Lovetts Solicitors shortlisted for Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM) Award
Lovetts Solicitors has been shortlisted for the category of ‘Giving Back’ at this year’s Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM) British Credit Awards.
The CICM Awards recognise the stand out achievements of the most deserving individuals, teams and organisations in the international credit industry. The programme is seen as one of the most important in the credit management industry, a sector that makes up a significant proportion of the Lovetts client base.
Lovetts Solicitors specialises in UK & International debt recovery and commercial litigation. Being in debt can create significant pressures on individuals and business owners. This can often impact on mental health. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1 in 4 people that have a mental health problem are also in debt. Accordingly, Lovetts Solicitors has sought to give back through their support of Oakleaf, a mental health charity based in Guildford which supports adults throughout Surrey aged 16-67 who are struggling with their mental health.
Lovetts have supported Oakleaf for a number of years and is a founding member of the Mental Health Leaders Network which is a group of businesses that are committed to improving mental health in the community. Lovetts support has extended to staff volunteering and being involved in charitable fundraising events ranging from quiz nights, golf days and even walking over hot coals! At Christmas, Lovetts staff helped create care packages and hampers for the Oakleaf clients.
When the pandemic hit Lovetts anticipated that people would need mental health support. In particular, Lovetts were concerned that individuals may struggle with debt, should they lose their job or if they were placed on furlough. In addition, the NHS was under considerable pressure. A&E was often at full capacity with long waiting times. This was causing significant problems for individuals suffering from a mental health crisis. Oakleaf stepped in and created a Safe Haven which operates as a drop in service between the hours of 6pm – 11pm for those suffering a mental health crisis. Safe Haven was critical in relieving the pressures on the NHS. Oakleaf would often have Ambulances turn up and drop off individuals that were suffering a mental health crisis because A&E was full.
All Charities suffered financially during the pandemic because they were unable to raise funds through events. Charities like Oakleaf were facing the prospect of closing or cutting services. To avoid this, Lovetts trebled their financial contributions to Oakleaf. It was important to us, at Lovetts, that we provided as much support as we could. Mental Health services are already underfunded and any cuts in services would have had a significant impact on the community. Lovetts funding helped with:
- 48 weeks of bi-weekly fitness classes using a blended model of online and face-to-face classes, which are available to all clients. At Oakleaf we see that people who have suffered from mental illness are often lack the confidence and motivation to engage in physical fitness in mainstream setting, so we create a relaxed atmosphere where people can start to develop their physical fitness at their own pace, in a moderate way. We have also seen that the physical health of many of our clients has deteriorated during the pandemic, coinciding with worsening mental health. These fitness classes are part of our programme of helping clients to increase their confidence, make friends and ultimately rebuild their lives with a stronger sense of wellbeing.
- 24 weeks of BACP-accredited counselling sessions for 50 clients
- Weekly one-to-one support, either over the phone or in-person, for 28 clients over a period of 8 weeks.
- The creation of a Youth Support Group for a year and a half, which is a group designed specifically to support the mental health of young people aged 16-25.
In addition to this, Lovetts have ensured staff were trained in Mental Health First Aid trained to ensure they could identify and assist vulnerable debtors.
Michael Higgins, Managing Director of Lovetts, says:
“It has been a difficult time for everyone during the pandemic and it has highlighted how important mental health is. I’m delighted that Lovetts have been shortlisted for the CICM Giving Back Award. As a business we wanted to provide as much support to those suffering with their mental health however, we play a small part and credit goes to Oakleaf for all the work they do. They are a fantastic charity and we are honoured to be partnered with them.”
The 2022 ceremony will take place on Thursday 24th March at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. You can view all the CICM British Credit Awards finalist here.