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To mark its 40th year in business, Pattinson Estate Agents has made ten awards of £500 to housing and homelessness projects across the North East through its Fund at the Community Foundation.
The Pattinson family established the Pattinson Estate Agent Fund at the Community Foundation which will exist in perpetuity and will make grants to housing and homelessness projects and those working with ex-offenders from Berwick down to Stockton. Keith Pattinson, who founded the North-East-based estate agency, explains:
“To mark the 40th anniversary of our family business, my daughter and I decided to do something special and establish a philanthropic fund at the Community Foundation. The Fund is our way of giving back to the area in which our business has grown, and with advice from the Community Foundation we can ensure that money is invested securely into the heart of our community.”
“To help us establish the fund, we secured a 50% match on our donation through the Community Foundation’s Murray Match scheme. We are delighted to be able to make our first set of donations totalling £5,000, and hope to see our endowment grow and support more causes in the future.
Priorities for the fund in 2017 are to support the provision of accommodation, volunteering costs and home start-up costs, as well as mentoring and befriending schemes.
Keith Pattinson, explains the motivation behind his corporate philanthropy:
“I founded Pattinson Estate Agents on 4 July 1977, and have witnessed the huge changes in the housing market and shifts in technology. Sadly, one thing that hasn’t changed is that there still exists members of our community who are homeless, at risk of homelessness and who need our support.
Berwick Youth Project based in Northumberland received a donation of £500 to provide resettlement packs for young people. John Bell, Project Manager at Berwick Youth Project explains:
“The transition from our Supported Accommodation to living independently is a huge challenge for most young people, as although our continuing support is only a phone call away, it can still be a lonely and daunting experience.
“The resettlement packs funded through the Pattinson Estate Agents Fund will be a fantastic contribution to getting young people over the first few days and weeks of a new tenancy, and help the process of making their accommodation into a home to be proud of.”
The Community Foundation is urging others to follow Pattinson Estate Agents and take advantage of the Mr Murray’s Match Endowment Challenge and help support more causes in the community.
Sandra King, Chief Philanthropy Officer at the Community Foundation explains:
“Mr Murray’s Match is a great opportunity for individuals and businesses wishing to establish a philanthropic fund at the Community Foundation. For every £2 a donor invests we can add £1 to their pot. Our endowment model means that funds exist in perpetuity supporting a wide-variety of issues in our community, with expert philanthropy advice from our team.
“We hope that more firms make corporate social responsibility an important focus of their work in 2017 and follow in the footsteps of Pattinson Estate Agents.”
With a little less than £250,000 remaining of Mr Murray’s Million Pound Match, individuals, families and businesses are advised to contact the Community Foundation for more information about how they can start their philanthropic journey.
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For more information about the match scheme visit www.communityfoundation.org.uk/match.
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