Posts Tagged :

specialist finance

B&C Awards raise over £25,000

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The 2024 Bridging & Commercial (B&C) Awards, sponsored by West One took place on 6 June at the Hurlingham Club, with Spread a Smile delighted to be the official charity partner for the second year running.

It was an incredible event celebrating individuals and organisations across the specialist finance industry. The theme of Alice in Wonderland created a beautiful and engaging backdrop for proceedings.

During the awards, Paresh Raja, CEO of Market Financial Solutions (MFS), promised to match the donations made at the Awards, bringing the total raised for Spread a Smile to over £25,000.

Paresh Raja, CEO of MFS, said: “It’s so important that events like this, as well as celebrating the great and good of the industry, also support worthwhile causes and charities. The B&C Awards have consistently done that over the years, with Spread a Smile having been the partner of choice for the past two years. So, thanks go to the B&C team and, of course, to all those who donated on the night – it’s great that we’ve collectively manage to raise such a healthy sum for this wonderful charity. No doubt that money will further the amazing work everyone at Spread a Smile is doing.”

A huge thank you to Paresh and everyone involved in the awards and on the day for their support and kindness, helping us to bring joy and laughter to seriously ill and hospitalised children and their families during long hospital stays.

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive attended the awards saying, “An enormous thank you to the B&C Awards for having us back for a second year and to our partner and event sponsor, West One and to all those who bid on the silent auction and donated so generously. We are incredibly grateful to Paresh at MFS for his generosity. It was an incredible moment during the awards ceremony when he told me he’d be matching however much was raised on the day! All funds raised will support our work, spreading smiles to seriously ill children in hospital.”

In total, 750 guests attended, and 27 winners were announced in the bridging, commercial, development, and BTL mortgage markets. A special mention to our long-term supporter Danny Waters, CEO at Enra Specialist Finance who won the Outstanding Contribution Award. Read more about the Awards and winners here.

What a night! B&C Awards 2023

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Spread a Smile was delighted to be chosen as charity partner for this years B&C Awards, held at the prestigious Hurlingham Club in London last Thursday night.

The Awards, organised by Medianett Publishing in association with Market Finance Solutions, celebrate companies and individuals from the specialist finance market, with 30 awards handed out on the night.

Spread a Smile Chief Executive, Lucy Jackson along with our Head of Fundraising Amanda Azouz and Mr Magic joined guests for a wonderful evening centred around the theme of the Rio de Janeiro Carnival. An amazing £19,000 was raised on the night through pledges and a silent auction to help spread smiles to seriously ill children and young people and their families.

“After hearing the stories about the amazing work Spread A Smile does for thousands of children with acute or chronic conditions every year, we were delighted to team up with Spread a Smile at this year’s B&C Awards as our charity partner.” said Medianett Publishing’s Managing Director Beth Fisher.

“After Lucy gave her heartfelt speech and presented her video to our guests, magicians from Spread a Smile worked their magic to get donations from the crowd of over 780 professionals in the specialist finance industry throughout the night.

“We hope the generous donations towards the Silent Auction and from table holders will support this fantastic charity in spreading smiles to thousands more children.”

Andrew Bloom, owner of Spring Finance — who holds the charity close to his heart and recommended us as this year’s Awards partner — commented: “Spread A Smile is a truly special charity; what could be purer than bringing joy and laughter to a seriously ill child. In 2023, their entertainers will visit dozens of hospitals nationwide spreading smiles to thousands of children. I am delighted to be part of an industry that supports charities like these.”

Our thanks go to Spring Finance and Medianett Publishing for their wonderful support.

Please do get in touch with the team at fundraising@spreadasmile.org if you are interested in supporting our work. Thank you.

Spring Finance Limited

Spring Finance – Partnership launch

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We are delighted to announce that we have become the official charity partner for specialist finance lender, Spring Finance Limited. To kick start the partnership, they have come on board as headline sponsor for our Gala Dinner on 24 April 2023.

This year, at our Gala Dinner, we will celebrate 10 years of Spread a Smile, with the dinner taking place at the prestigious Nobu Hotel London Portman Square. It is the perfect year for Spring Finance to join us and we are looking forward to welcoming them for what looks set to be a very special evening, bringing together our wonderful patrons, partners and supporters for a magical evening, with opportunities to learn more about the impact of Spread a Smile’s work.

Lucy Jackson, Chief Executive at Spread a Smile said: “I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Spring Finance for their support. We are so looking forward to working with them, getting to know the team and together spreading smiles to seriously ill children in hospital.”  

Gavin Diamon, CEO, Spring Finance LimitedGavin Diamond, CEO of Spring Finance said: “We are proud to be associated with this special charity that makes a real difference to thousands of seriously ill children and their families in hospitals every year. We are hopeful that our partnership will allow them to reach an increasing number of children and we look forward to supporting them with both fundraising and volunteers.”

 

In addition to Spring Finance’s generous support of the dinner, throughout the year we will be working together to raise funds for Spread a Smile through events, challenges and lots more.

B&C Awards 2023

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We are delighted to announce that Spread a Smile has been chosen as this year’s charity partner at the B&C Awards 2023, thanks to support from Medianett Publishing and Spring Finance.

The Awards are open to companies and individuals from the specialist finance market, competing for 30 awards in total. This year’s event will take place at the prestigious Hurlingham Club, London on Thursday 21 September and looks set to be a brilliant evening, not least because this year’s theme is Rio de Janeiro Carnival — The Summer Spectacle.

Lucy Jackson our CEO said: “Spread a Smile is delighted to have been chosen as charity partner for the B&C Awards 2023. We’re looking forward to an amazing evening and a great opportunity for us to share our vital work with a wider audience. We’re extremely grateful to Medianett Publishing for helping us to spread even more smiles to seriously ill children and young people in hospital.”

Beth Fisher, Managing Director at Medianett Publishing said: “After hearing the stories about the amazing work they do for thousands of children with acute or chronic conditions every year, we were delighted to partner with Spread a Smile at the 2023 B&C Awards.

“We know how generous the specialist finance industry is when it comes to charitable initiatives, and therefore what better place to raise awareness and money for a brilliant cause than at our event.

“The charity will also be organising for some of its magicians to attend the Awards and provide close-up magic to table holders. Hopefully they can make large donations appear from our kind guests!”

Andrew Bloom, owner of Spring Finance — who holds the charity close to his heart and recommended them as this year’s Awards partner — commented: “Spread A Smile is a truly special charity; what could be purer than bringing joy and laughter to a seriously ill child. In 2023, their entertainers will visit dozens of hospitals nationwide spreading smiles to thousands of children. I am delighted to be part of an industry that supports charities like these.”

Our thanks go to Spring Finance and Medianett Publishing for their wonderful support.