CSR

TFT announces additional ‘Volunteer Day’ for all staff

We believe that charitable work and volunteering is great for business. It helps attract and keep talented employees, improves our relations with communities, strengthens brand value, improves our client relations, demonstrates corporate value and builds team work and leadership skills. If done successfully, these projects and initiatives also help to expand our capacity to impact the issues most relevant to our long-term success, in a  changing business environment where doing good and doing well go hand in hand.

That’s why we do fundraising campaigns, why we offer pro-bono services and why we are now providing a minimum of one additional day of leave for volunteering per year to all TFT employees, starting now.

HR & Operations Partner Chris Keates-Lewis said:

We are a socially committed business, reflected by our amazing people in their activities outside TFT and in connection with the charities that we support. We are delighted to provide each person with a paid Volunteering Day each year as part of a structured approach to CSR, starting in January 2019.

Managing Partner Alan Pemberton said:

A big part of TFT’s culture is our sense of corporate responsibility – we love to give back, and to use our collective skills and experience to do good together. I’m proud to help empower our people to do even more with their paid leave and excited to see what ideas and initiatives come through as a result.

TFT Bristol Take the Plunge for Local MS Therapy Centre

On Saturday 8th September, a team of five of TFT’s bravest took part in the South West of England MS Therapy centre’s ‘Take the Plunge’ challenge. This involved participants jumping into Portishead Marina just outside of Bristol, to be rescued by well-trained Newfoundlands, a dog breed who have a propensity to rescue people from water.  The annual event helps to raise the necessary funds in order to provide a range of treatments and therapies for people living with MS and other neurological conditions, including physiotherapy, oxygen treatment, acupuncture, reflexology and aromatherapy.

TFT were gold sponsors this year and the team raised over £700 for the local charity.

Jay Ridings (Associate, Bristol). who took part in the fundraiser, recounted the memorable day:

The sprightly TFT bunch arrived nice and early in the Portishead drizzle ready for freezing cold temperatures, slobbering faces and the risk of being eaten by our would-be rescuers. The dogs were huge and excitable!! To our relief they were also very well drilled and enjoyed (loved!) saving people.

We could not have asked for a better ‘saving’. Paul Spaven’s (Partner, Bristol) rescue dog was slightly reluctant to jump in initially (some said it was his fluorescent pink gloves!?) but the dog’s trainer assured Paul that it had happened the week before and that the canine was in a “phase”. Thankfully, he was eventually saved and so is still with us. Just as well, as he will be the next trustee for MS Therapy Bristol!

We all had great fun for such a brilliant cause and I would recommend that anyone who isn’t too keen on swimming gets a Newfoundland to drag them around in relative luxury!

 

‘The All Purples’ triumphant rugby victory at Hyde Park!

By Giulia Mori (Energy & Sustainability Consultant)

TFT’s own tag rugby team won Wednesday’s challenging match against multidisciplinary consultancy group Dar Al-Handasah in the TryTag property league, held at Hyde Park each week. ‘The All Purples’ worked as impressively as a team: keeping the line; checking the numbers; facing forward and running to the try line over 15 times.

Unmerciful tries left right and centre from the TFT rugby duo Sarah Gunn (Marketing) and Olly Linton(Surveyor) with an unbelievable series of tags and defence strategies from Ollie Morris (Senior Energy & Sustainability Consultant), Deni Cherneva (Senior Graphic Designer), all steered from the directions of ever-present captain James Child (Surveyor)! Sarah was awarded overall player of the match from the referee and TFT look to be in the final in 4 weeks time!

I was gutted to not be part of the action this week, but it was nonetheless a great match to watch. We are getting there, team: well done to all players and good luck in the next rounds.

TFT at the JLL Triathlon – it was all slip slap slop before we flipped flapped and [mostly] flopped

28 degrees: so much sunscreen; no one fainted…28 degrees also meant no one beat any PBs. One punctured tyre on the way to race…Another punctured tyre during the race. 1 TFT triathlete swam into 2 safety boats. Marathon Mann [David] came out in top 30 of his [heat] wave…And not content with 13 miles alone, 1 relay cyclist cycled 22 miles to the race and 22 miles back home.

TFT strike a pose across the UK for Bowel Cancer Research

Bowel Cancer is the 4th most common cancer in the UK. Early diagnosis leads to better survival rates. Raising awareness of this indiscriminate killer is a step towards earlier diagnosis and TFT got into the collective spirit by proudly wearing Bowel Cancer Research t-shirts across the practice for the day.

TFT Volunteers at Woodlarks Camp, Guildford!

Every year, Sarah Gunn (pictured) from our marketing team volunteers at Woodlarks in Surrey, a fit for purpose campsite that provides camping holidays for disabled people. This year she was joined by our Senior Graphic Designer Deni Cherneva, who got the full tour of this great site that includes facilities built to cater for all; the visually-impaired, hearing-impaired and those wheelchair bound. The site is an all-inclusive place that brings outdoor experiences to those often excluded from activities such as paint-balling, water-skiing, trike rides, zorbing, laser-tag and much more. Campers stay in tents of all types and spend the week laughing and joking with each other, leaving the site feeling like they’re part of one big family.

