Community Support

Community Support

Clapham & Collinge have a long standing commitment in community engagement within Norfolk and we take our corporate responsibility very seriously. We invest time, energy and money in supporting community initiatives, charities and events that are important for people in our county, such as 'Norfolk WILL Help', the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Break Charity and The Benjamin Foundation.

We also run our own events such as 'Lunch on the Green' (our annual summer fundraising event), regular legal information mornings, legal seminars, dementia awareness workshops and other training sessions. We aim to support the projects that are important to the people who are important to us. Clapham & Collinge actively support many local charities by volunteering, raising funds and awareness. Charities and community initiatives we support include:

Dementia Awareness and Norwich City Dementia Action Alliance:

Clapham & Collinge Solicitors regularly hold dementia awareness sessions in conjunction with 'Dementia Friends' to help spread the word about dementia and to help create a dementia friendly communities across Norfolk. Over the last two years, we have helped create over 100 'dementia friends'. Our lawyers are keen to do what they can, having seen first-hand the affect this condition can have on the families who care for those diagnosed with dementia. All of our front-line staff have attended a dementia awareness session and we consider ourselves a dementia friendly business. In December 2016 we held a seminar on the legal consequences of dementia and dementia training workshop with Age UK Norfolk in Sheringham. This was very well attended and we are planning to run another later on this year. We are proud members of Norwich City Dementia Action Alliance and in accordance with this membership, we have made a number of pledges to play our part in making Norwich city a more welcoming and helpful place for people living with dementia.

Lunch on the Green:

Every year we host a summer fundraising event called 'Lunch on the Green' at our Norwich office. This is a summer themed business exhibition and networking event, with plenty of local businesses exhibiting and a combination of our clients, professional contacts and members of the public in attendance. We held our 8th Lunch on the Green last year and with over 40 businesses exhibiting and 300 attendees, we are proud to have raised £5,700 for Break Charity. Here's a video of last year's event:


Break Charity:

We have supported Break Charity for many years with our annual 'Lunch on the Green' event, sponsorship of a GoGoGorilla and GoGoDragon Sculpture. Last year Clapham & Collinge won the award for the 'Silver Lining Long Term Support Award', a prestigious award to recognise a group, individual or organisation that has supported Break for a period of more than five years; making a significant input into the charity in general and the fundraising team specifically to enable growth and sustainability, helping the charity to #changeyounglives. Our staff members often volunteer to support Break's fundraising events and we have supported the charity with other events including the Grand Norwich Duck Race. Our Summer Networking Fundraiser Lunch on the Green, 2017 is in support of Break and we're proud to support Break with their upcoming GoGoHare Sculpture trail.

The Benjamin Foundation:

Following a competitive tender process, we have been appointed as The Benjamin Foundation's legal provider and we see this as a long-term relationship, working in partnership to assist the charity in achieving its aims and objectives. Clapham & Collinge hosted and participated in the Norwich Sleep Out 2015, which raised £17,000 for The Benjamin Foundation. We also participated in the Norwich Sleep Out 2016 which was hugely successful and raised over £25,000. Our staff members regularly volunteer to assist The Benjamin Foundation with fundraising events and we have supported the charity with other events including a Ladies evening at our Norwich office, their annual Christmas Shoe-box appeal and 2017 Butterfly Walk fundraiser.

Leeway Domestic Violence and Abuse Services:

Last year Clapham & Collinge staff members took part in an exhilarating 13,000ft skydive and raised £1750 for Leeway Domestic Violence and Abuse Services. In September 2016 we supported Leeway by exhibiting at their National Domestic Abuse Conference and we regularly support Leeway with other fundraising events including Quiz nights and other fundraisers.

Norfolk Wildlife Trust:

To demonstrate our commitment to local wildlife, countryside, people and the environment of Norfolk, Clapham & Collinge formed a partnership with Norfolk Wildlife Trust. We are proud silver members of the 'Investors in Wildlife' corporate membership scheme and during their 90th Anniversary we were one of Norfolk Wildlife Trust's 'Anniversary Champion' corporate sponsors. We often get involved in the Trust's fundraising campaigns, regularly attend their corporate functions and we have also sponsored a number of their events to thank pledgers.

Community Action Norfolk:

Community Action Norfolk (CAN) is an independent charity which provides practical advice and support to community and voluntary groups across the country. Clapham & Collinge Solicitors work closely with caseworkers at CAN, offering a free telephone helpline and email to their development team on behalf of clients to be used if they have any legal queries, require input from a specialist Solicitor or a second opinion on issues that are raised by CAN clients.

Brooke & District Cricket Club:

Clapham & Collinge are proud to sponsor Brooke and District Cricket Club; a well-established, active club which demonstrates a genuine commitment to young people and the Norfolk Community. On Friday 13th January we raised £968 for Brooke & District Cricket Club by organising and hosting a fundraising Quiz night at Brooke Village Hall.

Sheringham Little Theatre:

Situated just down the road from our North Norfolk office, Sheringham Little Theatre is incredibly important to our community and we are proud corporate sponsors. 'The Hub' offers a great meeting space which we regularly use for client meetings and legal seminars.

North Walsham High School Mentoring Scheme:

Two members of the firm are currently involved in a 2 year mentoring scheme to support North Walsham High School students with work-experience, employability skills and CV writing. We're proud to support this scheme and help the students feel inspired, motivated, confident, and full of self-belief.

Inspired Women Mentoring Scheme:

Inspired Youth is a social enterprise that aims to bring together local employers with local young people. They do this by actively encouraging discussions about skills and careers. One of the projects they run is the Inspired Women Mentoring Scheme. The scheme is designed to inspire young women in East Anglia and to broaden their career opportunities through local business professionals. The project commenced in 2015 and delivers the service to a number of schools in East Anglia. Three members of the firm support this scheme and assist young women in pursuing and achieving personal life or career goals.

Pro Bono Advice:

We offer pro bono advice mornings for both family and private clients on a Saturday. This provides clients with a clear idea on how much they need to pay for the level of legal assistance they require and advise on the next steps with no obligation to instruct Clapham & Collinge. In these sessions potential clients are able to book an appointment on a Saturday morning and discuss the matter with a fully qualified Solicitor and arrange any next steps necessary. Furthermore, three of our Legal experts volunteer at Norfolk Community Law Service for their free advice sessions. Our Solicitors offer ad-hoc pro bono advice to the local community in Norwich and North Norfolk. Partner and Head of Family and Charities Department Neale Grearson helped Judy Lincoln assisted with the opening and development of the North Norfolk branch of the Norfolk Community Law Service and the firm has supported the charity for many years. As a firm we also often offer information and regular legal seminars at the University of East Anglia for Staff Association Members.

Further to this we supported the National Will Aid Scheme and the Marie Curie Free Will Scheme to over 55's. Both these schemes allowed us to offer a number of free Will appointments to our clients provided they donated to the relevant charities. Our Wills, Trusts and Probate department was the only law firm in Norwich to sign up to the Marie Curie Will scheme. Clapham & Collinge offered 63 Will appointments and produced 95 Wills through the National Will Aid Scheme in 2015.