Charity aim to help those on wrong side of the divide

LIKE many British cities, Leeds appears outwardly affluent.

But according to Martin Shaw, a grandee of the city’s business community, the reality is very different.

“There’s a huge divide between the well-off and those that are in absolute desperation,” he told the Yorkshire Post.

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Mr Shaw, a senior corporate lawyer at Pinsent Masons, is the driving force behind the annual fundraising lunch for Variety, the children’s charity.

The Yorkshire Business Awards is a leading fixture of the business calendar and has raised more than £3m for disadvantaged and disabled children in the region over the last quarter of a century.

Mr Shaw said the charity has stepped in to support the disadvantaged in cases where the state has been unable to help. “Sometimes we have seen houses where the dog is treated better than the child,” he said.

Mr Shaw added Variety has also been able to help the families of disabled children by buying special equipment to aid mobility.

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He maintains that the charity can provide more direct help and support to children than general corporate social responsibility programmes.

In the last year in Yorkshire, Variety has paid for 15 Sunshine coaches, 14 wheelchairs and trikes and more than 40 appeals for specialist and sensory equipment.

Howgate Sable, the independent executive search consultancy, is main sponsor for 2013.

Partner Martin Boyle said: “As an executive search firm, our time is predominantly directed towards high-achievers who are operating at the top of successful businesses.

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“In this regard, the foundation for most successful people with whom we engage is in a happy and positive start to life.

“Through our support for Variety, this is an opportunity for Howgate Sable to help those whose early life is less successful, either through disadvantage or disability, and give them a better chance of prospering in their lives.

“I would encourage other businesses and their employees to support Variety and get involved in the charity’s wide range of events and activities.

“I should add that two other key characteristics in the profile of successful leaders are humility and a generosity of spirit.”

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Co-sponsors are Yorkshire Bank, Design Portfolio Marketing Services, Ernst & Young, NM Rothschild, Pace plc, Henderson Insurance Brokers, Pinsent Masons and Yorkshire Building Society. The Yorkshire Post is media partner. A judging panel made up of business leaders will meet in early November to decide the winners.

Nominations are now being sought for categories of Board of the Year, Business Leader of the Year and Yorkshire SME of the Year, which is sponsored by Yorkshire Bank for companies with a turnover of up to £100m.

Email nominations by October 23 to [email protected]. Tickets can be bought via [email protected]