News

On Sunday May 15th, a team of 13 people from GPB, plus colleagues, friends and family woke up early on a cold and cloudy day to participate in the Anthony Nolan, Dragon Boat racing event held in Stratford-upon-Avon.

This annual event in Stratford is a popular event and attracts local and national businesses to raise money for the Anthony Nolan Trust, a charity raising money for specialist treatment for cancer and leukaemia patients.

There were 12 teams of racers all preparing in anticipation to battle it out in the name of charity.

The GPB team, all dressed as Pirates were competitive, in good spirits and ready to face the challenges of the day.

At 9.30am, the teams were called for their safety briefing and the GPB supporters who remained joined together to help set up the gazebo in the Pirate theme.

When the teams returned, the GPB Pirates were looking good, if a little cold, were talking team tactics and taking it all very seriously.

When racing was about to commence, teams were called to the boats. When the GPB team were seated, sitting side by side in a long boat with a dragons head and a spiky tail, the drummer started to beat out the rhythm. The competitors had been sized up, the adrenaline was pumping, thoughts of the cold weather had disappeared, the laughter and banter had ceased and the team were focused. The dragons were on their way!

Moving in sync with fellow paddlers is key to moving the boat across the river, it takes a bit of practice, but soon everyone was in rhythm, paddling towards the start and then the finish! The dragons were breathing fire in a friendly and competitive way! All the teams had to compete in three initial heats and were then seeded after qualifying rounds based on their times.

The day was all about great team work and having a lot of fun whilst raising money for a great cause.

It was GPB’s first dragon boat event and although the team didn’t win the overall racing they did make a great impression. GPB were presented with a plaque for the Best Team Spirit and are continuing to fund raise to meet their target of £2,000. The funds raised so far have been achieved by holding successful dress down days, raffles, cake sales, lunch buffets, donations from family & friends and the team participating in the race itself.

It was a great day and the team would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped to raise the required funds and supported the team along the way.

Friday 18th March 2011 was Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day and GPB are proud to confirm they have raised a huge £1,223.38.

Staff got into the spirit of things by wearing red, guessing the sweets in the jar, paying into the swear box, nail painting, the big bake off cake competition and dressing up.

Thanks go to everyone who participated on the day and to everyone who kindly donated when they visited our offices throughout the week. You can still donate on www.rednoseday.com

GPB is pleased to announce the appointment of David Imperato as Director of Financial Services. Offering both additional and alternative services to existing clients and assisting in demonstrating to new clients the value of their professional relationship with the firm, David has extensive experience and enjoys strong relationships with clients in Banking and Financial services.

Tony Kirton, GPB's Chief Executive Officer, said “It is a real pleasure to have someone with David’s strength and experience on board. His skills are a significant resource to the firm and our client base and he is a real asset to business and private clients alike in the fast changing legal world”.

The offer applies to instructions received during Cord’s Wills Week running from 7th to 11th March 2011. At £75 for a single standard will and £125 for a double (excl VAT) this is virtually half the usual fee, representing a huge saving.

Anyone can take advantage of this offer by contacting Cord’s Leamington Spa office for a discount voucher and legacy brochure. Bookings for appointments during Wills Week with a solicitor in GPB’s wills and probate team should be made before 7th March.

Cord hopes that this will encourage its supporters to leave a legacy to the Charity for their work in Africa and South East Asia with people in the world’s ‘bottom billion’ who live on less than US$1 a day.

Click here to be redirected to Cord’s website.

GPB is pleased to announce that following a rigorous review by an independent assessor, we have again been awarded the coveted Lexcel accreditation, the Law Society’s quality mark.

GPB’s Director of General Practice, Gloria Parker commented, “it is through our sustained focus on meeting the standards and our commitment to providing a quality service, that we have once again achieved accreditation. We are delighted with the outcome and will continue to work hard to ensure continued certification”

Further information on the Lexcel accreditation can be found under About Us / Accreditations.