A local charity which provides free mental health support to young people is set to benefit after lawyers and staff at the Bristol office of Irwin Mitchell nominated it to be their Charity of the Year for 2018.

The national law firm’s initiative sees staff across each of its offices hold a range of events throughout the year to raise funds for local causes which have been selected through a vote.

The programme is part of the work of the Irwin Mitchell Charities Foundation, an independent charity which last year celebrated its 20th anniversary and has raised more than £1.6 million for charities in the UK and abroad.

Off The Record Bristol (OTR) is a mental health social movement by and for young people in Bristol and South Gloucestershire. OTR provides information and support for 11-25 year olds via groups and projects that have been designed with the help of young people. The charity, which first opened its doors in 1965, promotes and improves mental health and wellbeing via projects such as The Resilience Lab (stress management workshops), Freedom (LGBTQ+ support), and therapies such as art therapy, drama therapy and counselling.

The charity supports over 3,000 young people a year, including Jamie, who received support from OTR said:

“My time here has completely changed my life in so many positive ways. Walking in every week met by warm and kind people has made me feel so at home. Leaving now feels like saying goodbye to an old friend”.

Employees at the Bristol based law firm will attempt to raise as much as they can for the charity. £100, for instance, funds three stress management workshops for thirty young people; £50 pays for six sessions of counselling for a young person struggling with self-harm, and £10 buying an emergency session for a young person in crisis.

Julie Lewis, Regional Managing Partner at Irwin Mitchell’s Bristol office, said:

“The Charity of the Year initiative has been a fundamental part of our efforts to actively support the local communities where we are based for many years and we are proud to have helped a number of incredible causes along the way.

“Off The Record is a fantastic cause doing vital work to address the mental health issues experienced by young people and we are already hard at work planning out the range of events which will be held across the year to raise vital funds to support the incredible work it does.”

Previous charities supported by staff at Irwin Mitchell’s Bristol office include the Anchor Society, which supports local elderly and isolated people and Bristol Autism Support.

Liam McKinnon, Marketing and Digital Manager at OTR, said:

“We’re thrilled and hugely grateful that Irwin Mitchell has decided to support OTR. As a local charity, money raised for OTR has a huge impact and allows us to continue innovating how we support and empower young people across Bristol and South Glos. Thank you!”