Blake Lapthorn's partnership with Oxford Inspires wins Hollis Sponsorship Award!

31 March 2009

Blake Lapthorn is pleased to announce that its joint submission with Oxford Inspires has won the nationally recognised Hollis Sponsorship Awards 2009, in the Best Sponsorship (under £50,000) category. The Hollis Awards are the premier national awards for those involved in sponsorship links between business, arts, sports and culture.

Blake Lapthorn, one of the leading law firms in the UK, and the charity Oxford Inspires, the cultural development agency for Oxfordshire, have built a strong partnership through collaboration on a number of projects in recent years. Oxford Inspires offered the firm the opportunity to sponsor the Earth from the Air at Oxford Castle exhibition and the Planet Earth Season, which has resulted in this win.

The sponsorship opportunity provided Blake Lapthorn with a high visibility association with a comprehensive and multi-layered season of work that encouraged individuals to think about Oxfordshire’s commitment to the environment. It also provided the firm with a link to the University of Oxford Environmental Change Institute resulting in a Green Breakfasts series attracting over 150 business people in the area. As part of the sponsorship, Blake Lapthorn was prominently acknowledged as the Major Local Corporate Supporter of the Earth from the Air at Oxford Castle exhibition and the Planet Earth Season.

The Green Breakfasts were held at the firm's offices in Oxford and proved to be the most successful part of the sponsorship. Developed via new links forged through the sponsorship with the University of Oxford Environmental Change Institute, the breakfasts took place at the end of 2008. Topics included 'jargon' in the climate change sector presented by the Environmental Change Institute, carbon offsetting, technology and energy management. The firm is currently running its second series of Green Breakfasts which conclude at the end of May and will look to also conduct the series in other regions.

Through the sponsorship, Blake Lapthorn was also able to focus on internal awareness, staff morale and Corporate Social Responsibility. An internal staff 'green' awareness week was carried out by the firm, which included office pledges and an electronic discussion forum called 'ECOjam' via the firm's Oxford office intranet.

Kathelene Weiss of Oxford Inspires said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this award, which highlights the successful collaboration between us and Blake Lapthorn for this exhibition and the Planet Earth Season."

Jonathan Lloyd-Jones, Senior Partner at Blake Lapthorn said: "The link between businesses and cultural organisations remains as important as ever in the current economic climate. To have been able to link this sponsorship to the environmental and climate change issues that are very high on the agenda not only for our clients but also for our staff was a win-win situation for us as a business and for Oxford Inspires as a local charity. To have won a national award in recognition of this partnership is very satisfying."

Click to enlarge image: Proud winners Jonathan Lloyd-Jones (Blake Lapthorn) and Kathelene Weiss and Tony Stratton (Oxford Inspires) pose with presenter Clare Baldwin (in blue)

Click to enlarge image: Jonathan Lloyd-Jones, Kathelene Weiss and Tony Stratton display the award

For more information about Blake Lapthorn, contact:

Daniel Baber, Public Relations Manager
DD – 020 7814 5489
Mobile – 07771 930 084
Email – daniel.baber@bllaw.co.uk

or visit www.bllaw.co.uk

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