2012

Community matters

CSR – doing itthe BLM way It is to the credit of everyone reading this annual summary of our Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) programme that each edition continues to grow and we are delighted to be able tointroduce this latest edition with news and photographs of the huge number of activities that havetaken place in each BLM office over the past 12 months.

As ever, staff have showcased their talents with great imagination with all the ways in which somany members of you have approached CSR. 2011 was the year that BLM chose to supportBarnardo’s after an overwhelming vote; it was also the year of Store Wars! The different initiativescontinue to amaze; whether there’s moustache growing, tea parties, or even taking over a localBarnardo’s charity shop for the day complete with celebrities, BLM staff have excelled!

It is testament to you all that BLM continues to be a place where CSR really does matter. Many ofyou will, through our CSR activities, have had the opportunity to learn or hone new skills whereeven a small charity collection will require marketing, sales, organisational, leadership andmotivational skills, even if you did not realise it. Our charitable efforts give all staff at all levelsthe chance to meet and get to know colleagues outside of their immediate team or office. All ofwhich, we are proud to say, are met with enthusiasm, courage and the determination to show justhow much we believe in our initiatives and the causes they stand for.

CSR extends not only to charitable activities but to running our business in a socially responsiblemanner. BLM is still supporting the environmental cause into 2012 and beyond, by switching to‘green’ electricity and continuing to recycle a large amount of our waste paper.

As we look ahead to the rest of 2012 and into 2013. We are excited to say that on 30 June2012, we will once again be taking over local Barnardo’s stores up and down the country inwhat we are calling, ‘Store Wars Returns’. We will also be planning more trips to localBarnardo’s projects to see how the money raised is being spent. Several BLM lawyers are alsonow getting involved in the mentoring scheme for LPC students, run by the College of Law.September 2012 marks the event of the BLM Charity Walk.

Finally, we would again like to say a huge thank you to the BLM CSR team, chaired by ChrisNewton. With the team’s encouragement and drive we live up to our commitment in our visionand values to run our business in a socially responsible way. Your support and enthusiasm reflectsthe fact that you believe that Community matters and shows that BLM is more than just a lawfirm.

Mike BrownNational senior partner

Terry RenoufPartner

Community matters

BLM coming together

BLM and Barnardo’s

In January 2011, BLM kicked off its newpartnership with Barnardo’s. A ‘Go Green’ daylaunched the new relationship and includedraffles, auctions, cake sales and even cocktailmaking. The CSR committee planned a series ofnational fundraising events whilst local officestook part in triathlons, and much more.

BLM annual national quiz July 2011

Following months of planning, inviting guests,sourcing prizes and auction lots, BLM raised afantastic £25,000 at the infamous annual charityquiz night in 2011.

With everyone’s support, the firm hosted events ineight separate locations close to BLM offices andattracted hundreds of clients, barristers, contactsand suppliers.

BLM takes over Barnardo’s for Store Wars2011

Over 70 BLM staff took part in the Store Warsevent to raise money for Barnardo’s. Eight BLMteams from across the country took over aBarnardo’s store for a day and competed to seewho could make the biggest impact on sales.

The day was a fantastic success with the teamfrom BLM London team increasing turnover by thebiggest margin.

In total, BLM raised almost £25,000 forBarnardo’s. The competitive streak from eachteam really shone through throughout the weeksleading up to the event, but there could be onlyone winner.

Birmingham – The store was transformed into afashion carnival where customers had anopportunity to view fashion through the decades.There was also a raffle, children’s games and lotsof great items to purchase on the day.

Leeds – Celebrity alert! – With a little help fromformer footballer and Sky Sports commentatorDean Windass, BLM Leeds held a raffle to win aBlackBerry Torch 9800 phone, offered facepainting and a ‘create your own sock monster’workshop. Barney the bear also donated hugs forcharity.

