We would normally host Christmas drinks for all our offices in December. Like many others we have been unable to celebrate Christmas in our usual way and instead have donated £6,000 to local charities.

In November, the Sherborne office was approached and asked to help with a food drive to ensure local children did not go hungry over Christmas. The partners agreed to support the initiative and donated £1,000 to help feed 73 families. This donation led to a discussion as to how we could help in all the towns where we have offices.

The office heads and partners agreed to provide much needed relief to charities which have been hard hit this year, with their fundraising events being cancelled and for many, their services being needed more than ever.

Benefitting from the Firm’s generosity are:

• The Pilsdon Community, Bridport;
• The Portland Foodbank;
• Julia’s House;
• Sherborne Primary School food drive;
• Open Door, Taunton;
• The Trussell Trust, Wellington Foodbank;
• The Yeovil Community Meals Service;
• and The Lords Larder.

Richard Baker, Head of the Family Team and CSR Partner, said: “Being able to reach out into the community at these challenging times means a lot to the Firm and we are delighted to support those in need over the festive season. Putting others first is at the heart of what we do, and we want to make sure, as far as we are able, that no one goes without over Christmas. Everyone should have a roof over their head and food on their table every day and we know that this year has been very challenging for many people.”

Rob Fox, Managing Partner, added “By working together, we can help end poverty. Our office heads chose these charities because they are at the heart of the communities where we have offices. All but one provides food and shelter, with Julia’s House playing an invaluable role in the lives of families at a very difficult time, made even more difficult by COVID-19.”

We continue to support our 2020 Charities of the Year, and staff recently participated in the Save the Children “Christmas Jumper Day”.