Our goal is to maintain a continuing commitment to behave ethically and to contribute to the economic development of the community. At the same time we strive to improve the quality of life of our workforce and the local community and society generally. Brewer Harding & Rowe are always looking to support local events within the community. We try to support as many local events as possible such as The Care for Kids 10k Run, The Voice Volunteer of the Year Awards and many more to help the charity or organisation in their endeavours to achieve our goal and play our part within the community.
Below are some of the ways in which we have implemented our Community and Social Responsibility aims and commitments:
Support for local community events:
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Care For Kids
Care for Kids North Devon is a charitable organisation that provides instant financial assistance to families that have a child up to 18 years old diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.
Because of North Devon’s rural location, all seriously ill children are now treated in specialist children’s hospitals in Bristol or beyond. For families in North Devon, this means the loss of earnings, subsistence and travel costs for parents traveling and staying in Bristol, Oxford, Birmingham or London.
We are the main sponsors of the Care for Kids 10k run which takes place annually and raises much needed funds for this fabulous charity.
For more information about Care For Kids please visit their website
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Dravet Syndrome UK
Richard Allin, one of the Partners at our firm, finished running 5km everyday in May along with 415 other adults/children. This is an event organised by a friend of Richards to support the charity Dravet Syndrome UK. Dravet Syndrome is a life shortening form of epilepsy. This year to date they have raised a staggering £122,332.00.
Dravet Syndrome UK was created in 2009 by a group of parents who came together looking for support, resources and information relating to a rare, little known neurological condition called Dravet Syndrome.
For more information about Dravet Syndrome UK please visit their website
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Volunteer of the Year
This award is to recognise those who dedicate their time to help others. Individuals may spend their weekends or even give full time voluntary help to those who need it most. This is a something they do for love, not money and they excel at it.
For more information about The Voice Radio please visit their website
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North Devon Hospice
Brewer Harding & Rowe are proud to sponsor The Big Raffle which The Hospice run every year, and this enables them to raise funds to provide high-quality care and support to individuals and their families. This includes not only medical care but also emotional and practical support, helping individuals and families to cope with the challenges they face.
Learn more about our involvement in The Big Raffle by reading our article
In celebration of their 40th anniversary, North Devon Hospice has launched a 40 for Forty Business Club. This is open to just 40 amazing local companies, with the aim of raising £40,000, which will fund their vital care and support. Each member of the 40 for Forty Business Club will have a target of just £1,000.
For more information about The North Devon Hospice please visit their website
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Appledore Book Festival
The Appledore Book Festival is a charity founded in 2006 by Nick Arnold, author of Horrible Science, in a bid to raise money to save Appledore Library. His campaign brought the community together and was an overwhelming success.
Today, the Appledore Book Festival continues to thrive and grow - becoming one of the biggest cultural festivals in Devon, attracting world-class authors, speakers, and performers. Run almost exclusively by a team of volunteers, who do everything from stewarding the events to adorning the village with bunting, the Festival is a unique experience. The Book Festival provides a fleet of top-quality authors, poets, and illustrators to schools and libraries across North Devon and Torridge.
For more about Appledore Book Festival please visit their website
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Rotary golf day
Rotary Golf Day is an event held every year to support a charity that the organisation has decided to support, through the generous sponsorships and donations of local businesses and members of the community.
For more about rotary club please visit their website
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North Devon Against Domestic Abuse
The organisations’ overall goal is to provide temporary refuge to women and children and are there to support and help anyone that asks.
This year we have supported NDADA with a donation to buy a sign written gazebo so that they can attend local events to campaign and raise awareness of domestic abuse in our local area and to advise that they provide support for those in need.
For more information about the NDADA please visit their website
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Lawcare
Brewer Harding & Rowe made a donation to Law care this year, to thank them for being on call for all of our employees and Partners, when needed.
Lawcare offer online chats, phone calls, help and advice on all issues affecting anyone working within the legal profession. This is available to use free of charge. With the need for counselling services being so under pressure, and having to wait up to 12 months for a referral and appointment, it is great to be able to refer people to this service, knowing that they will be offered support immediately.
