Over £4,400 has been donated by the Foundation to Roundabout, which is committed to preventing youth homelessness in Yorkshire, from funds raised by the team at Convey Law in October.
The Conveyancing Foundation enables legal practices and property businesses to raise voluntary donations from their clients during their transactions through its Charity Lotto, entering them into the monthly £500 prize draw. Nominations are then made to the Foundation for causes and charities in need of support.
Roundabout was nominated as a deserving charity by PM Property Lawyers Managing Director Harvey Harding, who has so far raised over £5,800 for the charity through his own determined fundraising.
Mr. Harding has recently successfully completed the London Marathon and a Serpentine swim in aid of Roundabout and said the charity had been at the centre of the Sheffield law practice’s fundraising efforts for several years with staff undertaking a series of challenges to raise much-needed funds.
An active fundraiser for several charities, he has previously undertaken challenges including marathons and triathlons, a winter sleep out and even a stand-up comedy stint.
“Over the last two years, I’ve not been able to do much in terms of events but have always run, swam, abseiled, thrown myself out of planes et cetera for charity.
“I therefore thought this year that I should double up both in terms of fundraising and of events because raising money for charity has been difficult during lockdown and furthermore this particular charity needs it more than most because of all the help it has provided to the homeless during lockdown.”
“The swim was joyous as the weather was beautiful. However, I followed it up with an 8 mile training run where I managed to twist my ankle! The marathon therefore was all the more difficult and, after 16 miles, my ankle unfortunately went but I still managed to finish the event.”
PM Property Lawyers’ fundraising will be further boosted by setting up its own Charity Lotto through the Conveyancing Foundation, said Mr. Harding.
“I’ve always believed in giving back and those who can, should – and in my case I’ve always tried to raise a significant sum every year for charities close to my heart. I believe our fundraising will be further boosted by joining the Conveyancing Foundation’s Charity Lotto.
“The Foundation’s Charity Lotto is a fantastic mechanism for us and for other legal and property practices to raise charity funds through voluntary donations. Thank you so very much to Lloyd and the team at Convey Law for supporting Roundabout with their Lotto donations for the month of October.”
Convey Law Managing Director and Conveyancing Foundation Chairman Lloyd Davies said he receives nominations from Convey Law staff and from others in the property and conveyancing sector for worthy causes each month to donate funds to from the Charity Lotto and had been motivated to support Roundabout by Harvey’s inspirational fundraising.
“I have worked alongside Harvey at The Conveyancing Association, where he is also a member. When we heard about his dedication to raising money for this amazing charity, we were only too happy to help and commit funds raised through the Foundation’s Charity Lotto from donations made by Convey Law clients in October to Roundabout.
“Charity Lotto clients are invited to make a voluntary £10 donation to the Lotto at the end of their transaction with the opportunity to win £500 towards their legal fees at the end of each month. This model is available to other legal, conveyancing and property businesses and I would highly recommend it as a smooth and effective mode of fundraising.”
“Roundabout strives to support young people in difficult circumstances who find themselves homeless.
“Our wraparound support ensures they are safe, have appropriate accommodation, and receive the support they need to develop the life skills, confidence, and self-esteem to progress to living independently.
“We appreciate the support of individuals, groups and companies, who want to make a difference for these young people.
“We are delighted to have the support of PM Property Lawyers in Sheffield and are very grateful for the generous donation made by Convey Law and The Conveyancing Foundation to Mr Harding’s personal fundraising challenge for Roundabout.”
The charity, which was set up over 40 years, provides shelter, support and life skills to young people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. It currently supports over 250 young people living in its accommodation every day.
Your Conveyancing Services staff were not only busy in the run-up to the end of the Stamp Duty holiday helping clients complete their sales and making valuable savings but they also successfully donated over £40,000 to charity in September.
