Recently in Charity Category

As an avid viewer of baking phenomenon The Great British Bake Off, and lover of anything remotely resembling a cake, I was delighted to see a rather innovative fundraising initiative from the Birmingham office of Lambert Smith Hampton.

Those LSH chaps roped in Michelin-starred chef and all round good Brummie egg Glynn Purnell to judge a GBBO inspired cake, pastries and bread-making competition. The tasty treats were then sold throughout the LSH offices in Edmund Street, raising more than £200 for Macmillan Cancer Support and LSH's own charity - the Marie Curie Hospice Fund.

The budding bakers worked hard to impress Purnell, famous for his TV stints on BBC's Masterchef etc and for his upmarket eaterie on Cornwall Street. It was a hard fought competition which saw Adam Ramshaw's lemon drizzle cake win first place, Mary Croxford's coffee cake was runner up with Julie Baker's bakewell cup cakes coming in third.

Purnell, said: "It was great to see so many people being inspired to cook and rise to the occasion [see what he did there]. Some of the entries were excellent and it was quite tricky picking the overall winner. It was an outstanding effort by all involved and a great way to support charity."

Debbie Hyland, who leads the charity and social committee at LSH in Birmingham, said: "We usually host a Macmillan Coffee Morning event but this year - inspired by TV baking shows - we wanted to do something a little different. We've got a number of talented cooks in our Birmingham office and I'm pleased to say that lots of people got involved and produced some really delicious food."

Hmmn, perhaps coffee and cake next time I swing by LSH?

'Birmingham Property's Got Olympic Talent,' was the theme of this year's BRENDA (Birmingham Real Estate Novel Development) awards and it is safe to say that a few eyebrows were raised when a number of Brum's property finest donned brightly coloured lycra to perform a myriad of different 'events.'

Yes, the full to bursting dining room at Birmingham's Burlington Hotel was once again the setting for the ever popular event. And it was also where I presented the EG Regional Awards West Midlands' winners with their prized gongs - so congratulations to winners Stoford Developments and Savills.

Over 360 people watched transfixed as Tom Edgar and Angus Huntley from GBR Pheonix Beard and Tom Burn and Pete Gough from Savills - property's answer to the Village People - dressed in said lycra outfits to perform a risqué dance routine to Eric Prydz's 'Call on Me' as part of the BRENDA awards.

Meanwhile, someone managed to unearth a real 1990's recording of Collier's Alex Tross' (or should I say 'Jeeks' Tross'- pictured right) audition for Blind Date with our Cilla!

These were just two of the highlights of the awards - the annual tongue-in-cheek awards event that sees the Birmingham commercial property sector raise funds for disadvantaged children.

This year's event collected more than £25,000 for charity Property for Kids.

The show was hosted by Jilly Cosgrove and Kathryn Small of Barques Design, and the Brendas' own 'Ant and Dec' - Ed Gamble, of CBRE, and Simon Robinson, of GBR Phoenix Beard.

The awards - a collection of seven golden garden gnomes - were presented to brave performers whose acts ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Tim Blairs, of Antringham Developments, entertained the crowd with a self-penned song about his dog eating his Olympic Beach Volleyball tickets and Hollywood Monster's Kurk Round sang Queen's 'We are the champions'.

Alfred Bartlett (Bartlett Property), Jonathan Robinson (DTZ), Phil Rawle (Green Planning Solutions), Adam McGuinness (Jones Lang LaSalle) and Dan Gallagher (Stoford) sent the audience into a spin with their synchronized spinning session (more lycra!) and Kenny Allan from KGA, pulled no punches with his boxing bout.

The loudest laughs of the event echoed around the Burlington when DBK's Jamie Sutton AKA 'Gilly Elliot,' (pictured left) fulfilled his dream of being a rhythmic gymnast. Dressed in (you've guessed it) lime green lycra. Sutton showed guests what he can do with a ribbon on a stick and secured the prestigious Platinum Gnome Award.

The most popular lot in the charity auction, which was conducted by Rupert Young of Nurton Developments, was a day on a luxury yacht donated by Tim Andrews of Hollywood Monster. The lot, which was auctioned three separate times, raised a total of £4,500 for charity.

BRENDA committee member Jilly Cosgrove (pictured left with GBRPB's Simon Robinson) said: "Once again all our friends involved in commercial property across the Birmingham area have shown how very generous they are by helping Property for Kids raise more than £25,000. Thanks to Birmingham Property's Got Olympic Talent, we've also discovered some sport stars of the future who may want to give up their day jobs to train for a real Olympic medal, although Lord Sebastian Coe hasn't picked up the phone yet."

Look out for further coverage from the event in the Estates Gazette shortly.
 

Photo's by Tony Flanagan.

The return this year of the ever-popular Midlands Property Quiz proved to be a sell-out success, with 430 guests attending the event held at the Holte Suite, at Aston Villa Football Club.

After a hiatus of three years, the quiz was back with bang and delivered an Olympic-themed evening with 'the finest minds in the property industry.'

Veteran compare GBR Phoenix Beard's John Griffiths once again donned his trusty white tuxedo to host the proceedings.

Rounds included questions on sport, general knowledge and a new interactive 'novelty' round on the Wii was introduced this year called The Great Race, which had a number of the more senior quiz goers scratching their heads and asking what this Wii thingy is all about? While David Jones of Eversheds donned a wig for the occasion (see pic left). Calm down! Calm down! It's only a quiz!

As the evening drew to a close, tension mounted as three winning tables were tied on 51 points - two Wragge & Co tables and one Drawbridge Securities. However, Wragge & Co won the final question and took home the winners trophy.