For more information about the Lawcare please visit their website
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British Naturalists' Association
Our receptionist Endy does voluntary work with the British Naturalists Association. She is their Youth Officer and compiles their quarterly newsletter and helps wherever possible. She is also a Trustee on the charity and a life member.
The BNA concentrates on education and natural history. After young members leave Endy as Young Naturalists they can go on to become student members and currently they are working on helping some of those that request assistance with the costs of some of their courses to progress their careers in science and the environment.
We have to fund raise to cover costs but it is worth the effort to see all of the students progressing.
Members are from all walks of life then can then apply for graded ‘recognised’ membership and progress to adult membership eventually.
For more information about The British Naturalists Association please visit their website
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Other local community events we sponsor:
- Bideford Water Festival
- North Devon Show
- Fund raising for Breast Cancer now – wear it pink day
- Braunton Village Fair
- Braunton Christmas Lights
- Braunton Tug of War - The Black Horse
- Simpkin Edwards Big Quiz for local charities
- Sponsorship of community books
- Families in Grief rotary support
- Save the Children – fund raising with our Christmas jumper day
Support for sporting events:
- Sponsorship and support of Barnstaple Rugby Club
- Sponsorship and support of Surf Life saving
- Sponsorship and participation in fund raising golf day at North Devon Golf Club
- Sponsorship of the Captains Day for local charites at Portmore Golf Club
- Sponsorship and participation in estate agent and solicitors cricket day
- Care for kids 10k – participation and sponsorship of this event
- North Devon hospice – Night Walk
- Sponsorship and attendance at local point to point meetings
Supporting local education:
- Petroc - Completion of apprenticeship programme with 2 current students in the workplace
- Petroc – attendance and advice regards the new TLevel in Law
- Summer student programme for local Law students & graduates
- Attendance at local Careers Fayres – Braunton Academy attended by GG/GB
- We have hosted free informative seminars and joined forces with Simpkin Edwards Accountants to bring landlords information regards their rental properties. Many local agents attend these sessions and fine them useful for free law updates.
Supporting local and national charities:
- North Devon Hospice – 40/40 for business
- Amigos International – support & correspondence with our student
- Care for Kids – main sponsors of this event and team participation
- Christmas toy bank appeal
- Law Care – free counselling service for all in the legal profession
- Save the Children – Christmas Jumper Day
- Devon Air Ambulance /Bude Community First Responders and the Intensive Care Unit at Exeters RD&E - all charities that helped to save the life of one of our long standing clients – supporting Steve Turner in his 3 peaks challenge raising funds for these vital services
- Wear it Pink – breast cancer fundraiser
Environment
Brewer Harding & Rowe are environmentally aware and committed to reducing our negative impact on the surrounding environment. We have a dedicated environmental action group specifically formed to identify and implement further improvements to help the firm become more ecologically friendly. We raise awareness of the importance of being an environmentally aware business with members of staff attending sustainability training.
The firm is also proactive in sourcing Greener energy quotes to supply all offices, and purchasing sustainably produced products where possible. Brewer Harding & Rowe mostly uses two local recycling companies, Perry’s Recycling and Coastal Waste. These companies recycle different types of waste and can recycle all waste removed from our premises. Within our offices, we currently recycle the following waste:
Paper & Cardboard
While the firm recognises it will never be able to run paperless, any paper we need to dispose of is recycled. We are also proactively reducing the amount of paper we use in the following ways
- Communication is sent by email rather than printing and sending through the post.
- We prefer to store documents in digital format, rather than print.
- Paper products such as magazines, waste paper, junk mail and cardboard are all recycled.
- In the future we aim to send wage slips electronically, rather than paper copies.
Plastic, Glass and Other Waste
As well as recycling plastic, we also promote the reduction of its use. For example, staff bring in their own drink bottles to fill up rather than using single-use plastic cups. On rare occasions, there is waste that the recycling companies we use are unable to accept, in these circumstances, we seek out specialists who can recycle those items. Printer cartridges and computer equipment is an example of this.
