Birmingham law firm Irwin Mitchell and the Young Professional Women’s Group sponsored a black tie ball to help raise funds for local charity, Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer. The event also showcased the support group Cysters, which is a new initiative that has been set up in Birmingham. The event, which was held at the McDonald Burlington Hotel, raised more than £3,000 for the charity, which helps women who suffer with Breast Cancer.
Cysters was set up by Neelam Heera a paralegal at Irwin Mitchell, to help support women with gynaecological issues. Neelam is also a member of the Young Professional Women’s Group.
The support group provides a confidential forum for women to talk about these issues and aims to raise awareness of gynaecological issues as well as reducing the stigma of these problems within the black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities in the West Midlands.
Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer was set up 16 years ago and has already raised more than £1 million for the Cancer Unit at the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham, which has helped to fund new equipment to aid the fight against breast cancer.
The black tie event included live entertainment from Bhangra All Stars and singers Seetal Kaur and Sarika Gill, as well as an auction and raffle, with the funds helping the two groups to continue their work in the local area.
Simon O’Loughlin an associate Solicitor at Irwin Mitchell outbid the audience for the grand prize, two tickets to the sold out Royal Variety show in December.
Suki Chhokar, a Partner in the international personal injury team at Irwin Mitchell, said: “It was great to be able to come together for a night of fun and entertainment and to support these two groups, which are doing amazing work in the area of women’s health in or region.
“Organisations like these rely on donations to continue their work and we are delighted to have sponsored this event with the Young Professional Women’s Group, which helps women with career development, to ensure their work continues.”
Neelam who is also a member of the Young Professional Women’s Group and the Founder of Cysters said: “It was great to put on this event with the support of Irwin Mitchell and to help raise money for a fantastic organisation that has done so much for women dealing with breast cancer since its launch.
“We know the money raised on the night will be put to good use and continue to support women in the West Midlands dealing with this terrible disease.”
“The black tie event was a fantastic way showcase the work we do within Cysters and raise awareness of women’s health issues among minority groups in our area.
