Local Firm Helps Improve Lives Of Kenyan Children

 Aberdeenshire, Information  No Responses »
Jun 232017
 

With thanks to Gemma Setter, PR Account Executive, Frasermedia.

From left to right: Pat Ramsay, Myles Edwards, Phil Anderson, and Louise Dingwall.

A North-east financial services company has helped to provide Kenyan children with opportunities for a better future through a charitable donation.

Phil Anderson Financial Services, which has offices in Ellon, Aberdeen and Caithness, recently donated £500 to the Gathimba Edwards Foundation, a charity that supports disadvantaged kids in the east African country of Kenya.

Through its sponsorship of the Charity Open at Oldmeldrum Golf Club, the firm selected the Gathimba Edwards Foundation as a beneficiary, due to the charity’s dedication towards improving the lives of almost 250 poverty-stricken Kenyan children.

To date, the Gathimba Edwards Foundation, founded by Aberdonian Myles Edwards and Kenyan international Gideon Gathimba, has built 17 homes for over 70 children and provided education opportunities, shelter, clothing and food to 243 kids across Kenya.

Phil Anderson Financial Services regularly supports numerous charities and community initiatives across the North-east. Last year, the business was recognised for its charitable efforts and was awarded with the Small Business Big Heart Award for its support of the Aberdeen Cyrenians.

Since the firm was launched in 2011, its staff has raised over £10,000 for a large number of local charities and causes, including Diabetes Scotland, Aspire and Aberdeen Cyrenians.

Phil Anderson, managing director of Phil Anderson Financial Services, said:

“After hearing about the Gathimba Edwards Foundation and all the fantastic work they’ve managed to achieve in such a short space of time, I thought it was only right to get behind this truly worthwhile cause.

“Supporting those that are less fortunate is something that both myself and my staff are all very passionate about. We are all looking forward to hearing about the charity’s next project and how the donation will help make a difference to the lives of many disadvantaged children across Kenya.”

Founder of the Gathimba Edwards Foundation, Myles Edwards, said:

“We are hugely grateful for the incredibly generous support from Phil and his team, as it is going to be life-changing for our children.

“There are a number of families who desperately need houses built for them, as they are currently living in iron sheet structures with no walls. We are able to build two-bedroom houses with furniture and electricity for under £3,000, so £500 is absolutely huge for us.

“Phil does so much for numerous charities and causes in both the North-east and abroad, so it really is a big honour that he has chosen to support our kids.”

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AAM Seek New Recruits During Scottish Apprenticeship Week

 Aberdeen City, Charity  No Responses »
Mar 102017
 

With thanks to Esther Green, Senior Account Executive, Tricker PR

Aberdeen Asset Management apprentices organised a fundraising sleep out which helped raise over £14,000 for charity.

A group of Aberdeen Asset Management apprentices who have made their mark on their workplace – and also in their community by raising over £14,000 for charity – are meeting their local MSP during Scottish Apprenticeship Week.

Aberdeen Central MSP Kevin Stewart’s visit to Aberdeen Asset Management comes as the firm is looking to recruit its next batch of talented young recruits for offices in Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

Aberdeen is inviting applications from would-be apprenticeships in Aberdeen and Edinburgh between now and April 2.

Applicants meeting the criteria will be invited to attend a recruitment open day and selected candidates will be asked to complete two weeks’ work experience during July 2017. The final interview for the apprenticeship programme will take place during work experience with apprenticeships commencing in September.

MSP Mr Stewart will meet a group that includes the five strong team of apprentices who organised a series of events, including a sponsored sleep-out when they were joined by colleagues in sleeping outdoors in Aberdeen on a winter’s night, helping them raise an impressive £14,000 plus for Aberdeen Cyrenians.

Apprentice Rachel Adam will be among those meeting with the MSP and said:

“We’re looking forward to sharing the benefits we have found from directly entering the workplace rather than choosing higher education.

“We are receiving on-the-job training and are gaining relevant qualifications and we work well as a team. We’re  developing our networks and building up great connections with colleagues and we were delighted to exceed expectations in the fundraising challenge set by our employers by raising over £10,000 for Aberdeen Cyrenians, thanks to the support of our colleagues.”

Aberdeen Asset Management has introduced its own apprenticeship scheme for school leavers in recent years. The programme runs for 12-24 months and is designed to help apprentices learn about the organisation, meet the people involved and help them decide which area of the business to begin their career in. Appprentices are challenged to work together for community projects.

Lynn Brown from Aberdeen Asset Management’s learning and development team said:

“Scottish Apprenticeship Week celebrates the benefits apprenticeships bring to individuals, businesses and communities, as well as their contribution to the Scottish economy and we have first hand experience of that here at Aberdeen Asset Management.

