COMMUNITY

As a key member of the local community, Burgess Hodgson takes its role very seriously. The firm has been a regular contributor to local charities through various fund raising activities, such as the annual Golf Day, the wine & wisdom quiz, and raffles at key events such as the Christmas meal and Summer Ball.

In recent years, we have supported a number of charities, such as Dave Lee’s Happy Holidays, a charity providing holidays and outings for disabled, sick and underprivileged children and their immediate families, and the Kent Air Ambulance. Most recently, however, we decided to take a longer term approach to our charity work, selecting a local charity that would be the recipient of all our fundraising endeavours across the year. In 2010, we raised more than £9,000 for Pilgrims Hospices and, in 2011, we hope to raise a similar amount for Demelza House.

We have a number of charity events planned for this year. These events are always well attended by Burgess Hodgson’s staff, engender team-building and enhance the spirit within the firm. The partners actively encourage, and sponsor, these activities, which include completing of the Three Peaks Challenge, the highest mountains in the Yorkshire Dales within 12 hours (click here).

The partners and staff are also involved in other events within the local community, including the Round Table and 41 Club, Business Network International, Chamber of Commerce, Children’s Society and providing careers talks and advice at local schools, colleges and university. 

LOCAL SPORT

In addition to having active sports teams within Burgess Hodgson (we won Division 2 of the Canterbury and District Football League last year, and have won the Farrer Barnes 5-a-side tournament five times within the last seven years), we sponsor local teams across a range of sports. 

We are sponsors of Canterbury Hockey Club, Rugby Club and Football Club and have previously sponsored Kent opening batsman Joe Denly.  Joe has now become a regular member of the England one day international and 20/20 team, but, until this season, his Burgess Hodgson liveried car could be regularly seen parked at Kent Cricket Ground.



ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES

We do adopt a responsible approach to environmental issues, and integrate green measures, wherever possible within our business.  Examples include:

• Cycling to work – we have secure, covered bike storage and showers available for staff use.
• Car sharing and the provision of pool cars to avoid staff having to bring their own cars into the office.
• Use of public transport wherever practical, especially for journeys to central London.
• Recycling of waste paper and packaging, with confidential waste pulped for recycling.
• Increased use of electronic storage material, reducing the need for printed paper. 
• Environmentally friendly disposal of computer equipment, and recycling these, where possible, for local charity groups.
• Policy of ensuring that energy consumption is minimised where possible