Charity of The Year

Slater and Gordon has launched the search for its new Charity of The Year, aimed at supporting charities that make a significant impact in their communities and to the lives of their patrons.

The Charity of the Year Award will support a new charity each year, and Slater and Gordon will make a significant dontation to the chosen charity, as well as offering dedicated fundraising support, brand exposure, and the opportunity to work closely with the firm’s marketing team team over a 12-month period.

Applications are open to any charity focusing on health, disability, or who provide support to those who have experienced injury, illness, or disability. Applications close on October 20th 2024 after which a judging panel will create a shortlist of three finalists. Once the panel of judges have carefully selected the finalists, it will then be down the community to select the winner. An online public vote will be opened to allow for the public to make their choice with the winner announced in December 2024.

Madelene Holdsworth, Managing Director of Specialist Legal Services at Slater and Gordon and a Charity of The Year judge, says: “As a law firm which sees first-hand the huge contribution charities make to the lives of our clients, we’re proud to be able to offer this opportunity. Not only are we offering the winner a significant donation, but with it, year-round support with fundraising events and campaigns, alongside the exposure that comes with being linked to Slater and Gordon.

“We encourage charities of all size to apply to be our Charity of The Year. So long as the charity fits the criteria, everyone application is welcomed.”

When the online public vote opens, Slater and Gordon will encourage finalists to engage with its communities and supporters by sharing their involvement on social media using #COTY24 to join the conversation and amplify the message.

The Charity of the Year search is supported by an expert panel to help choose the finalists.

Lee B. Rayment is a prominent figure in the charitable sector and one of Slater and Gordon’s Charity of The Year judges. He is the Executive Editor of Charity Today and is widely recognised as one of the nation’s leading charity news journalists.

In 2012, Rayment founded UK Charity Week, a groundbreaking campaign that unites charitable organisations under a common mission. This visionary initiative has fostered collaboration and solidarity among diverse causes, empowering charities across the nation to make a more significant collective impact.

The panel also includes Fran Eccles-Bech, the Chief Executive of Manchester Law Society, who is a key figure in the legal community and a powerful advocate for her members.

Eccles-Bech was the first person within the legal profession to be awarded a Variety Club of Great Britain Legends of Industry Award in 2015 for her outstanding contribution to the legal profession and is named annually in the 250 most influential people in Greater Manchester.

Highly-esteemed lawyer Madelene Holdsworth is another selected panellist. She is credited by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) as a Senior Litigator and an asbestos specialist, and has regularly been recognised in independent legal guides, the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners, for her commitment to clients and the outcomes she achieves for them.

Holdsworth concludes: “Alongside our commitment to fight for the best outcome possible for our clients, Slater and Gordon also recognises its broader economic, environmental, and social responsibility. The role the firm has extends beyond the legal services we offer. We’re proud to be able to support those who are doing an incredible job at supporting their communities and make such a huge difference to people’s lives.”

Apply here to the Slater and Gordon’s Charity of The Year.