Environmentally-Friendly Employees Help Revamp The Leicestershire Riverside

A team of intrepid employees from law firm Irwin Mitchell will be getting their feet wet and their hands dirty to help a Leicestershire community project clean-up a polluted riverside.

The eight environmentally friendly lawyers, legal executives and associates from the firm will be collecting litter and debris from along the River Soar and Grand Union Canal, which runs through the Watermead Country Park in Leicestershire, on Monday, 2 July 2012.

Volunteers Louise Morgan, Anna Manning, Marcelo Masri, Sinead Hayes, Kate Saunders, David Carder, Ruth Moore and Joanne Winfield from the personal injury team will be taking part in the Leicestershire Green Lifeboat Challenge, which has been organised by community initiative Leicestershire Cares and the Green Lifeboat Project.

Team leader Joanne Winfield, an Irwin Mitchell associate who works with seriously injured people, said: “Leicestershire Cares is a fantastic community organisation which has inspired many of our recent volunteering activities at Irwin Mitchell, particularly since we opened our consulting office in Leicester.

“The team is really looking forward to wearing our waterproofs and lifejackets to help ensure one of Leicestershire’s most beautiful green spaces remains litter free for everyone to enjoy. I’m sure we will take to the challenge like ducks to water and hope to have a satisfying amount of rubbish bagged up by the end of the day.”

The Leicestershire Riverside includes a 12-mile network of open spaces, nature reserves and parks running throughout the city. The wildlife hot-spot becomes a focal point every June for the Leicester Riverside Festival.

Katharine Lightbown, Community Development Coordinator for Leicestershire Cares, said: “Irwin Mitchell has always been passionate about volunteering in the community and it will be great to see them taking part in the Green Lifeboat Challenge for the first time.  It is a challenging task, but I’m sure they will have a great time and will find improving the waterway network for wildlife, residents and tourists a really rewarding experience. I also hope they inspire other businesses to get involved in our future projects.”

Irwin Mitchell is committed to being a socially responsible organisation and encourages staff to take part in a variety of volunteering projects with schools, community groups while also offering pro bono support to vulnerable people who need it most. The company also holds an annual National Day of Volunteering and has nominated Help the Hospices as its Charity of the Year 2012.

In April, Irwin Mitchell was nominated for the Volunteering Team of the Year Award by Leicestershire Cares for its work organising a Christmas party for 15 children with special needs and learning difficulties at the Menphys Nursery at Wigston, Leicester.