League Against Cruel Sports Pension Case Study
Overview
The League Against Cruel Sports is a Charity based in Surrey. They were founded in 1924 with the aim of banning fox hunting, stag hunting, otter hunting, hare hunting and hare coursing in the UK. Today they still campaign on many of the same issues as well as investigate other illegal or cruel practices such as dog fighting and shooting. The League also owns around 550 acres of land in Somerset and Devon, which is maintained as wildlife sanctuaries where animals can live free from persecution.
The Charity was referred to our Financial Advisory team as they had received feedback from a member of staff about some aspects to their company pension scheme.
Pension scheme review
After an initial discussion with the newly arrived CEO Andrew Knott, we identified improvements that we could seek to carry out to the pension scheme and how this could be communicated to staff – an important aspect.
We undertook some analysis of available ethical funds within The League’s existing pension scheme, making a recommendation on a suitable fund which could be used as the default fund for their company pension scheme. Following this, we prepared and delivered a staff presentation to outline the changes that were being made, providing context as to why retirement planning is important and how The League were assisting their staff to build financial security through the pension scheme.
Following our assistance, Andrew was pleased with the results and the work provided. He felt his staff had been properly educated via the presentation and understood the options available to them within the pension. In addition, The League now benefit from a default fund which is better aligned to their charitable ethos.
After our corporate support for the staff, some staff members, including Andrew, engaged us separately for personal work regarding their finances separate to the League. Andrew also referred us to another charity to carry out similar work in respect of their company pension requirements.
Andrew Knott MBE, CEO of The League Against Cruel Sports comments:
“My organisation has been using Carpenter Box for over 50 years. As CEO, I have found them highly versatile and reliable, giving excellent advice and following through with outstanding service. I have since placed my personal trust in them, relying on the Financial Advisory team to help advise and manage my own financial future. Highly recommended.”
Roy Thompson of Carpenter Box Financial Advisers comments:
“Andrew had initially tried to resolve the problem regarding ethical investments directly with the pension provider. However, he had been left frustrated through this process and subsequently turned to Carpenter Box Financial Advisers for help.
Andrew is very easy to deal with, had a good understanding of what he was looking for and I enjoyed working on the project together. It was satisfying to receive positive feedback through the staff communications and even more gratifying to help a number of individuals at The League Against Cruel Sports”