Employment Relations Solicitors in the community
Charities and donations policy
Employment Relations Solicitors has a clientèle spread throughout London and the South East as well as from further reaches of the country. Although internet technology makes it possible for us to be based in a rural community, our charities and donations policies spreads further, with a special focus on education. Where possible we give help in kind, but may also consider giving small cash donations.
The local community
Our support has been given to:-
- Elham Farmers’ Market
In June 2008, we set up the twice monthly Elham Farmers’ market, the first market to be held in the village for over two centuries.
The market is a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers and all sections of the community are represented on its management committee, chaired by Tony Bertin. The market is a member of the Kent Farmers Market Association (KFMA) from whom it receives support. The Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) also offered help in the start-up phase.
We support Elham Farmers’ Market with our time as volunteers and members of the market management committee chaired by Tony Bertin, and in kind with printing and copying facilities at our office in Elham.
- Elham School
Another vital part of any community is its school and we are pleased to support Elham Primary School. We offer a free Commissioner for Oaths service to the village and instead of charging a fee we invite people to make a contribution to the school. This generates about £250 in annual fees.
- Play for Elham
We also support Elham’s newest charity, Play for Elham, which is focused on improving the sports and play facilities for the young people of Elham and its surrounding area.
The wider community
- Kings Limb Reconstruction Trust
For very personal reasons, both Tony Bertin and Penny Hays are trustees of the Kings Limb Reconstruction Trust and Kingpins (Kings Patient Information Network, the support group for the trust). This new charity supports the work of the Kings College Hospital limb reconstruction service and helps limb reconstruction patients with their needs that are unmet by current NHS provision.
Tony was a patient of the unit between 1999 and 2001 and owes his current mobility to the work done by its surgeon Graeme Groom.
Limb reconstruction is used for patients with complex fractures, using external fixators to support the limb during the reconstruction process. The technique was developed by a Russian and was adopted at Kings College Hospital in 1993. Graeme Groom started the service and there are now four consultants in the orthopaedic department whose patients come from all over the country.
- Student Partnership Worldwide
Student Partnership Worldwide is a charity that both Tony Bertin and Penny Hays have supported financially over many years. The charity involves itself in micro development and education projects in the third world. It works with students from the donor countries placing them with students in the beneficiary country. This has the added benefit of fostering friendships between UK students and their peer groups overseas.