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Barnardo’s is delighted that BLM LLP

chose to take on the Store Wars

challenge. It’s fantastic to see that all

teams pulled out all the stops to make

this a memorable event across the

country. With a tremendous effort from

the teams, enthusiasm and celebrity

support in four shops a fantastic £21,000

[figure then increased to almost

£25,000] was raised for Barnardo’s. The

money raised really does help to make a

difference to some of the most

disadvantaged children and young

people in our local communities.

Allan McLaren

Director of Fundraising, Barnardo’s

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Community matters

Liverpool – Celebrity alert! – This store hadcelebrity appearances from the stars of last year’sThe Apprentice: Zoe Beresford, Glenn Ward andGavin Winstanley. There were also lots ofchildren’s activities and competitions and somefantastic items to purchase.

London – Celebrity alert! – The winning team hadsupport from Antony Costa from the boy bandBlue who autographed, t-shirts and evencustomers’ purchases. There were also livemannequins, face painting, and lots of children’sactivities and competitions. Items available topurchase included a designer suit!

Manchester - Celebrity alert! - BLM Manchestertook over two of the local Barnardo’s stores:Barnardo’s, 45 Deansgate, was themed ‘I LoveManchester’, and was visited by the stars ofCoronation Street. There were also lots ofactivities and competitions, face painting and afashion show showcasing the many itemsavailable to buy.

Keeping in line with the Barnardo’s theme,‘Believe in Children’, the Barnardo’s GatewayHouse store was decked out in a fairytale/wonderland theme. Children were able to seesome of their favourite characters brought to life,have their faces painted and take part innumerous activities.

Southampton – This store was transformed into aHalloween extravaganza for the day with facepainting and an opportunity to take part in lots ofchildren’s activities and competitions, including alucky dip. Items available to buy included handmade cards.

Stockton-on-Tees – BLM Stockton-on-Tees alsoheld lots of children’s activities, face painting,‘guess the name of the bear’ and ‘guess thenumber of sweets in the jar’ competitions, a raffle,tombola and lots more.

BLM will be taking part in Store Wars returns, onSaturday 30 June 2012.

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Community matters

Doodle competition

To boost the fundraising total even more, BLMstaff and their families and friends paid £1 toenter a doodle competition for all ages. Entrantseither created a Barnardo's bear or a 'Google-type' image for the firm's intranet The Source.Prizes includes a Barnardo's bear and a selection

of vouchers. See the winning entries above.

Football fanatics

On 19 May 2011, the Motor Insurers’ Bureau(MIB) and BLM took part in their second annualfootball match to raise funds for The Children’sTrust, a charity which provides specialist care forseverely disabled children. BLM hoped to avengelast year’s closely fought 3-3 draw at 90 minutes(courtesy of two own goals by BLM) when the MIBemerged triumphant following a 4-1 victory in thepenalty shoot out.

Totally Quackers 2011

The Totally Quackers team took to the wateragain in June 2011, to go head-to-head with theMIB in the eagerly anticipated annual DragonBoat Race at Willen Lake, Milton Keynes.

On Sunday 26 June, BLM and the MIB joinedforces to raise £1,500 for The Children’sTrust. Other fundraising events include a treasurehunt in Manchester and a dress down day.

Jeans for Genes Day – October 2011

Jeans for Genes is a national charity which raisesmoney to fund care and support for children andfamilies affected by genetic disorders, many of

which can seriously affect a child’s life. It alsofunds vital research into the causes and potentialcures of these conditions.BLM supported the charity by encouraging staff towear jeans to work on 7 October and donate £1.

‘Movember’ 2011

Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool officessported a new look throughout November in aidof ‘Movember’, which supports prostate and

testicular cancer initiatives. Teams from the BLMoffices did a fantastic job and managed to raise afabulous £1,174. Here are some of the photos!

Above, left to right: Peter Needham, TimCadwaller, Alan Egerton Below: Paul Doggett, Ben Howson, Kevin Clarkand Gareth Levingston.

