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 .

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

 

 

Teams across Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes have been putting their entrepreneurial skills to the test to raise money for eight local charities as part of the Franklins £50 Challenge.

Mandy from the Commsave team abseiling for Cynthia Spencer Hospice

With almost a month still to go before the challenge ends, more than £10,000 has already been in the Apprentice-style challenge and we are hopeful that the record of last year’s total of £20,000 will be broken and a new record set.

The 2024 challenge, which started in February, has seen 41 teams turn their £50 seed funding from Franklins into more money for their chosen charity. With less than four weeks to go, the race is on to be the best performing team with events taking place to raise as much money as possible including retro movie nights, six-aside football tournaments, 12-hour bike rides and abseiling down the Northampton Lift Tower.

Andrea Smith, Equity Partner at Franklins Solicitors, said: “From bake sales to lawn mowing, raffles to make your own pizza lunches, this year’s teams have really put their entrepreneurial skills to the test and come up with so many creative ways to raise money for local charities. The aim of this year’s challenge is to fight hunger, fuel wellness and change local lives and with so much money already raised we hope to bring about positive change throughout Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes.”

Since it began in 2018, the Franklins £50 Challenge has raised more than £100,000 for local charities, showcasing the potential for collective efforts to bring about meaningful transformation. The eight charities benefitting from this year’s challenge are Cynthia Spencer Hospice, the Northampton Hope Centre, The Lewis Foundation, Northamptonshire Community Foundation, Willen Hospice, MK Act, Harry’s Rainbow and YMCA – MK.

The 41 teams taking part this year are from the following organisations: Travis Perkins, Towergate Insurance, Syncro Office Technology, Piroto Labelling Ltd, Keep Moat, Chartwell Controls, OneFourSix, The Brady Creative, Commsave, Virtual Sales Team, MacIntyre Hudson, All Things Business, I Love Catering, Facilities Management Solutions, Franklins Solicitors, Soiltechnics, Hawsons Chartered Accountants, Acorn Commercial Finance, Boom 7, Laugh Out Loud Theatre Company, Metro Bank, Cottons Group, Amazon (Daventry), Delapre Abbey, House of Mystery Ltd, Nationwide Building Society, Quest Employment, Handpicked Hotels (Fawsley Hall), Sophisticake Creations, Work Buzz, John Lewis & Partners, Aiimi Ltd, Somnium Recruitment Ltd, Plumbing & Gas Solutions Ltd, Smith Jenkins Planning & Heritage and Brioche Pasquier.

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

We are seeking teams to take part in the Franklins £50 Challenge 2024. 

Eight charities from across Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire have been selected to benefit from the Apprentice-style fundraising challenge, organised by Franklins Solicitors LLP. 

Franklins has launched a social media video to encourage teams to join, featuring representatives from each of the eight charities taking part. Taking inspiration from the opening credits of The Apprentice, the video demonstrates how the initial £50 seed funding from Franklins can grow into substantial funds for each charity. 

Each team taking part receives £50 and has three months to turn the seed funding into more however they choose. From cake sales to car washes, sponsored walks to black tie events – the possibilities are endless. 

The 2024 challenge will run from 20th February to 21st May with the underlying aim of fighting hunger, fuelling wellness and changing local lives. Since it began in 2018, the Franklins £50 Challenge has raised more than £100,000 for local charities, showcasing the potential for collective efforts to bring about meaningful transformation.  

Companies, organisations, associations and clubs are all invited to take part and join up as a team to raise money for one of the eight charities benefitting this year: Cynthia Spencer Hospice, the Hope Centre, The Lewis Foundation, Northamptonshire Community Foundation, Willen Hospice, MK Act, Harry’s Rainbow and YMCA. 

Andrea Smith, Partner at Franklins Solicitors, said: “We would really encourage teams to sign up and take part in this year’s £50 Challenge. Not only does the challenge raise much-needed funds for charities, it is also an excellent team-building opportunity for those taking part, showing how creative thinking and teamwork combined can generate incredible results with a long-term impact on the local community.” 

Franklins is encouraging companies and organisations to sign up to take part in the 2024 £50 Challenge. To register as a team visit: www.franklins50.co.uk  

 

In a heart-warming achievement, Franklins Solicitors LLP, Hope Centre, and His Church Charity are thrilled to announce that the Pallets of Hope campaign has smashed its fundraising target. This means that each of Northampton Hope Centre’s 11 community larders and hom

eless centre will receive a pallet of Christmas essentials, including food and warm clothes. Together, the pallets have a combined retail value of £27,500! This means that many struggling families and people facing homelessness in Northamptonshire will experience a brighter Christmas.

Andrea Smith, Partner at Franklins Solicitors, played an instrumental role in contributing to the  success of the campaign. She not only ran the New York Marathon but also completed the Amazing Northampton Run half marathon in support of the cause. Speaking about the campaign’s success, Andrea expressed her gratitude, saying:

“The work of both His Church and the Northampton Hope Centre are invaluable to making a tangible difference to communities. As the use of larders continues to increase, the importance of ensuring they are stocked to meet the demand cannot be underestimated. Food is a basic need and it is a privilege for Franklins Solicitors to be able to support and make a difference. I’d like to thank everyone who has supported my runs and the Pallets of Hope campaign.”

Kyra Williams, Marketing Manager for Hope Centre, highlighted the urgency of the campaign, stating:

“We are seeing a huge rise in hardship across the district, debts and rising living costs mean that Christmas will be a struggle to make ends meet, instead of being the celebration it should be. This campaign will bring relief to so many with gifts, food, and warm clothing. The campaign has been a huge success; we can’t thank Franklins Solicitors, Northants Food Reach, and His Church enough for making this happen.”

While this campaign has made a significant impact during the Christmas period, the cost-of-living crisis continues to affect people all year round. This led to the establishment of Northants Food Reach, a collaboration between His Church and Franklins to encourage the business community to provide ongoing support to food banks and larders in Northamptonshire.

Operations Director Richard Humphrey said: ‘His Church provides creative solutions for a whole range of surplus food, clothes and supplies including toys. Thanks to our partnership with Franklins Solicitors, we have been able to redistribute 11 pallets of these wonderful items to support Hope Centre’s Community Larders and homeless centre.”

To find out more about how your business can support food banks beyond the festive season, visit the Northants Food Reach page here.