Farleys corporate department has advised the Sophie Lancaster Foundation (or ‘S.O.P.H.I.E.’ – the charity’s working name) on a pro bono basis, supporting the trustees with their application to the Charities Commission for registered charitable status.
The Foundation was set up by Sylvia Lancaster, the mother of Sophie Lancaster, in memory of her daughter who was brutally murdered in Stubbylee Park, Bacup, in August 2007, when, whilst walking home, she had sought to defend her boyfriend from a violent and unprovoked attack by a gang of youths. The purpose of the Foundation is to provide a lasting legacy for Sophie, a young, intelligent, caring and beautiful girl who was murdered, simply because she dressed differently. The principle aim of S.O.P.H.I.E. is to “Stamp Out Prejudice Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere” by promoting the positive nature of different subcultures through education and campaigning for tolerance within society.
Assistant Solicitor, Naomi Siddle, worked closely with Sylvia Lancaster to form the charitable company, formalise its constitution, and put together the application for registration to the Charities Commission. After six months’ hard work by all, S.O.P.H.I.E. was successful in its application and was registered as a charity on 18th May 2009.
Sylvia Lancaster said :
“Having charitable status enables us to move forward in the work that we have set out to do. We can now apply for funding from government agencies and other funding streams. I also feels that it validates the work that we have already undertaken and gives us official recognition.
“I have nothing but praise for Farleys, in particular Naomi Siddle, without whose hard work and total commitment we would still be floundering under a sea of forms. The fact that Farleys did all this work for the Sophie Lancaster Foundation pro bono has been a massive help and I would like to say a heartfelt thanks to all concerned.”
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