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Community matters

Christmas donations

Once again, instead of sending Christmas cards in2011 BLM and CXP made donations to a numberof charities chosen by staff at each of our nineoffices.

BLM Birmingham – British Heart Foundation andHelp for Heroes

Bristol and Cardiff – Down’s Syndrome Association

BLM Leeds – Martin House and Willow YoungCarers

BLM Liverpool – Zoë’s Place

BLM Manchester – Royal Manchester Children’sHospital Charity

BLM London – Horses Helping People

BLM Southampton – Naomi House

BLM Stockton – Zoë’s Place

Making a difference –

CSR from BLM offices

Birmingham

A fun run for Peter

Peter Telford in BLM Birmingham’s fraud team ranthe Great Midlands Fun Run in aid of Barnardo’son 5 June and smashed his personal best by morethan 10 minutes.

Peter completed the 8.5 mile course in one hourand four minutes – putting him 289th out of 6,000runners. Altogether he raised over £100.

College of Law scheme

BLM Birmingham was involved in the College ofLaw mentoring programme in 2011/12. Thementoring programme is a scheme for LPCstudents with no contacts in the legal profession,who are assigned to a mentor who they can speakto, seek advice and guidance from and generallyunderstand a bit more about becoming a lawyer.

BLM Birmingham lawyer Emma Wilson has beenassigned a mentee from the Birmingham Collegeof Law. The mentee has been into the office todiscuss his career aspirations and to seek guidanceon applying for vacation placements and trainingcontracts. As the mentor, Emma has contact withthe LPC student once a month to update onprogress with applications.

Bristol and Cardiff

BLM Bristol and Cardiff focussed on local fundraising efforts on Barnardo’s, Macmillan, Jeans forGenes, Children in Need and Help for Heroes.

Baking and selling cakes is a popular event as arebad taste days where staff dress in poor taste!

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Community matters

Leeds

Leeds office commences summer internshipscheme in memory of Sara Wedel

Sara Wedel joined BLM Leeds in April 2003,working in the public sector team. She was one ofthe firm’s rising stars and had recently beenpromoted to partner when, in 2007, she tragicallydied at the age of 33 in a car accident.

To honour her memory, BLM offered an annualpaid internship to a sixth form student from theNotre Dame College’s Career Academy in Law,with organisation of the internship being led bySara’s closest Leeds colleague, HannahBeddis. The first internship took place in July2011.

Notre Dame Sixth Form College set up the firstnational Career Academy in Law, which is anenhancement programme that students can followalongside their A-levels. The programme isdesigned for students wanting to pursue a careerin law, but additionally it aims to tackle socialmobility issues, raise aspirations, expose studentsto legal environments and maximise their highereducation and employment opportunities withinthe legal world. It is a criterion of the programmethat students obtain relevant paid workexperience.

Augustine Awonaiya, known as ‘Gus’, was chosenas the first student to come to BLM Leeds. Gusarrived on 11 July and proved to be exceptionalfrom the start, with his ability, level of motivationand enthusiasm impressing everyone.

Debbie Axe supervised Gus but he soon foundhimself working with the majority of the Leedsoffice as he was shown the structure of BLM, thedaily responsibilities of working in a law firm, therules and regulations we are governed by, and theworld of personal injury.

Gus was given training on how different types ofclaims are defended and following this, undertooka variety of research and work includingorganising files, reviewing records and valuingdamages. Gus was taken to numerous courthearings and trials, which he found particularlyinspiring.

The Zurich Leeds office also offered internships totwo academy students. As part of the Zurich internship programme, the students visited theBLM Leeds office, and together with Gus they allunderwent training conducted by Hannah Beddis,

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to further explain the life and handling of litigatedclaims and how Zurich and BLM work together.

Gus finished his placement at BLM on 19 August.Gus said that he thought his experience had beenthe best out of all the internships offered toacademy students and also importantly, theinternship had vastly improved his organisationalskills!

