Rowan Once Again Named Irwin Mitchell’s Charity of the Year

After raising £10,400 for Cambridge-based arts charity Rowan in 2018, the charity is set for a further fundraising boost, after the local office of Irwin Mitchell nominated the organisation once again to be their Charity of the Year for 2019.

This will be the second year staff at the Cambridge office of Irwin Mitchell has voted to back Rowan, a charity and arts centre that provides a creative environment for people with learning disabilities, using art as a tool to reduce social exclusion. Funds raised by Irwin Mitchell are helping the charity provide art materials, gain access to tutors and also sponsor students so they can attend the site.

The Charity of the Year initiative is part of the Irwin Mitchell Charities Foundation (IMCF), an independent charity founded in 1997. Thanks to the fundraising by colleagues in 2018 the IMCF has now raised more than £2 million for charities in the UK and abroad. Office staff vote to select a good cause they can support, through both voluntary work and fundraising events and Rowan has struck a chord with staff in Cambridge for a second year.

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“As a firm we are passionate about doing what we can to support important causes through the IMCF and the Charity of the Year initiative. Rowan undertakes important work and we are delighted to have raised over £10,000 for them in 2018 and we will be looking to beat this total in 2019 when once again we will be raising funds to support the fantastic services the organisation provides. We are hugely proud of the relationship we have developed with Rowan in recent years and are excited about seeing just how much we can do for the organisation in the coming months.” Neil Whiteley - Managing Partner

Rowan aims to improve the lives of those with learning disabilities by providing a range of activities. As well as running studios based around materials including wood and ceramics, they also hold regular music and performance workshops.

Hetti Wood, communications ambassador at Rowan, said: “We are so thankful and grateful for the ongoing support form Irwin Mitchell. We were blown away last year by all the fundraisers that were put into place and the friends made along the way. As we go into the second year of support, the money raised will continue to support our student artists’ bursary scheme. Without the subsidised costs some of our student artists – all of whom have learning disabilities - would not be able to come to Rowan due to their own financial situations.

“It is vital that we keep on providing for our student artists to not just survive, but thrive with passion, compassion and with style. We are thrilled that we have been chosen as Charity of the Year for the second year running.”