Irwin Mitchell Raises £3,500 For Charity Of The Year

Homeless charity Jimmy’s Cambridge is set to benefit from a £3,500 donation from Irwin Mitchell’s Cambridge office, after staff at the firm dedicated its fundraising efforts during 2016 to the organisation.

Jimmy’s Cambridge was nominated by staff at the office to be their Charity of the Year for 2016 as part of a nationwide initiative developed by the Irwin Mitchell Charities Foundation. 

Established in 1997, IMCF is an independent registered charity set up by the firm which has donated more than £1.5 million to third sector organisations. A record £163,000 was raised in total across the law firm’s offices in 2016.

Jimmy’s Cambridge originally opened in 1995 and specialises in providing emergency accommodation to homeless people in Cambridge. The shelter is named in memory of a Jim Dilley, a homeless man whose death in 1994 inspired a group of people to establish the haven.

Neil Whiteley, Regional Managing Partner at Irwin Mitchell’s Cambridge office, said: “We are delighted to be able to provide this donation to a truly fantastic cause in our local community.

“Our Charity of the Year initiative is something that all of our employees are very passionate about, with everyone pitching in, in a variety of ways across 2016 to ensure we can provide quality support to this charity. In particular, aside from just raising funds, our colleagues took time out throughout the year to help with voluntary activities at the shelter, as well delivering brand new sleeping bags to help those unable to benefit directly from the accommodation offered at Jimmys.

“Last year was a record-breaking one in terms of our national fundraising work and we are very proud to be able to give back to the local communities where we work in this manner.”

While Jimmy’s originally started life in a single basement, as a Night Shelter,   in 2012 it was able to expand into four floors of the Zion Baptist Church. As well as offering ensuite rooms, it now also offers improved resettlement services, learning opportunities, IT points and leisure activities.

Barry Griffiths at Jimmy’s Cambridge said: “We are hugely grateful to everyone at Irwin Mitchell’s Cambridge office for this fantastic donation which will allow us to make a huge difference to a lot of people’s lives.”

“Working with the firm across 2016 has been an absolute pleasure and we truly appreciate the hard work and effort which has gone into raising these vital funds.”