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

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

A record number of teams have signed up for a charity challenge to raise funds for eight charities from across Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire.

The Apprentice-style fundraising challenge, has a total of 42 teams taking part – the highest number since the challenge first launched in 2018 and up by 17 from last year’s 25 teams.

The 2024 challenge got underway on Tuesday 20 February and teams have already started their fundraising efforts with initiatives ranging from doughnut sales to raffles, dress down days, netwalks and office swear boxes.

The Apprentice-style fundraising challenge sees each team receive £50 from Franklins Solicitors. The teams then have three months to turn the seed funding into more money for their chosen charity. 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 Hope Centre, The Lewis Foundation, Northamptonshire Community Foundation, Willen Hospice, MK Act, Harry’s Rainbow and YMCA.

Former Apprentice star and Countdown presenter Nick Hewer has also wished the teams well and shown his support for the Franklins £50 Challenge in a social media video. Lord Sugar’s former right-hand man recently met some of the representatives from the charities and teams taking part at a networking event organised by Northampton BID.

In a special video, Nick Hewer, who lives in Northamptonshire, said:

“I wish all of the teams taking part the very best of luck and look forward to hearing about all their fundraising successes. Who will be the star candidates? Only time will tell!”

Andrea Smith, Partner at Franklins Solicitors, said:

“We are delighted that so many teams have risen to the challenge and decided to put their entrepreneurial and team-building skills to the test. The ultimate aim of the Franklins £50 Challenge is to fight hunger, fuel wellness and change local lives. Last year the challenge raised more than £20,000 but with so many teams taking part this year we hope to raise a record-breaking amount of money for local charities.”

The 42 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, Openreach, Acorn Commercial Finance, Boom 7, Laugh Out Loud Theatre Company, Beyond the Podium Ltd, 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.

The 2024 challenge runs until Tuesday 21 May. Follow the progress of the teams and their fundraising efforts on Franklins’ social media accounts: @FranklinsSols on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), or on Facebook and LinkedIn by searching Franklins Solicitors LLP. More information about how the challenge works can also be found at: www.franklins50.co.uk

Photo from L-R: Katie Vickers – Northamptonshire Community Foundation, Dean Jones – Northamptonshire Community Foundation, George Smith – Franklins Solicitors LLP, Simon Long – Franklins Solicitors LLP, Nick Hewer, Denise Watson – Franklins Solicitors LLP, Lorraine Lewis – The Lewis Foundation, Rosanna Stimson – Franklins Solicitors LLP, Steven Dryden-Hall – Boom 7.

 

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  

 

Eight charities based in Milton Keynes and Northampton are set to benefit from an Apprentice-style fundraising challenge, organised by Franklins Solicitors LLP.

Willen Hospice, MK Act, Cynthia Spencer Hospice and the Hope Centre have once again been selected to benefit from the challenge and four new charities – Harry’s Rainbow, YMCA, The Lewis Foundation and Northamptonshire Community Foundation – have been chosen to gain valuable funds from the challenge in 2024.

The challenge sees each participating team receive an initial £50 seed funding from Franklins. Each team then has three months to turn the £50 seed funding into substantial funds for their chosen charity however they choose – anything from bake sales to barbecues, auctions, car washes and more.

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 2024 challenge will run from February to May with the underlying aim of fighting hunger, fuelling wellness and changing local lives.

Lorraine Devereux, Fundraising Manager for YMCA, said: “YMCA are thrilled to have been selected for the Franklins £50 Challenge. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to connect with our local community to support young people both here in Milton Keynes and in Northampton where we will be launching a supported housing service for young care leavers in 2024. We are up for the challenge and looking forward to rallying our local community to get behind YMCA and help raise funds and awareness for all the great work that we do.”

Odette Mould MBE, CEO of Harry’s Rainbow, said: “I have seen so much about the Franklins £50 challenge over the years, with some amazing companies and individuals getting involved, to support many charities across MK and Northampton. I’m so delighted that we have been chosen to be supported through this ingenious initiative, to raise both awareness and funds.”