Sara Wedel was a natural leader and always hadtime for the more junior members of the Leedsoffice, with whom she was happy to share herknowledge, experience and ‘tiger tactics’ she usedto deal with awkward opponents!

The Career Academy in Law is something Sarawould no doubt have been involved in had shehad the chance, which is why this is seen as such

a fitting tribute. It was fantastic to be able to givethe opportunity to Gus, which will be invaluablefor him to have on his CV for the future. BLMLeeds is now looking forward to 2012’splacement.

For more information about the internship,contact Hannah Beddis or Debbie Axe in theLeeds office. You can also find generalinformation about how a career academy workson the Career Academy UK website –www.careeracademies.org.uk/

Hannah Beddis and Roy Woollard both share aseat on the Board of the college’s CareerAcademy in Law.

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Community matters

Local Barnardo’s Links

Representatives at BLM Leeds have had theprivilege of visiting two of their local Barnardo’sprojects to date: Willow Young Carers andFutures.

Willow Young Carers supports up to around 100young people in the Leeds area who are jugglingtheir childhood with caring for someone. Theproject’s emphasis throughout is a balancebetween the serious elements of being a carerand ensuring that it is not forgotten that they arestill children who need a childhood; hence theyarrange lots of fun activities and events. Since thevisit, Willow Young Carers assisted BLM Leedswith providing the artwork for our Store Warsposters, provided an outfit for a young personwho would have otherwise been unable to attendtheir prom and provided funding to assist with aChristmas party for the young carers.

Futures provides a spectrum of services to youngpeople in the area from night stop hostels andtemporary overnight accommodation,befriending, supported lodgings and adoptionsupported lodgings. BLM Leeds visited the projectallowing them to hear first hand about thebrilliant work undertaken by the team togetherwith the stories of the children helped from theiroften sad and traumatic start to their positive andevolving future.

Liverpool

Liverpool Law Clinic

BLM Liverpool is one of a number of law firms thatcontinue to volunteer at the Liverpool UniversityLaw Clinic. The law clinic offers free legal adviceto students, staff and members of the public on arange of matters.

BLM Liverpool lawyers regularly attend the clinicand assist third year law students in interviewingclients. The students then research and draft theiradvice which they send to their supervisingsolicitor to check through before it goes to theclient. As well as providing free legal advice, theclinic is also an invaluable way for the students toapply what they have learnt and to develop theirskills in providing clear and concise advice toclients.

A range of problems and issues come through thelaw clinic doors every week and our solicitorshave helped many people with a range ofissues including housing queries, money andcontract disputes.

The law clinic still remains very popular, withLiverpool University Law students able to chooseto participate in the clinic as one of their lawcourse modules.

It has also proven popular with staff as they find itan enjoyable experience by giving somethingback to the community as well as providingcrucial experience for the law students byproviding them with a taste of advising clients inreal life scenarios.

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Martin House Children’s Hospice

BLM Leeds supports a local children’s hospice.

As well as providing financial support, a team

of volunteers went to help marshal the Jane

Tomlinson Leeds 10k run for the hospice.

Before Christmas Leeds partner, Henry Kirkup

gave up his time to pack bags at Marks &

Spencer to help raise additional funds.

Comic Relief 2011

The theme for ComicRelief 2011 was ‘DoSomething Funny for

Money’ and BLM Liverpool ran a ‘Guess the BabyPhoto’ competition where staff brought in aphotograph of them aged 4 years or below. Staffpaid £1 to enter and the aim was to guess whopeople were from the photographs. The personwith the most correct answers won a LiverpoolOne shopping voucher. First prize went to KevinClark who guessed 34 out of 49 correct babyphotographs and coming a close second wasKaren Nugent who guessed 33 correct. Also,other categories included ‘Cutest Baby’ and‘Guess the Caption’. The team also showed offtheir baking skills by doing a cake sale.

