We’re delighted to announce that the Young Professionals charity of the year for the next 12 months is Molly Olly’s Wishes.
Molly Olly’s Wishes aim to support emotionally and financially, where appropriate, the lives of children with terminal or life threatening illnesses throughout The Midlands and the UK, and to advise and assist their families.
The money raised helps support children and their families who need additional help beyond that given by the NHS and its supporting bodies.
Molly Olly’s Wishes was founded in memory of Molly Ollerenshaw who sadly passed away from cancer on 15th June 2011, aged just 8 years old . Molly liked to shorten her own name from Molly Ollerenshaw to Molly Olly hence Molly Olly’s Wishes!
I remember being at the Pride of Warwick District Awards last year when I first heard of Molly Olly’s. One of their representatives was there and showed me a lion cuddly toy that they give to children with cancer (Olly the brave). The lion’s mane is removable to help the children understand that they will lose their hair during treatment. I have such a vivid memory of it and have thought about it a lot since.
The Young Professionals committee vote was unanimous in choosing the charity for this year, and we really hope to beat the total of over £1,400 that we raised for Myton Hospice last year. The monthly raffle will be back, so make sure you see one of the committee at our events for your tickets! We’ll also be doing some separate charity events, so watch this space.
To find out more information about the charity and the fantastic work they do, visit their website.
If you’d like to make a donations you can do so using our new Just Giving page.
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Chrissie Elliot-Duxson (or guest contributors) and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.
Over the past 12 months the Young Professionals have been raising money for Myton Hospice.
We’re absolutely delighted to announce that our efforts have collected over £1,500 and we couldn’t have done it without the help of everyone who attends Young Professionals, and who’s sponsored the various events we’ve put on.
Dan Smith, who is joint Charity Officer for young professionals said “All the young professionals are really passionate about giving something back to the community. It’s nice to have an impact locally with the group, as well as making contacts and friends”.
Myton is a local charity with a presence across Warwickshire. The team provide high quality, specialist care to people whose condition no longer responds to curative treatment, from diagnosis to death. All their services are provided free of charge and are available to all patients depending on need. They help both patients and their families deal with their symptoms and any emotional distress.
We chose Myton as our charity for the 2015/16 tax year both because of them being local and because some of our committee members have had first-hand experience of their services. Myton needs to raise £8 million every year in order to keep up their fantastic offering and we hope to play our small part in this.
Some of the fundraising events we’ve put on and participated in are:
• Monthly raffle at Thirsty Thursday events
• The Wolf Run
• The Myton Moonlight Walk
• Halloween Quiz
During the year we were also delighted when our joint Charity Officer Paige Howitt received an award for all the Young Professionals fundraising, as well as her own efforts, from Page One Personnel. Paige worked really hard on the ‘Charity of the year’ fundraising and was also responsible for sourcing the fantastic prizes we had for the monthly raffles. Paige said “It was an honour to receive the award at Warwick Castle. I accepted the award on behalf of all of the CWFYP’s as without them the fundraising wouldn’t be possible”.
We’ve already chosen our Charity of the Year for 2016/17 so keep your eyes peeled for my next blog where I’ll introduce them.
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Chrissie Elliot-Duxson (or guest contributors) and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.
Our Halloween charity quiz
A very muddy group of young professionals after the Wolf Run
Last night (22 March) around 30 of Coventry and Warwickshire’s young professionals got together for a curry night at The Stag and Pheasant in Coventry.
As many of you will know, former Young Professionals Chair Gus Bhandal now runs the pub and restaurant, so it was great to see that things are still going well for him.
The Stag and Pheasant has a locally-renowned Indian restaurant inside. The food was absolutely wonderful and, in my humble opinion, the best chicken tikka pathia I’ve had anywhere in Coventry! The winner of the evening once again though was their famous chili cheese nan. Gus confirmed that the chef at The Stag and Pheasant actually came up with the concept and the happy sound of eating could be heard all round.
It was good to see so many people from Wright Hassall attend the event. We also had representation from companies such as Lodders, The RSC, Aston Martin, JLR, Handelsbanken, HCB Group, Legal & General, Shakespeares, Cranfield and Alsters Kelly.
