In times of hardship, uncertainty and fear, community is more important than ever. Here at FFM, we are proud to work closely with many businesses and charities in our local area and one positive thing to come out of the challenging COVID-19 situation is the sense of community that so many of us are experiencing and how so many of us are looking to support those around us.
Whilst we are all missing our friends and family, we are finding new ways to communicate, and we are all doing the same at FFM. Whether it is Microsoft Teams, Face Time or Zoom calls, we are all reaching out to our clients, business partners, friends, and colleagues. Technology is already a huge part of our working lives and this undoubtedly will become even more so; however, we must never lose sight of the importance and significance of being able to meet face to face.
One thing that does really resonate with the team at FFM is so many of us are in a very fortunate position and whilst this is tough for some, it is tougher for others. Wealth Management and Financial Advice remains our core business with the client at the centre of what we do; yet the wider picture is that we also have a duty of care to every stakeholder that we work with and community that we serve.
The foundations of FFM are built on always doing the right thing by others and providing a service that sets us apart.
‘Franklyn in the Community’ is our way of ‘giving back’ and is part of the DNA and fabric that makes up Franklyn.
During our time in lockdown we were delighted to visit the pop-up emergency Food hub in Congleton and donate 20 of our FFM activity bags.
The Food Hub, The Food Hub, which was set up by local volunteers, was there to support families and individuals within our Congleton community who were affected in one way or another by the COVID-19 outbreak.
The activity bags which include a telling the time workbook, a word game and more, were handed out to deserving young children in the community, to hopefully to bring a smile to their faces and encourage them to learn new skills such as telling the time and money skills.
This is also a very tough time for all young people across the region with uncertainty surrounding going back to school and not knowing what will happen in the future to make up for lost time will inevitably cause some anxiety.
Pre COVID, we were working closely with over 15 schools in the local area, supporting them through attending Careers Fairs, hosting ‘Mock Assessment Days’ at the FFM offices, as well as presenting in assemblies and running sessions with students on the importance of planning ahead and taking opportunities. We were also working with The Princes Trust, as we have done for the last two years, supporting them on the Enterprise Challenge and Mosaic Mentor programme.
We are proud to say that whilst the pandemic has affected most areas of day to day life, we still have found ways to continue to support the schools and young people in our area through a number of different initiatives.
Our Business Relations Team have taken part in multiple online virtual Careers Fairs via Learn Live and interacted online with students, telling them about the world of Financial Services and how they can get involved.
They have also filmed different videos for students to watch including ‘day in the life’ videos which gives students an insight into what it’s like to work in the Business Relations Team at a Wealth Management practice.
Something else we are incredibly proud about is the production of our ‘Money Month’ financial education series.
Led by one of our top Wealth Managers, Liam Danaher, Money Month is a series of Financial Education videos that have been published onto our FFM You Tube Channel to help all young people think about a number of different topics surrounding finance.
From money and budgeting to borrowing and lending, we hope the videos will provide useful information to all children and make them aware of the advantages that come from good budgeting, saving, investing and more, as well as providing an overview of how money works which will hopefully lead to them thinking about how to plan their own financial future.
The current circumstances that we find ourselves in are difficult for us all, but they are a great opportunity to start the conversation about Financial Education with our children and this time gives us the chance to help set foundations for actions that will last a lifetime.
Episode 1 to 4 of Money Month can be watched on our FFM You Tube channel.
Mental Health is something that affects many people and during these unprecedented times, there’s a lot more to think about and take in which may result in thoughts becoming overwhelming.
The 18th – 22nd May was Mental Health Awareness Week and at FFM, we were proud to support the cause to raise awareness of mental health and mental health problems, whilst promoting the message of good mental health for all.
Some of our Franklyn Family got creative and made #KindnessCreations to show their support and spread the positive message of kindness, the theme of the week, around to others.
All the team at FFM also received a mental health awareness pack which featured in our weekly internal newsletter. The pack included tips and tricks on how to look after your mental health, as well as places to go and people to talk to if extra support was needed.
We rounded off Mental Health Awareness Week by virtually joining each other for an FFM Friday Night Quiz! As well as having a good laugh and catch up with each other, we raised £120 for the charity MIND, who do incredible work to help those in need of mental health support.
Mental Health Awareness isn’t just one week, it is something that’s needed all year round and here at FFM, we are proud to support it.
Finally, from us all at FFM, we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has played their part and is continuing to do so to make sure we come through this together. We would like to particularly thank the frontline workers and volunteers for all the hard work they do to help make this community even stronger.