Trading with eco-friendly companies to recycle our printer cartridges and provide us with environmentally considered equipment. In the past we have also used Citrus Digital and Printeco Greensource Solutions who provide us with certificates for trees planted in the local area to assist in putting back what we take out, and contribute money they have raised for chosen charities.
Supporting our staff:
As well as supporting our local community, charities and events Brewer Harding & Rowe also like to host social events for staff to promote interaction and create a better working environment. These are some of the ways we encourage team-work.
- Regular staff breakfasts, team meals and drinks and the Christmas party provide good opportunities for staff to come together, interacting and maintaining good working relationships.
- Staff Quiz Nights and our annual barbeque allow staff to get together to eat food, drink, socialise and compete for the various trophies or wooden spoon awards!
- All staff are invited to sponsored events to ask if they would like to become either involved in helping with or attending the event. Often vouchers are given to staff for free coffee and cake/free parking/car passes.
- We are supporting individual development through our appraisal system for all staff & Fee Earners.
- We support staff by keeping in regular contact throughout maternity leave, illness, bereavement and other personal issues and offering home visits where necessary.
We believe in having a good work/life balance and encourage all staff to lead an active and fulfilled life, outside of work, encouraging and supporting them with their interests and hobbies where possible.
Below are a few things that some of our staff members have been engaged with over the last 12 months:
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Richard Allin
Ran 5k every day in May 2024 for Dravet Syndrome UK.
Dravet Syndrome is a complex and devastating condition. Living with a child or adult who has Dravet Syndrome can be a very difficult and potentially isolating experience for families. From a medical perspective, there is an urgent need for more research into the causes and complexities of the condition, in order to identify more effective approaches to diagnosis and treatment.
For more information about Dravet Syndrome UK please visit their website
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Tim Watson
Tim supported his brother whilst doing John o Groats to Lands End on a bike ride raising funds for Southmead Hospital.
For more information about the sponsored bike ride please visit the article
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Jackie Ray
On 4th July 2024 Jackie Ray, a Licensed Conveyancer at the firm, along with 2 friends, will be jumping out of a plane in aid of Bowel Cancer UK.
This is in memory of Abby Stacey who died in January this year at the age of 36.
Help the team to reach their fundraising goal on Just Giving
For more information about Bowel Cancer UK please visit their website
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Rebecca Chappell
Raising money for NDADA with her singing quartet June 2024.
NDADA’s work
- Provide temporary refuge to women and children who have suffered domestic abuse and offer support and after-care to any woman who has left our refuge
- Encourage service users to determine their own futures and help them achieve this, whether this involves returning home or starting a new life elsewhere
For more information about NDADA please visit their website
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Endy Beer
Our receptionist in Bideford supports the North Devon Animal Ambulance and the Cats protection league together with her voluntary work for: Endy Beer donates food, blankets and old towels to Diana Lewis Animal Ambulance service when she can.
She also helps the local cats protection league by taking in homeless cats left with her to look after whilst new permanent homes are found. Endy is now on her 3rd cat.
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Responsible management of the firm:
This as important part of our policy and we take great care in the areas of:
- health and safety and well-being of our staff and looking after each other
- risk management
- client confidentiality
- conflicts of interest
- money laundering and the prevention of financial crime
- equality and diversity
- Trained sign language staff to aid deaf clients – deaf awareness
- Trained dementia aware staff
- Trained ‘Solicitors for the Elderly’ staff
- Training undertaken in dealing with vulnerable clients
- Ramps supplied to all offices to help disabled clients where disabled access is limited
- Introduction of ground floor interview room in Bideford this year
- Mental Health training to all management dealing with HR
- Home visits undertaken during sickness where/when needed
- Appointments offered outside the office for staff with mental health issues
- Keeping staff involved whilst absent due to sickness/maternity leave
- Retirement books sourced to help older staff plan for the future
- Referral to outside agencies where needed eg. private mental health assessments, reports to help us & employees to endeavour to return to the workplace. Continued support available to all staff where/when needed
- Law Care information given to staff with problems at home and one to one meetings offered
- Local agency information and referrals to the correct agencies given
- Where family problems/abuse arises - referral to one of our solicitors to help