When Tom Holloway stood down as chairman of the Portsmouth Property Association, after a successful two-year tenure, he could feel justifiably proud of what had been achieved during his time in the high-profile role.
Tom, who is a director at the independent chartered surveyors and commercial and industrial property consultants Holloway, Illife & Mitchell said his vision for his chairmanship was simple: “I wanted to raise the profile of the association so people would know a bit more about what we do and who is involved.
“It’s true to say I was able to make some progress with this and the new Chairman Chris Green will be able to take the next step with a new website. And raising money for charity was also really important to me.”
A total of £19,000 was raised during his chairmanship for two charities, the Elizabeth Foundation based in Cosham and the Dallaglio RugbyWorks charity, which helps troubled youngsters get into education, employment or training through an intensive, long-term skills development programme based on rugby.
The money was raised through events such as a popular quiz and the annual Portsmouth Property Association charity dinner.
Tom, who was only the third person in over half a century to hold the chairmanship for back-to-back years, explained: “Rugby was in my background and I was really impressed with what Dallaglio
RugbyWorks achieves with these kids who are often coming from difficult backgrounds of gang culture and an unstable home life.”
Working with the charity, the PPA was able to help set-up a taster day at Portsmouth’s Lakeside North Harbour business campus, with companies taking in a young person to show them more about the world of work.
“The support we were able to generate for Dallaglio RugbyWorks means they will be able to set-up in several Hampshire schools including some in Havant and Gosport,” said Tom.
During his first year as Chairman, the Elizabeth Foundation, which helps profoundly deaf babies and children, benefitted from the fundraising activities of the PPA.
And there will be a lasting legacy for Tom and the charity as he has agreed to become a trustee.
“As I look back over the two years, I am proud of what has been achieved and particularly our work with the charities. I’m really looking forward to working with the Elizabeth Foundation and supporting them in their invaluable work,” he added.
The Elizabeth Foundation is a specialist nursery provider that supports deaf children to learn to listen and speak using their technology and supports families to be able to make informed decisions on behalf of their child.
They provide support to families right from the time of diagnosis at approximately 5 weeks old and support the entire family during these very crucial pre-school years.
Julie Hughes, Chief Executive of the Elizabeth Foundation, said that being named Charity of the Year by the PPA last year signalled the start of a wonderful relationship between The Elizabeth Foundation, the PPA, and its then Chairman Tom Holloway.
In total, £12,383 was raised over the year for the Elizabeth Foundation, a record-breaking amount for the PPA. The money raised will be used to fund specialist preschool nursery services, allowing over 50 families from 12 different counties across the south of England to benefit from their services.
Julie said “We can’t thank the Chairman and the entire PPA committee enough for their hard work and organising of these events in aid of the charity. We are grateful for the tremendous support we have received and are thrilled to have Tom Holloway join our Board of Trustees at the charity. His skills and expertise will certainly prove to be a great asset to the charity.”
To date the PPA has raised around £110,000 for local charities in the past 14 years, with the association’s annual black-tie fundraiser a key driver.
PPA members include estate agents, auctioneers, letting and property management agents, commercial property agents, chartered surveyors, developers, accountants, solicitors and bankers.
The PPA was established in 1920, when King George V reigned, Lloyd George was Prime Minister and the body of The Unknown Warrior from the First World War arrived from France for symbolic burial in Westminster Abbey.
