Yorkshire law firm Gordons raises £20,000 and successfully mentors young homeless people at Centrepoint Bradford

Yorkshire law firm Gordons has raised more than £20,000 for the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, Centrepoint, as well as mentoring seven young people at the charity’s Bradford service to help them secure jobs.

The firm, which has offices in Bradford and Leeds, has supported Centrepoint with a number of initiatives over the past 12 months.

Most recently, the firm has been raising money for the charity via sponsorship of a Three Peaks walk taking place in June. Other initiatives include collecting and donating Christmas presents and Easter eggs for the young people at the charity to enjoy.

The firm also staged a ‘Gordons’ Got Talent’ event made up entirely from people at the firm performing their weird and wonderful skills, as well as regular cake sales and five-a-side football tournaments.

The funds raised are equivalent to sponsoring all Centrepoint’s beds across Yorkshire for a year through the charity’s Sponsor a Room initiative. They will help homeless young people in Yorkshire access vital services needed to end the cycle of homelessness, such as mental health support and achieving important qualifications with Centrepoint’s Learning team.

Gordons has also helped Centrepoint’s young adults prepare for the world of work by offering one-to-one mentoring by people from the firm.

The two most recent mentoring successes have been achieved by Gordons partners Andrew Breckenridge and Simon Mydlowski.

Andrew has helped his young mentee secure her first part-time job, whilst Simon has worked closely with his to help him pass the theory part of his driving test and gain a maths NVQ Level 2. Simon is now advising his mentee as he undertakes a vocational health and safety course with the aim of starting a job in June.

Commenting on Gordons’ impact, Centrepoint’s senior regional fundraising officer, Chloe Sykes, said: “It has been an amazing journey with Gordons. People at the firm have gone above and beyond to make a real difference. Throughout our partnership they have consistently proven themselves to be passionate and committed in their support of homeless young people.

“The funds the firm has raised make a huge difference to our charity. The fact that Gordons has raised the equivalent of sponsoring all Centrepoint’s rooms in Yorkshire for a year is an outstanding achievement and testament to everyone’s hard work in supporting us.

“In addition, the mentoring they have provided is helping transform the lives and outlooks of the young people they have been advising. This is something everyone at Gordons should be very proud of.”

Such is the firm’s positive impact on the charity that Centrepoint invited Gordons’ senior partner, John Holden, to speak at the National Youth Homelessness Conference held in Coventry earlier this year.

Once every 12 months, Gordons’ people select a charity partner to benefit from fundraising and volunteering activities. Over the past seven years, the firm has raised more than £135,000 for its chosen charities, including national children’s charity KidsOut, homelessness charity Simon on the Streets, Willow Young Carers Service, PhysCap and The Friends of Alfie Martin.

Last year, Gordons was presented with the corporate supporter of the year award by national children’s charity, Kids Out. This year, Centrepoint has nominated Gordons within the contribution to the community award category at the Bradford Means Business Awards.

Sarah Ratcliffe, partner at Gordons and Centrepoint’s contact at the firm, said: “It has been truly inspirational to work with Chole and the Centrepoint team. We had a tremendous amount of fun raising money for the charity, whilst also being able to get actively involved thanks to the mentoring element of our support for Centrepoint.

“The charity is run by a remarkable group of people. It has been our pleasure to play our part in helping Centrepoint carry out its vital role in helping homeless young men and women secure a brighter future.”