Member Article

Grant Thornton and Blacks Solicitors raise £7,000

Grant Thornton and Blacks Solicitors battle it out in the kitchen and raise £7,000 for Simon on the Streets

Professional advisers from two Leeds firms, Grant Thornton UK LLP and Blacks Solicitors LLP, have taken to the kitchen in a unique culinary ‘Come Dine with Simon’ contest organised by Simon on the Streets which, together with associated fundraising activities, raised around £7,000 for the local charity as the finale to Leeds Business Week.

The concept for this inaugural event was simple – two teams of eight battled it out to deliver the best three-course meal and dining service to a total of 80 guests (40 per team.) The diners, all delegates of Leeds Business Week, were then asked to rate their experience and ‘pay as they feel’ for their meal.

Hosted by Novotel on 16 October, the event saw the team from Grant Thornton being crowned the culinary champions, achieving a score of 45 points out of a potential 50 points, in a closely fought cook off.

Gill MacNaughton of Grant Thornton comments: “Cooking a formal dinner for 40 people is quite a tall order! Despite some moments of panic, we pulled together and produced a meal which, fortunately, our guests seemed to enjoy. We’re really proud to have achieved this culinary accolade and, of course, to have joined forces with the Leeds professional community to raise much-needed funds for this fantastic local charity.”

Paul Kelly, partner in the employment team at Blacks Solicitors, said: “It’s great to be part of such an unusual charity event; it was a really fun experience and everyone seemed to have a great time. Congratulations to the team from Grant Thornton and many thanks to everyone who supported us.”

‘Come Dine with Simon’, including a silent auction, cocktail sales, additional fundraising activity, team fees, reservation fees and pay-as-you-feel donations, succeeded in raising a total of £7,000. All funds will go to rough sleepers’ charity Simon on the Streets which offers street-based support for those in need in Leeds, Huddersfield and Bradford.

Aissa Gallie, development manager at Simon on the Streets, said: “This was a fantastic event and we’re thrilled that it has raised such a significant amount – the money raised equates to a year’s intensive support for three of our clients.

“We would, of course, like to thank both teams for taking part with special thanks to Jill Ambrazaitis of Grant Thornton for helping to source the auction prizes, and also to Novotel for providing the venue, their staff and expertise as a gift to the charity. Both teams worked incredibly hard throughout the day to make the experience extra special for their guests and the food was of a professional quality. We really appreciate the generosity of everyone who took part.”

The team from Grant Thornton comprised: kitchen team leader Gill MacNaughton supported by Declan Ramsey, Fanoos Farooq and Emily Bartliff; plus front of house team leader Sarah Netherwood along with Sharon Whitford, Jill Ambrazaitis and Ian Richardson.

Blacks Solicitors’ team consisted of: Euan Lawrence, Paul Kelly, Jennifer Roberts and Tristan Milner (kitchen); plus Charlotte Spowage, Helen Gott, James Farad and James Teagle (front of house.) Novotel’s head/sous chefs and motivational mentors from Simon on the Streets supported both teams throughout the event.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Kilmurray .