Hosting nearly 400 people at Elland Road on the 16th February 2018, the event brought together suppliers, customers, staff, friends and family of Barrett Steel’s nationwide branches.

The guests were joined by Sky Sports’ presenters and former England footballers Tony Cottee, Paul Merson, and Phil Thompson. They were treated to a three-course dinner alongside speeches and a fantastic set from impressionist and comedian, Kevin Connelly. The main event of the night was a charity auction, which featured prizes such as a Newcastle United football shirt signed by footballing legend, Alan Shearer, sold out U2 concert tickets with full hospitality package and a signed Anthony Joshua boxing glove.

With one of Barrett Steel’s employees being directly affected by the 2017 Manchester bombing, the We Love Manchester charity was an obvious choice to benefit from the generosity of the attendees, and an address was given by the Chief Executive of Manchester Council, Joanne Roney OBE, detailing the immensely important work that the charity has done since its inception.

Joanne Roney, from the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, said: "As trustees of the Emergency Fund, we remain hugely grateful for the outpouring of support and solidarity we've had from around the world for those affected by the tragedy at Manchester Arena.
"The money raised by this dinner will go a long way to helping those who have been affected and we are touched that donors are still thinking of us and still want to help support us."

Leeds’ Mind representative Laura Pattinson also spoke on the evening about the effect these life changing events have on mental health and the importance of support for charities such as Mind. The charity works incredibly hard in the local community to ensure no one should suffer in silence around the issue of mental health. Laura commented: “we were delighted be invited to attend the Barrett Steel Charity Sporting Dinner, it was a fantastic evening and gave us the opportunity to speak about the work we do and the people we support here at Leeds Mind. We are truly grateful to Barrett Steel for choosing to support Leeds Mind."

Rob Ridge of Barrett Steel and organiser of the event commented: “Barrett Steel have historically, and continue to, support both local and national charities. This is one our Core Values that every employee within the organisation lives and breathes. The support of our suppliers, customers, staff and friends made this night a fantastic success and really helped us to make a difference. We’ve already had quite a number of people asking about next year’s event!!”

From Left to Right: Danny McCalman, Richard Dewar, Paula Livie, Jill Jones from Barrett Steel Scotland

From Left to Right: Phil Thompson, Paul Merson and Tony Cottee