A record number of 60 teams have signed up to take part in the Franklins £50 Challenge to raise money for 12 charities across Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes.

The Apprentice-style challenge sees teams receive £50 seed funding from the organisers – prominent legal firm Franklins Solicitors. The 2025 challenge kicked off on Monday 24 February and teams have until Friday 23 May to come up with creative ways to turn their initial £50 funding into as much money as possible for their chosen charity.

The teams taking part this year range from sole traders such as Mindy Robinson of SophistiCake Creations in Northampton to teams from department store chain John Lewis & Partners. They also come from a wide range of industry sectors, including: accountancy, law, agricultural, recruitment, training, hospitality, catering, manufacturing, marketing and insurance, to name a few.

Last year’s challenge saw teams fundraising by everything from bake sales and raffles to retro movie nights, stone-baked pizza lunches, 12-hour bike rides, football tournaments, lawn-mowing and much more.

Andrea Smith, Partner at Franklins Solicitors, said: “It is inspiring to see so many teams deciding to sign up and the variety of organisations they are from, all with the same aim of bringing help and hope to local communities within Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes. With a record 12 charities set to benefit from the 2025 challenge, we are looking forward to seeing the creative ways the teams turn £50 into substantial funds which can really make a difference.”

The charities set to benefit this year are: Cynthia Spencer Hospice, Northampton Hope Centre, The Lewis Foundation, Willen Hospice, YMCA, Shay’s Smiles, Milton Keynes Hospital Charity, Age UK Milton Keynes, The Air Ambulance Service, Arthur Ellis Mental Health Foundation, Al’s Pals and Rainbows Hospice.

More information can be found about the challenge at: www.franklins50.co.uk

Follow the progress of the challenge at www.facebook.com/FranklinsSolicitorsLLP or on Instagram @franklinssols

Milton Keynes and Northampton are poised to see a significant boost in charitable support thanks to the Franklins £50 Challenge, an innovative fundraising initiative inspired by the Apprentice. Franklins Solicitors LLP has selected a record 12 charities from over 40 applicants to benefit from the 2025 campaign, including seven new partners that are joining the initiative for the first time.

The participating charity partners for 2025 include:

New additions to this year’s line-up are:

The Franklins £50 Challenge invites local businesses to form teams that each receive £50 seed funding from Franklins Solicitors. Over the course of three months, these teams are tasked with creatively transforming their initial investment into substantial funds for their chosen charities. Participants can employ a variety of fundraising methods, from bake sales to barbecues, auctions, car washes, and more.

Since its inception in 2018, the Franklins £50 Challenge has successfully raised over £135,000 for local charities while shining a spotlight on their invaluable contributions to the community. The 2025 challenge will run from February 24th to May 23rd, under the tagline: “Local Help and Hope for Every Generation.”

Andrea Smith, Partner at Franklins Solicitors, said:

“Each year, the £50 Challenge continues to grow and attract more participation. We received over 40 applications from charities who wanted to be part of the 2025 campaign. It was an extremely difficult decision to narrow this down. So much so, that we decided to select 12 charity partners, a 25% increase from last year.

 We’re really excited to be working with local charities who do amazing work in our communities and rely on public support to help make this happen. We hope to see as many businesses as possible signing up to make a difference. As well as raising money to help make a positive impact in the local community, it’s a collaborative opportunity for teambuilding, networking, getting creative and having fun.”

Franklins is encouraging companies and organisations to sign up to take part in the 2025 £50 Challenge. To register as a team visit: www.franklins50.co.uk .

Franklins Solicitors, a leading legal firm with offices in Milton Keynes and Northampton, is inviting local charities to nominate themselves as beneficiaries of their annual fundraising campaign – the Franklins £50 Challenge. This year, Franklins has pledged to support a minimum of eight local charities through the initiative, with nominations open until 27th September 2024.

