A Manchester-based organisation which focuses on tackling social issues and helping young people across the city achieve their potential is set to receive a major fundraising boost after it was nominated by staff at the regional office of Irwin Mitchell to be its Charity of the Year for 2020.
Every year, the national law firm holds a vote for lawyers and others based across each of its 14 offices to select a good cause which they can support through voluntary work and fundraising activities.
The initiative is part of work undertaken by the Irwin Mitchell Charities Foundation, an independent charity established in 1997 which has raised more than £2 million for a range of different organisations both in the UK and abroad.
This year, the Manchester office of Irwin Mitchell has chosen to nominate Mancunian Way, an initiative which focuses on engaging with communities in order to offer support to disenfranchised young people and help them get the best from life.
“We have always been committed to getting involved in the communities where we are based and doing what we can to support vital local causes within those regions.
The Charity of the Year initiative has given us a great chance to do that and we are delighted to be supporting Mancunian Way across the next 12 months. The organisation undertakes some truly vital work and we are very excited at the prospect of helping it across the coming year.” (Ros Bever, Regional Managing Partner of Irwin Mitchell’s Manchester office)
Mancunian Way was established by Nick Buckley eight years ago after he witnessed the riots in Manchester city centre in 2011. Concerned about what could be done to support the city’s young people in the future, he created the organisation in an effort to tackle social issues and help them to make positive informed choices.
It is involved in a range of vital projects across the city, including the street-based youth engagement project called Stay Safe which aims to provide advice and guidance to young people based in some of the toughest neighbourhoods. Another initiative is Change For Good, which aims to secure employment opportunities for those affected by homelessness.
Among those the charity has supported is Paul, 55, who was facing homelessness but was given a chance to work at the city’s Circle Square development. After impressing at the site, it is hoped he will get a chance to progress to a more skilled role in the near future.
“We are simply overjoyed that Irwin Mitchell’s Manchester office has chosen to support us as their Charity of the Year for 2020.
We have big plans across the coming year and their support will make a big difference as we look to help so many different people facing a tough time within our local community. We simply can’t wait to work with them in the next few months.” (Nick Buckley MBE, founder of Mancunian Way)
