200 years celebrations - round up

2021 marked Birkett Long’s 200-year anniversary and we celebrated with our local communities, clients, business partners, employees and all those that have been involved in our history and making us what we are today.

Birkett Long is here for good. 200 years’ experience has taught us that it’s not just about knowing the law, it’s also about the impact we have on our communities. So, throughout 2021 we carried out as many random acts of kindness as we could.

From hand delivering 1,100 “calm kits” to the staff at local hospices to buying a colleague a coffee just to say thanks for your help, our staff across all three offices in Colchester, Chelmsford and Basildon were empowered to carry out individual random acts of kindness of their choice.

In total, the firm gave a staggering 3,226 unexpected gifts reaching 3,645 people that included:

1,100 care packs for local hospices St Helena, Farleigh and St Luke’s
15 afternoon teas
360 care packs for local GPs
23 bunches of flowers
60 doughnuts
1 large chocolate cake, cookie and brownie bundle
160 coffee vouchers
28 bottles of wine and other spirits
3 local hampers
44 boxes of cookies, brownies and cupcakes
625 bespoke bags of sweets
150 personalised 200th birthday biscuits
Donation of garden equipment to local head injury charity, Headway Essex
10 bags of horse treats for Writtle University College Equine Academy
60 bespoke packs of jellybeans for Essex Search and Rescue volunteers
Donation of 16 calls for the NSPCC Childline
Donation of a session of day-care for a life-limited child at Little Havens
Donation of baking supplies to Papworth Trust, a local charity providing support to those with disabilities
4 milestone celebration cakes
500 easter eggs
1 giant cookie 
500 items to food banks in Colchester, Chelmsford and Basildon
Donation of Christmas dinners to Crossroads Braintree and Chelmsford, a local charity for carers
26 gift cards
16 bonfire gift bags 
8 boxes of chocolates
A summer workshop placement for 3 students 
1 plant
7 personalised boxes of cupcakes in memory of our colleague, Charlotte Adams
12 boxes of sweets 
Sponsorship of a client doing a charity trek

Furthermore, over the course of the year we took a trip down memory lane and looked at the 200 years of history and the heritage that has made us what we are today, there were a few surprises along the way. Who knew that one of our former Partners received a Knighthood? Or that some of our staff members have been with the firm for 35 years and recall their first day and having just a telephone and fax machine on their desk!

We received many kind messages of congratulations but feel that this one from Jenny Homewood, Complementary Therapy Team Lead at St Helena Hospice really summarised the spirit of the campaign: 

“On behalf of us all at St Helena Hospice I would like to say a massive thank you for your special 'Random Act of Kindness' gift for us all. We are very touched by this thoughtful and thought-provoking gift, reminding us to practice self-care and enhance our wellbeing.

We are proud to share your 200th anniversary and your on-going support for St Helena Hospice.

I am reminded of a quote by Maya Angelou “Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud”, which is very apt as the rainbow image has been significant during the pandemic.

Thank you for being a rainbow to our organisation.” 

We were also delighted that our BLTwoHundred campaign resulted in the Marketing team winning the Countywide Essex Business Award for Excellence in Marketing, an accolade that we were proud to receive to acknowledge the team’s efforts.

Jennie Skingsley, Marketing Manager at Birkett Long, said: “The BLTwoHundred campaign has been our favourite campaign ever. We have never had a campaign that has been so universal and all encompassing, reaching our clients, associates, business partners, employees, and friends with kindness. Community was at the heart of this campaign and it really demonstrates that Birkett Long is here for good. To be recognised by the Countywide Business Awards for Excellence in Marketing was the icing on the cake and I would like to thank everyone who made it happen.”

Although the BLTwoHundred has now come to close, Birkett Long remains committed to being here for good and will continue to make a difference to our clients, communities and each other over the coming year….and beyond.

For more information on our 200 years celebrations contact Jennie Skingsley on 01206 217605 or email: jennie.skingsley@birkettlong.co.uk