£3,000 raised for LATCH

7 December 2017

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Cooke & Arkwright’s chosen charity for 2016 and 2017 was LATCH, the Welsh Children’s Cancer Charity. We are proud to have raised £3,000 over two years for this fantastic charity, which supports children receiving treatment for cancer across Wales, from Chepstow to Aberystwyth. It provides families with on-site accommodation at the hospital whilst their child undergoes treatment and also works tirelessly to keep children’s spirits up by arranging day trips and children’s entertainers.

Our Social Committee has encouraged staff to take part in fundraising events including running marathons, climbing mountains, cycling around Wales, pub quizzes and cake baking. Several staff joined over 200 others in the ‘Ten y Fan Challenge’, climbing Pen y Fan ten times and raising over £500. We also took part in The Big Beach Clean in collaboration with ‘Surfers Against Sewage’ at Swanbridge beach by Sully Island; held annual Treasure Hunts and of course, the ubiquitous Christmas Jumper Day. We are delighted that the money we have raised has been put to good use purchasing toys, Play Stations and iPads for the LATCH children and everyone feels that they have worked hard to ‘give back’ to some of those in the community in which we operate.

Cooke & Arkwright have been providing rating valuation advice to The Welsh Rugby Union Limited (“WRU”) and Millennium Stadium plc for many years. They were recently successful in achieving substantial reductions in the assessments of the Millennium Stadium, covering both the 2005 and 2010 rating list. These negotiated reductions yielded savings of c.£3.5m which, crucially, allows the WRU to re-invest in rugby throughout Wales. They advise the WRU across the group portfolio including the National Centre of Excellence in the Vale of Glamorgan. The valuation issues across the WRU portfolio are complex requiring a high level of understanding of the funding and finances of professional sport in Wales. Cooke & Arkwright’s experience and understanding of these issues and application to the rating valuation have yielded these substantial negotiated reductions. The WRU and the Millennium Stadium entrust our work to organisations with the required levels in experience and expertise in dealing with these complex issues. I am glad to say we have this expertise in Wales. I would have no hesitation in recommending ratepayers making use of this Welsh based expertise.

The Welsh Rugby Union Limited, Welsh Rugby Union Group