Thames Valley's Gardner Leader raises £3,000 for Newbury Soup Kitchen

Published by

Giles Gwinnett

Newbury Soup Kitchen - picture contributed

Thames Valley law firm Gardner Leader has raised £3,000 over the last year for Newbury Soup Kitchen, a voluntary charity, which helps homeless and rough sleepers in the region.

The Gardner Leader team votes each July for a charity to support and Newbury Soup Kitchen, which has supported 26,000 people in the West Berkshire area, was a popular choice.

Meryl Praill, the founder and CEO at Newbury Soup Kitchen, said: "The team at Gardner Leader are engaged and invested in giving back to the local community by supporting our vital work.

"We provide outreach to the most vulnerable people in our area, catering to them physically, emotionally and socially. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the monies raised by the Gardner Leader team will help in improving futures and change lives across Newbury and the West Berkshire area."

Over the past 12 months, Gardner Leader team has hosted a variety of events, including a quiz night at Maidenhead Football Club, a bake sale and a Christmas raffle. The team also completed activities such as Great British Bake Off style bake-sale and a clothing exchange.

Joanna Hemsley, head of Gardner Leader’s charity fundraising team, said: "It’s important to us that the team have their say in how the firm supports the local area.

"We’re delighted to be fundraising for Newbury Soup Kitchen this year. As solicitors, our day job is all about supporting the local community and delivering peace of mind."

Newbury Soup Kitchen provides freshly cooked three-course meals every Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from The Salvation Army Hall, Northcroft Lane and access to services such as health outreach nurses, eye health and eye tests, hair cutting, seasonal vaccinations and dental support.

Gardner Leader's experienced team of legal professionals is now more than 180 employees, working across 12 specialist teams each dedicated to providing specific services to businesses and to individuals.

The firm has offices throughout the south-east, south-west and London, including Newbury, Thatcham, Maidenhead, Swindon, Windsor, London and Oxford.

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Giles Gwinnett

Giles Gwinnett is a writer at The Business Magazine. He has been a journalist for more than 20 years and covered a vast array of topics at a range of media settings - in print and online. After his NCTJ newspaper training, he became a reporter in Hampshire before moving to a news agency in Gloucestershire. In recent years, he has been covering the financial markets along with company news for an investor-focused web portal. His many interests include politics, energy and the environment. He lives in Dorset.