Agency by William Gibson 
Congleton wealth management firm Franklyn Financial Management was joined by more than 300 guests at The Mere Golf Resort and Spa on Friday, 25th November for its Winter Waltz Gala dinner, where £175,000 was raised for the St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of St. James’s Place Wealth Management, of which Franklyn is a senior partner practice.
One of the most successful corporate foundations in the UK, the SJP foundation distributes grants to thousands of charities across the country whose key focus is supporting disadvantaged or disabled children and young people, hospices, cancer care, mental health or veterans.
Part of the money raised on the night will also go to the chosen “pledge charity” of the event – North West and North Wales-based childhood cancer support charity The Joshua Tree.
The Joshua Tree works with families who have been affected by childhood cancer by providing emotional, academic, and practical support such as counselling, art and play therapy, health and well-being advice, support in and around the home, and educational tutoring where required to help ensure that life remains as normal as possible during an incredibly traumatic time.
After more than 65 guests pledged their support, The Joshua Tree will receive a donation of £126,000, which will go towards providing more support to local families affected by childhood cancer.
Richard Driffield, CEO at The Joshua Tree, said: “We are so grateful to the team at Franklyn for choosing to support The Joshua Tree as their pledge charity for this year’s Winter Waltz.
“We are blown away by the generosity of everyone who attended, and the amount raised is incredible. Thank you to SJP for matching the amount pledged on the night. As a small charity, this level of support will make a huge difference and enable us to help even more families affected by childhood cancers.”
North West-based premiership rugby side and official partners of Franklyn, Sale Sharks Rugby Club, was one of the biggest supporters on the night, pledging £50,000 to The Joshua Tree, making its donation the largest single amount pledged in Franklyn’s history of running the event.
The evening itself was sponsored by foreign exchange experts, TorFX, as well as Acceptcards, Flagstone, Belvoir, and Franklyn Elite Sports, and was hosted by well-known Manchester-based Happy Radio presenter Darren Proctor.
Guests were kept entertained with performances from singer Georgia Hair and former X-Factor, I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and Dancing on Ice reality star, Jake Quickenden.
The night was made complete with a high-energy, party rocking set from one of the UK’s best party bands, Madhen.
Andrew Chatterton, managing director and chartered financial planner at Franklyn, said: “Giving back is something that we pride ourselves on at Franklyn and following the covid-19 pandemic, it has been clear that many charities around the world are still feeling the profound effects from it.
“With this in mind, along with the current cost of living crisis, we know that our support by running the Winter Waltz to the SJP Foundation, and The Joshua Tree is more important than ever before.
“Each year I am blown away by the generosity of our guests and supporters of the event, and this year was no different. I would like to once again thank those who made the Winter Waltz possible, and I look forward to continuing our charitable activities in 2023 which promises to be an exciting year for Franklyn.”
With the amount raised at this year’s Winter Waltz, the running total raised by Franklyn over the years for the SJP Charitable Foundation now stands at £1.46m.
For further information on the St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation or The Joshua Tree, visit thejoshuatree.org.uk or sjpfoundation.co.uk.http://sjpfoundation.co.uk