We were delighted to see Grace Morton from Morton’s Vintage Hire as well. She first came to one of our events for the Myton Hospice Quiz last Summer, and it was good to hear that things are going well for the business. We hope she’ll come back again soon.
The conversation was mostly about the First Pro and the return of the Young Professionals vs Young Lawyers rounders match this Summer. This year’s First Pro Awards are taking place on April 21st so if you’ve not yet booked your seat I’d advise doing so as soon as possible. It’s always a lovely event.
As for the rounders the date will be announced soon!
The next Young Professionals event will be held on Thursday 7 April at Leif in Leamington Spa. This will be one of our Thirsty Thursday networking events. If you’d like to come along please register so we know to expect you. All the Thirsty Thursday events are free to attend (just purchase your own drinks at the bar) and open to any young professional in the Coventry and Warwickshire area.
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Chrissie Elliot-Duxson (or guest contributors) and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.
We are delighted to announce that earlier this month our very own Young Professionals Charity Officer, Paige Howitt, won the Charity Fundraiser of the Year award at the Plus One Personnel Warwickshire awards.
Over the past few years Paige has been an avid fundraiser for Myton Hospice, often as part of the Young Professionals ‘Charity of the year’ fundraising activities.
Personally, Paige has been involved in a skydive and several walks, whilst with the young professionals Paige has been instrumental in sourcing raffle prizes for the monthly TT charity raffle, communicating with Myton Hospice and suggesting many different fundraising activities. Paige has managed to get us some fantastic prizes including Nuffield Health Gym Membership, Wasps and Ice Hockey tickets, tickets to West Midlands Safari Park and a picnic hamper from John Lewis.
In the past 12 months all the young professionals, both the committee and some of our members, have raised money for Myton Hospice by doing the Wolf Run, Moonlight Walk, a charity quiz and volunteering at Myton’s events. Dan Smith, who is joint Charity Officer for young professionals with Paige, said “All the young professionals are really passionate about giving something back to the community. It’s nice to have an impact locally with the group, as well as making contacts and friends”.
Paige was delighted to receive her award and said “It was an honour to receive the award at Warwick Castle. I accepted the award on behalf of all of the CWFYP’s as without them the fundraising wouldn’t be possible”.
If you’re interested in helping us raise funds for Myton Hospice please contact Paige at paige.howitt@dafferns.com. Or to be in with a chance of winning one of the fantastic prizes sourced by Paige, be sure to come along to our next Thirsty Thursday event.
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Chrissie Elliot-Duxson (or guest contributors) and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.
February’s young professionals Thirsty Thursday event took place at the Standard Triumph Club in Coventry and was followed by the Insurance Institute of Coventry’s (IIC) annual quiz night.
This year we were pleased to enter three teams into the quiz and, although we didn’t make it into the top spot, we’re pleased to say that we didn’t come last! The three teams were made up of young professionals from Band Hatton Button, Legal and General, HCB Group, The University of Warwick, Lodders, Aston Martin and Wright Hassall.
It was great to see two new members come along from Band Hatton Button and we hope to see them again soon.
The young professionals support many of the IIC events, not least because one of our members, Michelle Varney, is heavily involved with the IIC committee and we like to give her the same support she’s always given us. A particular favourite IIC event for the young professionals is their Summer Ball which takes place at the Guildhall in Coventry.
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Chrissie Elliot-Duxson (or guest contributors) and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.
Role on Young Professionals Committee– Mentor Scheme Coordinator
Age– 25
Company– Wright Hassall
Kelly joined the Young Professionals Committee just under a year ago. She has recently taken over coordination of the Coventry and Warwickshire First mentoring scheme from Carl Malcolm, and will be key in administering the next round of mentor and mentee applications and pairings. I caught up with her to see what she likes about being part of Coventry and Warwickshire First Young Professionals and what advice she has on getting a training contract.
Q What does your current job involve?
