Jones Myers has helped to boost the festive spirit for disabled Artmakers at Henshaws which enhances the quality of life for over 8,000 service users with sight loss and wide-ranging disabilities.

The firm’s deep-rooted ethos of giving back to its local communities has entailed its family lawyers purchase and wrap an assortment of children’s presents for the charity’s forthcoming Christmas Fair.

Monies raised from the vibrant event at Henshaws’ Arts & Crafts centre will go towards valuable materials to help the centre’s talented Artmakers achieve their potential.  

Kate Banerjee, Jones Myers Partner and Head of the Children’s Department, said: “Our Harrogate team loved wrapping the presents designed for children aged three to nine – it Is always a pleasure to support Henshaws’ wide-ranging initiatives and to know that we are helping to make a difference.

“The charity’s commitment and support for its service users, including those with profound and multiple learning and physical difficulties, is truly inspirational. “

The Christmas Fair, a fun-packed, family event, features stalls showcasing Artmakers handmade gifts. Activities and highlights include Christmas cookie decorating, wreath-making workshop, festive food and drink – and a special visit from Santa and Mrs Claus who will distribute the presents.

Flora Simpson, Henshaws Senior Philanthropy Manager, said: “We are extremely appreciative of the valuable support from Jones Myers and our fellow business partners. As a charity, Henshaws relies heavily on fundraising donations and gifts-in kind to help us achieve our ambitious goals. We welcome everyone to join us this Saturday and immerse themselves in the seasonal spirit! ”

In recent years Jones Myers initiatives to help Henshaws service users achieve a fulfilling life have included a Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, supporting Christmas Fairs, and fundraising for  Henshaws Beer Festival.

For more information about Henshaws Christmas Fair which takes place on Saturday, November 29, between midday and 5pm, visit this link Twitter @Henshaws Facebook/Henshaws.

Jones Myers, which has headquarters in Leeds and offices in York city centre and Harrogate town centre, has retained its top tier ranking in esteemed legal guides for over three decades.   

For information on any aspect of family law, call Leeds 0113 246 0055, Harrogate 01423 276104, or York 01904 202550. Visit www.jonesmyers.co.uk, email info@jonesmyers.co.uk or tweet us @helpwithdivorce

Jones Myers blog is ranked fourth among the UK’s Best 25 family law blogs and websites to follow in 2025.

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Jones Myers paralegal, Lisa Stephenson, has helped to raise over £58k for the Great North Air Ambulance in the 2024 Great North Run.

Lisa was among 60,000 runners to complete the world’s largest half marathon which sets off in Newcastle and ends along the bracing seafront in South Shields.

After being rained on before starting the challenge, an aching and elated Lisa achieved a time of two hours, twenty seven minutes and twenty seconds.

This was Lisa’s second best time in her fourth Great North Run – only five minutes off her best time in 2012 and despite undergoing physiotherapy sessions on her knees.  

The Great North Air Ambulance provides critical care services by air and road across the North East, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Isle of Man.

Said Lisa: “An enormous ‘thank you’ to my family, friends, and colleagues at Jones Myers for their well wishes and support for this amazing charity which rescues hundreds of severely ill and injured patients every year.

“Equipped with its own pioneering, pre-hospital care, the charity’s ambulances and Rapid Response Vehicles operate a round the clock service across the North East and North Yorkshire, They receive no government funding to provide this critical care and are entirely financed by the public’s generosity.”

In 2012, 2017 and 2023 Lisa took part in the iconic half marathon to help the MS Society, a campaigning community which funds world-leading research and supports those living with multiple sclerosis.   

The commitment of Jones Myers niche family law firm and its teams to give back to its local communities includes an ongoing partnership with Henshaws which boosts the quality of life for over 8,000 service users with sight loss and wide-ranging disabilities.

To support Lisa’s fundraising, see GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE: Lisa’s page (enthuse.com). For more information on the charity, visit https://www.greatnorthairambulance.co.uk/

For queries on any aspect of family law, call Jones Myers at Leeds 0113 246 0055, Harrogate 01423 276104, or York 01904 202550. Visit www.jonesmyers.co.uk, email info@jonesmyers.co.uk or tweet @helpwithdivorce

Jones Myers blog is ranked in the UK’s Best 25 family law blogs and websites to follow in 2024

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Jones Myers is helping to wrap up Christmas for disabled art makers at Henshaws which boosts the quality of life for over 8,000 service users with sight loss and wide-ranging disabilities.

Our ongoing commitment to put back into our local communities has seen us purchase and wrap an assortment of presents for the charity’s Christmas Fair held at its Arts & Crafts centre.

