B P Collins law firm in Gerrards Cross has announced that its annual stewardship to Heart of Bucks to support Buckinghamshire charities. This year the stewardship increases to over £12,000 this year in recognition of the greater need due to Covid-19.

The charity fund focuses on meeting three objectives, which are aligned with B P Collins’ CSR values, which are building stronger communities, providing better futures and helping create safer lives. Each organisation that receives a donation will have to meet one or more of these criteria, but there are no constraints on how the donation is used.

Heart of Bucks will initially choose ten charities that have either been struggling due to the Coronavirus or focus on helping local Bucks communities with issues caused by the pandemic. B P Collins will then create a shortlist of five organisations that are guaranteed to receive a donation from the law firm’s charity fund. The awards will range from £1,225 right up to £4000.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions prohibiting large gatherings, the chosen five charities and organisations will be invited to a virtual meeting with B P Collins, to discuss how their donation would be spent. Each member of staff from the law firm, will then vote on how the donations should be distributed. The charities will be notified of B P Collins’ decision w/c 30 November 2020.

Lucy Wood, B P Collins’ partner and Heart of Bucks trustee, said:

“Charities urgently need our help, now more than ever. With the Institute of Fundraising reporting that a shocking 92% saw a fall in trading income during lockdown, we aim to direct our funds to where we can make the most impact in the county.”

Henry Allmand, Chief Executive Officer, Heart of Bucks, added:  

“It’s a pleasure to once again be working closely with our long-term partners B P Collins to deliver its charitable funding programme, which has grown this year in response to the Covid pandemic.  Businesses like B P Collins make an incredible difference to their local community, and now that support is needed more than ever.”

Over the past five years, B P Collins’ charity fund has given £50,000 to support local charities and community projects that deliver a positive social impact and improve lives

Organisations that received B P Collins’ grant in 2019 include:

• Connection Support in Aylesbury and High Wycombe, which supports people facing complex life challenges;
• Hills Café in High Wycombe, which is a not for profit community café set up to respond to the social and employment needs of the immediate area;
• Wycombe Refugee Partnership, which helps help destitute refugee families;
• Chiltern Rangers in High Wycombe, which is a social enterprise working with local communities to provide practical habitat management of woodlands, chalk grassland, commons, ponds and chalk streams.

About B P Collins

• B P Collins is the first law firm in the country to achieve gold status in the national Corporate Social Responsibility Accreditation scheme which recognises CSR efforts in the environmental, community, workplace and philanthropy arenas.  
• B P Collins was awarded silver by the International CSR Excellence Awards which were held at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London in July 2019.
• B P Collins also won the Workplace Wellbeing Award at the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce 2019 Business Awards.