Simon Morrow, BLM Manchester, kindly donated asigned Liverpool football for the Red Nose Dayraffle. Whilst the Liverpudlians did their best tokeep the football in Liverpool the lucky winner wasAlexia Rhodes in the Manchester office. In total£216.23 was raised!

London

St John of Jerusalem primary school

Since 2008, BLM London has been a reading andmaths partner to St John of Jerusalem PrimarySchool in Hackney as of the ‘Get HackneyReading Scheme’. The aim is to encourage adults,children and young people throughout theBorough to become enthusiastic, independentand inquiring readers. It’s all about inspiringpeople to read more, to read together with familyand friends and to enjoy all the different ways ofreading.

Fourteen children have been partnered with 28members of staff who dedicate 30 minutes everyweek or fortnight to help children between theages of six and eleven.

Reading partners work with just one child, helpingand encouraging them to discuss the stories andrelated topics, whilst maths partners will work witha small group of no more than three pupils,helping further the children’s numeracy by avariety of means including games.

As well as making a difference to a child’seducation, the scheme also provides an extremelyrewarding experience for volunteers, who play akey role in improving the children’s self esteemand social skills. The scheme is run by ‘Inspire’who provide training and monitor the programmeeach term.

Dragon’s Den makes a comeback for BLMLondon

A team from BLM London were once again giventhe opportunity to attend the St John of Jerusalemschool for a Dragon’s Den workshop.

Volunteers worked with young children to designand develop a product, come up with ways ofmarketing and promoting that product, andhelped them to compile presentations, which werethen delivered to a separate group of BLMvolunteers.

There werecertainly somebuddingentrepreneurswith ideasincluding aneyeliner withseven differentcolours, atoothbrush forchildren whichincluded a twominute timer, awireless phonecharger withdifferent adaptersto fit 10 differentphones, and a tracking product for children soparents know where they are.

Animal Olympics – The Lord Mayor’s Show 2011

The Lord Mayor’s Procession is a custom whichdates back many centuries and takes place everyNovember to welcome the new Lord Mayor of theCity, who last year was Alderman David Wootton.

The theme for 2011 was the ‘Animal Olympics’and BLM London was invited to take part.

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Alain Duchesne, business developmentexecutive attended the event and said,

Having already taken part in this schemetwo years ago, I was very keen to see whatthe children would come up with this timeround and they didn’t disappoint! I wasextremely impressed with how they'dresearched their project and howprofessionally they presented to us. I doubt Icould have done that at their age and itmade me think my generation has had iteasy in some ways … A very enjoyablemorning overall.

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Community matters

Employees dressed up in spectacular outfits (someas tall as 10 feet!) provided by MahoganyCarnival.

BLM dazzled the crowds and the new Lord Mayorin their outfits and wound their way through theCity, past St Pauls and down to the Royal Courtsof Justice where the Lord Mayor swore allegianceto the Crown. They ended the day by parading toEmbankment to watch the incredible fireworksdisplay.

A swim, cycle and a run to £2,800

A fighting fit team of lawyers from the BLMLondon’s healthcare team took part in the 2011Virgin Active London Triathlon over the summer,to raise as much money as possible forBarnardo’s.

Juliette Mellman-Jones, Greg McEwen, HannahPilkington, Elizabeth-Anne Larsen, Sarah Spaldingand Judith Duffin from the London healthcare

team joined forces to take part in the world’slargest and most iconic triathlon. Participating inthe Olympic Team Relay, two teams of three swam1.5km, cycled 40km and ran 10km.

To boost the funds raised by the team, thebudding athletes held a cake sale which raisedmore than £350. This helped to take the totalraised to £2,800!

City Gateway

BLM London continues to partner with CityGateway, a youth charity based in Tower Hamlets.We have been working together since 2007 andrun Insight Tours which is an initiative to buildemployability skills and ultimately secureemployment for trainees on City Gateway’s ExportCourse. BLM has now run five Insight Tours whichhave been attended by over 70 trainees.

