A team of staff from national law firm Irwin Mitchell have taken
part in a community challenge to refurbish a city-centre building
for vulnerable and isolated people in Leicester.
The challenge was a part of the Leicestershire Cares initiative,
which sees key organisations come together to help support their
local community and other disadvantaged groups in the region.
The team, along with staff from chartered accountants and
business advisers MacIntyre Hudson, repainted the main hall of the
Centre Project, a meeting place for homeless and vulnerable adults
and young people in the centre of Leicester.
The Centre provides drop in sessions, freshly cooked daily
meals, support and advice, meaningful occupation and opportunities
for stimulus and interaction. It aims to provide a calm and
friendly atmosphere aimed at improving social skills and increasing
self- esteem and self-confidence.
The team from Irwin Mitchell was lead by Helen Ashton, a Partner
at the firm. She said: "The Centre has been on the project's
list for a while, and we were delighted to get the opportunity to
help out. This was a chance to help a project which is in the heart
of the city centre and helps some of the most vulnerable in
society."
Trish Burnell of MacIntyre Hudson said: "We are proud to have
supported such a worthwhile cause. It also gave us the opportunity
to meet fellow Leicestershire professionals in a slightly different
environment than we would normally be used to!"
Eric Waweru, from The Centre Project, said: "The challenge has
transformed the room to provide a clean and decent space for our
service users. It has enabled the organisation to save on
maintenance expenses with our savings directed to service delivery
and meeting the needs of our service users."
Rosie Colls, Community Development Coordinator at Leicestershire
Cares, added:
"The challenge was part of the Leicestershire Cares initiative
which enables staff from local companies to come together to
support their local community and other disadvantaged groups in the
region.
"Irwin Mitchell has been very active and positive members of
Leicestershire Cares since joining three years ago, and has
provided teams of volunteers for numerous community groups in the
region.
"These community projects provide services for some of the most
vulnerable client groups and all volunteer teams have delivered
excellent and well planned assistance every time. This is
undoubtedly due to the commitment of the staff volunteers, but it
is also due to the willingness of the company to commit resources
to each project."