“As a business we understand that recruiting, developing and retaining the best people is fundamental to our ability to perform and through our apprenticeship and other entry level programmes we look to identify talented individuals at the start of their career.

“Our apprenticeship programme comprises of six rotations over two years in different departments across the business giving our apprentices a well-rounded view of the asset management industry and its related functions. Apprentices will complete rotations in teams within our Operations and Technology, Finance, Distribution, Corporate, and Risk divisions.”

More information on apprenticeship opportunities at Aberdeen Asset Management are available by contacting entrylevel.recruitment@aberdeen-asset.com

 

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Oil And Gas Lay Offs Impact On Food Poverty

 Aberdeen City, News  No Responses »
Jan 132017
 

With thanks to Esther Green, Senior Account Executive, Tricker PR.

As food poverty continues to grow across Grampian – with the slump in the oil and gas industry pushing up requests for aid –  a major financial firm is helping emergency food parcels reach those most in need.

Aberdeen-based charity, Community Food Initiatives North East (CFINE) has a fleet of nine vehicles distributing food donations to organisations operating at grass roots levels to support those living in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray who are struggling to put a meal on the table.

Aberdeen Asset Management has donated £5,000 towards CFINE’s vehicle costs which has been described as a “fantastic contribution” that will help keep the fleet on the road, allowing it to continue to make essential deliveries to support the growing numbers of people affected by food poverty.

It’s not just those on benefits or low wages that gain assistance, the downturn in oil and gas resulted in a new market of referrals emerging, with laid-off energy sector workers forced to seek out vital support.

Dave Simmers, chief executive officer of CFINE said: 

“To see your income collapse, sometimes with no warning at all, because of a job loss leads to difficult times. We have heard of people losing well paid jobs in the oil and gas sector but left with next to nothing when their income dries up – any one of us could be just be a few pay cheques away from a crisis.

“Our services are more needed than ever and with benefit changes coming through we expect there will be a deeper impact on already hard-pressed families. Many already have to make choices between heating or eating and we hear anecdotal evidence of parents going without food so they can buy their children’s school uniform.

“We operate on very tight budgets and every penny counts so to get £5,000 from Aberdeen Asset Management is a fantastic contribution. Without our vehicles, we could not get out to the charities and community organisations like Cyrenians, Salvation Army and Instant Neighbour which in turn reach the people in need in Grampian, which is a huge area to cover.”

CFINE is seeing increases for aid and the number of referrals increase all the time. In 2017  it will receive, organise and deliver more than 500 tonnes of food – which equates to a staggering 1,190,476 meals. Last year it distributed 10,000 emergency food parcels thorugh its own foodbank, a huge increase on the 3,000 food parcels given out in 2012, its first year of operation.

Dominic Kite of Aberdeen Asset Management’s charity committee said:

“Food poverty  is a sad but very real fact of life for too many people in our region. We applaud the work of CFINE , its volunteers and partner organisations in tackling food poverty, building resilience and improving the health and wellbeing of people across the Grampian region.”

With demand for its services showing no sign of waning, CFINE has a number of volunteering opportunities and would welcome anyone who may be willing to help out. Call Christine or Graeme on 01224 596156; email info@cfine.org or visit the website www.cine.org to get involved. The charity also welcomes food and finanacial donations to ensure this vital work can continue.

The Aberdeen Asset Charitable Foundation was established in 2012 to formalise and develop the Group’s charitable giving globally and seeks partnerships with smaller charities around the world, where funds can be seen to have a meaningful and measurable impact.

The firm encourages its employees to use their time and skills to support its charitable projects. The main focus of the Foundation is around emerging markets and local communities, giving back to those areas which are a key strategic focus of the business and to build on the historic pattern of giving to communities in which Aberdeen employees live and work.

For more information visit http://www.aberdeen-asset.co.uk/aam.nsf/foundation/home

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AAM Apprentices Raise £14,000 For Aberdeen Cyrenians

 Aberdeen City, Articles  No Responses »
Dec 232016
 

With thanks to Esther Green, Senior Account Executive, Tricker PR.

Aberdeen Asset Management’s apprentice fundraisers, from left, Hannah Booth, Raegan McBain, Sam McGrath, Rachel Adam and Harry Rothnie.

Christmas has come early for Aberdeen Cyrenians which has taken delivery of a bumper £14,000 donation raised by apprentices from Aberdeen Asset Management.
More than half of the total came from a single mission – when apprentices were joined by  colleagues and spent a chilly night sleeping outdoors in Aberdeen, an experience that drove home the relevance and need to support those for whom homelessness and sleeping rough is a daily reality.

The five apprentices – Hannah Booth, Rachel Adam, Raegan McBain, Harry Rothnie and Sam McGrath –  have been praised for putting heart and soul into the charity challenge and making the donation at the time when demand for services is at its peak.