In addition to the Insight Tours, BLM hasprovided three month apprenticeships to fiveof their trainees and subsequently offered two fulltime roles. The next planned event is ‘speedinterviewing’ to help improve trainees interviewskills.

Lewisham Children’s Right Project

Chris Newton, Chris Bruce, Jenny Barrow and

Sarah Brown, members of BLM’s Barnardo’scommittee visited to a local charity project inLewisham as part of the firm’s partnership withBarnardo’s.

Lewisham Children’s Rights is run by Bernie Bakerand a small team of volunteers, working primarilywith children in care, aged 4 to 17. The projectworks alongside the local authority to provide avoice for children in care whom might otherwisenot have their concerns heard. Bernie and histeam, spread across Lewisham, Greenwich andWandsworth, work tirelessly to help children feelsafe in their homes and address issues such asclothing, pocket money, contact with family andsocial workers that the children may not feelcomfortable raising with their carers.

All of this great work is done despite hugegovernment cuts and on a minimal budget fundedin part by Barnardo’s, so the team is constantly onthe look out for more volunteers. The teamthanked BLM for their tremendous donation toBarnardo’s as a result of the National CharityQuiz Night held in July.

Olympics and theenvironment seminar

BLM London hosted abreakfast event on behalfof Heart of the City tohelp the charity inspirebusinesses to use London2012 to reduce theirenvironmental footprint.

The event attracted more than 35 delegatesincluding SMEs based in Tower Hamlets, Hackneyand the City. Speakers included representativesfrom BT, The Athletes Village for London 2012and the BioRegional Development Group. Thespeakers explained how London 2012 can beused as a communications tool to examine, assessand reduce an organisation’s environmentalimpact.

BLM London’s Chris Newton thanked Heart of theCity for giving participants the opportunity toobtain practical advice, network and shareexperiences in this developing area.

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Manchester

The work continues for Mission Paraguay

Mission Paraguayhas published anupdate on thecharity’s progressthroughout 2011.The charity’s missionis to provide fundsand a volunteer

workforce for developing buildings, taking part inactivities with children and young people andrelieving hardship by encouraging self sufficiency.

With help from BLMManchester themission wasable topurchase landin the Asunciónarea to securethe future of achildren’s club(the buildingwas erected in2009). Onceagain themission hasreceived lots ofgenerous

donations to continue funding the programme. Ithas continued its outreach work in many localcommunities holding skills workshops andteaching, and also continuing to increase selfsufficiency amongst the locals.

It was particularly encouraging during 2011 tosee how the local women involved are beginningto develop their range of goods for sale. In thesecommunities and in areas surroundingConcepción (an area north of Asunción) therewere many opportunities for craftwork and gameswith children.

Activities included assisting with the toy libraryoperated through FEISA the Anglican Early YearsTeacher Training College which enables childrenwith very few toys of their own to interact andlearn through play.

A number of building projects in the Asunciónarea which were built with local labour (mainly toprovide facilities for children and young people)funded last year. Some of the group undertookredecoration work in diocesan premises andbuilding materials were supplied to enablemembers of the local churches to providevoluntary practical assistance to needy people intheir locality. Also, a total of over 800 pairs ofspectacles sent from England and Ireland weredistributed by a volunteer with ophthalmicknowledge.

Through the generosity of supporting churchesand individuals the mission is able to fundvaluable work and income for families as well asallowing for direct involvement by the volunteers.Another of Mission Paraguay’s priorities is to fundunderground storage tanks for the collection ofrainwater. Mission Paraguay is not just aboutbuilding projects, it is about building relationships,changing lives and deepening commitment.Volunteers, who have to overcome languagedifficulties, spend three weeks living and workingin different cultural circumstances.

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Making Christmas brighter for local familiesStaff in BLM Manchester took part in the WoodStreet Mission Project, a local charity whichhelps families in and around Manchester toenjoy Christmas.

