I was in Exeter last week looking at the affairs of Exeter Cathedral as a peer reviewer on behalf of the Church of England. What a stunning building Exeter Cathedral is! I hope that when you visit the South West, you will not pass by without going to have a look. It’s well worth it. Exeter Cathedral does a great deal of work to support the city and its surrounding areas. Amongst other things, it holds a regular Wednesday Kitchen for those in the city who are going through hard times. It is good to see that our great institutions realise that they do not just exist for themselves, but to serve the area round about. Liverpool Cathedral does the same though the Micah Charity with its foodbank, community markets and employment programme.
Law firms do not necessarily have a reputation for serving the communities of which they are a part. Jackson Lees Group is a shining exception. We were one of the first Law firms to set up our own Foundation, to give a percentage of our profits to worthy causes in the community. This sum is supplemented by our staff who spend a great deal of time undertaking a wide range of activities to raise money for charity including the charities of our Foundation. Special mention to our team who braved the rain last week to raise money for Legal Support charities, well done!
This Thursday at The Everyman - another institution that Jackson Lees supports - we are holding a reception for all the charities we work with to share our vision of working for a just and fairer society. It will be a great opportunity for us all to share our experiences and talk about our common values. Even though our region is moving forward economically, there are pockets of intense deprivation. That is the problem we all need to work to tackle. Sadly last week, I also attended the funeral of the 43 year old daughter of close friends, who took her own life as result of addiction problems. I am not sure how well supported she was in the community and health services. It was a sad day and one that showed me how urgent these needs are.
The Everyman night is just one of the charitable events we have on this week. Our Charity Committee have organised a week of charity, running from 17th to 21st June. Today, Monday, it’s a Bake or Fake day. You can bring in your own goodies or your Supermarket finest, which you might even be able to pass off as your own. On Tuesday there’s a raffle and on Friday there is a silly dress day. Oh dear, I am not sure what clients will make of that. I think its best if we do not try this out on the High Court judges sitting that day. On Sunday, there’s a Wirral walk to round off the week. One of our values is that work should include a bit of fun. Sounds as if that might be on the agenda this week at least!
The four principal charities our Foundation is supporting this year are the Haven Project, Stick n Step, Claire House and The Hive all of which do inspiring work in our region. The Haven Project is in South Liverpool and supports parents who find themselves embroiled with the Care Proceedings process. Having your child being taken into care is traumatic and difficult. Stick n step is based in the Wirral and helps with the support and education of children suffering Cerebral Palsy. The Hive is a fantastic Youth Zone supporting young people in one of the most deprived locations in our region. Finally Claire House is the most wonderful children’s hospice helping those who are seriously ill life normal lives in the most difficult of circumstances. We are proud to support them all.
Making a positive difference is not just a strapline for Jackson Lees. It is who we are and what we do. It’s great to see that what we do for our clients is supplemented by a real effort to give back to the society of which we are a part. Well done to all our staff members for this great work!