Property specialist SDL Group has revealed over £100,000 will be generated throughout 2018 for its chosen charity, The Donna Louise, which was kick-started at its annual conference last month.
The conference, which was held within the Football Association’s St George’s Park grounds in Staffordshire, welcomed over 300 delegates. Delegates included SDL employees and business partners from across the industry, who gathered to hear the thoughts of some of property’s leading professionals in the form of plenary sessions, keynote speeches and panel discussions.
Delegates were also introduced to SDL Group’s chosen charity, The Donna Louise, and the services it provides children, young adults with life-limiting conditions and their families.
During the conference, a number of SDL Group’s business partners committed to support the work of the children’s charity through a variety of business pledges, including rounding up invoices, donating 1p for every £100 of income earned, and making a contribution for every new customer gained during the year ahead, which will raise £51,588.
The conference was followed by a black-tie dinner, which commenced with an opening number from The Donna Louise supporter and the evening’s celebrity MC, Jonathan Wilkes, who was accompanied by his band who played live music throughout the evening.
The evening also included an after-dinner speech from ex-professional footballer and current presenter of BBC One’s Homes Under the Hammer, Dion Dublin. Dion later helped Jonathan and SDL Auctions’ managing director and auctioneer, Andrew Parker, with a charity auction, which combined with donations raised an additional £52,150 for The Donna Louise.
SDL Group’s director of PRS, Paul Staley, made a charitable commitment of his own by announcing his participation in Tower-to-Tower 2018. This will see Paul take part in gruelling fitness challenge over 350 miles, in just four days and nights. The first part of the route is a 150-mile cycle from the Eiffel Tower to Le Havre, immediately followed by 115-mile team row across the English Channel. Once the team reach Brighton, it’s a 60-mile trek to the finish at Tower Bridge in London. You can donate to Paul’s challenge here.
People are also invited to participate in the SDL Tour: The Three Peaks. This will see teams travel through England, Wales and Scotland via car, completing 5 trails, including a mountain climb, in order to win points and be crowned overall winner. The Tour will take place been the 27th and 30th April 2018.
Commenting on the conference and the fundraising efforts, Helen Ellis, joint director of employee engagement and customer insight at the SDL Group said:
“SDL Property: 2018 brought together some of the sector’s leading experts alongside our team and business partners provided a platform to share ideas and implement progressive thinking. Most importantly it provided the SDL Group with an opportunity to inform all delegates of the tremendous work The Donna Louise delivers daily, caring for children and young adults with life-limiting conditions and the support it offers to their families.
“This was capped off with the fantastic news raising over £100,000 for such an amazing local charity. We hope everyone will continue to support our upcoming fundraising efforts throughout 2018.”