Scott Baxter, Depute Chief Executive for Aberdeen Cyrenians,  said:

“We are all absolutely delighted at how well the Aberdeen Asset Management  apprentices have done and with their energy, motivation and commitment they have raised an incredible amount of money.

“This money  will go directly to our Drop In service at a time when there is the highest level of need. We’ve developed a great friendship which we hope will continue in the future as these young people move into the professional world.”

The apprentices were challenged by their employees to raise £10,000 in six weeks for the Cyrenians and could turn to colleague Sophie Ewen, who was recently named apprentice ambassador of the year at the 2016 Scottish Apprenticeship Awards, for advice and assistance throughout. 

They planned and organised a whole host of money-raising efforts and in addition to the sleepout, they held a bingo night and raffle, race night, auction, cake sale, and sold bacon rolls to office staff on Friday mornings. They smashed their target after just  four weeks and were so committed to the cause that they gave up a considerable amount of their personal time to planning and staging events.

Apprentice Hannah Booth, part of the fundraising team, said:

“It was quite daunting being faced with the challenge of raising £10,000 but right from the start we gained wonderful support  from colleagues and many of them joined us on the Sleepout, or sponsored us to take part, which was just great.

“We feel that taking part in this challenge has brought us closer together and we’ve really bonded from having spent so much time in each other’s company through organising and holding our events. We’re all really proud to have been able to raise so much money for Aberdeen Cyrenians which does great work to support the homeless, rough sleepers and people who experience hardship in the North-east of Scotland.”

Aberdeen Asset Management has an established apprenticeship programme for school leavers which has been running since 2012. The programme runs for 12-24 months and is designed to help apprentices learn about the organisation, meet the people involved and help them decide which area of the business to begin their career in.

Apprentices are challenged to work together for community projects, in this case for Aberdeen Cyrenians, which has its headquarters close to Aberdeen Asset Management’s Union Plaza office and has supported homeless people in the city for over 45 years.

Aberdeen Cyrenians seeks to meet the needs of people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or are affected by severe hardship in any way. The charity listens to their difficulties, understand needs, share burdens, provide professional support and strive to identify solutions. More information can also be found online at www.aberdeen-cyrenians.org

Since 1968 Aberdeen Cyrenians has provided a range of services to homeless people, rough sleepers and those who experience hardship in the North East of Scotland.

Today these cover residential services, a Violence Against Women project, a Domestic Abuse Support & Accommodation Project, an Advice and Information Service which offers nine drop-in sessions each week, and Street Alternatives where hot meals, personal care, showers, clothing and laundry facilities are provided.

For more information visit http://www.aberdeen-asset.co.uk/aam.nsf/foundation/home

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Sponsored Sleep-Out Helps Apprentices Smash Charity Target

 Aberdeen City, Charity  No Responses »
Nov 102016
 

With thanks to Esther Green, Senior Account Executive, Tricker PR.

sleepout2016

Aberdeen Asset Management staff sleep rough to help raise over £10,000

More than 30 staff from Aberdeen Asset Management who swapped their home comforts for a night exposed to the elements have helped young apprenticeship colleagues smash a £10,000 fundraising target.

Just four weeks into their six week money raising mission and the five-strong team of apprentices have already gathered a total of £10,350 for Aberdeen Cyrenians.

The bulk of the cash came from sponsorship when the apprentices persuaded colleagues to join them sleeping rough in Aberdeen.

Dressed in cosy clothes, including hats, gloves and scarves and armed with sturdy sleeping bags, 33 Aberdeen Asset Management employees took part in Aberdeen Cyrenians Sleepout in the car park of Asda at Garthdee, last month. They were given cardboard boxes to use as mats and spent 12 hours outdoors on a chilly Aberdeen night.

Collectively, Aberdeen Asset Management’s rough sleepers raised £7,348 but it also brought a sense of reality to what their efforts were for and the reality and discomfort faced by a homeless person on a daily basis.

Apprentice Hannah Booth, part of the fundraising team said:

“We were really pleased  that colleagues from different departments joined us in the Sleepout, and also that so many sponsored us to take part, and it was harder than we expected.

“It felt really cold and there was the added distraction of boy racers driving around the car park and some other Sleepout participants’ snoring.

“We did manage to get some sleep as we were all well wrapped up in cosy clothes, good sleeping bags and in some cases even camping mats but what really hit home was that in the morning we could pack up and go, return to our homes and hot showers, warm meals and comfy beds knowing that our involvement in sleeping outdoors was for a good cause.

“The reality for homeless people is  that they don’t have that choice, and face the uncertainty and discomfort on a daily basis, and not knowing where to go and how to survive another day.”