Your Conveyancing Services Conveyancing Supervisor Rhian Reynolds raised £500 by taking on an epic 2000 squat challenge during what she described as “the busiest month of her life” to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity) as a thank you to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for helping to save her stepdaughter’s Rea’s life.
Rhian’s fundraising was boosted significantly by a £13,000 donation from Your Conveyancing Services clients taking part in the Conveyancing Foundation’s Charity Lotto.
Clients donate a voluntary £10 at the end of their transaction with the opportunity of winning £500 towards their legal fees in the monthly Lotto draw. Funds raised from clients taking part in the Lotto in August and September were donated to Rhian’s challenge.
Rhian, who also got married in September, explained that the world-famous hospital carried out life-saving surgery on stepdaughter Rea, who is now 5, when she was a baby:
“I took on this 2000 squat challenge during the busiest month of my life for Rea and the wonderful work that is being undertaken at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Rea was born prematurely with a condition called Tracheo-Oesophageal Fistula (TOF) which meant her oesophagus wasn’t attached to her stomach so she was unable to eat or swallow. After a few months in Cardiff NICU, she was transferred to Great Ormond Street for surgery.
“Rea was in GOSH for a couple of months where she received the most amazing care. She was fed through a tube in her stomach for years but thankfully she is now a happy and healthy 5-year-old child who can and will eat anything in sight. This hospital gave us so much and I wanted to do something small to raise money for such a wonderful place. Thank you to everyone at Your Conveyancing Services for working so hard to encourage our clients to take part in the brilliant Conveyancing Foundation Charity Lotto which raised a fantastic amount of money for this wonderful cause – thank you all!”
Matthew Shaw, Chief Executive of GOSH, said:
“Firstly, what an incredible donation – I’d like to say a massive thank you to Your Conveyancing Services, to Rhian, and to each and every one of the team, for supporting the life-changing things we do here at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
“The amazing money they’ve raised is invaluable – it means we can continue to provide exceptional care to the children and young people who are treated at Great Ormond Street every year.
“Your Conveyancing Services are great donors for many varied causes and it is a privilege to receive such a remarkable amount. I can’t wait to hear about their next fundraising challenge.”
Laura Savory, GOSH Charity’s Deputy Director of Community Fundraising, added:
“We’re so grateful for the support from both Rhian and Your Conveyancing Services to donate over £13,000 to GOSH Charity. Taking part in our Facebook challenges is a wonderful way to get involved with the charity and committing to 2000 squats in a month is no easy feat! Helped by the Conveyancing Foundation Charity Lotto, this incredible donation will make such a difference to the lives of seriously ill children who come to GOSH from across the UK every day, so for that we’d like to say a huge thank you.”
In September, Your Conveyancing Services also donated £3000 to a little boy with a rare genetic disorder to aid research into the disease from funds raised by clients taking part in the Conveyancing Foundation’s Charity Lotto.
Elliot, 3, who has the life-limiting muscle-wasting disorder Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, was nominated by Convey Law Director Nikki Fuller.
Elliot’s family have so far raised over £16,000 for Duchenne UK which is campaigning to accelerate treatments being currently developed in NHS clinical trials for Duchenne.
Your Conveyancing Services Managing Director Lloyd Davies did his bit in the bumper fundraising month by completing the penultimate two-day stage of his Offa’s Dyke Mindstep Trekkers’ challenge from Shropshire to Hay-on-Wye.
Lloyd and his team of eleven trekkers have now raised over £23,500 in aid of the Mindstep Foundation in memory of his eldest son Max who tragically took his own life at the age of just 22 in 2018 after suffering from clinical depression.
Funds raised from the 177 walk along Offa’s Dyke national trail will now be donated by Mindstep to a wellbeing centre at St Alban’s RC High School in Pontypool, where Max volunteered in the summer before he died.
Lloyd, who undertook the first arduous week-long stage of the walk in July, said:
“We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported us along the journey and donated to such a worthy cause. We tackled some very tough and mountainous terrain along the way and battled with some extreme weather conditions and injuries.”