Woodlarks hosts different a plethora of camps throughout the year, but the one the girls attended is called Trekkers and is for adults aged 30+. HR Partner Chris Keates Lewis visited mid-week and was chuffed to be introduced to the camp and all the great campers and volunteers!

If you would like to get involved with Trekkers click here, or to find out which camps are held at Woodlarks, click here!

TFT peaked over the weekend

A mighty team of seven from TFT met the LandAid Peak2Peak challenge last weekend, covering over 50km on bike, foot and backside as we biked, hiked and canyoneered the Peak District. Two giant peaks were scaled, fitness and endurance was tested, and teamwork ensured that everyone came through.

We caught up with Chuan Lim (Guildford) and Pete Madge (Bristol) to see how they found it!

What did you enjoyed about the challenge over the weekend and what did you struggle with?

Pete: The combination of biking, hiking and gorge scrambling with the beautiful backdrop of the Peak District was an absolute pleasure, but particularly enjoyable was the banter with the rest of our Team TFT along the way and completing the challenge together.

Chuan: There was some spectacular scenery on the hike including the remains of a WW2 Halifax bomber found on the Moor, and, later on, laughing as Sarah (London) fell (stylishly, of course) into a peat bog! The gorge scrambling was rather tricky too but we were all up for the challenge and there was a pub waiting for us at the end!

I enjoyed spending time with TFT colleagues and fellow property professionals in the great outdoors- testing ourselves physically and supporting each other whilst taking in the wonderful views of the Peak District.

Why it is important to you to partake in such activities?

Pete:  For me, it is really important to include ‘fun’ in fundraising, to do some team building, explore some new countryside and set yourself a bit of a goal.

Chuan: Whilst events like these are great for fundraising and are (mostly) lots of fun, it is important for TFT to be socially responsible – demonstrating our support and raising awareness of amazing charities like LandAid and their mission to end youth homelessness in the UK.

TFT pub quiz

On Wednesday, TFT hosted a pub quiz in London for clients and friends in an effort to raise money for the LandAid Peak to Peak Challenge, in which TFT has a team participating. To take part in the challenge, each participant needs to raise a minimum of £300 for LandAid. Making Team TFT’s minimum requirement £2100!

Thanks to all those who came along and supported us, as well as those who donated to the raffle. We raised total of £708, and with TFT’s promise to match this, £1416! Thank you also to everyone at TFT for donating, we have reached our minimum target.

David Mann runs the Paris marathon for LandAid

Firstly, a huge thank you to everyone who has sponsored and helped me raise more than £5,000 so far. I am going to continue fundraising until my 50th birthday on 22nd June by which time I hope to achieve my £10,000 target. Needless to say, any further help would be really appreciated. You can visit my fundraising page here.

On the walk to the start, I was resplendent in my new ‘Marathon de Paris’ T -shirt with the tag-line ‘RUNNING IS LIFE’. I would beg to differ with this sentiment at the moment!

It was a fantastic experience and Paris was so beautiful on a lovely sunny morning. Seeing 55,000 runners mustered along the Champs-Elysees at the start was quite an emotional sight – as was the queue for the toilets!

My favourite part was running along the Seine at 15 – 16 miles and I even managed to accidentally pocket phone my sister to both of our surprises but got some welcome encouragement!

Less enjoyable was the seemingly endless and monotonous pounding of my running shoes on the tarmac and cobbles. This was only equalled by the thump thump thump of the banging house music streamed from my SoundCloud App, which maintained a steady rhythm and has often been my only companion on those long cold training sessions. Today was in fact the first time I’d only worn shorts and a singlet in the last few months.

It was lovely to see so much support for all the runners – so many expectant faces waiting to see their loved ones, a friend or even a complete stranger. The Brits were particularly supportive to me. At times I forgot I had my name and GBR on my bib and wondered why so many people were shouting ‘Allez David’.

Little things make you laugh en route like someone holding up a piece of cardboard and hand written on it: ‘MOTIVATIONAL SIGN’. I was also particularly proud of my ‘Eiffel Tower hat’ selfie at 18 miles. Looking down the route at the ant-like procession, it felt a little like a less flamboyant Gay Pride march, considerably less diverse with much worse personal hygiene!

I have a slight confession to make now: my Brighton Half Marathon was the longest training run I completed! So when I reached the half way mark it felt like I was entering unknown territory. I have to admit that I was carrying a Metro ticket in my bum-bag just in case. That said, at no time did I feel like giving up and letting down everyone who has helped and supported me.

The last 8 kilometres were very painful, mainly in my hip flexors. Around me it became a bit of a ‘Ministry of Silly Walks’ as the task at hand took its toll. On a serious note, it was awful to see so many people being helped by paramedics and connected to saline drips. Victims of dehydration. It made me appreciate that you shouldn’t take on a Marathon lightly.

A huge thank you to my wonderful partner Glen for his patience during training and enthusiasm on the day. Seeing his face periodically through the crowd was a huge boost.

I finished in 04:34:41. I guess a personal best for my first and last marathon … probably!