Tax firm raises over £4,000 for charity during jail or bail event

Tax firm Claritas Tax raised more than £4,000 for Fareshare UK after two of its partners were incarcerated for office-based crimes against their co-workers.

Partners Matt Hodgson and Iain Wright of the award-winning independent tax advisory firm based in Manchester, Birmingham and Nottingham, managed to raise bail with the support of their friends, contacts, and clients.

It wasn 't an easy six hours at the Birmingham 's Police Museum: The Lock Up. Upon arrival, the prisoners had their mug shot and fingerprints taken by Victorian prison officers, before getting stuck into some extremely gruesome and gruelling punishments, ranging from dipping their feet in baked beans, with a side order of mealworms, having a light refreshment of a dirty pint, which was a mix of sour milk, cola, vinegar, hot sauce, and fruit juice and not forgetting the Michelin starred delights of chocolate covered crickets.

George Chandler, senior mass participation manager at FareShare said: “The Claritas Tax team really rose to this challenge and we are delighted that they were able to raise such a great amount for FareShare.

“This money will be a fantastic contribution to helping us get good-to-eat surplus food to people who need it most. FareShare provides food to over a million people across the UK, many of whom are being impacted by the cost of living crisis.

“This support from the Claritas Tax team is needed now more than ever and we 're incredibly grateful for their generous donation. ”

Iain Wright, Claritas Birmingham Partner, says: “Being a part of something so worthy is an amazing feeling simply because it really does make such a difference. It may take a couple of weeks to re-adjust to normal life, and I may not be able to look at chocolate in the same way again, but to each and every one that helped us smash our original target of £1500, please accept our thanks and know you have made such a difference to families in need. ”

Matt Hodgson, Claritas Manchester Partner, adds: “We are delighted to be working with FareShare. I think it 's really important that businesses support local charities, and we have a responsibility to lead by example.

“It was a day full of fun and laughter, and we certainly didn 't know what to expect next. Although some of the prison forfeits were challenging, it was made worthwhile when I saw the money coming in for my supposed bailout. Thank you to everyone who sponsored us on the day. ”

Donations can still be made through their JustGiving page.

FareShare, the largest food distribution charity in the UK, takes surplus good-to-eat food, that is unsold or unwanted by the food industry and might otherwise go to waste, and distributes it across a nationwide network of 8,500 charities and community groups who help tackle the root causes of poverty.