Sadly Cushman & Wakefield took home the wooden spoon with 25 points. Never mind chaps, there's always next year...

A whopping £17,000 was raised from the evening in support of the Birmingham Children's Hospital and LionHeart.

Estates Gazette was one of the main sponsors along with Santander, Sahlia Investments and Rider Levett Bucknall.

More pictures are to follow in the Estates Gazette magazine shortly.

Click below to see a selection of photos from the evening... 

Now we all try to do our bit for charity, but Birmingham-based Jones Lang LaSalle agent Mike Needham is taking things to a whole new level.

Yes, while most of us will be taking it easy and reading the Sunday papers, fitness fanatic Needham kicks off his One BIG Year for charity this month on Sunday 29th January with the world-renowned Tough Guy challenge in Wolverhampton.

Needham has set himself an astonishing challenge over 2012 to take on a series of exhausting endurance trials to raise £30,000 for the Meningitis Research Foundation.

Property's own tough guy will face flaming ditches, swamps, scaling sheer walls and steep drops - and that's just in the first event! Following that, the fantastic fund-raiser will then take part in the ominously-named Hellrunner, Edinburgh Marathon, Three-Peak Challenge, Iron Man Wales and many more - including an English Channel pool swim and indoor rowing world records.

I don't know about Mike but I'm worn out just listing all of those events!

The irrepressible Needham explains: "Over the past few years I have taken part in marathons, triathlons and rowing trials - I go to the gym about six days a week and love a challenge.
 
"Nevertheless this is not something I've taken lightly - I've had a complete lifestyle overhaul to accommodate training and fitness requirements for One Big Year, and will have regular physical checkups to ensure I'm in the best possible condition.

"My aim is to complete every event safely and to raise as much money as possible for essential research into Meningitis - a disease that continues to claim many young lives today."

The charity is a cause close to his heart. At 18-months old, Needham contracted the Hib strain of the disease and nearly lost his life. Thankfully, the doctors caught it in time but he was left totally deaf in his right ear and profoundly deaf in his left, in which he wears a hearing aid.

Mike, we here at EG wish you the very best of luck for your One Big Year and I have to say I feel seriously humbled by what you are doing, the very best of luck to you.

You can find out more about One Big Year by visiting www.one-big-year.org or following @OneBigYear2012 on Twitter.

If you would like to donate to One Big Year, please visit www.justgiving.com/onebigyear  or if you would like to donate for Tough Guy, Mike's opening event in January, please visit http://www.justgiving.com/OBYtoughguy

If you would like to sponsor Mike and One Big Year please email: jenny@inkpotmedia.co.uk
 
ONE BIG YEAR CALENDAR:

January 29 - Tough Guy http://www.toughguy.co.uk/ 
February 11 - Hellrunner (Hell in the middle) http://www.hellrunner.co.uk/hell-in-the-middle/
March (tbc) - Run the length of the Cotswold Way non-stop (102 mile cross country route) http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/cotswold/
April 1 - Open 5 Adventure Race (5 hour adventure race on bike and foot) http://www.openadventure.com/open5/2011-12/79_peak_district.php  
May 27 - Edinburgh Marathon (26.2 mile run) http://www.edinburgh-marathon.com/
June 17 - Half Ironman GB (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 1/2 marathon) http://www.ironmanuk.com/uk-ironman-703/home
July 1 - Trentham Big Half - (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 1/2 marathon) http://www.fun2tri.co.uk/trentham/index.htm  
August (tbc) - 3 Peaks challenge (climb Ben Nevis, Sca Fell and Snowdon in under 24 hours)
September 16 - Ironman Wales (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, marathon in under 17 hrs) http://ironmanwales.com/
October (tbc) - Swim the equivalent of the English Channel in a pool (48km swim)
Nov/Dec (tbc) - Attempt to break World Records on an indoor rowing machine. http://www.concept2.com/us/racing/records/ultra_records.asp
 

Congratulations to all 53 cyclists in the Prologis team who cycled in the Paris to Geneva Bike Ride last week.

The team completed the exhilarating but physically challenging 350 mile from Paris to Geneva climbing more than 1,850 metres over a 75 mile run (50 miles of which were uphill).

And it seems, the event has generated a lot of interest, especially in the welfare of one of the cyclists - John Proctor, partner at FHP in Nottingham.

Commenting on the trip, Proctor (pictured 4th from right in the front row) says: "It's a little worrying that there has been too much of an unhealthy amount of interest in the state of my backside - for the avoidance of doubt I can confirm it's fine!  But if you would like to be bored with hundreds of photos of MAMILS (Middle Aged Men In Lycra!) then let me know!

Over £4,780 has been raised so far this year for the Alzheimer's Society, added to the £9,000 raised last year.

Well done chaps!

Poor Gary Cardin. It appears it all got a bit too much for the head of Drivers Jonas Deloitte's Birmingham office, while taking part in a gruelling 84-mile trek last weekend.

The usually spritely chairman of the Colmore Business District BID in the city literally flaked out while taking part in the walk to fundraise for The Prince's Trust with fellow members of the BID office team and board.

The team - comprising Rob Valentine, Tahreen Kutub, Kirsten Henly, Sarah Skurr, Chris McKeogh and Flo (Rob's dog) - completed the challenge within four days from Friday 30th September to Monday 3rd October, an average of 21 miles were walked per day.

And it seems that all the hard work has paid off as the group has done a stirling job of raising their target of £3,000. Well done chaps!

Cardin was last seen hugging a bollard on Colmore Row...