Foot Anstey donation supports diploma course for Empire Fighting Chance Fundraising Apprentice

National law firm, Foot Anstey LLP, has given a boost to Bristol-based charity Empire Fighting Chance by funding a 13-month Fundraising Apprentice Course for one of their team. Emily Haberfield, Fundraising and Marketing Executive at Empire Fighting Chance will undertake the Level 3 Diploma in Fundraising after Foot Anstey donated £8,000.

Emily, who is a boxer herself and an advocate for young people's mental health, joined the Empire team in February 2020 fresh out of university and faced with the challenge of fundraising while the pandemic was at its peak. As fundraising events were cancelled, Emily spearheaded virtual fundraising activity, which achieved the charity's biggest ever match-funding campaign, raising over £20,000 through the Big Give Christmas Campaign.

As the charity has gone from strength-to-strength through fundraising and donations, it has welcomed Emily as a full-time team member and given her the extra responsibility of building its social media presence.

Commenting on the apprenticeship, Emily said: "I have loved every second of being part of the Empire Fighting Chance family. The pandemic brought new challenges to the charity, but I worked with the team to think of creative ways to fundraise. I am extremely excited to see what the next 13 months holds and am grateful to both Empire and Foot Anstey for making the apprenticeship possible."

Foot Anstey is a long-standing supporter of the Bristol-born charity and Nathan Peacey, Partner at the firm, said there was no hesitation in helping support Emily's diploma. "It was a 'no-brainer' when Empire approached us and asked if we could help Emily undertake the apprenticeship. At Foot Anstey, we love to support local initiatives near our locations across the South West and help empower the ambitions of young people within the region. Empire performs fantastic work in Bristol, and I am excited to see what Emily achieves in her apprenticeship and beyond."

Empire Fighting Chance's mission is to fight the impact of deprivation on the lives of people. It uses a powerful combination of non-contact boxing and intensive personal support to challenge and inspire young people to realise their unique potential.

Joanna Le Vannais, Head of Fundraising at Empire Fighting Chance said: "To be in a position where Emily can undertake the 13-month Fundraising Apprentice Course is incredibly beneficial to the charity. The course is designed and delivered by professional fundraisers with the aim of offering charities of all sizes a way to develop their skills in the core fundraising areas.

"Empire Fighting Chance believes in giving all young people the opportunity to reach their potential, so we were doubly excited to be able to offer our valued member of staff a chance to develop their fundraising skills and knowledge through this apprenticeship. This is an opportunity we would not have been able to take without the support and generosity of Foot Anstey. We know that Emily will be able to bring the skills from this course into the charity and help us to continue to grow our income and therefore help more vulnerable young people."

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