Irwin Mitchell’s Sheffield Office Nominates Charity of the Year

Weston Park Cancer Charity is set for a fundraising boost after colleagues at the Sheffield office of Irwin Mitchell nominated the organisation to be their Charity of the Year for 2019.

The national law firm’s annual charity initiative sees staff across 13 of its office’s take part in a vote to select a good cause which they can support through both voluntary work and fundraising events.

It is part of work undertaken by the Irwin Mitchell Charities Foundation (IMCF), an independent charity founded in 1997 which has raised more than £1.8 million for charities in the UK and abroad.

This year, the firm’s Sheffield office has voted to give its support to Weston Park Cancer Charity, an organisation linked to Weston Park Cancer Centre which aims to raise over £2 million a year to improve the lives of those living with cancer.

Adrian Budgen is a Partner from the firm’s Sheffield office and Trustee of the Irwin Mitchell Charities Foundation.

Expert Opinion

“As a firm we have always been passionate about doing what we can to support important causes and organisations through the IMCF and the Charity of the Year initiative.

“Weston Park Cancer Charity undertakes incredibly important work and we are already planning a range of activities across the year which will ensure that vital funds are raised to support the services that it provides to so many people.

“Helping good causes is a core part of life here at Irwin Mitchell and we are excited about seeing just how much we can do for Weston Park Cancer Charity and our other chosen charities across the coming months.” Adrian Budgen - National Head of Asbestos and Occupational Disease

Established in 1994, Weston Park Cancer Charity has already raised more than £22 million to support those affected by cancer. Weston Park Cancer Centre itself is the local region’s only specialist cancer hospital and provides care and treatment to thousands of people from not only South Yorkshire but also Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

Funds raised by Irwin Mitchell will be used to support the hospital’s full range of work and will also assist with plans to transform four specialist suites in order to boost patient comfort.

Samantha Dixon, CEO of Weston Park Cancer Charity, said: “We are thrilled that Irwin Mitchell Sheffield has chosen Weston Park Cancer Charity as its Charity of the Year. We would like to thank everyone who took the time to vote for us. Your support means the world to us and working together, we can transform the lives of thousands of patients and their families living with, and beyond, cancer across our region.

“We already have a strong and established relationship, which is driven by a shared commitment to ‘be there for more people fighting a cancer diagnosis’ and we are looking forward to building on this as we embark on our Charity of the Year partnership.”

Funds raised by Irwin Mitchell colleagues will enable the charity to support more patients at Weston Park Cancer Centre like Amanda Horsman, 45, of Warmsworth, Doncaster.

The mum-of-three was diagnosed with advanced head and neck cancer just days before Christmas 2016, and feared it would be the last she would spend with her young children, Franchesca, Kristian and Holly.
 
Since then she has become one of only 20 people in the world to have taken part in a cutting-edge clinical trial at Weston Park Cancer Centre, looking to see if a specialist drug make cancerous tumour cells more sensitive to radiation therapy.
 
Amanda, who first noticed a lump in the left side of her neck, but had believed it was a cyst, said: “I wasn’t in any pain, but mentally it was different. If someone said you were going to hell, you wouldn’t believe it - but that’s what living with cancer is like.

“I just thought: what have I done wrong? But I had to come to terms with it and taking part in the Morex trial was my way of doing something to help the next generation and the generation after that. It felt so positive.

“Research from the trial will improve the quality of cancer services across the board and result in better outcomes for all patients.”

Amanda’s treatment ended in March 2017 and she was “ecstatic” to be finally given the all-clear in autumn last year.

“Weston Park Hospital is an amazing place. From the cleaners to the nurses and consultants, everyone has been outstanding.

“Nobody ever made me feel like I was asking a daft question or wasting their time. Everything about the trial was really positive and now my youngest tells everyone: MY MUM BEAT CANCER.”