The charity’s aim is simple: to help localfamilies in need and ensure that their childrenall have a present to open on Christmas Day.The charity also relies on donations from localbusiness and individuals to ensure that parentsreceive a food hamper containing a variety ofitems to help the family over the Christmasperiod.

The team also raised £801 for The Christiecharity from a Christmas raffle.

Community matters

Raising funds for the Red Cross

BLM Manchester partner, Ruth Graham, led ateam on a sponsored walk in July to raise moneyfor the British Red Cross. BLM joined forces withrepresentatives from QBE to raise funds for thecharity which strives to help people in crisis‘whoever and wherever they are’.

Local businesses eggstra generous last year

In April 2011, BLM Manchester collected a greatdeal of Easter eggs for the Wood Street Mission, acharity which strives to support local familiesaffected by poverty. Along with other businesses,BLM helped the Mission to increase the number ofchocolate eggs by more than 50%.

The charity has been supporting those living inpoverty in Manchester and Salford since 1869and runs its Easter project alongside its usualrequests for food, clothing and bedding.

In search of treasure

BLM Manchester raised an additional £90 forBarnardo’s in June. Gill Rothwell and other staffmembers who took part in a treasure hunt aroundManchester city centre, as part of a joint ventureto help the MIB raise funds for The Children’sTrust. Gill wanted to combine the fund raising forThe Children’s Trust with the work BLM is already

doing for Barnardo’s, which meant that anymoney raised from the treasure hunt was splitequally between the two charities.

Southampton

BLM Southampton supports local refuges

BLM Southampton supported local women’srefuges in 2011 by collecting boxes full ofunwanted toiletries. The staff at the refuges oftenbuy such items out of their own money as many ofthe individuals who come to them seekingemergency accommodation have just the clothesthey are wearing.

With assistance from BLM, the refuges are able tooffer everyday items often taken for granted, tohelp the individuals who need them most.

A dressing down for Manchester andSouthampton

To boost the firm’sfundraising effortsfor The Children’sTrust, staff in BLMManchester andBLM Southamptonpaid £1 to dressdown in June. As

well as dressing down, the offices raffled aHamley’s Bear.

Stockton-on-Tees

Raising hundreds for Macmillan Cancer Research

Tracy Sampson in BLM Stockton-on-Teesorganised a charity night towards the end of lastyear which raised £657 for Macmillan CancerResearch, which is a charity close to her family’sheart. With support from colleagues JaneWhitehouse and Nicola Swainston and raffledonations from local companies, Tracy was ableto raise funds for the charity, which also helpedsupport her and her family when her granddadwas ill in hospital.

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BLM Stockton on the fundraising trail

Sophie Watson in BLM Stockton sold badges andbracelets in 2011 to raise money for The EveAppeal. The charity was set up to research thecauses of, and treatment for ovarian cancer.

Sophie was also involved in a Coast to Coast bikeride to raise money for the Thirsk Clock, a charitywhich helps get young people back into educationor employment. The event takes place over fourdays between in July, and involves participantscycling approximately 30 miles per day betweenMorecambe and Saltburn.

Oh yes it’s ladies night…

In June 2011 BLM Stockton arranged a LadiesNight at The Grange in Darlington to raise fundsin support of the Children’s Ward at DarlingtonMemorial Hospital. The event included a fashionshow by Leggs, a disco and a charity raffle andauction. Another event was also arranged inOctober 2011 for the special care baby unit atthe hospital which raised over £500.

Carla Mould took part in a midnight walk in aidof St Cuthbert’s Hospice in June. Carla completedthe walk in memory of her mother, and raised£600 in sponsorship.

Education, education, education

BLM Stockton supported a Careers Fair arrangedby Northumbria University to promote the firmand provide guidance to students hoping topursue a career in law.

Kay Askew attended a legal networking eventorganised by Northumbria University’s GreySociety in November. Again, the purpose ofthe event was to promote the firm andprovide guidance to law students at theuniversity.

