Digital onboarding platform Thirdfort and training provider the Conveyancing Academy have become the latest companies to back the Conveyancing Foundation, the not-for-profit organisation serving the conveyancing, legal and property industries.

The Foundation has raised nearly £1 million for charity since its launch. It has also won plaudits for its ‘Be Kind We Care’ initiative which launched this year to provide support for those in the conveyancing, legal and property industries by asking those working in them to have more thought for how they treat each other in everyday business dealings.

The Foundation’s recent inaugural webinar on stress management provided advice on spotting the signs of stress and mental overload early in yourself and others as well as on how to tackle those signs and avert them through promoting positive wellbeing.

Thirdfort and the Conveyancing Academy have become official sponsors of the Foundation, boosting its work in promoting kindness in the industry and providing practical resources to support mental health.

Olly Thornton-Berry, Thirdfort’s managing director, said: “Over the past year, we have witnessed the unprecedented stress that has been placed on the industry from rapid increases in transaction volumes and, of course, disruption from the pandemic.

“It’s important now more than ever that we focus on supporting one another across the conveyancing community. We are delighted to support the Conveyancing Foundation’s ‘Be Kind We Care’ initiative in promoting wellbeing in the workplace and look forward to seeing change happen.”

The Conveyancing Academy is the official training partner of the Society for Licensed Conveyancers and the Conveyancing Association.

It currently has a funding partnership with Cardiff and Vale College to offer its courses free of charge to legal practices in Wales, with similar funding arrangements available for English legal practices.

James Smith, business development manager of the Conveyancing Academy, said: “We wholeheartedly support the valuable work of the Foundation in providing practical help for those suffering from stress and also in giving their friends and colleagues the signposts to spot those signs and help them when they might not be able to recognise the signs themselves.

“It is vital that we don’t just talk about wellbeing but do something to protect it and help those already in need. The Conveyancing Foundation is doing a fantastic job in tackling some very difficult issues and we are also delighted to support them.”

Georgia Davies from the Conveyancing Foundation added: “’Be Kind We Care’ has really struck a chord within the industry in a year in which conveyancers have been under incredible levels of stress triggered by the challenges of the pandemic such as remote working combined with the surge in transactions because of shifting demographic patterns and the Stamp Duty holiday.

“That stress has had a knock-on effect on those working in affiliated industries too and we wanted to help alleviate that by both drawing attention to what was happening and providing some practical resources to tackle it. Every penny we receive in sponsorship helps us to provide more practical resources to do that.”