Rollits employees are supporting Macmillan and Bliss

Hull Is This had a chat with Linda Cook, Head of HR  about how the law firm’s two offices raise awareness and funds for crucial charities.

With offices in Hull and York, Rollits is a regional law firm that offers a wide range of services to businesses and individuals . Simultaneously, the teams dedicate time to supporting their local communities through a variety of fundraising activities.

Linda Cook, the Head of HR at Rollits, said: “We used to change our core charities on a yearly basis but recently extended it to two years. This decision was made through our Employee Forum, as our staff agree this will give everyone a better chance to understand the charities, organise events, and raise much-needed funds.”

Everyone at Rollits also gets the opportunity to vote for the company’s Charity of the Year. Nominations are given by team members and the charity with the most votes on each floor of the building enters the shortlist. The whole firm then votes on which of the three finalists will be the office Charity of the Year.

“Our current Charity of the Year for Hull is Bliss,” said Linda. “Bliss is a national organisation that supports parents and families of premature or sick babies. This charity was chosen because we unfortunately lost a young ex-member of staff last year, and Bliss was very close to her heart.

“The York team voted for Macmillan York, as the wider charity provides exceptional support to people with cancer and also their families and loved ones. An ex-partner of our York branch passed away last year, so the office decided to support this charity over a two-year period.”

The fundraising activities organised by the staff at Rollits are wide-ranging, which ensures there’s something for everyone. A regular event is elevenses, which takes place once or twice a month and sees staff enjoying sandwiches, cake, tea and coffee together for half an hour. Raffles are held during these relaxed events, which raise an average of £200 each time.

“We’ve also held a ‘naughty or nice’ tombola at Christmas,” said Linda, “as well as fun activities such as Guess the Baby competitions, where everyone brings in a photo of themselves as a baby or toddler and you have to guess who’s who. Then there are events like sponsored walks and more demanding fitness challenges, which are being organised for later in the year.”

The employees at Rollits are very creative and love coming up with new ways to support their local communities. One idea is to start a knitting circle that will teach people how to knit, with members then creating mittens and hats for babies as a way of supporting Bliss.

“As a firm, we also support the national Macmillan charity at York Races in June,” added Linda. “More than 20 employees give up their Saturday to sell raffle tickets. They’re on their feet all day but they always find it very rewarding and raise a lot of money for the charity.

“We then have simpler things that still make a big difference, such as our tuck shops in both offices. Everyone loves a tasty snack, so money goes into the collection tins on a regular basis. We do as much as we can and it all adds up!”