In January, Ros Danson and Tony Waltonprepared and presented a session on the topic oflitigation training to a local charitableorganisation ‘Everyday Language Solutions’,which offers support and training for non-Englishspeakers in Teesside.

Running for money

Andrew Walker and Richard Raban-Williams atBLM Stockton both ran and completed theGreat North Run in aid ofBarnardo’s.

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Interview with LauraCallaghan

In September 2011, BLM announced the winnerof the Olympic torchbearer competition as BLMManchester’s Laura Callaghan. Laura entered thecompetition with a noteworthy and exemplaryexample as to why she should represent the firm inthe Olympic Torch Relay in 2012 and was chosenby a judging panel which included partners TerryRenouf, Jonathan Clay, Jonathan Edwards, ValJones and Julian Smart.

Here, Laura lets us know a little more about whyshe was chosen.

Why did you want to carry the Olympic torchthrough Manchester?

It is a once in a lifetime opportunity, as a personalgoal, after having knee surgery my doctor said Iwill never be able to run again. I am thereforeplanning to run with the torch and prove himwrong!

When did you first get into sport and why does itmean so much to you?

I started playing sport when I was six years old. Ididn’t realise this at the time, but playing any sport at any level teaches you so many skills which you need when you start working, such as,commitment, hard work, responsibility, leadership,and team work. I have many life long friends I metthrough lacrosse.

I started playing lacrosse at the age of nine and atmy peak I played for England. In my early twentiesI suffered from a stroke and developed severearthritis in my knees which inhibited me fromplaying.

I continued my commitment to lacrosse throughcoaching, initially coaching 5 to16 year olds atWilmslow, where I set up the senior women’steam.

I have coached the Cheshire team for the lasteight years. I coach North of England and an elitegroup of teenagers who play in America everyyear whilst promoting friendship through lacrosse.

Sixteen of the girls I coach competed in the under-19 World Cup this year, and one of my playerscommenced study at Harvard on a lacrossescholarship.

I have taught more than 1,500 people to playlacrosse and have watch friendships develop andtalent grow which makes my dedication and hardwork worth it.

You will represent BLM and carry the torch a short

distance, as it travels 8,000 miles across the UK –how do you feel about contributing to such anintegral part of the London 2012 Olympics?

I am extremely excited and it is a really big honourto be able to take part.

What is your favourite Olympic event?

Either the gymnastics or show jumping.

It is hoped that the London 2012 Olympics willencourage more young people to take up sport,why do you think that is important?

I think getting young people more active, doingsomething which gets their heart rate up is a goodthing, not only for health reasons but also wemight find some more talent to represent GB inthe next Olympic games!

How have you inspired others to make a positivecontribution to sport?

I’m not sure if I have inspired anyone! I think as alacrosse coach, having played at a high levelwhen I was younger commands respect and thekids try very hard so one day they can play forcounty/territory/country.

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Your CSR representatives

Birmingham: Lucy Woodlucy.wood@blm-law.com

Cardiff: Gemma Utleygemma.utley@blm-law.com

Leeds: Hannah Beddishannah.beddis@blm-law.com

Liverpool: Samantha Smithsamantha.smith@blm-law.com

London: Chris Newtonchristopher.newton@blm-law.com

Manchester: Rob Simpsonrobert.simpson@blm-law.com

Southampton: Chris Gambschris.gambs@blm-law.com

The yearahead2012/13 promises to be an exciting year forfundraising with lots of activities already plannedin each of our offices. We will be working hardagain for Barnardo’s and there’s sure to be muchmore baking and cake sales for Children inNeed, and growing moustaches for ‘Movember’.

Events that are already planned include:

1. Store Wars on30 June

2. Charity Walkin September

3. Doodle Competition inNovember

Get involved

If you would like to get involved with our CSRprogramme, find out more or have any ideas,please contact you local CSR representative.

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