Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) means managing our business responsibly for long term success. Our success also means that we can fulfil our responsibilities to the communities in which we operate. We have established a CSR Committee, which meets quarterly, and consists of staff from across the firm, including partners, lawyers and support teams.

Morgan Cole supports these communities both through our Community Investment Programme, which includes working with charities and businesses, pro bono work, fund raising, volunteering, sponsorships, and the environment. We aim to find solutions and find ways to help those in our community succeed.

Involving our employees in the community brings benefits. Our employees gain in understanding, confidence and self-esteem. Being recognised in the community also helps Morgan Cole to attract people. Our strategy is to encourage people to fulfil their potential, creating an enjoyable and fulfilling working environment.

Charity of the Year

Following an extensive consultation with all of the CSR Groups across the firm, Morgan Cole has appointed its Charities of the Year for 2010/11. As before, we have appointed three Charities which are each local to the three regions in which the firm is most prominent namely, Thames Valley, Bristol & South Wales.

The purpose of nominating charities is not to be restrictive or exclude the possibility of working with other causes. Rather, it is a matter of focusing our efforts on particular causes and to work with the nominated charities in order to maximise our impact on their campaigns, as well as benefiting from the input they give Morgan Cole and its staff.

The three charities are:

Wales: Barnardo's Cymru

Barnardo’s works with children, young people and families living on the margins of society who are struggling to overcome the disadvantages caused by poverty, abuse and discrimination. They run 43 services across Wales, some of these include:

• Families and activities centres – which support mothers and fathers in their role as parents and provide activities and safe play for children
• Young Carers Projects – which support children and young people who shoulder the responsibilities of an adult in the home because a member of the family is seriously ill or disabled or suffering from mental health problems or misusing alcohol, or drugs.
• Adoption and fostering service across Wales – which finds foster homes or arranges adoption for children who are difficult to place

Children have only one childhood, and the aim of Barnardo’s Cymru is to ensure they make the most of it so that they can build a better future. www.barnardos.org.uk

Thames Valley: MacIntyre

Founded over 40 years ago by the parent of a child with a learning disability, MacIntyre is a national charity committed to providing the widest range of services to young people and adults with learning disabilities and autism. Whether through our schools, our support services for adults, our community-based education programmes or our transition services, we offer creative and flexible solutions that aim to encourage independent lives for all those we support. www.macintyrecharity.org/

Bristol: Make-A-Wish Foundation^® UK

Make-A-Wish grants magical wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening illnesses. At any given time, over 20,000 children in the UK are living with life-threatening conditions. In 2010, around 1,000 children will turn to us to have their special wish granted. www.make-a-wish.org.uk

Take a look at our recent CSR activity