Dean Jones, Head of Giving and Development at Northamptonshire Community Foundation, said: “We are delighted to have been selected as one of the designated charities for 2024. Our campaign to shine a spotlight on Rural Community Needs was launched in June 2023. We know from our research that there are people within Northamptonshire’s rural communities who are experiencing rising levels of homelessness, social isolation, the burden of meeting the rising costs of everyday costs fuel or food and the choice at times of whether to heat their homes or feed their families.”

Lorraine Lewis, CEO of The Lewis Foundation, said: “It was fantastic news to hear that we had been selected to be one of the chosen charities for Franklin’s £50 Challenge. More than ever, due to the cost of living crisis, the people who are diagnosed with cancer who we support in hospital are struggling to afford the basic essentials they need, in addition to home comforts. This challenge will be a fantastic opportunity for businesses to work together and think outside the box to raise awareness and funds to support those within our community who need help.”

Andrea Smith, Partner at Franklins Solicitors, said: “We’re excited to be working with eight 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 local businesses as possible signing up to take part for 2024. As well as raising money to help make a positive impact in the local community, it’s a fantastic opportunity for teambuilding, getting creative and having fun.”

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

Cynthia Spencer logowillen hospice logoMK Act logoNorthampton Hope Centre Logo

ymca logo for the franklins 50the lewis foundation logo for the franklins 50harrys rainbow logo for the franklins 50Northamptonshire community foundation logo for the franklins 50

 

The Franklins Solicitors LLP team, together with the 24 teams taking part in this year’s #Franklins50 challenge, celebrated last night (Wednesday 21 June) as they saw the total raised by the challenge since 2018 smash their £100,000 target.

£20,000 was raised this year and will provide the following support to each charity:

The small gathering, held at The Marriott Hotel in Northampton, brought together participating teams from across Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes, and the benefiting charities. Awards were given out for a variety of achievements this year.

  1. Top fundraiser for MK Act and overall: BWC Profiles – raised £3,000.
  2. Top fundraiser for Northampton Hope Centre: Louise from Miller & Chalk – raised £562.10
  3. Top fundraiser for Cynthia Spencer Hospice: Travis Perkins with £1,593.80.
  4. Top fundraiser for Willen Hospice: Team Bala from John Lewis – raised £2154.75.
  5. Small Business Superstar: Peter Bakare, Nutri Troops – raised £1,317.
  6. Best use of social media: Syncro for their launch video – raised £920.
  7. Most creative fundraising idea: dbfb Communications who produced, printed and sold their own cookbook featuring the favourite recipes of their staff, along with printed branded aprons – raised £625.
  8. Best community initiative: OneFourSix digital marketing hosted a BBQ serving breakfast and lunch for the second year running, which was promoted to local businesses – raised £800.
  9. Best example of teamwork: John Lewis Teams – their four teams – Odney, Ambleside, Leckford and Bala – competed against each other to raise a grand total of £5621.81.

The challenge required teams to take £50 seed funding from Franklins Solicitors LLP and turn it into as much money as possible over three months for their chosen charity – one of the   local charities taking part across Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes this year.

Andrea Smith, Partner at Franklins Solicitors LLP, said:

“It was a great evening to get everyone together to celebrate the achievements of the teams taking part this year but also exceeding the £100,000 raised since we began the challenge in 2018. This year we really want to help towards the current cost-of-living crisis and improving wellbeing. It’s great to see the difference the money raised will make to the local charities involved.“

Lolly Marlborough, Fundraising and Marketing Manager at MK Act, said:

“In total the Franklinks50 challenge has raised £4317 for MK Act and we’re so grateful to Franklins and everyone who took part at BWC Profiles, Nutri Troops and MK Softball. This money will make the hugest difference to MK Act, helping 104 men, women and children suffering domestic violence including paying for a trip to the seaside for the children in our refuge. It has been a really fun challenge and so great for team building and building connections.”

