Plymouth charity receives fundraising boost from city law firm Womble Bond Dickinson

Lawyers from international law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) have presented a cheque for more than £13,000 to the firm's Plymouth office charity partner, Promoting Children in Plymouth (PCiP), following a two-year fundraising drive.

PCiP is a project of The Plymouth Drake Foundation, which aims to eradicate the social injustice, ill-health and misery caused by child poverty in the city. The charity works with schools and communities to provide children with opportunities to learn, grow and thrive.

WBD's Plymouth office has supported PCiP with various fundraising activities, including raffles, quizzes and a charity ball. Through the money raised, the doors have been opened for a group of children to experience a residential week at Michael Morpurgo's Farms for City Children and facilitated a series of family cooking workshops. The firm also donated a book vending machine to St Peter's CE Primary School in Stonehouse, as part of PCiP's Story Telling and Book Gifting project, which encourages children to read for pleasure. Lawyers from the firm also volunteered to take part in storytelling sessions with pupils and gifted books to 27 primary schools in Plymouth.

Kerry Bidewell, Development Manager at Plymouth Children in Poverty, said: "We are extremely grateful to WBD for their generous support over the last two years. Their donation has made a huge difference to the lives of children in Plymouth, who face some of the highest levels of deprivation in the country. Thanks to WBD, we have been able to provide children with access to books, education and enrichment activities, which help them to develop their skills, confidence and aspirations."

Nikki Jonas, CSR Partner for WBD's Plymouth office, said: "We are delighted to have supported PCiP as our Plymouth office charity partner. The charity does an amazing job of tackling child poverty in our city and we are proud to have contributed to their vital work. Our staff have enjoyed getting involved in various fundraising and volunteering initiatives, which have also helped us to strengthen our team spirit and our links with the local community."

WBD welcomed Kerry to its Plymouth office to hand over a cheque and celebrate the partnership. The firm is now looking for a new charity partner for its Plymouth office, as part of its responsible business strategy, which focuses on supporting social mobility, education and the environment.