Kate Banerjee, Jones Myers Partner and Head of the Children’s Department, said: “Henshaws inspirational support for its service users, including those with profound and multiple learning and physical difficulties, chimes with our firm’s values and ethos.  

“The Christmas Fair raised over four thousand pounds and we thoroughly enjoyed preparing the presents at our Harrogate office accompanied by Christmas music. We also  had mince pies with some brandy butter after completing our wrapping!”

Gemma Young, Henshaws Fundraising Development Manager, added: “Enormous thanks to Jones Myers and fellow partners for their invaluable contributions. The fair was alive with the spirit of Christmas with carol singing, artisan stalls and some of our own gifts made here at the centre.

“Henshaws relies heavily on fundraising donations and gifts-in kind and very much appreciates Jones Myers’ ongoing commitment to help us achieve our goals.”

Over the last 12 months Jones Myers is delighted to have assisted with a series of activities to help Henshaws service users achieve a fulfilling life.

They include our Partner Elizabeth Bell and her husband Julian tackling the 25-mile hike of Yorkshire’s Three Peaks in thunder and lightning, strong winds and sheeting rain.

Our niche family law team has also helped to raise £30k at Henshaws Beer Festival, provided key materials for disabled Art Makers to continue achieving their potential – and volunteered at the Arts & Crafts Centre’s gardens.

To find out more about Henshaws, visit https://www.henshaws.org.uk Twitter @Henshaws Facebook/Henshaws.

Jones Myers, which has headquarters in Leeds and offices in York city centre and Harrogate town centre, has retained its top tier ranking in esteemed legal guides for almost three decades.   

For information on any aspect of family law, call us at Leeds 0113 246 0055, Harrogate 01423 276104, or York 01904 202550. Visit www.jonesmyers.co.uk, email info@jonesmyers.co.uk or tweet us @helpwithdivorce

Jones Myers blog is ranked ninth among the UK’s Best 25 family law blogs and websites to follow in 2023.

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Our niche family law firm is giving a seasonal boost to an inspirational charity which enhances the quality of life for people with sight loss and a wide range of other disabilities – and encourages them to go beyond expectations.

Jones Myers is supporting Henshaws  ‘12 Days of Giving’ Christmas Campaign which provides key materials for its Art Makers to continue practicing their talents to achieve their potential through workshops.  

Our specialist family lawyers have seen at first hand, and been impressed by, the Art Makers’ creativity at the Knaresborough Arts & Crafts Centre which is open to the public on weekdays year round.

Their wide-ranging and colourful workshops include woodwork, pottery, music, performing arts, horticulture, performing arts and multi-sensory.

Gemma Young, Henshaws Fundraising Development Manager, said: “It’s wonderful to have Jones Myers backing for our ‘12 Days of Giving’ campaign and we look forward to a long and successful partnership with the firm.

“Our Art Makers draw on their talents to transform their own lives and help break down barriers and change perceptions over how society reacts to, and perceives, their disabilities. Our £12,000 fundraising campaign is for the annual costs of workshop materials which bring their creations to life.

“We very much appreciate the backing of Jones Myers and other local businesses, organisations, and individuals who are helping us to achieve our goals.”

Jones Myers Senior Solicitor, Neil Dring, who heads our Harrogate office, is also assisting the charity as a volunteer. Neil will be putting his gardening talents into use at the Arts & Crafts Centre’s gardens in the New Year.

Jones Myers Partner, Andrew Fox, said: “We were bowled over by the commitment of Henshaws to empower those with wide-ranging disabilities, and by the passion and talent of the Art Makers.  

“The charity’s values chime with our firm’s long-standing ethos of giving back to our local communities and we’re pleased to help make a difference and enable the Art Makers to continue to fulfil and express their potential through their beautiful and unique pieces of art.”           

Henshaws supports over 7,000 service users. They include people who are registered blind or disabled and young people with profound and multiple learning difficulties, sensory impairments, and other physical disabilities.

The charity’s support, advice and training enable people and their families to build skills, develop confidence, help each other, and look forward to a more positive future.

For more information on the Arts & Crafts Centre, visit https://www.henshaws.org.uk/what-we-offer/arts-crafts/ Twitter @Henshaws Facebook/Henshaws

For divorce or family law related issues including children, call us at Leeds on 0113 246 0055, Harrogate on 01423 276104, or York on 01904 202550. Visit jm2023.jonesmyers.co.uk, email info@jonesmyers.co.uk or tweet us @helpwithdivorce

Jones Myers blog is ranked 9^th in the UK’s Best 25 family law blogs and websites to follow in 2022.