Lloyd said he was “extremely proud” to contribute personally to Your Conveyancing Services’ fundraising record and commented:
“We have developed a charity fundraising and caring culture at Your Conveyancing Services which is ingrained at every level of our organisation. Our staff are always prepared to go the extra mile for causes that they believe in and are always keen to help those less fortunate than ourselves.
“They work together and support each other to help the charities that are dear to them and this has enabled us to help raise nearly £950,000 for our chosen charities over the course of the last decade. Very well done all.”
The Conveyancing Foundation Charity Lotto is available to all legal practices and those involved in the property industry and has enabled Your Conveyancing Services to become the most successful charity fundraising legal practice in the UK.
Your Conveyancing Services staff in the office and at home completed the bumper fundraising month by raising £1000 for Macmillan Cancer Support by taking part in the recent Macmillan Coffee Morning, despite the challenges of the imminent Stamp Duty deadline.
Activities including a Macmillan Quiz and a Macmillan Cartoon a Colleague competition helped everyone get into the spirit of the national fundraising day on September 24th while cakes were baked and offered for donations around the office.
Your Conveyancing Services staff in the office and at home raised an impressive £1,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support by taking part in the charity’s main annual fundraiser – the nationwide Macmillan Coffee Morning, which this year fell on September 24.
The office was decorated with bunting and balloons as we all got into the spirit of the day which is dubbed ‘the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’ as hundreds of offices and businesses up and down the country take part every year.
Despite the looming Stamp Duty deadline on September 30, staff baked cakes and biscuits which were happily offered for donations around the office.
Meanwhile, those working from home joined in with some fun online activities including a Macmillan Quiz and a Macmillan Cartoon a Colleague competition.
Your Conveyancing Services Managing Director Lloyd Davies: “We have a proud tradition of fundraising at Convey and we are only too happy to take part in key fundraisers such as the Macmillan Coffee Morning which help to support those desperately in need around the UK.
“So far, the 2021 Macmillan Coffee Morning has raised over £8.5 million, which could fund 161 Macmillan nurses for a year. I am delighted that Convey has contributed to that outstanding national effort and look forward to us supporting the cause for many years to come.”
Convey Law has won three top awards at the ‘Oscars’ of the property world – the ESTAS (Estate Agent of the Year Awards) in recognition of delivering outstanding customer service.
The conveyancing legal practice, based in Newport, South Wales, scooped three prestigious conveyancing awards – the Regional Award for Wales and the Bronze Award in the National Conveyancing Group of the Year Award – as well as Best in County for Newport – at the ceremony in London last Friday (October 22).
The ESTAS are the largest awards for the residential property industry and honour the best agents, conveyancers and mortgage advisors in the UK.
Convey Law Managing Director Lloyd Davies and Legal Director Phillip Edwards were presented with the awards in front of 1200 people at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London from celebrity host Phil Spencer, presenter of Location Location Location. It was the first major property awards event since before the Pandemic and the 18th annual ESTAS event.
He said: “We are honoured to receive these three awards in recognition of the consistently outstanding service our conveyancers have delivered throughout one of the busiest times for the industry since the Second World War.
“The combined effect of the Stamp Duty holiday and a demographic shift triggered by the Pandemic meant a surge in demand for our services during what was a difficult time for everyone. I am very proud of the Convey Law team who have been recognised by our clients to win these awards through their hard work and dedication.”
The awards are powered by the ESTAS online customer review platform, meaning that they are directly based on customer satisfaction. The platform is a valuable tool in enabling conveyancing and property professionals to demonstrate the customer service standards they deliver for their clients throughout the year.
ESTAS reviews can only be completed at the end of the property transaction and a strict verification process ensures reviews are genuine. The 2021 Awards shortlist was calculated following the evaluation of 60,000 client reviews.
Lloyd Davies added: “The Awards are extremely well-thought-of in the industry because they directly relate to a company’s performance day in day out so a real indicator of how well we have done.
