Pro bono: Solicitors ring in Ringwood Carnival as they look to do their part for the environment

Ellis Jones Solicitors are hoping to make Ringwood a little greener over the coming weeks in the countdown to the town’s annual carnival.

As part of their sponsorship of the event, the firm has teamed up with carnival charity affiliate, Ringwood Actions for Climate Emergency (RACE), to offer volunteering opportunities on company time to its 170 staff.

Nigel Smith, Managing Partner at Ellis Jones, said: “Ringwood Carnival is one of the highlights of the town’s calendar, and is all about having fun and supporting the community.

“We’re proud to continue our long-standing support for the event and we see our partnership with affiliate charity RACE as a further way of benefiting the area while offering meaningful volunteering opportunities to our team.”

RACE will be working with the Ellis Jones team on a variety of community projects to help boost local biodiversity and combat climate change.

They’ll start by strimming and raking the two-acre field at Crow Hill, ready for the planting of trees and hedges over the winter.

The land has been gifted to RACE by the previous owner, with Ellis Jones’ own Commercial Property Executive Sara West providing legal advice to the charity.

Through the autumn they’ll also get to work sowing wildflower seeds and weeding a tree nursery.

RACE Trustee Mary DeBoos said: “We’re delighted to have this support from the staff at Ellis Jones.

“Company volunteering days make such a difference in a short space of time and provide a real morale boost to our regular volunteers.”

Ringwood Carnival has helped to raise money for local charities and organisations for almost 100 years, with the first event held in 1928.

This year’s carnival starts at midday on Saturday 16th September, with two processions at 2pm and 7:15pm followed by fireworks at 9:30pm.

Ringwood Carnival Society have put together plenty of activities for the big day, including competitions, displays, stalls, fairground rides and a host of entertainment.

• ellisjones.co.uk