I assist with a range of commercial litigation disputes including contentious probate matters, Court of Protection matters and professional negligence claims. I regularly assists with research into Inheritance Act claims and the removal of Executor matters.
Q And what’s your next step professionally?
To commence my 2 year training contract at Wright Hassall LLP which is secured for 2017.
Q Was it difficult finding a training contract and what advice would you give to anyone who’s currently looking for one?
It was difficult securing a training contract because of how few training contracts there are compared to the number of prospective trainees. The best advice would be to think carefully about the areas of law you’re interested in, devise a list and work through it. Know when deadlines for applications are and ensure you have enough time to complete the application to a good standard. Practice makes perfect!
Q What’s the best way to start a conversation with you?
I love animals and think they are always a great ice breaker. I have a 4 year old working cocker-spaniel dog called Norris.
Q What inspired you to get involved with young professionals?
I first heard about CWFYP when I started working for Wright Hassall LLP in December 2014. I had never worked in the area before and so wanted to meet new people, expand my professional network and attend fun networking events. For me, it has been a fantastic way to get to know people in the area.
Q What do you like to do outside work?
I enjoy attending and trying different types of fitness classes such as aerial silk, aerial hoop and pole fitness.
Q Tell us something interesting or unusual about you?
I have been vegetarian for over 10 years but still quite like a packet of chicken flavoured crisps, they are vegetarian!
So that’s Kelly! If you’re interested in being part of the next round of the mentor scheme please email Kelly (Kelly.Schofield@wrighthassall.co.uk) and she can keep you updated on when applications will be open.
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Chrissie Elliot-Duxson (or guest contributors) and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.
Before throwing myself into 2016 I paused to take a look back at some of the highlights of being a member of Coventry and Warwickshire First Young Professionals in 2015.
The re-launch of the mentoring scheme
March 2015 saw the re-launch of the C&W First mentoring scheme. The scheme was first launched by Michelle Vincent when she was Chair of the Young Professionals a few years ago. The new re-invigorated scheme saw 10 mentors paired up with 10 mentees. Mentee Sophie Breeze of Dafferns said “I’ve enjoyed meeting my mentor; the informal setting made it easy to chat and get to know each other. I’ve also met her at more formal networking events and having already developed the relationship has really helped on these occasions.
Martyn Howard, Carl Malcolm and Andrew Smith at the mentoring scheme launch dinner
Charity of the year
For the first time in 2015 Young Professionals adopted a charity of the year, Myton Hospice. Undertaking the fundraising activities together as a committee has helped us build relationships within the committee team, and we’ve had lots of fun whilst helping a great cause. Events have included the Wolf Run, Moonlight Walk, and a monthly raffle. Our final total raised in 2015 will be revealed shortly!
A very muddy group of young professionals post-run
Our Myton Hospice Moonlight Walk team
Carl Malcolm winning Young Professional of the Year
We were all thrilled to see Carl win this award after all his hard work during his year as Chair of the Young Professionals group. One of the highlights of his Chairmanship was the reinvigoration of the mentoring programme, and he’s also raised money for various charities. Carl said “This is absolutely fantastic, it’s a huge privilege and I’m really grateful”.
Carl Malcolm wins Young Professional of the Year 2015
Social events and meeting new faces
We’ve had some great social events year including a table football tournament, a quiz and a rounder’s battle against the Young Lawyers. There are always new faces at the events and I’m pleased to say that after attending Young Professionals events for the past four years some of the people I’ve met have become real friends as well as mentors and colleagues.
The SFB team battle it out at table football
Anyone for rounders?
Some of my other Young Professionals highlights this year included seeing our former committee member and Chair Gus Bhandal open his own pub, committee member Jodi Pearson had the first YP committee baby, committee member Kelly Schofield secured a training contract, and Sal Khan and Sophie Breeze passed all their exams to become fully qualified accountants. On top of that we continued to see numerous young professional weddings and engagements. In fact there are so many new achievements each time I see the Young Professionals I can’t list them all!
Here’s to another successful year in 2016 (and I’m secretly hoping this is the year we beat the Young Lawyers at rounder’s!)