“I am very grateful to all our clients who took the time to thank us and our staff for their exemplary customer service by writing a review after their transactions.”
Location Location Location host Phil Spencer said: “The ESTAS Awards are based on real feedback, from real clients experiencing real service so they provide genuine proof of the service levels that a firm is delivering to clients.
“Now more than ever high-quality customer service is crucial if home movers are going to realise their dream of getting the property they set their hearts on.”
The only UK charity dedicated to helping sufferers of a rare genetic disorder that causes gradual sight loss is delighted to receive a £1,000 donation from The Conveyancing Foundation’s Charity Lotto thanks to the generosity of Your Conveyancing Services clients.
Bardet-Biedl Syndrome UK (BBS UK) spokesperson Christine Saxon said the charity, along with many others, had struggled to raise funds during the pandemic when support was needed more than ever for sufferers:
“We are a small charity and as such the gift of £1,000 has made a huge difference when in the current situation all charities and ours is no exception, have found it increasingly difficult to raise funds.”
She said the pandemic had had a massive impact on sufferers who had to shield and who lost touch with many of the networks they relied on, explaining:
“Now the shielding is over there remains isolation, anxieties and a changed world for those with BBS. Who can explain social distancing to a guide dog or to someone who uses a long cane for independent travel?
“Telephone appointments with doctors when you cannot describe your symptoms through underdeveloped language skills? Social networks and support systems have closed, some never to reopen, it is hard for everyone, but for people with disabilities or who are parents of children with disability the challenges of this “new normal” are daunting, to say the least.”
BBS UK was nominated as a deserving recipient of the Charity Lotto funds by former Your Conveyancing Services conveyancer, Christian Bolton-Edenborough, who was diagnosed with the disorder when he was studying for his Master’s in Law at Bangor University.
Christian carried on his studies, determined to pursue a legal career, despite his failing eyesight. He is a dedicated campaigner for the charity.
BBS is estimated to affect 1 in 100,000 babies with an estimated 500-600 people in the UK currently suffering from the disorder which causes a variety of other symptoms such as kidney abnormalities and learning difficulties which not all sufferers will have, making it hard to diagnose. There is currently no cure.
Staff at Your Conveyancing Services are asked to nominate their favourite charities for donations from the Charity Lotto which their clients can opt into for £10 with a chance to win £500 towards their legal fees.
Children at a Welsh youth centre will be planning how to spend a much-needed £1,000 donation after the centre became the latest charity to benefit from The Conveyancing Foundation’s Charity Lotto.
The Caerwent Youth Centre in Monmouthshire, which spent months closed during lockdown, recently opened its doors again to the news it had received the donation thanks to clients of Your Conveyancing Services who enabled the donation by taking part in the Lotto at the end of their property transaction.
Your Conveyancing Services Conveyancing Supervisor, Alex Harris, who combines a busy job running a conveyancing team at Your Conveyancing Services with working as a youth and community support worker at Caerwent, nominated the non-profit making centre for the donation.
Alex, 30, has been running a weekly session at the centre since he was 16 and has provided valuable sports and play facilities for hundreds of young people in Monmouthshire.
He said: “We cater for young people between 11 and 17 and run various activities including lots of different sports and arts and crafts, pool and ping pong tournaments, cooking and life skills.
“They pay £1 to come to the 2.5 hour session but, as we are entirely self-funded, we don’t make any profit and all funds go back into the club so we are always looking for additional donations which mean we can choose activities from the wish list the young people have put together.
“The club has just re-opened after COVID forced us to close last April so the young people will be really excited to be back together after so long and to choose something to spend the donation from Your Conveyancing Services on. It will make a massive difference to what we can provide for them so we are incredibly grateful.”
Staff at Your Conveyancing Services are asked to nominate their favourite charities for donations from the Charity Lotto which their clients can opt into for £10 with a chance to win £500 towards their legal fees.
