Birmingham Office Team Raise Over £1,000 In Aid Of Papyrus

A crowd of over 150 people watched a team of All-Stars take on staff from the Birmingham office of Irwin Mitchell in a charity football match at Aspray Arena on Saturday 29 June. The event has raised over £1,000 for national suicide prevention charity, Papyrus - the law firm’s Charity Of The Year for 2019.

The final score was 5-2 to the All-Stars, with goals from ex wolves left back, Lee Naylor who scored from inside his own half, a bullet header from Walsall’s Dan Scarr and a penalty from ex Solihull Moors man Kristian Green, while Blackpool defender, Curtis Tilt, bagged a brace, both goals coming from close range.

The Irwin Mitchell team briefly stunned the stars when Graham Shore put them 1-0 up in the opening stages and while organiser Daniel Tonks also got himself on the score sheet with a penalty to make it 4-2, an upset was not to be.

Saturday’s fine weather meant the children in the crowd were able to take full advantage of the entertainment, face painting and bouncy castle on offer, while the presence of Liverpool and England winger Melissa Lawley and Walsall-born former Lioness captain Rachel Unitt added World Cup excitement to a memorable, family day out for all involved.

Expert Opinion

“I want to thank No5 Barristers chambers for sponsoring the event, our star players and over a hundred local people who came along. It was amazing to play against England stars like Rachel and having stars such as Melissa at the event is fantastic. Melissa was called up in January and was unlucky not to make the final squad for France. To get on the score sheet and play against professionals was a dream come true but more importantly to raise over £1,000 for Papyrus made it all worthwhile and I’m very proud of how the event has gone.” Daniel Tonks - Paralegal

Papyrus was chosen by the Birmingham Office as their 2019 Charity of the Year as part of the Irwin Mitchell Charities Foundation (IMCF), an independent charity founded in 1997 which has now raised more than £2 million for charities in the UK and abroad.

Suicide is the biggest killer of under 35s in the UK and Papyrus aims to confront the issue, by equipping young people and communities with skills to recognise and respond to suicidal behaviour. All the money raised at the match will go towards ensuring their vital work in the local community continues.