Lifeshare named as Staff Charity of the Year

Staff at Pareto Financial Planning have chosen Lifeshare, which provides a soup kitchen and other support for homeless and marginalised people in Manchester, as the firm’s charity of the year.

A 14-strong Pareto team will take part in the 10k Great Manchester Run on Sunday, May 19 to kick-start the firm’s fundraising efforts. you can donate and leave a message on the dedicated JustGiving page.

Seb Halstead, marketing executive at Pareto, said: “Lifeshare delivers an amazing service and provides support to the most vulnerable people in Manchester. “It was voted by staff as our charity of the year for 2019 and we are looking forward to working with the Lifeshare team to make a real difference.“Everyone at Pareto is excited to be supporting its activities to help as many people as possible.”

Lifeshare was founded in 1984 and its soup kitchen provides rough sleepers in the city with a free cooked breakfast at weekends. It also helps homeless people to obtain emergency accommodation, access to healthcare services and support from other agencies.

The charity’s flagship service is CARDS, which targets vulnerable and marginalised young people aged 16-25, especially those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, and those at risk of being sexually exploited.

Led by operations manager Judy Vickers, CARDS aims to ensure clients have safe and stable accommodation, financial stability, positive mental wellbeing, good physical health and better job opportunities. Lifeshare recently experienced homelessness itself when it had to leave its base at the Charter Street Ragged School after three decades. It has now found a new home at the Limelight Community Centre in Old Trafford.

Judy said: “We are honoured to be chosen by Pareto Financial Planning as its charity of the year. “Sadly, homelessness and food and fuel poverty in Greater Manchester are on the increase but, by working together, we can help to alleviate these problems. We look forward to working with the Pareto team during the year.”

Pareto staff raised £3,200 for their 2018 charity of the year, mental health organisation Manchester MIND, which has helped to fund one-to-one counselling sessions for young people.

Seb said: “Our staff charity of the year was a huge success in 2018 and we are excited to extend our support to Lifeshare for 2019.”