Member Article

Bond Dickinson raises £10,000 for St Peter's Hospice

The Bristol office of national law firm Bond Dickinson has raised more than £10,000 for St Peter’s Hospice in less than 48 hours.

The 250-strong Bristol team raised the money through a range of volunteering and fundraising activities last weekend. On Friday 7th April, 21 Bond Dickinson staff dedicated more than 70 hours to volunteer in 25 St Peter’s Hospice shops across Bristol working with the staff and volunteers to assist them in their work.

On Saturday 8th April, 45 Bond Dickinson employees also took part in the Tour de Bristol and challenged themselves to cycle up to 100km, raising over £9,000. Later on in the day, the firm organised a bucket collection at Ashton Gate stadium during the Bristol City match against Wolverhampton Wanderers, which raised a further £1,000 thanks to the generosity of the football supporters.

St Peter’s Hospice is Bond Dickinson’s chosen office charity and since January this year the firm has raised over £12,000 through a range of charitable and fundraising activities including an Easter Fayre, a Bingo Night, a Grand National Fantasy horse race, dress down days, cake sales and payroll giving.

On Easter Saturday, two of the firm’s employees are taking part in another challenge of the Devizes to Westminster canoe race. Hoping to raise at least £1,500, trainee solicitors Ian Meyer and Maxim Laithwaite will kayak 125 miles on what is one of the toughest canoe races in the world as they look to complete the challenge in 24-26 hours which includes 77 portages.

Jon Bower, partner at Bond Dickinson said: “St Peter’s Hospice has a strong personal resonance for our firm as our colleague Robert Pope received care at the hospice before sadly passing away. The Tour de Bristol marked the first anniversary of his death and so we wanted to do something special in his memory and as a tribute to the work the hospice does to support patients and their families.

“We ’re delighted to have raised such a tremendous amount so far, which is our thank you to the hospice, for the vital work it delivers in our community every day and for the care it gave to Robert and his family. It is great to see so many people across our office get involved, donate and challenge themselves to support a great cause. We have also had a lot of support from our clients and contacts in the business community. A big thank you to you all.”

Simon Caraffi, Chief Executive at St Peter’s Hospice, added: “We are overwhelmed with the fantastic support we’re receiving from Bond Dickinson. Support from local businesses is our lifeblood and it is with the help of businesses like Bond Dickinson that we can continue to provide vital care for patients and their families in Bristol.”

Bond Dickinson is already heavily involved in a comprehensive Corporate Social Responsibility programme in Bristol including Bristol Sport Community Foundation reading stars, Oasis Brightstowe Academy mentoring and the Prince’s Trust.

Opening in Bristol in 1998, Bond Dickinson provides legal services across a range of sectors including financial institutions, insurance, retail, energy, transport, manufacturing, real estate, and private wealth.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Womble Bond Dickinson LLP .