Star of The Apprentice and Countdown, Nick Hewer has shown his support for the Franklins £50 Challenge for the second year running by taking part in a social media video to launch this year’s campaign.

The launch video features Nick Hewer, Lord Sugar’s former right-hand man, encouraging teams to sign up to take part in The Apprentice-style challenge, organised by prominent legal firm Franklins Solicitors. The challenge sees teams from across Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes receive £50 seed funding from Franklins with three months to turn the £50 into as much as possible for their chosen charity.

A record 12 charities have been selected to benefit from this year’s challenge which aims to make a difference locally, with an emphasis on bringing local help and hope to every generation. The selected charities are: Cynthia Spencer Hospice, Northampton Hope Centre, The Lewis Foundation, Willen Hospice, YMCA, Shay’s Smiles, Milton Keynes Hospital Charity, Milton Keynes Age UK, Air Ambulance, Arthur Ellis Mental Health Support, Headway Milton Keynes, and Rainbows Hospice.

Andrea Smith, Partner at Franklins Solicitors, commented: “Last year’s campaign was a record-breaking year with more than £35,000 raised for eight local charities. This year, with a record 12 charities set to benefit, we’re hoping we can raise even more money and really make a difference by bringing help and hope to as many people as possible across Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes.”

Nick Hewer said: “I first became involved in the Franklins £50 Challenge last year and I’m delighted to lend my support again this year as it’s such a brilliant initiative to spur people on to fundraise and ignite entrepreneurial thinking and flair. I’m looking forward to discovering the creative ways teams choose to turn one £50 note into hundreds, or hopefully thousands of pounds to benefit the charities that help so many people in our local communities.”

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

The Franklins £50 Challenge 2025 runs from Monday 24 February to Friday 23 May. Teams can sign up to take part in the challenge at www.franklins50.co.uk

For more information or interview requests, contact Rosanna Stimson, Marketing Manager at Franklins Solicitors LLP, on 01908 660966 or email: rosanna.stimson@franklins-sols.co.uk

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

 

 

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.

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

 

Franklins Solicitors LLP has donated pallets with essential food and supplies worth a retail value of £20,000 to eight food banks across Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire. The pallets will provide food and essential items to hundreds of local families living in poverty.

As sponsors of the SME Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire Business Awards, Franklins had the opportunity to provide promotional giveaways to guests at the awards. Rather than do this, they took the decision to invest in food pallets to help struggling adults and children. In partnership with His Church, a food redistribution charity, during May and June they delivered pallets to the following local charities:

Aylesbury Vineyard Church, One Nation, One Can Trust, Baby Basics, MK Food Bank, Milton Keynes Community Fridge, The Bus Shelter MK and MK Melting Pot.

The charities were delighted to receive the food pallets and explained the difference they would make. Melanie Lewis from Baby Basics, one of the charities who received a donation commented:

‘This really is an absolutely perfect donation for us. Thank you to Franklins Solicitors and His Church. Long may they continue being able to support the people who need us.’

Speaking about the decision to donate food pallets instead of corporate giveaways, Andrea Smith, Partner at Franklins Solicitors said:

‘The cost of living crisis has affected everyone, especially lower income families. We wanted to play our part in making a difference and decided the money we would have invested into corporate giveaways would be better spent on supplies to help feed our local communities.”

Richard Humphrey, Director of Operations at His Church Charity explained more about the difference the donations have made:

‘We were absolutely delighted when Franklins decided to mark their 40th Anniversary celebrations by making a contribution towards the admin and logistics costs associated with our charitable redistributions. This generous donation enabled His Church to distribute over 10,000 meals to vulnerable people in the Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire areas. Kudos to Franklins for reallocating a budget for corporate giveaways, in order to give meaningful support to the local community, this is truly commendable social responsibility and I hope their example will inspire other businesses to follow suit.’

As a result of this initiative, MK Food Reach has been set up to offer ongoing support to help with the local food crisis. Every time £10,000 is raised – enough to fill an artic lorry with 26 pallets of food (retail value of approximately £52,000) a lorry will bring the much needed food to the City for distribution. To get involved, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mk-food-reach  or email mkfoodreach@outlook.com

Last week, Franklins donated two mixed pallets of food to local charities Northampton Town FC Community Trust and MK Food Bank through a partnership with His Church Charity.  Northampton Town FC Community Trust work with a number of small food banks in the local area and will distribute the pallet directly via their Easter Holiday hunger projects and through the Weston Favell Centre Foodbank.  

Phillip Smith, CEO of the Northampton Town FC Community Trust, said “We are extremely grateful to both Franklins Solicitors for funding and His Church for delivering this amazingly generous food donation. Everyone should have access to good food but unfortunately, increasingly we know this isn’t always the case. This donation will be a fantastic help to enable us to support families and individuals across Northamptonshire at this challenging time.”

In Milton Keynes, the MK Food Bank have teamed up with MK Council to launch Food Bank Xtra in order to meet the increase in demand caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

“We are so grateful to Franklins and His Church for the fabulous donation of much need food delivered last week. MK Food Bank has seen an unprecedented increase in demand for its emergency food parcels over the last year – in 2020 we helped over 2,500 more households than in the previous year, giving out 27,500 parcels altogether. And it’s thanks to incredible donations from the community that we’re able to carry on helping everyone who needs us. On behalf of everyone here, a huge thank you to for your generosity and community spirit.” – Louisa Hobbs, Operations Manager at MK Food Bank.

Richard Humphrey, Director of Operations at His Church who organised and facilitated the delivery of the pallets said “It’s a wonderful gesture for Franklins Solicitors to sponsor these mixed food pallets. Franklins’ generosity in covering our administration and logistics costs has enabled His Church to provide over £4,000 worth of food to support a number of fantastic front-line Charities, who are making a big difference in Northampton and Milton Keynes. A huge thank you to all the Franklins staff who went without Easter Eggs this year to support families who have been made vulnerable by the current crisis.”

Franklins are delighted to have been able to help a number of individuals and families through local charities in the community this Easter.