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Jones Myers has nominated Independent Domestic Abuse Services (IDAS) as its dedicated charity for the next 12 months.

IDAS is the largest specialist charity in Yorkshire supporting people affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence.As a niche family law firm with offices in Harrogate and Leeds we understand the trauma suffered by, victims of domestic violence and abuse,

We look forward to helping to make a difference to this inspirational organisation which supports over 5000 people a year in Yorkshire. Its three refuges for women and children include one in Harrogate which accommodates up to eight families and includes two self-contained flats.

During their stay, IDAS helps families to overcome the effects of abuse and assists them with benefits, schools, legal issues and housing. Male victims are also supported in self-contained flats or houses in locations including Harrogate.

The heartfelt stories of those whose lives have been transformed by the charity’s support include this beneficiary who says: “Without this refuge and the staff that have supported me …I wouldn’t be able to have hope for a better life for me and my son. I will be forever thankful.”

IDAS director Sarah Hill, said: “As an independent, specialist organisation, IDAS focuses on victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

“Because we’re a charity, people can be reassured that every penny provided to us is spent on those victims and survivors. It’s great news that Jones Myers has nominated us as its dedicated charity and we thank the team in advance for their fundraising ventures.”

Jones Myers founder, Peter Jones, commented: “As a firm which witnesses the devastating effects of domestic abuse on victims, we applaud the compassionate, inclusive and non-judgemental support IDAS provides to enable victims to make their own choices and to determine their own future. We are delighted to champion and fundraise for this great charity.”

To get involved with IDAS and boost funds for forthcoming events, find out more here.

If you are concerned that your relationship is abusive, or you are worried about a friend or family member you can call us on 03000 110 110 or visit Live Chat on the IDAS website Monday-Friday 5-7pm www.idas.org.uk.

For information about any aspect of family law, call Jones Myers at our Leeds office on 0113 246 0055, our Harrogate office on 01423 276104, visit jm2023.jonesmyers.co.uk, email info@jonesmyers.co.uk or tweet us @helpwithdivorce

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Jones Myers is supporting a star-studded charity benefit event on Father’s Day which is boosting awareness for an inspirational charity.

Headlined by showbiz legends Cannon and Ball, the vibrant evening of family entertainment at Harrogate Theatre is a fundraiser for Shine  which provides specialist support for individuals and families who face the challenges of spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

Since launching in 2006, Shine has grown to a community of 75,000 individuals, families, friends, and professionals. Together, they share achievements, experiences and information on living with hydrocephalus, spina bifida and related issues.

Organised by Harrogate musical theatre school, DanSing Studio, the mid-Summer benefit called ‘danSing for Shine 2017’ will also feature Bradley Johnson from BBC’s Let It Shine which seeks out new talent.

Celebrity hosts are former England soccer star and Shine patron, Danny Mills and YTV Calendar News presenter, Christine Talbot.

Local amateur and professional talent will also be strongly represented. The bill toppers Cannon and Ball will be joined by Brackenfield School Choir, award winning teenage songstress, Bethany Hare, DanSing Studio’s very gifted young performers and many other dazzling acts.

Head of Jones Myers Children’s Department, Kate Banerjee, said: “We are hugely impressed with, and humbled by, Shine’s wide-ranging and inspirational work, which helps people to get the best out of their lives.

“The charity’s wide-ranging services include tackling health issues, providing practical help with employment and mental wellbeing and welfare benefits.”

Shine CEO, Kate Steele, added: “The backing we’ve received from all the participants and supporters, including Jones Myers, for this special event has been incredible and we look forward to an entertaining and memorable evening.”

The fun begins at 7.00pm on Sunday, June 18, and you can reserve your tickets here.

To find out more about Shine  call 01733 555988, complete a webform, or follow it on Twitter @SHINEUKCharity.

For more information about any aspect of divorce or family law call our team of experts at Jones Myers on 0113 246 0055 or tweet us on @helpwithdivorce

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By the time they are 16 nearly half of all children will be affected by their parents separating.  Sadly, over the last two years three on-line supports for such children have closed down leaving ‘kids in the middle’ vulnerable and often with nowhere to turn for help.

The vision of Kids in the Middle is to become a household name and an online platform where children and young people affected by family separation and divorce can go to share their stories and hear the experiences of others. The website will carry three immediate messages – it’s not your fault, you are not alone, and it’s OK to get help – and will signpost to other organisations offering support and help, both on-line and in local communities across the UK.

