Carpenter Box centenary celebrations 2023

This year, Sussex-based accountancy and business advisory firm Carpenter Box is proud to be celebrating 100 years since its formation!

To mark this momentous milestone, the firm decided to make local charities a focal point of 2023 by setting a target to raise £50,000 for the Carpenter Box Charitable Foundation (CBCF). The charity supports small, local voluntary and community groups that are active in the Sussex area.

100 years of service to Sussex…and beyond

Carpenter Box has its origins in Worthing in 1923, when Robert Carpenter agreed to go into partnership with Harold Box and together they opened an office at 8 Liverpool Gardens. Fast forward 100 years and the firm now has five offices, 18 Partners and a team of over 220 staff supporting clients ranging from start-up businesses to large international corporations.

Message from Alan Edwards, Carpenter Box Managing Partner

We are drawing to the end of our Centenary Year at Carpenter Box and what a year it’s been! My sincere thanks go out to all our people for their hard work, effort and creativity in making 2023 a fitting celebration of this significant milestone for our business.

As a firm, our ethos is about being positively engaged with our stakeholders – with our customers, staff, suppliers, associates and local communities. Over the last 12 months, we’ve had a lot of fun, but we also wanted this special year to make a difference beyond our office network.

So, I’m delighted to report that through the commitment of our people and the activities they organised, we have exceeded our initial target of raising £50,000 for our Carpenter Box Charitable Foundation, which supports small charities in Sussex and the South East.

These funds will make a real difference to the work of the community groups that do so much to help vulnerable people of every age live their best possible lives. You can read more about these charities in this special feature.

This year has also been one of reflection. I’ve been privileged to see much of the development of the firm first hand, having joined Carpenter Box in Worthing as a trainee in 1993. At that time, we had 42 employees and six partners; today we have over 220 staff and 18 partners spread across five offices in the south.

Our success has won us national, regional and local awards, but I prefer to measure our achievements in the value we create for our clients, everyone who works for us and the wider community.

Now we look to 2024 and the promise of more exciting chapters in the Carpenter Box story. 

Here’s to the next 100 years!

A year of fundraising

Launch event

The scene was set at a launch event at the Carpenter Box Head Office in Worthing in March, with special guests including Worthing MP Sir Peter Bottomley and CBCF Gold sponsors, who have generously donated to the Foundation. Local organisations which have benefited from CBCF support also attended, among them Red Balloon, Turning Tides, West Sussex Mind and Crawley Open House.

The Foundation’s year-long events programme received enthusiastic support from staff working groups set up at Carpenter Box to organise fundraising activities…and have lots of fun in the process!

May: Sports and Social Working Group

The events programme got underway in May with a 100-year celebration staff party at the Grand Hotel in Brighton. At the party staff paid to take part in a classic game of ‘Heads or Tails’, with the winner receiving a luxury hamper.

Later the same month, four of the Carpenter Box team embarked on the challenging Mountbatten’s ‘Walk the Wight’, covering the 26 miles coast-to-coast.

Among the most popular May events was the opportunity to ‘lob’ a wet sponge or dump a bucket of water over one of the Carpenter Box Partners. Together with competitions such as the ‘best drawn cartoon’ and ‘best paper aeroplane flight’, May bowed out having raised £1200.

June: LGBTQIA+ Working Group

June kicked-off with a bang, with Carpenter Box proudly hosting its first-ever LGBTQIA+ public speaking event. The Diversity, Equality and Inclusion speaker, Michael C Wearing, took centre stage, sharing his personal journey and inspiring a full house with his inspiring stories and knowledge.

Throughout June, the group sold Carpenter Box Pride lanyards, which served as a symbol of support and inclusivity, and on 22nd June, staff members from the Worthing, Crawley, and Brighton offices came together for a day of friendly competition and camaraderie at the LGBTQIA+ “Gaymes Day”.

July: Mental Health Champions

In July, the firm’s Mental Health Champions rolled their sleeves up and got their cleaning products ready, as they organised a highly popular car washing service exclusively for Carpenter Box staff.

