AUTUMN 2019 | OUR CULTURE STORY 23
CITIZENSHIP CHAPTER TEN
Partners show support for the Red Sock Project
Students visiting the BDOManchester office
In October 2018, I attended the firm’s annual Leaders’ conference, which coincided with the unveiling of BDO’s refreshed brand and some of the images we have used in our recent advertising campaigns. One particular image (and the fact a number of partners at the conference had themselves donned red socks!) sparked the idea of how BDO can get involved. With the leadership team fully on board with the idea. It was confirmed that BDO would donate one pair of red socks to the homeless, on behalf of every employee, as part of our Christmas charity donations. In November 2018, BDO announced plans to merge with Moore Stephens, meaning an additional 1,000 employees. This brought the total order of socks to 5,000, to be distributed through Crisis at Christmas Centres run by the national homelessness charity Crisis. And still more: individuals across our offices started their own sock collections to make an even bigger difference. I was thrilled to be the driving force behind a donation that could make the harsh winter period a little easier for some people. I would encourage anyone who can, to take the opportunity to volunteer and support charities and non-profit organisations, and I feel lucky I have been able to do so.”
In local schools, we deliver Money for Life training sessions to raise awareness of how to operate credit cards, bank statements and budgeting. We also currently mentor over 90 students aged 13/14 to inspire them to broaden career aspirations. As part of these sessions, the students come to our building to see what a working office looks like; for many it is the first time they have seen an office and for some it’s actually their first time in city centre Manchester (even though they only live three or four miles away) – giving you a sense of some of their challenging backgrounds. Having heard some of the students who’ve been through these programmes feed back on how it changed them and their outlook, I have no doubt that the combination we bring of skills, time and of course our people is making a real positive difference.”
… TO 5ALFORD Ed Dwan leads BDO in the North West, is a Tax Partner and is fanatical about Manchester City FC. “Many of our people are passionate about CSR. They derive great personal satisfaction from giving something back to society but especially where they can see they have made a difference. My aim is to help people utilise the time devoted to it as effectively as possible. In particular, where we can, using our professional skillset to support the charity involved. The work we have done with the Salford Foundation is a great story. Salford Foundation supports young people in some of the most deprived areas of Greater Manchester, helping them attain social and financial skills and developing them for the outside world. This year, more than 30 BDO North West employees will have supervised 1,100 students on the National Citizenship Service over the course of the summer in our office, teaching them commercial management of an imaginary music festival and running Dragons’ Den-style sessions for the students’ own fundraising ideas.
chapter ten
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