‘Kids in the Middle’, kickstarted by a group of 20 students in two schools, Hereford Cathedral School and Crickhowell High School, also want parents to use the website to help them to understand separation and divorce from a child’s perspective.  In particular, they will urge parents to use low-conflict ways of resolving matters relating to children.

Hayley Cervi, a LLB law student at the University of Leeds has a particular interest in family and child law, and is a ‘kid in the middle’. Now a mother herself, Hayley tells her story and why she is helping to promote this vibrant new charity.

“I became a ‘kid in the middle’ in September 1996  – a date that has huge significance for me because it set in motion a chain of events that created the person I am today.

The experience of parents’ separating will be different for every child, but I am yet to meet anyone who has been unaffected. Circumstances and a child’s ability to cope and adapt differ – and many parents are guilty of underestimating their child’s ability to read between the lines.

Most children will be given the generic ‘go-to’ reassurances:  “we are not to blame” and that “our parents may not love each other anymore, but they still love us very much”. Many parents fail to appreciate that this isn’t what we want to hear. I know that I certainly didn’t, although I felt compelled, even at seven years old, to hide my emotions and say that I was “ok” and that the situation was “for the best”.  These were my parents’ words, of course, and I reeled them out parrot fashion for weeks.

On the whole I managed to hold it together, until my first weekend with my dad after the split. I think this was the point that I realised that everything had changed and he wasn’t coming home. The last two hours of our special time that weekend were spent in my grandmother’s lounge crying together.

Pastoral care at my primary was virtually non-existent and I didn’t feel I could talk to anyone within the family. I remember feeling isolated and alone.

I know that some people believe that arguments may contribute to a relationship breakdown. This would be logical if the arguments ceased – however I found that my parents argued more.

Even in a happy marriage parents often differ in their approach to bringing up their children and have disagreements.  Separation and divorce can exacerbate disagreements regarding their children. I found it more and more difficult to talk to one parent about the other. Eventually, I stopped trying when I saw what I said became ammunition for my parents to fire at each other.

It is commonplace for children to witness the breakdown of their parents’ relationship. Sometimes it is simply unavoidable, leaving children in the most horrible position; caught between the two people they love the most. Often this happens at a time when children are most impressionable, needing impartial support that neither parent is capable of offering.  I would have welcomed a service like Kids in the Middle with open arms.

Seventeen years after my parents split up, and despite the fact that I am now a 24 year old woman, I will always be a ‘kid in the middle’. I’d like to say it’s a role I ‘got over’. Instead, I can say only this: I learned to live with it.”

Family lawyers, barristers and mediators all over the UK are backing ‘Kids in the Middle’ and  forming partnerships with local young people and family law students to raise money to design and support the new service which will be launched in 2014.

To find out more visit http://kidsinthemiddle.org.uk/ Please like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/KidsintheMiddleUK and follow us on Twitter @kidsinthemid

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In response to phenomenal support from the public and offers of financial help in the search for her daughter Elsa, our client Naomi Button’s has launched  a “Bring Elsa Home’’ Fundrazr Account this week to enable people to make financial donations if they wish.

These funds will be invaluable to widen the search in Egypt – enabling Naomi to fund investigations, pay search costs and cover the costs of media coverage in Egypt.  Donators will be updated regularly on how the funds are being used. In the event that there are funds remaining once Elsa has been returned home safely it is intended that those funds will be used to help locate other missing children who find themselves in a similar position to Elsa.

Elsa Salama turned six on 2 February and Naomi faces a second year without her daughter who was abducted by her father during a family holiday in Egypt in December 2011.  Tamer Salama remains in a UK jail for failing to reveal his daughter’s whereabouts.

Media interest in Naomi’s campaign continues with an exclusive interview for a women’s magazine due out later this month and interest from a national radio station.

Support for the campaign on social media continues to grow. There are now 3,500 ‘Likes’ on Naomi’s ‘Bring Elsa Home’ Facebook Page and several hundred people following her Twitter account @BringElsaHome.

Naomi’s campaign has also received support from Rachel Reeves, MP for Bramley, Leeds who met Alistair Burt, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to seek further help from the Foreign Office to step up the search for Elsa.

Increase in parental child abduction cases

Sadly, cases of parental child abduction are on the increase. The Foreign Office’s Child Abduction Section is receiving an average of four calls per day and at Jones Myers, we are receiving an average of one enquiry per week.