The Franklins £50 Challenge 2025 will run from 24th February to 23rd May 2025. Now in its sixth year, the campaign has become a significant platform for local charities to partner with businesses in raising essential funds for their services. The 2025 campaign theme, Local Help and Hope for Every Generation, underscores its commitment to making a positive and lasting impact across the community.

The challenge continues to grow in popularity, attracting an increasing number of businesses, large and small, to get involved each year. Participating teams receive £50 seed funding from Franklins Solicitors, which they are tasked with transforming into substantial contributions for their chosen charity over the course of three months. They can be as creative as they like with their fundraising ideas. Beyond financial support, the campaign helps raise awareness and encourages community engagement in driving meaningful change.

In 2024, 40 teams from businesses across Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire raised over £35,000 to support eight local charities, making it the most successful year to date. The firm is aiming to beat this record in 2025.

Andrea Smith, Equity Partner at Franklins Solicitors, commented on the decision to continue running the campaign for 2025:

“Following the success of this year’s challenge, we received wonderful feedback from the charities and teams involved and have seen so many inspiring fundraising ideas come to life.

We’ve received enquiries from several charities interested in participating next year. Our focus is on working specifically with local charities, and we will be choosing a diverse range of charities who offer support to people through different stages of life.”

Charities based in Milton Keynes or Northamptonshire that align with the campaign’s theme of providing help and hope for every generation are encouraged to apply.

Interested charities can submit their applications by visiting www.franklins50.co.uk  (where businesses can also register their interest in entering a team). The deadline for charity nominations is Friday, 27th September 2024.

 

We are delighted to announce that the annual Franklins £50 Challenge has set a new record, with more than £35,000 raised in this year’s Apprentice-style challenge.

Forty teams from across Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes took part in the challenge and raised a total of £35,733 for eight local charities – smashing last year’s total of £20,000. The teams received £50 seed funding from Franklins in February and had three months to turn the £50 into as much money as possible for their chosen charity.

An awards ceremony took place on Wednesday 19 June to celebrate the achievements of the teams who used their entrepreneurial skills to come up with creative ways of fundraising, including retro movie nights, stone-baked pizza lunches, 12-hour bike rides, football tournaments, lawn-mowing, bake sales, raffles and much more.

Nick Hewer, Lord Sugar’s former right-hand man and Apprentice star, presented awards to the top five fundraising teams with a team from the John Lewis Partnership in first place, raising £2,922 before Gift Aid. The top five fundraising teams also included MIXXOS Group, Travis Perkins, Amazon BHX3 Daventry and Commsave Credit Union.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Nick Hewer said: “I was intrigued by the challenge and excited by it because it’s clever and it works! From 40 teams, £50 each, that’s a £2,000 investment and the return was extraordinary – they raised £35,000 between them for local charities. I think it’s tremendous community spirited work and I’ve got nothing but admiration for the people that turned that £50 into thousands – and for Franklins for actually driving it forward and turning it into such a success.”

Andrea Smith, Partner at Franklins Solicitors, said: “We are so delighted that this year’s challenge has been a record-breaking year and are incredibly proud that, since it began in 2018, the Franklins £50 Challenge has now raised more than £135,000 for local charities – and that’s including a break during lockdown. At the very heart of this year’s challenge was our desire to fight hunger, fuel wellness and change local lives and we hope that the money raised for the eight local charities will bring a positive impact to people throughout Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes.”

The eight charities benefitting from this year’s challenge are Cynthia Spencer Hospice, Northampton Hope Centre, The Lewis Foundation, Northamptonshire Community Foundation, Willen Hospice, MK Act, Harry’s Rainbow and YMCA – MK.

Awards were also given for all teams raising more that £1,000 and the following categories:

Small Business Superstar – Sophisticake Creations

Best Community Initiative – LOL Theatre Company

Most Creative Fundraising Idea – Aiimi

Best Example of Teamwork –Soiltechnics

Best Use of Social Media – Commsave Credit Union

More information about how the challenge can be found at: www.franklins50.co.uk