On 2nd July, staff members laced up their shoes and hopped on their bikes to participate in the Inter-Office walk/cycle/run, with routes from London, Gatwick, Brighton, and Chichester all leading to Worthing, followed by much-needed pizza! It was a celebration of achievement, teamwork, and most importantly, a united effort to make a positive impact on the local community, raising an impressive £1,648.84 in the process.

September: Sustainability

Working Group

September ushered in the Sustainability Working Group to take the fundraising reins. This team is the driving force behind the sustainability initiatives at Carpenter Box, working tirelessly to integrate sustainable practices into the firm’s day-to-day operations and nurturing a culture of environmental consciousness among all staff and clients.

The main event for the month was a ‘book swap’, which allowed team members to exchange their favourite reads and reduce paper waste. They also arranged a plant sale, sold some vegan ice cream on a hot sunny day and organised a ‘Bargain Box’ where staff could buy and sell pre-loved items, promoting a culture of re-use and recycling.

October: Your Voice

The final fundraising month of the year belonged to the ‘Your Voice’ Working Group, comprising staff who discuss ideas to improve and enhance the business. Their objective is to harness the collective insights of the employees, focusing on staff well-being, professional development, and the overall growth of the organisation. This group plays a pivotal role in translating these ideas into actionable and effective strategies that enhance the business.

The group organised a range of fun events for staff, the highlight of which was a lunchtime digital quiz where teams across the firm competed to vie for ultimate glory. The quiz brought together Carpenter Box staff from various offices, with 50 intriguing questions spread across 5 rounds. The group also ran Halloween themed sweepstakes for sweet treats!

Supporting the work of local community groups

CBCF has a proud history of supporting the vital work provided to communities and vulnerable people by a range of dedicated, locally-focused charities. The main beneficiaries for this year’s fundraising are:

Red Balloon

Worthing-based Red Balloon helps young people who are self-excluding from education, whether as a result of bullying, anxiety or trauma. It provides an alternative to school, helping students to re-engage with education and build their confidence and self-esteem through social and wellbeing activities.

Nick Munday, a Trustee of Red Balloon, is very appreciative of the support the charity has received: “The donations provided by Carpenter Box have enabled us to purchase a laptop charging station for 20 of our laptops and replace worn out carpeting at our premises in Worthing. Carpenter Box has also donated good quality furniture for our reception area following a refurbishment at their offices. In addition, a group of their staff volunteered for two days’ painting and gardening at the charity. 

“Their engagement is very much appreciated by everyone who works at Red Balloon and helps us support vulnerable children in developing the skills they need to return to education or prepare for work or further training.”

Crawley Open House

Crawley Open House is a year-round residential homeless shelter providing comprehensive support to 55 people in and around Crawley.

Ian Wilkins, Head of Fundraising & Relationships, commented: “We have enjoyed a good relationship with the Gatwick office of Carpenter Box for many years and we are thrilled that they have decided to support local charities in their centenary year.

“Their generosity makes an important contribution towards the costs of providing the accommodation, food and support which we offer to those experiencing homelessness and severe hardship locally 24/7 365 days a year.”

West Sussex Mind

West Sussex Mind is an independent local charity based in Worthing, with mental health support hubs in Southwick, Littlehampton and Midhurst. The charity supports people across West Sussex with their mental health, provides specialist training and campaigns to improve services and promote understanding of mental health issues. Through the advice and support it offers, the charity aims to improve people’s physical and mental wellbeing and strengthen their self-esteem and confidence.

Debbie Watkins, Communications & Fundraising Manager at West Sussex Mind, commented: “We rely on the generosity of our donors and fundraisers for much of our work and would like to say a big thank you to Carpenter Box for their kind donation – it is very much appreciated by everyone within the charity.”

Turning Tides

Turning Tides is based in Worthing and provides services for single homeless people in West Sussex. It has over 5,000 supporters, 300 volunteers and 140 staff and brings together compassionate individuals and organisations who work tirelessly to transform the lives of people in the local community and to change perceptions of homelessness.

The charity provides a warm, safe space to listen to anyone who is looking for help and provides real pathways out of homelessness.

We are thrilled to have been able to donate £30,000 to these four fantastic charities, with an additional 25 charities also receiving donations.

To find out more, please visit our website www.carpenterbox.com