Naomi’s plight has brought messages and social media posts from parents concerned about their own children –  these tips and advice from Kate Banerjee, head of our Children Department and a Member of the Child Care Panel, may help those concerned that their child is at risk.

Kate has a wealth of experience in representing parents, guardians, Local Authorities and children – here are some of her preventative tips

• Apply to the Court for a Prohibited Steps Order (PSO); this prevents either parent from taking their children to any specific events or any trips without the express permission of the other parent.
• Ensure that contact is supervised and in extreme cases, you may wish to stop contact altogether
• Keep passports safe and consider depositing them with a solicitor
• Contact the Passport Agency and ask them to block the other parent from applying for a new passport
• Notify the school about who is allowed to collect your child from school
• If you receive a threat of child abduction or if your child has been abducted: Contact the police immediately who can issue a port alert to airports and ferry terminals – A recent photo of your child and the other parent and details of the airport or destination you think they may be heading to will help the police to focus their search.
• Contact Reunite, the UK’s International Child Abduction Charity which operates a 24 hour emergency helpline 0116 2556234
• Seek legal advice immediately

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This is the first time that Sarah, an insulin-dependent diabetic whose late father suffered with Alzheimer’s, has embarked on such a venture. Sarah joined a 40-strong group in a six-day challenge to trek more than 110km of the Great Wall, from Huangyaguan Valley in the Yanshan Mountains towards Juyongguan.

Temperatures ranged from a chilly zero degrees at night in the mountains to over 20 degrees in the day, meaning a backpack filled with thermals and mittens alongside shorts and sunscreen! Aside from a chest infection in the final few days, Sarah only suffered one small blister and no complications from diabetes. She credits her fitness to ample preparation prior to the trip.

Sarah said: “It’s incredible to have raised so much for the Alzheimer’s Society, who gave my family invaluable support during my father’s struggle with the condition. People have been massively generous and their support, both financial and emotional, made the tough climbs and freezing nights much easier to endure.

 “The group were treated to spectacular views and amazing scenery, but also experienced the very humble conditions in which people live just a few hours from Beijing – relying on rainwater and basic foodstuffs to survive. It made us realise just how lucky we are.”

Thanks are also due to the Jones Myers team who threw themselves into the fund-raising efforts by supporting dress-down days, car boot sales and a particularly successful Chinese-themed banquet evening. If anyone would like to add to Sarah’s impressive fund-raising total please go to Sarah’s Just Giving Page or contact Sarah via Jones Myers on 0113 246 0055.

Please share your comments below or tweet us on @helpwithdivorce.

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This is the first time that Sarah, an insulin-dependent diabetic whose late father suffered with Alzheimer’s, has embarked on such a venture.

The family lawyer will join a 40-strong group in a six-day challenge to trek more than 110km of the Great Wall from Huangyaguan Valley in the Yanshan Mountains and progress towards Juyongguan.

It will be autumn in China and temperatures will plummet to zero degrees at night in the Mountains – rising to over 20 degrees in the day. Her kit will comprise thermal underwear, hat, gloves, sun-hat and factor-50 sun-screen.

Sarah is making home-made cakes and biscuits which she hopes will go down a treat at Wetherby Market on Thursday 26 July to help boost funds for her October mission.

Says Sarah: “Our family received invaluable support from the Alzheimer’s Society during my father’s struggle with the condition and I’m aiming to raise £4,000 which will help to support carers and enable valuable research to continue to seek out a cure.

“Making cakes for the market is my latest fundraising initiative and I’ve had great support from the team at Jones Myers who have been sampling my test baking. I look forward to seeing lots of shoppers being fortified by our delicious range of cakes and biscuits.”

The Jones Myers team have also thrown themselves into the spirit of the fundraising occasion by donating £1 to wear patriotic coloured clothing for the Diamond Jubilee and were served up strawberries, meringues and cream and cakes. Those who opted not to dress up were fined £2.  Additional funds were raised during Lent via an office swear box and colleagues are also supporting Sarah’s car boot sales with another one lined up at Pannal, Harrogate on Saturday 1 September.

Sarah’s current training includes twice-weekly sessions at her local gym to increase her fitness levels and she is trying to walk a minimum often miles a week with her rucksack to build up her stamina levels.

Adds Sarah, who will be away between 6-17 October: “It will be a personal challenge to manage my diabetic control in rural China as food, exercise and weather conditions all impact on it so it’s important that I’m as fit and prepared as possible to meet the exciting challenges ahead!”

For more information / to donate please go to http://www.justgiving.com/SarahDickinson-GreatWall or contact Sarah via Jones Myers on 0113 2460 055.

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