Powell Gilbert Mentoring Scheme
Powell Gilbert works in partnership with Queens Park Community School and Careers Academies UK to provide mentoring to students aged 16 to 19 years. Powell Gilbert staff volunteer to work with students over an 18-month period to provide personal and professional support to help the students achieve their academic and career aspirations. Students on the programme are offered the opportunity to experience, one to one tailored mentoring sessions, role play and mock interviews and CV and application form development.
“As committed supporters of Queens Park Community School, through their participation in the Career Academies UK initiative, Powell Gilbert LLP have provided employee volunteers to support the Partner in Business programme, and have hosted students on a six week paid internship within the company. Through their commitment and enthusiasm for the programme, volunteers have acted as excellent role models for the students. By sharing with them their experiences and knowledge this has given students an invaluable stepping stone into full time employment in the future.”
- Jayne Llewelyn, Career Academies Co-ordinator, Queens Park Community School
Charities
Powell Gilbert is proud to support charitable incentives for a variety of causes. Whether it’s dressing up, baking cakes or putting our running shoes on, we’re always keen to get involved and raise money. In recent years these have included Jeans for Genes Day (supporting Genetic Disorders UK), Wear It Pink (supporting Breast Cancer campaign), Red Nose Day (supporting Comic Relief), London Legal Walk/Legal Bake Off (supporting London Legal Support Trust), Square Mile Run (supporting Crisis) and Movember (supporting men's health awareness and research).
Many of our staff also undertake their own charitable fund raising activities that we are pleased to support. Recent activities have ranged from sponsored walks to the London and Brighton marathons and ultra-marathons.
In addition, every year Powell Gilbert makes significant donations to our Christmas card charities. These are chosen by members of the firm and usually have special personal significance. Recently, we have supported an inspiring team of women known as the Coxless Crew - including Powell Gilbert associate Izzy Burnham - in their quest to become the world's first all-female crew to row across the Pacific Ocean, and raise much needed funds to support women with breast cancer and injured servicewomen. Last year we donated to Debra, a small national charity supporting families and individuals affected by Epidermolysis Bullosa (a group of incurable genetic skin conditions), whose Board includes one of our founding partners, Tim Powell.
Environment
At Powell Gilbert we are conscious of our impact on the environment, so we try to minimise this in any way we can.
Comprehensive Waste and Recycling
We actively encourage recycling. There are central recycling points in our kitchens and copy points, we use 100% recycled copy paper and we also recycle whatever we can, from cardboard and food waste to old printers, batteries and toners.
We send our redundant IT equipment to a nationwide service provider of Computer Recycling and Data Destruction. They use CESG approved equipment and software to guarentee complete and permanent data destruction before recycling.
In our meeting rooms we use Belu bottled water, which is the most ethical bottled mineral water available. They use the highest level of recycled materials possible and are 100% carbon neutral. They are the exclusive bottled water partner of WaterAid, to which they donate all their profits.
Energy Consumption
We have movement-activated lighting in our office space, the air-conditioning and heating works on a timer system and our large printers/copiers feature automatic switch-off.
Travel
We have introduced the government backed cycle to work scheme through Cycle Solutions, offering all staff the opportunity to buy a bike tax free through the scheme, encouraging a healthier journey to work and to help reduce pollution.