Appleby Isle of Man is sponsoring the Award for Charity, Cultural and Social Enterprise at this year’s Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence.

Appleby itself is committed to a full corporate social responsibility programme as managing partner Faye Moffett explained: ’We are a global law firm with offices in 10 jurisdictions worldwide.

’We are actively committed to each of the communities in which our offices are based through a range of projects and sponsorships.

’What characterises all the various local programmes is the desire to make a meaningful contribution and to build long-term relationships.’

youth

At the heart of Appleby’s corporate responsibility strategy in the Isle of Man is a theme centred on youth, education and sport.

The company also has the Appleby Charitable Foundation which has donated over £80,000 to charitable causes on the Isle of Man since its inception.

In the field of education, the Appleby Academy, run in partnership with Junior Achievement, offers students the chance to enter a competition where they work with a mentor from Appleby on a business project.

Three are chosen as finalists and they present their finished projects to a panel of judges each December.

The winner is awarded a paid placement at Appleby the following summer, providing a unique opportunity to develop their confidence and build their business acumen.

Last year, Caitlin Collister was chosen as the winner and she has been working at Appleby this summer.

Faye said: ’Supporting and nurturing young people and helping them to build confidence and develop and progress their business skills is key to our ethos, and the Appleby Academy does a great job in achieving this.’

Caitlin said: ’The placement has been hugely valuable and has given me a solid understanding of how a business operates.

’I have spent time with multiple departments including human resources, learning and development, marketing and dispute rResolution, providing me with a broad and exciting experience.’

This year’s Appleby Academy contest launched this month, with Appleby and Junior Achievement visiting high schools to encourage applications.

While the programme is open to students whatever their intended degree or career might be, the Appleby Bursary, which launched this year, is aimed specifically at those studying law.

Responsibility

The bursary is awarded to two students each year, offering financial assistance either for undergraduates entering the final year of their law degree and then continuing towards the legal practice course (LPC), or for non-law graduates studying the graduate diploma in law (GDL) and then the LPC.

Faye said: ’We believe we have a responsibility to invest in, grow and develop local student talent for the long term in our local community and this bursary scheme is the first step in achieving this.’

When it comes to sports, Appleby has been supporting the Ellan Vannin Cycling Club for nine years. The sponsorship includes the popular Appleby Sportive, which takes place every May.

Appleby recently announced a three-year sponsorship for the Triskellion Polo Club, aimed at boosting their numbers and encouraging younger members.

The firm has also worked with the Manx Youth Sailing Squad to help provide top-level coaching to young sailors to prepare them for national and international events.

Faye added: ’We try and help as many people, projects and good causes in the community as we can.

’We’re delighted to be sponsoring the Charity, Cultural & Social Enterprise category at this year’s Awards for Excellence, and to be recognising the companies that give so much back to our island.’