Louise Danielzuk from Northampton Hope Centre said:

“In a nutshell this money will mean people in Northampton no longer need to go hungry and the money raised will feed 750 hungry families. Every day we are hearing more stories of people unable to feed themselves, or families having to go without food because they simply cannot afford the food, or the fuel to cook it with. This money means that this no longer needs to be the story.”

If you would like to take part in the 2024 #Franklins50 challenge, please email marketing@franklins-sols.co.uk.

Over twenty businesses so far from across Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes have signed up for the #Franklins50 challenge and will turn £50 seed funding from Franklins Solicitors LLP into as much money as possible over three months for five local charities – Cynthia Spencer Hospice, Northampton Hope Centre, MK Act, Willen Hospice and MK Food Bank.

The challenge runs from February 13th until May 12th and will see teams testing their business acumen to the max, participating teams are coming up with a range of activities to turn £50 into as much money as possible for their chosen charity. From selling hand-cut leaves and portrait photography, to abseiling down the Northampton Lift Tower and putting colleagues in wet sponge stocks, nothing is off the table as long as it’s safe and legal!

Northampton based companies taking part include:

Andrea Smith , Partner at Franklins Solicitors LLP, said:

“It’s fantastic to have so many companies on board and there’s still time to sign your team up and help us tackle the local cost-of-living crisis and improve wellbeing. It’s a brilliant team-building opportunity and we can’t wait to see what imaginative ways teams come up with to raise some money.”

About some of the teams taking part for the first time:

Nutri Troops was founded by Olympic Volleyball Player Peter Bakare who represented Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics. He is currently a motivational speaker, focusing on inspiring school students across Milton Keynes and beyond. Peter will use the £50 seed funding to design and print promotional materials to offer Milton Keynes’ businesses discounted motivational lunchtime talks for their staff.

Nutri Troops CEO Peter Bakare said:

“I’m so excited to be part of the Franklin’s £50 Challenge to raise money for MK Act. They are such a great charity who help hundreds of families in Milton Keynes who are suffering from domestic abuse. Through Nutri Troops, I have helped coach hundreds of children in Milton Keynes and some of them have been from an MK Acts refuge. I have seen the positive impact the charity has had on these families, helping them to find safety away from domestic abuse, so I would love the opportunity to raise money for MK Act.”

Milton Keynes-based aluminium and plastics extrusion company, BWC Profiles, are entering a team that will run the MK Turing 10K on 30 April to raise money for MK Act.

Danny Varley, BWC Profiles Managing Director, said:

“We’ve never done anything like this before. Most of us can barely run 5K let alone 10K but it’s for a great cause and we need a good reason to give up the biscuits and get off our backsides. We hope to raise at least £5,000 for a brilliant charity that supports those that have suffered domestic abuse so we hope people will dig deep to help MK ACT.”  

Cyber security consultancy, Provention, has been supporting MK Food Bank for several years and says the #Franklins50 challenge is show their support and team-build at the same time.

Max Fogg, cyber security consultant, explained:

“We’re going to run a sweepstake and use the £50 seed funding to buy a prize and we’ve also got some other ideas in the making. It’s great to support a cause helping our local community feed their families in these challenging times.”

Syncro Office Technology Ltd, Co-Founder, Stuart Mildren, said:

“We actively seek opportunities for our team to engage in local, fun, community activities so signing up to the Franklins £50 challenge was a really simple decision. We are supporting Cynthia Spencer Hospice as we’ve seen first-hand the hard work and care that takes place from all of the Cynthia Spencer volunteers and staff – they are a credit to our community.

We’re using the £50 seed funding to hire a local professional photographer in a high-quality setting to provide professional portrait photos which we will sell at a heavily discounted price/ donation of £25.00 per person.”