The apprentices’ charity pot has been added to from the proceeds of them selling bacon rolls to colleagues on a Friday morning, a Great British Bake Off  cake sale, and from the team taking it in turns to pedal a total distance of 125 miles on exercise bikes in their office reception – the distance between their Union Plaza base and the firm’s Edinburgh Princes Street office. More fundraisers are in the pipeline.

Scott Baxter, Depute Chief Executive  for Aberdeen Cyrenians, praised the five apprentices – Hannah Booth, Rachel Adam, Raegan McBain, Harry Rothnie and Sam McGrath –  for admirably rising to their challenge and encouraging others to get involved too.

“We are all absolutely delighted and impressed with the Aberdeen Asset Management  apprentices’ efforts and enthusiasm in reaching their target of £10,000 in such a short space of time. The funds raised will go directly to our Drop In service which is responding to an increase in demand as more and more people find themselves in difficult circumstances.”

Aberdeen Asset Management has an established apprenticeship programme school leavers which has been running since 2012.

The programme runs for 12-24 months and is designed to help apprentices learn about the organisation, meet the people involved and help them decide which area of the business to begin their career in. Appprentices are challenged to work together for community projects, in this case Aberdeen Cyrenains which has its headquarters close to Aberdeen’s Union Plaza office and which has supported homeless people in the city for over 45 years.

Aberdeen Cyrenians aims to meet the needs of people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or are affected by severe hardship in any way. The charity listens to their difficulties, understand needs, share burdens, provide professional support and strive to identify solutions. More information can also be found online at www.aberdeen-cyrenians.org

Since 1968 Aberdeen Cyrenians has provided a range of services to homeless people, rough sleepers and those who experience hardship in the North East of Scotland. Today these cover residential services, a Violence Against Women project, a Domestic Abuse Support & Accommodation Project, an Advice and Information Service which offers nine drop-in sessions each week, and Street Alternatives where hot meals, personal care, showers, clothing and laundry facilities are provided.

For more information visit http://www.aberdeen-asset.co.uk/aam.nsf/foundation/home

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Financial Company Recognised For Charitable Efforts

 Aberdeen City, Charity  No Responses »
Nov 042016
 

With thanks to Gemma Setter, PR Account Executive, Frasermedia.

phil-anderson-and-scott-baxter2An Aberdeen financial services company has been recognised for its continuous support of non-profit-making organisations in the North-east.

Phil Anderson Financial Services, which has offices in Aberdeen, Ellon and Caithness, was awarded as the regional winner of the Small Business Big Heart Award for Aberdeen.

The accolade, which recognises small businesses across the UK that go to great efforts to support their local communities, was presented to Phil Anderson, managing director of Phil Anderson Financial Services, by Scott Baxter, deputy chief executive of Aberdeen Cyrenians, for the company’s dedication to helping local causes.

The financial services company, which specialises in mortgages, investments and pensions, donates £10 to Aberdeen Cyrenians every time one of its clients sets up a mortgage. The initiative has raised a total of £1710 for the charity so far this year, which helps to support homeless and vulnerable people in the area.

As well as this, Phil Anderson Financial Services supports numerous sports and social clubs in Aberdeen, Ellon and Oldmeldrum and regularly donates raffle prizes to nearby schools and charities. Through its sponsorship of the Oldmeldrum Charity Golf Open Day, the firm was able to select Diabetes UK as a beneficiary.

Rufus Bazley, marketing director at BusinessesForSale.com, the organiser of the Small Business Big Heart campaign, said:

“We were very impressed with the charitable efforts of Phil Anderson Financial Services, as it’s evident that the entire team are committed to creating a positive impact for the area through donations and participating in fundraising activities.

“It’s very inspiring to see a small business so involved with its local community and we can only hope that it encourages other SMEs across the UK to regularly support causes in their area.”

Phil Anderson, managing director of Phil Anderson Financial Services Ltd, said:

“It is an honour to receive the Small Business Big Heart award, as supporting local, worthwhile causes means a lot to me and the team.

“My staff often participate in fundraising events and I support this by giving them the time off work. I also like to take part and raise money for charity, this year was the third year that I’ve swam 22-miles to raise money for Diabetes UK and Aspire.

“Not all companies are in the position to hand out big cheques all the time, but it doesn’t need to be about large gestures. We’re able to do our bit through a number of small activities that will help those local to us.”

Scott Baxter, deputy chief executive of Aberdeen Cyrenians, said:

“We are very appreciative of Phil’s ongoing support, as all the money raised by the company goes towards our frontline services, which have experienced a significant increase in demand over the last 12 months.

“As well as this, we are all well aware of his amazing efforts for other causes across the North-east, so the award is extremely well deserved.”

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