It has been said that the Gibraltar community is an extremely philanthropic and giving one and this is often remarked upon by those that move to Gibraltar from elsewhere. This was certainly the experience of Leanne Beresford, Head of Personal Pensions at Sovereign Pension Services in Gibraltar. For the last two years in addition to her management role, Leanne has been voluntary charity coordinator for Sovereign’s offices both on Main Street and in Ocean Village. This means she manages all staff fundraising activity such as regular bake sales, arranging awareness days and collecting and paying in monies raised. Alongside this, every year the team in Gibraltar vote for their charity of the year and raise money for them with various events, this money is then match funded by Sovereign before being presented to the chosen charity, which has been GibSams for the past 2 years (an extra year given due to Covid disruption).
Leanne has also experienced first-hand local generosity on the many fundraising endeavours she has been part of as a participant in Mrs Gibraltar Classic 2022 (aka Mrs GC). Mrs GC’s ethos is ‘women with a purpose’ and as part of the journey they go on, they are invited to various charity fundraising events to support local causes. Standing on Main Street shaking a tin, Leanne has been amazed at how many people stop to give and engage, some even stopping to donate twice. Mrs GC has brought Leanne into contact with a remarkable group of 9 other like-minded women. For Leanne, Mrs GC isn’t a pageant, Mrs GC is more about your journey and your experience, and giving back to society. It has also given her a little ‘me’ time, which can be hard to find as a fulltime working mother. In addition to the charity work, there have been sessions on wellness, fitness (such as Zumba) and pampering. Having not owned a pair of heels since her 11 year old son was born Leanne now owns 3 pairs and wears them regularly.
There can also sometimes be a sense of feeling less visible when you get over 50, so Mrs GC has been a wonderful celebration of women who are 50+ saying “I’ve still got it; I’m still here”, celebrating older women, and giving them a voice. Self-care and self-love are topics that have been discussed in the Mrs GC wellness sessions, with some sharing that this can often be a cause of anxiety, so it is so good to talk about it. Inner beauty is so important and Leanne sees the beauty in all of her fellow Mrs GCs contestants and has made an amazing bunch of friends in the process.
Mrs GC focuses on the positive aspects and lives of twenty-first century women who have busy, fulfilled lives, but recognise that having a career, job, or children, does not define them as women. The Mrs Gibraltar Classic 2022 Awards Ceremony will be on 13 January. To find out more about this project please visit: https://lnkd.in/e53aUCMz.
A mention should also be given to Ideal Productions Gibraltar, as the organisers and producers of Mrs Gibraltar Classic, who have made this possible.
Sovereign Pension Services Gibraltar Ltd are proud to sponsor Leanne’s entry and we all wish her the best of luck in next month’s awards ceremony. If you would like to VOTE for her, please visit: https://lnkd.in/e5NQ6irj. Voting closes on 11 January and costs £1.