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Chrissie Elliot-Duxson (or guest contributors) and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.
The Young Professionals annual Christmas party took place last Friday 4th December at Le Bistrot Pierre in Leamington Spa. We started at The Royal Pug and, following the meal at Le Bistrot Pierre, carried on to Bedford Street Bar for some classic tunes and live music.
I think I speak for everyone when I say that the dessert was by far the best part. Those of us who had ordered sticky toffee pudding were delivered a piece the size of a large car washing sponge!
It was great to catch up with colleagues from a wide range of local businesses including Wright Hassall, Stewart Fletcher Barrett, HCB, Mander Hadley, JLR and Handelsbanken. It was also really nice to meet Sophie Breeze and Jack Wright, both from Dafferns, and we hope they’ll continue to come to Young Professionals events in the New Year.
Another highlight of the evening was seeing Jodi Pearson, our committee member who is currently on maternity leave having had baby Tom earlier in the year, and her husband Rob. We’ve all been missing Jodi and are looking forward to having her back in mid-2016.
The Christmas social was our last Young Professionals event of 2015 but we’ll be back with a New Year Thirsty Thursday in January. If you’re not on our mailing list please do email me C.A.Duxson@warwick.ac.uk
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Chrissie Elliot-Duxson (or guest contributors) and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.
On bonfire night we held this month’s Young Professionals ‘Thirsty Thursday’ networking event. This month we were delighted to hold it at former committee member Gus Bhandal’s new pub, The Stag and Pheasant on Lockhurst Lane. As I wrote previously, Gus has just left his 9-5 job working for Warwickshire Investment Partnership to take on his lifelong ambition of becoming a pub landlord. Everyone who attended the event was delighted to be supporting Gus’ new venture, and the pub looked great sporting three big screen TVs, two pool tables and a table football table.
There were attendees from a wide range of Coventry and Warwickshire businesses including Burrows Scarborough, Mander Hadley and Cranfield, but we particularly enjoyed welcoming Alice from Stewart Fletcher Barrett to her first Thirsty Thursday event. Alice also won the champagne business card draw so we hope that will be incentive enough for her to come back to our next event.
As well as being a pub the Stag and Pheasant also serves locally-renowned Indian food. Their signature dish is chilli cheese naan, and it was just as good, if not better, than he had raved.
Gus looked very much at home behind the bar, and despite now working until 1am 7 days a week, he says he’s enjoying every minute. We very much miss him on the young professionals committee but are really pleased to see an old friend make a great success of a new business.
Our next young professionals event will be our Christmas party on Friday 4 December at Le Bistrot Pierre in Leamington Spa. If you’re not on our mailing list but would like to attend, please email Holly Brain hollybrain@hcbaccountants.com as soon as possible for more information.
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Chrissie Elliot-Duxson (or guest contributors) and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.
On Tuesday 3 November we held a Halloween themed quiz in aid of our chosen charity, Myton Hospice.
We’re delighted to announce that with the team entry fees and raffle takings combined, we raised a fantastic £611 to add to our running total for 2015.
10 teams turned up to the offices of Stewart Fletcher Barrett in Nuneaton to exorcise their quiz demons and become the pride of Frankenstein (sorry, no more puns I promise!).
Poppleton and Appleby, who were actually a man down, won the quiz, with teams from Cranfield and Wright Hassall coming in joint second. Bringing up the rear, the team from Leigh Christou walked away with a set of wooden spoons.
The raffle was certainly a highlight of the evening, with some great prizes including tobogganing at the Snow Dome, John Lewis vouchers and paint balling for 10.
I’m sure all the attendees would like to thank YP committee member Paige Howitt for organising the evening, as well as her glamorous assistant Holly Brain. We’d certainly like to thank everyone who came for continuing to support both our young professionals group and Myton Hospice.
Our next event is on 5 November at 5.30pm and is our monthly Thirsty Thursday event. This month it will be held at The Stag and Pheasant pub on Lockhurst Lane, Coventry, and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible.
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Chrissie Duxson (or guest contributors) and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.
