To give you a greater appreciation of the work we do we are bringing in our regular Financial Therapy into to our monthly newswires.
Each month one of our partners will use this opportunity to share some advice, give an overview of what Grunberg & Co do or what’s been happening in their life.
To kick things off Robert Bean, our Managing Partner, has shared details of his busy week, which focused on some fantastic charity events attended.
He picks up the story:
“I started the week by being a guest at the Holocaust Education Trust Annual Appeal Dinner. This wonderful organisation, which sends survivors of the Holocaust out to schools and organisation across the UK, where they share their stories and educate people about what happened during one of the darkest periods in human history.
I was honoured to be able to hear from several of the Trust’s educators and survivors of this atrocity and learn more about their harrowing stories in detail. Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert BEM shared some of her powerful testimony during the event, which will stay with me for some time.
The event also heard from political pundit Nick Robinson about the growing danger of anti-Semitism in British politics and was hosted by another BBC presenter, Natasha Kaplinsky, who was awarded an OBE for her services to Holocaust commemoration
Other guests included Richard Dreyfuss, Rob Rinder, Esther Rantzen, Laura Pradelska, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and Israeli ambassador, Mark Regev.
Projects such as these play an integral role in promoting equality and inclusivity, while attempting to prevent hate speech and activities. The night was hugely enlightening, and this barbaric event must never be forgotten or repeated.
I came back to our office the next day, where we were proud to be supporting the Mental Health Foundation, by selling Green Ribbons around the office. Most people will know at least one person who has been adversely impacted by a mental health condition and so we try to raise awareness of the issue as often as we can.
To help with this we have supported several staff members to become Mental Health First Aiders. This gives them an in-depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect wellbeing, as well as practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues.
This provides our team somewhere to go if they are feeling affected by poor mental health, while the First Aiders are given the confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress.
Our team are one of our greatest assets and so we go out of our way to ensure they have a safe and welcoming work environment – it was one of the reasons we were named as one of the UK’s Top 10 accountancy employers this year.
However, throughout this week I had another thing that kept playing on my mind, and that was the challenge that I faced at the end of it. On Saturday I headed down to Greenwich to climb and walk over the O2. This wasn’t a case of trespassing; no, I had signed up, along with three other colleagues, to scale the dome for our chosen charity of the year, Miracles.
In wet and windy conditions, we bravely ascended 164 feet to the top of the iconic landmark, driven on by the donations made by clients, colleagues, family and friends of the practice.
It was a unique experience and offered some fantastic views, but I was glad to be back on terra firma by the end of it. That evening, as a trustee of Miracles, I was privileged to attend the Charity’s 25th Anniversary Dinner.
Miracles support children and their families living in poverty and help them through crises such as serious illness. They respond to calls for support within 24 hours which is what makes them unique. They ensure that support is there for families when they need it and when it has the most impact. It has a vision that no family living in poverty and facing a life crisis should have to face it alone.
We are proud of the work we do for charities at Grunberg & Co and there isn’t a week that goes by without someone supporting some organisation or another, whether via a challenge or acting as a trustee or volunteer.
To find out more about our charity work, why not visit our dedicated webpage by clicking here.