Growing A Successful Career Supports Local Fundraising

On Wednesday 14 August, trainees from the regional offices of Irwin Mitchell swapped legal briefs for flower bulbs and shopping bags, as 57 new recruits volunteered 285 hours for a stint of bag packing and gardening in Sheffield – all in aid of Weston Park Cancer Charity.

The trainees began their time at Irwin Mitchell on Monday 12 August and the volunteer day has become an annual event, which aims to introduce new starters to the firm’s work in the community and commitment to charitable causes.

Two groups spent Wednesday at Weston Park Cancer Support Centre, working in the outpatient garden on Northumberland Road; while two more teams were bag packing at Marks and Spencer in Fargate. The final groups were packing bags at Tesco on Abbeydale Road; while the fourth group’s ‘Big Tin Challenge’, saw two teams compete to place as many tins in in local shops as they could.

Every year, staff donate hundreds of hours to support the local community, all part of the Irwin Mitchell Charities Foundation (IMCF), an independent charity founded in 1997 which has raised more than £2 million for charities in the UK. The annual initiative sees staff across the firm’s 13 offices vote to select a good cause, which they can support through both voluntary work and fundraising events.

Hannah Pearson and Matt Kayoka, part of the teams working in the outpatient garden, said: “It was fantastic to learn about the work that Weston Park Cancer Centre do and what they do for the community. To help in a tiny way by doing some gardening was fun and very rewarding.”

Speaking on behalf of the other volunteers, Emily Ostridge & Liz Davis said: “It was lovely to see the generosity of people in Sheffield. It is clear that Weston Park means a lot to everyone through the conversations we had whilst volunteering.”

Marissa Sanders, Head of Early Careers at Irwin Mitchell, said: “Taking the first steps as a legal trainee is daunting and exciting in equal measure. There can be a lot to take in and the volunteer day is a midweek break that allows our recruits to feel a part of the Irwin Mitchell family. Supporting our Charity Of The Year means they start what we hope will prove a long career with us by playing a full role in the life of the firm from day one.”