Shoreham Dog’s Trust receives bumper donation: ‘It made sense to support something I love’

The charity received a cheque from Shoreham local James Wingate for £5,888 this week – the latest in a five-year fundraising effort that has raised more than £25,000.

James, who runs his own mortgage company, Abode Finance Ltd, teamed up with a group of volunteers and former employer Santander to collect money at a fun day in May.

The bank contributed another £1,500 as part of a community outreach project.

James said: “I’m a big dog lover and always been a dog owner, so this was a cause close to my heart. Working with the Dog’s Trust lets me see the great work they do and the amazing facilities they have for the dogs.

“It made sense to support something I love.”

James and his four-year-old son, Bhodi, were treated to a peek behind the scenes when they delivered the cheque.

He said he felt it was important Bhodi got to see the effects of charity work and also gave him some good material to write about on his first day of primary school.

His new venture as an independent mortgage advisor will hopefully give him more opportunities to bring other banks into his fundraising, James said, with ‘bigger and better’ projects in the pipeline.

Alongside his financial role, James is also a professional actor and owns his own men’s grooming products business.