We are not ‘just’ property problem solvers, check out what our Foundation does. . .
Driven by our deeply rooted personal belief system to help others, the FPS Foundation was formed to allow us to translate our passion for making a difference to impact children’s lives positively.
For example, our Foundation, in partnership with ‘Chess In Schools’ charity empowers over 1,000 children in eight SW London primary schools, in one of the poorest communities, through personal development. We are not ‘just’ a property buying company, we are committed to building a better future.
For every customer we help, our Foundation increases its positive impact on children with the goal of working with every primary school in the UK which means every child will have access to personal development.
If you have a local school that you think would benefit from our Foundation please get in touch with Tim attim@fasterpropertysolutions.co.uk.
"Children are Our Future!"
Our Foundation is also in partnership with World Transformation Academy. It was founded and is being run by our very own director Harinder Paul. World Transformation Academy is the beginning of a whole new future being created with slum families living in Kalkaji slum New Delhi, India. Regular life coaching yoga & meditation is transforming their experience of what is possible and is allowing for a powerful way to empower this community for whom opportunities are limited. For the first time in their lives, this slum community is being taught how to create goals and dreams and have started their journey to realise them. If you would like to hear more about World Transformation Academy, please get in touch with Harinder at harinder@fasterpropertysolutions.co.uk.
An interview with Tim Hodges
(from the Faster Property Solutions Team)
Where does your passion from Chess come from?
As a child I was labelled with learning difficulties, dyslexia to be precise. For me this created a ceiling for me, a bubble of which I found challenging to break through. I was called stupid and felt there was nothing I could do because I had something wrong with me. BUT, it all changed when my dad introduced me to chess and consequently joining my school's chess club. Chess taught me to break through my achievement ceiling, it showed me that actually I wasn't as thick as I thought. Later on in my adult life I realised what an impact chess had on me from its many benefits such as spatial awareness and consequences of action. But it was only when I started a chess club at my daughters school that I realised we could create a bigger impact on the personal development of children. I decided to put forward one of my pupils to a chess competition not because she was the best chess player but because of her amazing journey from a shy, timid girl with no chess experience and within a year to a very capable chess player with growing confidence. She was chosen and played Kasparov at the House of Lords at an exhibition match, an experience she will never forget. I knew from that day I wanted to promote the benefits of chess to every child in the country.
Why did FPS choose to support Chess in School?
To create the biggest impact in the world we believe it starts with the next generation by empowering them with personal development. It just so happens that chess is one of many personal development tools and I have personal experience in its impact on my life. I came into contact with the ‘Chess In Schools’ charity while setting up my chess club whom were able to provide the school with free books, chess boards and training. I also saw how successful they had become with lobbying parliament in promoting chess in schools. Their goal is to have chess taught as part of the primary school curriculum in every Uk school. Currently, 320 schools have chess taught as part of the curriculum which is an amazing achievement and we at QPS are looking to contribute to this figure by not only financing the chess programme but engaging and sourcing new schools.
How do you think learning Chess positively impacts the lives of children?
Well, thankfully I am able to talk from personal experience on the huge positive effect it had throughout my life. As I said before as a child, chess taught me that my achievement ceiling could always be broken through. Within this chess taught me about the consequences of actions, spatial awareness, ‘check the board’ mantra (always think before you make a move - I have always carried this throughout my adult life), mathematics, geometry, sportsmanship, pattern recognition, concentration, and boosting self esteem to name a few of the many benefits of playing chess. Remember it's not about being the best chess player but about recognising and integrating the chess skills into your life.
An interview with Malcolm Pein
(Chairman of ‘Chess In Schools’ Charity)
How did the partnership with FPS come about?
I was approached by Tim Hodges who wanted to do something to make a difference in the area where he was brought up and works. We discussed how chess had made a real difference to his early years and helped him get to where he is today. Indeed, Tim thinks much of his success is due to learning the game of chess as a child. We resolved to recruit local schools by making them aware of the benefits of chess and started with Falconbrook school.
How big of an impact do you think FPS is making to the lives of the children?
QPS' s funding of a CSC programme in primary schools has given children an opportunity they would otherwise not have had. Learning chess has given the children a life skill and for some of them opened up many new opportunities and enabled them to make new friends.
What would you say are the main benefits for the children?
It teaches children to concentrate, to understand that actions have consequences, to think before they act and for many it's a vehicle to increase their self-esteem. It's also a great tool for illustrating some mathematical ideas and for socialising a classroom.
What is the main goal of ‘Chess in Schools' ?
If we had the resources we'd teach every child in the UK to play.