law, residential property, dispute resolution, immigration and wills and probate, tax and trusts and personal injury. Sydney Mitchell LLP has been providing legal advice in the Midlands for over 250 years.
l.heyworth@sydneymitchell.co.uk @SydneyMitchell_ www.sydneymitchell.co.uk
About the Buddy Bag Foundation
The Buddy Bag Foundation was created in response to the rising number of children who enter emergency care after fleeing violent situations at home. The Foundation helps restore a sense of safety and security into a child’s life during a traumatic time. By providing these children with a few essential items, the charity can help make the transition into emergency care a little easier. Over 48000 children require emergency accommodation each year in the UK. Founder Karen Williams launched the Buddy Bag foundation in 2014 after being inspired by the Alannah and Madeline Foundation in Australia.
hello@buddybagfoundation.co.uk www.buddybagfoundation.co.uk @buddybagsuk Charity No. 1164916
Age UK Solihull
Age UK – Solihull provides help and support to older people in the borough of Solihull. The Vision of Age UK Solihull is of a world where older people flourish and our Mission is to improve the lives of all older people in the borough. The Core, Central Library Building, Solihull, B91 3RG
0121 704 7840 info@ageuksolihull.org.uk @ageuksolihull Charity number 1055887
Social Media for our recent fundraising event:
Twitter and LinkedIn - #smcharityball2019
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