Manchester’s prestigious 9 St John Street Chambers has teamed up with local grant maker the Community Foundation to launch an innovative new charitable initiative – the Nine Lives Community Fund.
The Fund, thought to be the first of its kind in England and Wales, was launched at a dinner in February when an initial £4,000 was raised through an auction of promises. Further fundraising will now take place throughout the year using a series of events, and through a simply charitable levy on the solicitors’ professional development seminars regularly hosted at the Chambers.
The Chambers currently comprises 11 Silks and 55 Junior Counsel as well as clerks and administration teams, all of whom are being invited to join a monthly donation programme with monies being taken from their salaries at source.
The Fund aims to raise around £10,000 in total each year, from which it plans to support nine local community groups or projects. The Community Foundation will administer the fund on the Chamber’s behalf.
Nick Massey, Chief Executive of The Community Foundation comments: “We are excited about the launch of this new Fund - the first of its kind in the City. It is fantastic to see a group of individuals working together within an organisation such as this adopting such a philanthropic manner to the way it operates. We would love other businesses, and other professions across the region to take note of their efforts and follow suit.”
John Hand QC, Head of Chambers at 9 St. John Street commented: “We are delighted to be the first set of chambers in Manchester to lead the way in establishing a unique philanthropic fund designed specifically to help local community groups and projects and, importantly, to engage all our members and staff in this endeavour”.
For more information about working with the Community Foundation call Tariq Ahmed on 0161 214 0959.