A roundup of Carpenter Box’s Centenary Celebrations!

This year Carpenter Box is proud to be celebrating 100 years since its formation! To mark this momentous milestone, we decided to make local charities a focal point of 2023 by setting a target to raise £50,000 for the Carpenter Box Charitable Foundation (CBCF). The charity supports small, local voluntary and community groups that are active in the Sussex area.

100 Years of Service to Sussex…and Beyond

Carpenter Box has its origins in Worthing in 1923. When Robert Carpenter agreed to go into partnership with Harold Box and together they opened an office at 8 Liverpool Gardens. Fast forward 100 years and we now have five offices, 18 Partners and a team of over 220 staff supporting clients ranging from start-up businesses to large international corporations.

How fun translated into fundraising

The Carpenter Box Charitable Foundation (CBCF) is the charitable arm of Carpenter Box and Carpenter Box Financial Advisers. It was set up in 2009 as part of the firm’s ongoing commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) with the aim of supporting smaller locally-based charities and community groups. Since its inception, CBCF has raised over £350,000 to support the work of these vital organisations.

Thanks to the amazing teams who arranged and took part in the fundraising events across the year, Carpenter Box staff and partners, together with the support of our generous sponsors, we have exceeded the initial target of £50,000 by raising a total of £82,000 for the Carpenter Box Charitable Foundation.

On Thursday 14th December we hosted a 100 year closing celebration event at our Worthing office to distribute some of these funds to the main charity beneficiaries. These are:

Red Balloon

Worthing-based Red Balloon helps young people who are self-excluding from education, whether as a result of bullying, anxiety or trauma. Specifically, it provides an alternative to school, helping students to re-engage with education and build their confidence and self-esteem through social and wellbeing activities. Nick Munday, a Trustee of Red Balloon, is very appreciative of the support the charity has received:

“The donations provided by Carpenter Box have enabled us to purchase a laptop charging station for 20 of our laptops and replace worn-out carpeting at our premises in Worthing. Carpenter Box has also donated good quality furniture for our reception area following a refurbishment at their offices. In addition, a group of their staff volunteered for two days of painting and gardening at the charity.

“Their engagement is very much appreciated by everyone who works at Red Balloon and helps us support vulnerable children in developing the skills they need to return to education or prepare for work or further training.”

Crawley Open House

Crawley Open House is a year-round residential homeless shelter providing comprehensive support to 55 people in and around Crawley.

Ian Wilkins, Head of Fundraising & Relationships, commented: “We have enjoyed a good relationship with the Crawley office of Carpenter Box for many years and we are thrilled that they have decided to support local charities in their centenary year.

“Their generosity makes an important contribution towards the costs of providing the accommodation, food and support which we offer to those experiencing homelessness and severe hardship locally 24/7 365 days a year.”

West Sussex Mind

West Sussex Mind is an independent local charity based in Worthing, with mental health support hubs in Southwick, Littlehampton and Midhurst. In particular, the charity supports people across West Sussex with their mental health, provides specialist training and campaigns to improve services and promote understanding of mental health issues.

The charity aims to improve people’s physical and mental well-being and strengthen their self-esteem and confidence through the advice and support it offers. Debbie Watkins, Communications and Fundraising Manager at West Sussex Mind commented:

“We rely on the generosity of our donors and fundraisers for much of our work and would like to say a big thank you to Carpenter Box for their kind donation – it is very much appreciated by everyone within the charity.”

Turning Tides

Turning Tides is based in Worthing and provides services for single homeless people in West Sussex. It has over 5,000 supporters, 300 volunteers and 140 staff and brings together compassionate individuals and organisations who work tirelessly to transform the lives of people in the local community and to change perceptions of homelessness.

In essence, the charity provides a warm, safe space to listen to anyone who is looking for help and provides real pathways out of homelessness.

Looking Forward: Exciting Prospects for Carpenter Box

We are thrilled to have been able to donate £30,000 to these four fantastic charities, with an additional 25 charities also receiving donations.

Message from Alan Edwards, Carpenter Box Managing Partner

We are drawing to the end of our Centenary Year at Carpenter Box and what a year it’s been! My sincere thanks go out to all our people for their hard work, effort and creativity in making 2023 a fitting celebration of this significant milestone for our business.

As a firm, our ethos is about being positively engaged with our stakeholders – with our customers, staff, suppliers, associates and local communities. Over the last 12 months, we’ve had a lot of fun, but we also wanted this special year to make a difference beyond our office network.

So, I’m delighted to report that through the commitment of our people and the activities they organised, we have exceeded our initial target of raising £50,000 for our Carpenter Box Charitable Foundation, which supports small charities in Sussex and the South East.

This year has also been one of reflection. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to witness the dynamic evolution of Carpenter Box, having embarked on my journey with the firm as a trainee in Worthing back in 1993. At that time, we had 42 employees and six partners; today we have over 220 staff and 18 partners spread across five offices in the south.

Our success has won us national, regional and local awards, but I prefer to measure our achievements in the value we create for our clients, everyone who works for us and the wider community. Now we look to 2024 and the promise of more exciting chapters in the Carpenter Box story.  

Here’s to the next 100 years!