Staff from an independent Harrogate estate agency with sister branches in Ripon and Wetherby are throwing their support behind a very different kind of ‘house’ this year – Martin House.
Linley & Simpson has unveiled Martin House Children’s Hospice as its charity of the year – the second time the Boston Spa-based good cause has benefited.
And all 160-plus of its staff will be the very heart of the fund-raising campaign to help children across the county with life-limiting conditions and their families.
The agency raised £25,000 for the charity back in 2014 – and is determined to do its best to surpass that target this year.
The new link-up was marked at a launch event at the hospice attended by the company’s newly-appointed brand ambassadors, representing each of its 11 branches across North and West Yorkshire, as well as its head office and its central maintenance, accounts and operations teams.
Part of their new roles will be to encourage staff involvement and maximise the fund-raising potential of a series of events, each designed to benefit the hospice as well as improve teambuilding.
Customers of the residential sales and letting specialists – with offices in Leeds city centre, Chapel Allerton, Roundhay, Horsforth, York, Wetherby, Harrogate, Ripon, Ilkley, Saltaire and Wakefield – can also support the cause just by giving feedback.
For every client who completes a customer satisfaction survey over the next 12 months, Linley & Simpson will donate £1 to the Martin House charity pot.
The year of fund-raising has already got off to a flying start after a staff raffle to win an extra week’s holiday swelled the coffers by £845 – the company rounding it up to £1,000.
Dave Stokoe, valuation manager at Linley & Simpson’s Ripon branch, was the lucky winner.
Other fund-raising initiatives include:
- The Great Linley & Simpson Bake Off – with director Will Linley and head of corporate social responsibility Emily Wilkinson turning into Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry for the week as they put colleagues’ cooking skills to the taste test – cooking up more than £750 for Martin House in the process.
- An entry in the Dragon Boat races at Roundhay Park next May
- Staffing Martin House Christmas card market stalls as part of the company’s volunteering programme.
Emily said:
The aim is to stage a fund-raiser every month or two to keep the momentum going – raising as much as we can for Martin House and giving something back to the community while having some fun ourselves.
Many of us at the company know someone whose lives have been touched by the excellent work of the hospice.
Christmas jumpers were a hit last year – and imagine they will be again this December!
We are also drawing upon the enthusiasm and bright ideas of our staff to initiate a major fund-raiser next summer which ends our year of support for Martin House on the best possible note.
Staff have thrown themselves – literally – into events like Tough Mudder in the past, and completed gruelling cycle rides. But this time we want to come up with something completely original and innovative.
Every year, Martin House cares for and supports more than 400 local children with life-limiting illnesses, and their families, both through the life of the child and into bereavement.
Its Corporate Fundraiser Brenda Peel, said:
On behalf of all our families I would like to thank Linley & Simpson wholeheartedly for selecting Martin House as its charity of choice.
Long-term relationships with local businesses are vital if we are to continue providing care and support for over 420 children and young people and 150 bereaved families across West, North and East Yorkshire.
We are looking forward to another successful partnership with the team at Linley & Simpson and wish them all the best with their fundraising.
