"We’ve taken some of the profit margin from the exercise and two members of the prize draw get a £250 voucher to a chosen charity. We give them complete open choice.
"It can be a large charity or a local group like a youth group, cancer hospice or an older people's Christmas lunch organised by a church.
"As long as it means something to you, we will do that. It’s been one of the nicest things I get to do.”
Insight into individuals
Nelson speaks of the other advantages of charitable giving, adding: “Doing this gives us an insight into individuals and what they care about outside of work.
"Hearing about charitable causes close to their hearts makes people more relatable and helps us get to know someone better.”
Nelson also helps to run a Facebook forum for financial services members called Take Stock, together with Morningstar's Ollie Smith.
In the Take Stock Facebook group, members of the professional community, can share their mental health challenges, and support one another.
Nelson says: “The origin of the group goes back to that first podcast I recorded with Ollie Smith, then of Citywire.
"I was really humbled by the response to it and one thing that struck me was the volume of people who wrote to me behind the scenes to share their own stories.
"[There were] people of all backgrounds, jobs and levels of seniority. It was really telling how I’d known so many of these people to varying degrees but know nothing about them or their histories of how mental health issues of all forms had touched them.”
It was an act of goodwill, aimed to bring those members of the industry together so that they could connect with each other, and support one another on the forum.
Take Stock has more than 100 members and forms part of a mission to break down barriers and stigma and provide a framework for people to share their mental health struggles with each other, and help one another when they do so.
Smith himself is working the night shifts on December 24 and 25 at two hotels run by Crisis UK, to help people experiencing homelessness get accommodation over the festive period.
Seasonal mindfulness
The Lang Cat also support the Samaritans, pursuing their championing of improving mental health through sponsored walking for the Samaritans as well.
The Samaritans are a charity operating a free listening service to anyone needing to talk.
Standard Life has also been supporting the Samaritans this Christmas. Together they are training Standard Life staff in better helping clients who are in situations of vulnerability.
