Napthens raises £40,000 to support local causes

Preston-based law firm Napthens has raised £40,000 to support various local initiatives such as improving the mental health of hundreds of primary school children across Lancashire.

The money was raised through the Napthens Foundation through a series of challenges and events across its six offices in Merseyside, Cumbria and Lancashire.

These included partner Oli McCann swimming Lake Windermere, a group climbing The Three Peaks in Yorkshire, a trainee walk that raised more than £5,000, bake sales, a firmwide raffle, monthly ‘dress down days’, and staff also made regular monthly contributions from their salary.

The money raised has been donated to a variety of good causes, including help for primary schools, nurseries and families to create a positive mental wellbeing culture, the Stroke Association and Blackburn Rovers Community Trust.

BRCT will use the money specifically to help Apple Trees in Blackburn, an organisation the Community Trust works with closely with, to deliver targeted multi-sports activities for children with disabilities. 

The Stroke Association will use the money to further research and support those who have suffered a stroke.

The Napthens Foundation provided more than £11,000 to myHappymind in 2022 and 2023, to deliver mental wellbeing support to almost 1,500 children across primary schools in Blackpool, Blackburn, Preston and Chorley.

Laura Earnshaw from myHappymind said: “The donation received from the Napthens Foundation has been essential in allowing us access into local primary schools to educate the pupils on the importance of their mental health and wellbeing.

“Our programme works to build the children’s self-esteem during their crucial development years, allowing them to take these lessons into later life and excel.

“We want to destigmatise mental health and reduce the impact of it later in life, including the strain it puts on the NHS.

“The donation from Napthens Foundation has allowed us to have a positive impact on young children’s lives, and this will spread through each school’s community – touching parents and teachers alike.”

The Napthens Foundation was created in 2021 to provides relief to those in need through education, youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantages.

Nicola Mason, head of people and operations at Napthens, and a Napthens Foundation committee member, said: "In the two years since the inception of the foundation, we’ve had incredible support from colleagues and clients, which has enabled us to support a variety of good causes across the region. 

“As a firm we take great pride in supporting children and adults across the region, seeing first-hand the difference our fundraising makes.

“We hope the money raised so far will provide a real building block for us as we continue to strive to, and make a difference to the communities in which we operate.”