Reflecting on support for our Charities of the Year 2023 – 2025

A cornerstone of this community engagement is our Charity of the Year program. Our team help to focus the firm’s major fundraising efforts by choosing three specific charities to support on a biennial basis, each based in the regions of each of our offices in Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle.

As the financial year comes to a close, we can reflect on our Charity of the Year initiatives for the last two years. Two core themes guided our decision-making process – young people and health and wellbeing. This includes many areas of support, such as providing opportunities for all, tackling food poverty, enabling change through sport and ending social isolation.

Since 2023, we have been immensely proud to support Martin House Children’s Hospice in Yorkshire, the Cindy Appleyard Foundation in the North West, and the People’s Kitchen in the North East.

Martin House Children’s Hospice (Yorkshire)

Martin House is a purpose-built hospice for children, young people and their families. They take referrals from the Yorkshire region and aim to support and care for families in which there is a child with a life-limiting condition. They do not charge families that use their services.

When Martin House first opened their doors to children and families in 1987, they were only the second children’s hospice in the UK. Since then, they have played a leading role in the development of the philosophy and delivery of children’s hospice care, not only in the UK, but throughout the world.

There has been a sporting theme to much of our fundraising work in Yorkshire. We were delighted to welcome an ambassador from Martin House at our annual Golf day, speaking to our colleagues and guests about the wonderful work they undertake and the importance of bringing us all together.

The Leeds office departments all competed in an Olympics-themed competition in 2024, with entry fees from each being donated to Martin House. Ward Hadaway also reached the Quarter Finals of the charity’s five-a-side football tournament.

We also launched our own version of Walk this May – an initiative inspired by Living Streets – which encourages everyone to take their lunchtime break away from their desks and complete a one-mile walk as a way of prioritising mental health and wellbeing. Replicated across all of our offices, a donation was made to each of our Charities of the Year for every 150 walks completed.

The Cindy Appleyard Foundation (Manchester)

The Cindy Appleyard Foundation was created because its founders believe that no family should have to face the stress and financial burden associated with having a child hospitalised. Their grants help cover the costs of families who have to leave their homes, schools, jobs, friends and family behind to be near to their sick child in hospital. This enables families to stay together and focus on what really matters – their child’s recovery.

Throughout our partnership with The Cindy Appleyard Foundation, we have made regular contributions through ranging initiatives including Christmas raffles, summer barbecues, a ‘guess the baby’ picture competition and even a Eurovision sweepstake.

We are particularly proud to have assisted a family from Manchester facing an awfully challenging situation. Their young child had been admitted to Great Ormond Street Hospital, requiring the child’s mother to relocate to the hospital while the father remained at home to care for their other two children. Due to the distance and associated travel costs, the family had been unable to be together for several months.

Thanks to the generous donations from Ward Hadaway fundraising events, we were able to offer a grant to the family via The Cindy Appleyard Foundation. This grant provided the family with the opportunity to spend a few precious days together at Christmas.

The People’s Kitchen (Newcastle)

The People’s Kitchen provides vital support to homeless and vulnerable people, addressing hunger and loneliness for locals in need. Many of the people they assist may be at risk of homelessness, unemployment, loneliness or poverty.

The People’s Kitchen endeavour to make life on the streets a little easier by sharing hot meals and packages of clothing, toiletries, food, mobile phones and sleeping bags. They work with services to enable people to move off the streets and provide food, furniture and bedding to people when they move into their first home. They also offer friendship and professional services to improve mental wellbeing.

As part of our charity commitment, the firm gives each member of staff one day per year paid volunteering time. Members of our Newcastle office used this to volunteer at The People’s Kitchen last year. We also held a number of warm clothing appeals, where our team donated garments ahead of the cold winter.

Our Newcastle-based trainees hosted a Bingo Bonanza event, complete with pizza, pints and prizes, which generated a great turn-out and financial contribution to the People’s Kitchen.

We also took part in the Newcastle Dragon Boat Race, where teams compete on behalf of charities by paddling down the River Tyne in dragon-themed boats.

Our new Charities of the Year

Our team have nominated and voted for our new regional Charities of the Year to support over the next two years. We’re proud to reveal that we will be partnering with Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Early Essentials in the North West and The Children’s Foundation in the North East.

We’ve already got some fantastic initiatives in the pipeline to support these new partnerships. Stay tuned to find out more about the great work these charities do and how Ward Hadaway will be supporting them.